Back Running - Publications - Faculty & Research

29 Feb 2024
HBS Case

Beyond Goals: David Beckham's Playbook for Mobilizing Star Talent

Gardner, David Beckham Ventures’ president, in the case studies. “MLS teams were worth $50 million back then—now most are worth between $450 and $600 million And with the Apple deal, people all over the world can tune in and watch MLS... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman; Sports

15 Mar 2024
HBS Case

Let's Talk: Why It's Time to Stop Avoiding Taboo Topics at Work

conversation. She has also outlined prescriptions for important topics that she says people should discuss but often avoid (think: job-hunting while pregnant). And when a conversation goes off the rails, she suggests ways to bring both parties View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

23 Jul 2001
Research & Ideas

Sam Walton: Great From the Start

States in 1945. Why wouldn't this one be among the many that didn't make it? Surely, any analyst of the situation in 1945 would have found in Walton a good candidate for failure. As he himself put it, "For all of my confidence I hadn't had a day's experience in... View Details

Keywords: by Richard S. Tedlow; Retail

03 Oct 2023
HBS Case

Layoffs Can Be Bad Business: 5 Strategies to Consider Before Cutting Staff

says, “because they want to ensure they have the financial resources to take care of people properly.” 4. Apologize—and mean it Poorly run layoff programs can be tremendously damaging to a company’s reputation. If current and downsized... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand; Telecommunications; Technology; Financial Services; Manufacturing

07 Jul 2022
HBS Case

How a Multimillion-Dollar Ice Cream Startup Melted Down (and Bounced Back)

They just can't keep up with it.” The couple turned to venture capitalists with little experience in food and beverage businesses, and with the addition of bank loans, backed by a personal guarantee, were able to raise $20 million. To... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

23 Jun 2023
HBS Case

This Company Lets Employees Take Charge—Even with Life and Death Decisions

back to our organizations?’ And as companies face employee reductions in this economic climate, perhaps they should consider doing so in a way that removes layers of organizational structure as well.” How Buurtzorg works Jos de Blok, one... View Details

Keywords: by Annelena Lobb; Health

03 Oct 2023
Research Event

Build the Life You Want: Arthur Brooks and Oprah Winfrey Share Happiness Tips

Status-- Winfrey: No, but I don't think it's status. I think, and one of the reasons I said what I said about it informing me, and I said to you back backstage that it actually made me a better person. Reading those columns made me a... View Details

Keywords: by HBS Staff

28 May 2024
In Practice

Job Search Advice for a Tough Market: Think Broadly and Stay Flexible

short run and perseverance is rewarded.” Returns and attractive exits are higher for startups formed during these periods in history. Overall, I emphasize that students need to be patient. Good jobs are out there to be had. All it takes... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

15 Jun 2010
First Look

First Look: June 15

wants to adjust the company's business, headcount, and cost levels to adapt to changing economic conditions after one of the worst economic downturns in decades. His all-male executive committee has raised eyebrows since it is a step back... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

22 Aug 2016
Research & Ideas

Master the One-on-One Meeting

the agenda. Ask if there’s anything else to add before you dig in. Always leave a door open—sometimes an employee is holding back on something. If there are hard things to discuss (maybe some tough performance feedback), try to bookend it... View Details

Keywords: by Julia B. Austin

20 Feb 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, February 20, 2018

the end of the one-child policy, and ethnic tensions. Others focus on China’s relationship with other nations, particularly the United States. If America pulls back from its Asian commitments, how will China assert its growing strength in... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

03 Oct 2022
Research & Ideas

Why a Failed Startup Might Be Good for Your Career After All

Measuring success from 5 million resumes The researchers focused on entrepreneurs backed by venture capitalists, but they faced a challenge right off the bat. How do you measure success for job holders in different roles in industries as... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

05 Sep 2012
First Look

First Look: September 5

Danone. Purchase this case:http://hbr.org/search/613003-PDF-ENG The Big 3 Roar Back William W. GeorgeHarvard Business School Case 412-072 The "Big 3"-Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Chrysler-were all headquartered in... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

24 Feb 2011
Research & Ideas

What’s Government’s Role in Regulating Home Purchase Financing?

Freddie Mac, with about 50 percent of all mortgage credit going through these firms. They were able to take extraordinary risks with their implicit government backing and failed spectacularly in September 2008 just before Lehman went... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Financial Services

08 Mar 2021
In Practice

COVID Killed the Traditional Workplace. What Should Companies Do Now?

A year ago, COVID-19 forced many companies to send employees home—often with a laptop and a prayer. Now, with COVID cases subsiding and vaccinations rising, the prospect of returning to old office routines appears more possible. But will employees want to flock back to... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

22 Mar 2024
Research & Ideas

Open Source Software: The $9 Trillion Resource Companies Take for Granted

figure. Without open source software and their ubiquitous code-creation networks, firms would pay an estimated 3.5 times more to build the software and platforms that run their businesses, or roughly $8.8 trillion, say Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Computer; Information Technology; Technology

09 Jan 2007
First Look

First Look: January 9, 2007

impact on business results, it's usually too late to make course corrections that will set things right. Therefore, it is wise to go through a self-assessment, to periodically step back from the bustle of View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

02 Jun 2022
Research & Ideas

Blissful Thinking: When It Comes to Finding Happiness, 'Your Dreams Are Liars'

2008 book, Gross National Happiness: Why Happiness Matters for America—and How We Can Get More of It. And while his next move was to run the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) think tank, he couldn’t shake the topic. It wasn’t just a... View Details

Keywords: by Dan Morrell

23 Oct 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, October 23, 2018

transforms the experts' probabilities into their corresponding information states, then linearly combines these information states, and finally transforms the combined information states back into the probability space. Analytically, we... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

06 Jun 2011
Research & Ideas

Why Leaders Lose Their Way

Fuld persistently rejected advice to seek added capital, deluding himself into thinking the federal government would bail him out. When the crisis hit, he had run out of options other than bankruptcy. It's lonely at the top, because... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

Publications