Publications

18 Jul 2019
Lessons from the Classroom

The Internet of Things Needs a Business Model. Here It Is

in the business-to-business space.” Indeed, the kinds of innovation possible in the B2B world seem limitless. By placing sensors on machinery and connecting them to View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Computer

21 Mar 2019
HBS Case

The Ferrari Way

drivers in pure, unadulterated pleasure. “The overarching goal is to create an experience—a sensual experience,” says Harvard Business School Professor Stefan Thomke, who wrote a case study about the company... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Auto

30 Mar 2003
Research & Ideas

The Future of IT Consulting

have been several. First, innovation in frameworks and methodologies along with trained professionals have provided value-added services uniquely available from the consulting firm. For example, the View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Johnston; Consulting

November 2006 (Revised June 2010)
Case

SUN Brewing (B)

In July 2004, Shiv, Nand, and Uday Khemka are discussing their holdings in SUN Interbrew, a leading Russian beer producer that is part of the family's global portfolio of businesses. SUN Interbrew has been operating as a joint venture since 1998, when the Khemka... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Investment; Globalized Markets and Industries; Ownership Stake; Family Ownership; Valuation; Food and Beverage Industry; Russia

11 Sep 2000
Research & Ideas

Riding the Internet Fast Track

own high-speed trains. I could list a dozen market categories where you'll find four, five, or six well-funded, well-organized, and savvy companies all pursuing this nearly identical strategy." While many of those firms are... View Details

Keywords: by Peter Jacobs

16 Jun 2021
HBS Case

Cruising in Crisis: How Carnival Is Riding Out the COVID-19 Storm

$45.6 billion and serves 30 million passengers. “The industry clearly benefits from having a loyal base of enthusiastic repeat customers who love the cruising experience,” Gilson says. “It’s a passion for them.” About View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Travel

25 Oct 2020
Research & Ideas

The Dark Side of Fintech Borrowing

you put the results into the context that most of the fintech companies claim that they use alternative data, it’s very surprising that their... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Financial Services; Banking

16 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

How the Coronavirus Is Already Rewriting the Future of Business

pandemic is likely to change how companies do business. Here’s what they said: Michael Beer: Organizations will develop trust-based cultures with employees The coronavirus challenge demands an... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

September 8, 2009
Article

The New Governance Paradigm

By: Nathaniel Foote and Michael Beer

Boards members of failed banks in 2008 or of the many companies like Enron who were caught up in scandals are by and large honorable, well intentioned, and competent people. So what went wrong and what can be done about it. This article argues that the problem lies in... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Competency and Skills; Banks and Banking; Failure; Goals and Objectives; Leadership; Management Practices and Processes; Ethics; Performance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Crime and Corruption

Find at Harvard

26 Feb 2007
Research & Ideas

The Power of the Noncompete Clause

such agreements. Ironically, when I returned to Boston a few years later for business school, the founder of the first company invited me to do... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

14 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restarting Under Uncertainty: Managerial Experiences from Around the World

proactive effort to be as effective and clear as possible in their communication to both internal and external stakeholders. Importantly, a vast majority of the initiatives that companies in our sample are... View Details

Keywords: by Raffaella Sadun, Andrea Bertoni, Alexia Delfino, Giovanni Fassio, and Mariapaola Testa

January 22, 2020
Article

Making Honest Conversations the Norm

By: Michael Beer

Much admired companies like Boeing and Wells Fargo sacrifice their competitive advantage. Some make huge ethical blunders. As a result, shareholders suffer huge losses in value while employees, customers, and society lose trust and confidence in the institution. Based... View Details

Keywords: Honesty; Interpersonal Communication; Framework; Organizational Culture; Trust; Performance Effectiveness

Read Now

25 May 2021
Research & Ideas

White Airbnb Hosts Earn More. Can AI Shrink the Racial Gap?

lodging demand. "If other companies invest in building similar race-blind algorithms, that may even the playing field for users." The research results could also have broader... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert; Technology; Accommodations

15 Aug 2022
Book

University of the Future: Finding the Next World Leaders in Higher Ed

case studies of several universities from Boston and Beijing to Berlin and Berkeley. Why are publicly funded universities so important? “Public institutions in the United States educate three-quarters of all... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Education

October 2022 (Revised May 2023)
Case

Ginkgo Bioworks vs. Scorpion Capital: The Debate Over Related-Party Revenues

By: Aiyesha Dey, Jonas Heese, Suraj Srinivasan and Annelena Lobb

Ginkgo Bioworks, a synthetic biology company based in Boston, Massachusetts, faced divergent views on its revenue possibilities and accounting practices. After a report emerged accusing it of fraudulent accounting and lack of innovation, its share price plunged. But... View Details

Keywords: Fraud Allegations; Revenue; Reports; Accounting Audits; Innovation and Management; Investment; Biotechnology Industry; Boston

September 2012 (Revised December 2012)
Case

Kyruus: Big Data's Search for the Killer App

By: Robert F. Higgins, Penrose O'Donnell and Mehul Bhatt

Kyruus is used in a course at HBS on Entrepreneurship in Healthcare IT and Services (EHITS). It describes a young company that has built a very large database on physicians. The company has had some early successful pilots with prominent customers, but it is now faced... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Information Technology; Business Startups; Boston

02 Aug 2021
Research & Ideas

What If Closing the Wage Gap Means Everyone Earns Less?

based in the Boston area. [Image: iStockphoto/K-Paul] Do you think that companies should disclose workers' salaries? Share your thoughts in the... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

January 2000 (Revised October 2001)
Case

@Hoc: Leveraging Israeli Technology in the United States

Describes @Hoc, an idea for an Internet software company, developed by two HBS MBA 1999 graduates, Guy Miasnik and Ly Tran. @Hoc's software, loaded into a browser, enables instant, context-sensitive information retrieval and shopping. @Hoc's R&D team is located in... View Details

Keywords: Geographic Location; Internet and the Web; Applications and Software; Financing and Loans; Business Startups; Information Technology Industry; Israel; Boston