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- All HBS Web (237)
- Faculty Publications (103)
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- August 2000
- Article
Corporate Reorganizations and Non-Cash Auctions
By: Matthew Rhodes-Kropf and S. Viswanathan
This paper extends the theory of non-cash auctions by considering the revenue and efficiency of using different securities. Research on bankruptcy and privatization suggests using non-cash auctions to increase cash-constrained bidder participation. We examine this... View Details
Keywords: Auctions; Revenue; Debt Securities; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Privatization; Capital Structure; Bids and Bidding; Motivation and Incentives; Performance Efficiency; Contracts
Rhodes-Kropf, Matthew, and S. Viswanathan. "Corporate Reorganizations and Non-Cash Auctions." Journal of Finance 55, no. 4 (August 2000): 1807–1849.
- October 2020 (Revised April 2022)
- Case
When Institutions Fail: HIV/AIDS in the 1980s
By: Tom Nicholas and Christian Godwin
During the early 1980s, young gay men in urban centers such as San Francisco and New York City began contracting a mysterious illness that would come to be known as HIV/AIDS. A diagnosis meant almost certain death, with a less than 1% survival rate. Conflicting... View Details
Keywords: Ethics; Policy; Government and Politics; Health Pandemics; History; Rights; Media; Organizations; Business and Community Relations; Religion; Social Psychology; Identity; Prejudice and Bias; Social Issues; Public Opinion; Pharmaceutical Industry; Biotechnology Industry; Health Industry; Journalism and News Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Public Administration Industry; United States
Nicholas, Tom, and Christian Godwin. "When Institutions Fail: HIV/AIDS in the 1980s." Harvard Business School Case 821-002, October 2020. (Revised April 2022.)
- July 2008
- Article
Crime and Punishment in the 'American Dream'
By: Rafael Di Tella and Juan Dubra
We observe that countries where belief in the "American dream" (i.e., effort pays) prevails also set harsher punishment for criminals. We know that beliefs are also correlated with several features of the economic system (taxation, social insurance, etc). Our objective... View Details
Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Economic Systems; Values and Beliefs; Law Enforcement; Mathematical Methods; Personal Characteristics; United States
Di Tella, Rafael, and Juan Dubra. "Crime and Punishment in the 'American Dream'." Journal of Public Economics 92, no. 7 (July 2008).
- April 2002
- Article
Internal Capital Markets and Firm-Level Compensation Incentives for Division Managers
By: Julie Wulf
Do multidivisional firms structure compensation contracts for division managers to mitigate incentive problems in their internal capital markets? I find evidence that compensation and investment incentives are substitutes: firms providing a stronger link to firm... View Details
Keywords: Capital Markets; Executive Compensation; Capital Budgeting; Motivation and Incentives; Profit; Decisions; Resource Allocation; Performance; Investment; Contracts
Wulf, Julie. "Internal Capital Markets and Firm-Level Compensation Incentives for Division Managers." Journal of Labor Economics 20, no. 2 (April 2002): S219–S262.
- June 2016
- Article
Corporate Governance and Executive Compensation for Corporate Social Responsibility
By: Bryan Hong, Zhichuan (Frank) Li and Dylan B. Minor
We link the corporate governance literature in financial economics to the agency cost perspective of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to derive theoretical predictions about the relationship between corporate governance and the existence of executive compensation... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility; Incentives For CSR; Non-financial Performance Measures; Agency Costs; Board Independence; Institutional Holdings; Managerial Power; Motivation and Incentives; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Executive Compensation; Corporate Governance
Hong, Bryan, Zhichuan (Frank) Li, and Dylan B. Minor. "Corporate Governance and Executive Compensation for Corporate Social Responsibility." Journal of Business Ethics 136, no. 1 (June 2016): 199–213.
- Article
The Influence of Ownership on Accounting Information Expenditures
This paper analyzes the association between ownership, top management incentives, and expenditures on accounting information. We argue that organizations with privately appointed boards of directors such as for-profit and non-governmental nonprofit organizations use... View Details
Keywords: Governance; Motivation and Incentives; Accounting; Health Care and Treatment; Ownership; Health Industry
Eldenburg, Leslie, and Ranjani Krishnan. "The Influence of Ownership on Accounting Information Expenditures." Contemporary Accounting Research 25, no. 3 (Fall 2008).
