Publications

November 2016
Case

But, It's For a Good Cause

By: Elizabeth Keenan and John Gourville

Companies have long tried to enhance consumers’ perceptions of their firms and the products they sell in a variety of ways. Such efforts include the development of a brand image that the public views favorably, as in the case of Apple. It extends to the development of... View Details

Keywords: Social Change; Marketing And Society; Social Marketing; Brands and Branding; Customers; Perception; Advertising; Advertising Campaigns; Partners and Partnerships; Trends; Environmental Sustainability

26 Sep 2017
News

Uber chief weighs trip to London to lobby against ban

Working Paper

The Long-Run Effects of the Scramble for Africa

By: Stelios Michalopoulos and Elias Papaioannou

We examine the long-run consequences of a neglected aspect of colonization, the artificial drawing of borders during the Scramble for Africa and uncover the following empirical regularities. First, apart from the land mass and water area, no other pre-colonial trait... View Details

Keywords: Africa; Conflict; Development; Ethnicity; War; Development Economics; Geography; Africa

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30 Aug 2016
First Look

August 30, 2016

variation generated by the experimental treatments, we model sales force performance to identify the effectiveness of various forms of conditional and unconditional compensation. We account for salesperson heterogeneity by using a... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

18 Apr 2017
First Look

First Look at New Ideas, April 18

trend is the use of online tools to improve physical asset utilization in many traditional off-line businesses. This article discusses the water industry as an example, and the organizational changes and... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

Climate Change in 2017: Implications for Business

This note provides general information about climate change and its implications for business. Included is an overview of climate change science and a number of its impacts, including rising sea levels, changing weather patterns and extreme weather, pressure on... View Details

February 2010 (Revised May 2010)
Supplement

Bardhaman (B): Bengal Shrachi and the Township Design Decision

By: John D. Macomber and Viraal Balsari

A real estate developer in West Bengal chooses between two master plans for a 260 acre new township considering design, financing, and phasing. Two detailed master plans are considered, one with a radial design and an internal town square and one with a grid design and... View Details

Keywords: Urban Development; Construction; Design; Finance; Construction Industry; Real Estate Industry; West Bengal

17 Dec 2021
Blog Post

Student Conference: Climate Symposium 2021

Save the date for the 2nd Annual Harvard Business School Climate Symposium on Sunday, November 6th, 2022! Visit the website for more information and registration. ---------- This year, the Energy & Environment Club, Food, Agriculture & View Details

September 2018
Case

Granite Equity Partners

By: Victoria Ivashina and Jeffrey Boyar

This case follows Rick Bauerly, CEO of Minnesota-based Granite Equity Partners, a private equity firm that specialized in buying out retiring business owners in the Minnesota community. In 2007, Granite Equity was considering an investment in Tyrell Corp. (name... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity Exit; Investing; Fund Exit; Fund Management; Wealth Management; Liquidity; Buyout; Exit Strategy; Preferred Shares; Convertible Notes; Finance; Private Equity; Investment; Asset Management; Wealth; Management; Financial Liquidity

January 2018
Technical Note

The Scope of Business at the Base of the Pyramid: Middle and Lower Income Countries

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Tricia Gregg

Using World Bank data, the note defines the Base of the Pyramid population as the 4.76 billion people living on less than $10/day. It briefly reviews the perspectives of key business articles that address this market, notably C.K. Prahalad’s work on Bottom of the... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Poverty; Social Issues; Human Needs; Segmentation

25 Apr 2022
News

Unicorns and Explosives: A Burning Ship Off Victoria’s Coast Hints at the Dangerous Secrets of Cargo Carriers

10 Jan 2017
Blog Post

From Product Development to Business School

I sat there silently screaming. Eyes flitting across the room at the faces sitting around the table gathered for a Brita leadership team meeting. They couldn’t possibly do it, I thought to myself, clutching my 3D-printed prototype like a wounded sparrow. I had spent... View Details

Keywords: Technology; Manufacturing; Consumer Products / Retail

September 2024
Case

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners: Leading the Energy Transition

By: John Macomber and Maxwell Nii Laryea

A leading global infrastructure fund debates whether and when to become engaged in the electrolysis and distribution of hydrogen, as part of the hydrogen economy and the global transtion to a net zero energy world. The proposed billion dollar project consists of ... View Details

Keywords: Energy; Infrastructure; Energy Generation; Renewable Energy; Project Finance; Energy Industry; Spain

2012
Chapter

Lessons for the Financial Sector from 'Preventing Regulatory Capture: Special Interest Influence, and How to Limit It'

By: Daniel Carpenter, David Moss and Melanie Wachtell Stinnett

In the wake of the global financial crisis of 2007–09, regulatory capture has become at once a diagnosis and a source of discomfort. The word “capture” has been used by dozens upon dozens of authors—ranging from pundits and bloggers to journalists and leading... View Details

Keywords: Regulatory Capture; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Financial Crisis

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February 2011 (Revised September 2013)
Case

Sound Group China: Urban Waste Entrepreneurs

By: John D. Macomber, Chad M. Carr and Fan Zhao

Private sector entrepreneur in China with advanced solid waste management capability competes with state owned enterprises and also government policies supporting a rival technology. Wen Yibo has used engineering expertise and political savvy to build a major privately... View Details

Keywords: Private Sector; Public Sector; Service Delivery; Business and Government Relations; Environmental Sustainability; Wastes and Waste Processing; Urban Development; Utilities Industry; China

September 2013
Exercise

An Exercise in Designing a Travel Coffee Mug

By: Elie Ofek and Michael Norris

In recent years design has emerged as a critical factor in the success of many new products. This case exercise provides a hands-on way to experience the design process and offers a structured approach for incorporating key considerations that can aid in effective... View Details

Keywords: New Product Development; Innovation; Market Research; Competitive Positioning; Design; Product Development; Consumer Products Industry

September 7, 2020
Article

Remote Networking as a Person of Color

By: Laura Morgan Roberts and Anthony J. Mayo

In remote work situations, where people cannot rely on impromptu elevator conversations or water cooler chats with coworkers, the answer isn’t to turn inward. In fact, the need for networking is even more important. In particular, our interactions with people whose... View Details

Keywords: Remote Work; Networking; Networks; Interpersonal Communication; Race