Publications

March 2008 (Revised March 2009)
Case

Transforming AMFAM

By: Rakesh Khurana, Rajiv Lal and Cathy Ross

On a winter day in December 2007 at the American Family Mutual Insurance Company (AMFAM) headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin, Dave Anderson and Jack Salzwedel remained in the conference room after the senior management meeting had concluded. Anderson, CEO of AMFAM since... View Details

Keywords: Customer Focus and Relationships; Governing and Advisory Boards; Marketing; Mission and Purpose; Strategic Planning; Insurance Industry; United States

15 Nov 2022
Cold Call Podcast

Planning the Future for Harlem’s Beloved Sylvia’s Restaurant

Keywords: Re: Christina R. Wing; Food & Beverage

January 2025
Case

Intuition Robotics: An AI Companion for Older Adults

By: Amit Goldenberg, Elie Ofek and Orna Dan

Intuition Robotics, a startup that makes an AI companion robot to alleviate older adults’ loneliness, debates whether to pursue a B2C model or B2G route. If it opts for the government vertical, it must determine how to negotiate a favorable deal. Two weeks after... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Business Startups; AI and Machine Learning; Technology Adoption; Product Launch; Market Entry and Exit; Negotiation Offer; Business and Government Relations; Health Industry; Technology Industry; United States; New York (state, US)

08 Jan 2008
First Look

First Look: January 8, 2008

pressure, other circumstances, and Grady's level of creativity. Purchase this case: http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=808075 D2Hawkeye: Growing the Medical IT Enterprise Harvard Business School Case 808-006 In mid-March 2007, Chris Kryder... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

15 Nov 2016
First Look

November 15, 2016

the optimal rule. Download working paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=50545 Who Should Select New Employees, the Head Office or the Unit Manager? Consequences of Centralizing Hiring at a Retail Chain By: Deller,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

02 May 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: May 2, 2017

U.S. Patent Office since 2001, we find that start-ups that win the patent “lottery” by drawing lenient examiners have, on average, 55% higher employment growth and 80% higher sales growth five years later. Patent winners also pursue more,... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

September 2024
Case

Topaz: Navigating Governance, Legacy, and Change

By: Christina R. Wing and Carla Larangeira

Since its founding in 2011, the Garza Sada brothers and their father positioned Topaz among leading family offices in Monterrey, Mexico, with several assets under management. Topaz aspired to have a transformative impact across multiple Mexican industries. An industry... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Family Business; Governing and Advisory Boards; Managerial Roles; Management Succession; Family Ownership; Corporate Governance; Organizational Structure; Adoption; Financial Services Industry; Real Estate Industry; Education Industry; Energy Industry; Latin America; Mexico

28 Apr 2009
First Look

First Look: April 28, 2009

Financial Management of Family and Closely Held Firms: Overview of the Course Harvard Business School Course Overview 209-137 Most companies around the world are controlled by their founding families, including more than half of all... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

April 1995
Case

Montague Corporation (A)

By: Norman A. Berg and James Weber

The Montague Corp. is a small company started in 1987 and owned by David Montague, age 31, and his father. The company designs, manufactures in Taiwan, and sells through distributors worldwide a high-quality "bicycle that folds." The company offices are located in... View Details

Keywords: Business Strategy; Financial Strategy; Financial Management; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Globalized Firms and Management; Family Business; Bicycle Industry; Taiwan; Cambridge

Find at Harvard

May 2010 (Revised September 2013)
Case

Friend Bank: The Time for Hope

By: Clayton S. Rose and Aldo Sesia

In 2010, Friend Bank was entering the fifth year of Hope Harris Johnson's ambitious 20-year growth plan to transform her family's one branch community bank into an institution with a substantial presence in southeastern Alabama. Harris Johnson was pleased, so far, with... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Financial Crisis; Banks and Banking; Growth and Development Strategy; Risk Management; Family Ownership; Competitive Advantage; Banking Industry; Alabama

21 Aug 2023
Book

You’re More Than Your Job: 3 Tips for a Healthier Work-Life Balance

outside of work, whether it’s family responsibilities, hobbies, or side-income streams, and yet still do great work.” Managers: Lead and the rest will follow Managers should model all three of these tenets for employees. “Be the change... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin

14 Sep 2023
Research & Ideas

Working Moms Are Mostly Thriving Again. Can We Finally Achieve Gender Parity?

and mixed news,” says McGinn, the Cahners-Rabb Professor of Business Administration at HBS. Women have seen employment gains, while some gender roles have remained firmly entrenched thanks to outdated household norms and workplace demands, she observes. One silver... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin

26 Apr 2024
HBS Case

Deion Sanders' Prime Lessons for Leading a Team to Victory

write a case study about how Sanders, known as “Coach Prime,” applies a military commander’s approach to motivating his team. “Deion reminds me of military officers I’ve served under because of the clear way he communicates and the... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman; Sports

12 Sep 2023
Book

Successful, But Still Feel Empty? A Happiness Scholar and Oprah Have Advice for You

notes. This may bring happiness to people who prioritize lifestyle, location, or social life. Talented but have significant family obligations? You might prefer the “steady-state” path that allows you to learn and grow but not take on too... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

October 2021
Case

Diversifying P&G's Supplier Base (A)

By: Kris Ferreira, Kym Lew Nelson, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Sarah Mehta

In February 2003, P&G hosted two meetings—one with its largest woman- and minority-owned suppliers and one with its largest non-minority-owned suppliers. Attendees in each meeting heard the same message: P&G was keen to grow its commitment to inclusive supply chains,... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Model; Business Organization; Family Business; Joint Ventures; Demographics; Diversity; Ethnicity; Race; Ethics; Fairness; Ownership; Supply Chain Management; Consumer Products Industry; Service Industry; United States; Ohio

23 Jun 2023
HBS Case

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

unleashed when people can make their own decisions,” Sandino says. Sometimes these decisions can push boundaries. The case describes nurses backdating a family meeting to the day of a patient’s death so that they don’t have to interrupt... View Details

Keywords: by Annelena Lobb; Health

March 2022 (Revised October 2022)
Case

Transforming Kimball International, Inc. (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz

Kimball International, Inc. (KII), led by CEO Kristie Juster, and its board of directors, chaired by Kim Ryan, faced critical questions about KII’s future in the spring of 2021. Two years earlier, the board had appointed Juster as the new CEO of KII, a publicly traded,... View Details