- 21 Apr 2010
- Working Paper Summaries
Why Do Firms Use Non-Linear Incentive Schemes? Experimental Evidence on Sorting and Overconfidence
Keywords: by Ian Larkin & Stephen Leider
- April 2010
- Case
Bill Nichol Negotiates with Walmart: Hard Bargains over Soft Goods (A)
By: James K. Sebenius and Ellen Knebel
CEO Bill Nichol must somehow negotiate a surprise ultimatum from Walmart, his largest customer, about his largest and most profitable product line: “We're dropping it.” Among its hosiery products, the Kentucky Derby Hosiery Co. produces and sells a branded line of... View Details
Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Crisis Management; Negotiation Tactics; Conflict Management; Apparel and Accessories Industry; North America
Sebenius, James K., and Ellen Knebel. "Bill Nichol Negotiates with Walmart: Hard Bargains over Soft Goods (A)." Harvard Business School Case 910-043, April 2010.
- Summer 2025
- Article
Does Marriage Have a Future?
By: Debora L. Spar and Aryanna Garber
The article explores how technology is reshaping the institution of marriage, highlighting significant changes in societal norms and personal relationships. It discusses the decline in marriage rates in industrialized nations, particularly Japan and the United States,... View Details
Spar, Debora L., and Aryanna Garber. "Does Marriage Have a Future?" New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology & Society 81 (Summer 2025): 20–33.
- Article
Employee Selection as a Control System
By: Dennis Campbell
Theories from the economics, management control, and organizational behavior literatures predict that when it is difficult to align incentives by contracting on output, aligning preferences via employee selection may provide a useful alternative. This study... View Details
Keywords: Management Systems; Governance Controls; Employees; Selection and Staffing; Motivation and Incentives; Decision Making; Business Model
Campbell, Dennis. "Employee Selection as a Control System." Journal of Accounting Research 50, no. 4 (September 2012): 931–966.
- Article
Bargaining with Imperfect Enforcement
By: Lucy White and Mark Williams
The game-theoretic bargaining literature insists on non-cooperative bargaining procedure but allows 'cooperative' implementation of agreements. The effect of this is to allow free-reign of bargaining power with no check upon it. In reality, courts cannot... View Details
Keywords: Agreements and Arrangements; Body of Literature; Contracts; Motivation and Incentives; Code Law; Game Theory
White, Lucy, and Mark Williams. "Bargaining with Imperfect Enforcement." RAND Journal of Economics 40, no. 2 (Summer 2009).
- 2011
- Article
Incentive Compensation and the Likelihood of Termination: Theory and Evidence from Real Estate Organizations
By: Christopher Parsons, G. Hallman and J. Hartzell
We analyze two managerial compensation incentive devices: the threat of termination and pay for performance. We first develop a simple model predicting that these devices are substitutes: when termination incentives are low, optimal contracts provide stronger... View Details
Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Resignation and Termination; Compensation and Benefits; Real Estate Industry
Parsons, Christopher, G. Hallman, and J. Hartzell. "Incentive Compensation and the Likelihood of Termination: Theory and Evidence from Real Estate Organizations." Real Estate Economics 39, no. 3 (Fall 2011): 507–546.
- January 2025
- Case
Constitutional Fiction: John Miller & the Legitimacy of Family Constitutions
By: Lauren Cohen, Octavian Graf Pilati and Sophia Pan
John Miller sat reviewing his family’s Constitution, grappling with how best to implement and enforce its provisions. Designed to prevent ambiguity in governance, the Family Constitution set out core values and guidelines to promote harmony and cohesion among family... View Details
Keywords: Conflict Resolution; Perspective Taking; Liabilities; Family Business; Family Ownership; Business Growth and Maturation; Alignment; Cooperation; Attitudes; Behavior; Cognition and Thinking; Conflict Management; Conflict of Interests; Power and Influence; Perception; Trust; Perspective; Motivation and Incentives; Happiness; Identity; Goals and Objectives; Legal Liability; Contracts; Fairness; Values and Beliefs; Governance Controls; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Family and Family Relationships; Manufacturing Industry; Germany
Cohen, Lauren, Octavian Graf Pilati, and Sophia Pan. "Constitutional Fiction: John Miller & the Legitimacy of Family Constitutions." Harvard Business School Case 225-054, January 2025.
- 23 Oct 2012
- First Look
First Look: October 23
Rotemberg Publication:Journal of Public Economics (forthcoming) Abstract This paper presents a model in which anonymous charitable donations are rationalized by two human tendencies drawn from the psychology literature. The first is... View Details
Keywords: Sean Silverthorne
- July 2013
- Case
Slicing Pie with a Razor: Ockham Technologies' Founding Agreement
By: Noam Wasserman and Yael Braid
Ockham Technologies' three founders are about to craft their founding agreement and split the equity among themselves. Uncertainty lingers over each member's future contributions, though—how is the team to devise a durable and effective split? Jim Triandiflou and Ken... View Details
Keywords: Information Technology; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Conflict Management; Governing and Advisory Boards; Employees; Management Teams; Product Development; Technology Industry
Wasserman, Noam, and Yael Braid. "Slicing Pie with a Razor: Ockham Technologies' Founding Agreement." Harvard Business School Case 814-017, July 2013.
- 2007
- Working Paper
Why Do Intermediaries Divert Search?
By: Andrei Hagiu and Bruno Jullien
We analyze the incentives to divert search for an information intermediary who enables buyers (consumers) to search affiliated sellers (stores). We identify two original motives for diverting search (i.e. inducing consumers to search more than they would like): i)... View Details
Keywords: Demand and Consumers; Motivation and Incentives; Internet and the Web; Digital Platforms; Distribution Channels; Business Strategy; Retail Industry
Hagiu, Andrei, and Bruno Jullien. "Why Do Intermediaries Divert Search?" Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 08-010, August 2007. (Revised February 2009, May 2010.)
- Article
Organizational Beliefs and Managerial Vision
Can managers have an impact on their firm that goes beyond their direct actions and decisions? This article shows that a manager with strong beliefs about the right course of action will attract, through sorting in the labor market, employees with similar beliefs. This... View Details
Keywords: Organizations; Goals and Objectives; Decisions; Labor; Markets; Employees; Motivation and Incentives; Recruitment; Risk and Uncertainty; Values and Beliefs
Van den Steen, Eric J. "Organizational Beliefs and Managerial Vision." Journal of Law, Economics & Organization 21, no. 1 (April 2005): 256–283. (Reprinted in The Economics of Organisation and Bureaucracy, Peter M. Jackson (ed.), Edward Elgar (Cheltenham, UK), 2013.)
- 2007
- Other Unpublished Work
Influence and Inefficiency in the Internal Capital Market
By: Julie Wulf
I model inefficient resource allocations in M-form organizations due to influence activities by division managers that skew capital budgets in their favor. Corporate headquarters receives two types of signals about investment opportunities: private signals that can be... View Details
- 17 Jul 2023
- Research & Ideas
Money Isn’t Everything: The Dos and Don’ts of Motivating Employees
points to the New York Yankees contract negotiations with former manager Joe Torre. The Yankees offered Torre a $5 million contract in 2007, with a $3 million bonus for reaching the World Series—but Torre... View Details
Keywords: by Avery Forman
- April 2000
- Article
The Fable of Fisher Body
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Daniel F. Spulber
General Motors' (GM) acquisition of Fisher Body is the classic example of market failure in the literature on contracts and the theory of the firm. According to the standard account, GM merged vertically with Fisher Body in 1926, a maker of auto bodies, because of... View Details
Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Failure; Contracts; Vertical Integration; Market Transactions; Investment; Trust; Production; Assets; Supply Chain; Opportunities; Technology; Auto Industry
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and Daniel F. Spulber. "The Fable of Fisher Body." Journal of Law & Economics 43, no. 1 (April 2000): 67–104.