by Michael Beer - Publications - Faculty & Research

July 2024
Case

Negotiating in a Hurricane: John Branca and the Michael Jackson Estate

When the "King of Pop," Michael Jackson, unexpectedly died in 2009, he left behind an estate that was over $500 million in debt, with largely illiquid assets, and legions of creditors poised to begin to seize assets in as soon as 60 days. The task of managing Jackson’s... View Details

Keywords: Bargaining; Dispute Resolution; Negotiation; Entertainment; Financial Management; Financial Condition; Assets; Music Industry

Citation

Educators

Purchase

24 Oct 2011
Research & Ideas

The Yelp Factor: Are Consumer Reviews Good for Business?

Professor Michael Luca set to find out exactly by how much, and identify winners and losers in the process. "I have always been interested in how companies form their reputations, not only restaurants... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Food & Beverage

02 Nov 2021
Research & Ideas

Why COVID-19 Probably Killed More People Than We Realize

of the disease, a new study of underreported casualties in several countries indicates that COVID has actually killed hundreds of thousands more people than government records document. "We were shocked by the magnitude of what we were... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

16 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Strategy and the Internet

If average profitability is under pressure in many industries influenced by the Internet, it becomes all the more important for individual companies to set themselves apart from the pack—to be more profitable than the average performer.... View Details

Keywords: by Michael E. Porter

03 Jun 2002
Research & Ideas

How to Succeed With Your New Boss

assessments of you will take on additional importance. Your relationship with your new boss will be built through a series of conversations.— Michael Watkins Establishing How You Will Work Together It's essential to figure out how you and... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Watkins

01 Jun 2015
Research & Ideas

The Surprising Benefits of Oversharing

research studies by Harvard Business School faculty explore this brave new world of "oversharing" — asking what it means to organizations and to reputation when we decide to buck the trend and keep personal information, well,... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

14 Feb 2023
Research & Ideas

When a Vacation Isn’t Enough, a Sabbatical Can Recharge Your Life—and Your Career

live.” “It helped me process the possibility that the time at the company I had started could be finished, and that could be OK.” Even as he was feeling fulfilled by helping people, he felt himself crashing. “I didn’t think you could burn... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

10 Aug 2015
Research & Ideas

New Medical Devices Get To Patients Too Slowly

implantable defibrillators or transcatheter heart valves, the FDA's regulatory approval process appears to delay those approvals, which in turn adds to development costs borne by device manufacturers, according to Innovation under... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health; Technology

August 2022 (Revised October 2022)
Case

Sian Flowers: Fresher by Sea?

By: Willy C. Shih, Michael W. Toffel and Pippa Tubman Armerding

The setting for this case is the Sian Flowers, a company headquartered in Kitengela, Kenya that exports roses to predominantly Europe. Because cut flowers have a limited shelf life and consumers want them to retain their appearance for as long as possible, Sian or its... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain; Supply Chains; Sustainability; Sustainable Agriculture; Sustainability Reporting; Carbon Emissions; Supply Chain Management; Quality; Ship Transportation; Cost Management; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Africa; Kenya; Netherlands; Europe

Citation

Educators

Purchase

02 Apr 2024
Research & Ideas

Employees Out Sick? Inside One Company's Creative Approach to Staying Productive

put the data in the system.” Sickness wasn’t the only reason for absences. Factory workers, who came to the city from rural areas all over the country, each celebrated holidays by attending cultural festivals, which varied depending on... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Fashion

05 May 2020
Research & Ideas

China Tariffs and Coronavirus a Double Hit to American Retailers

The double-whammy of increased tariffs imposed by the United States on China and fallout from the coronavirus could make it even more difficult for American retailers to weather the storm in the coming months—or increase pressure on them... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

26 Nov 2001
Op-Ed

Why Corporate Budgeting Needs To Be Fixed

international heavy-equipment manufacturer, managers were so set on hitting their quarterly revenue target that they shipped unfinished products from their plant in England all the way to a warehouse in the Netherlands, near the customer, for final assembly. View Details

Keywords: by Michael C. Jensen

10 Mar 2002
Research & Ideas

Breakthrough Negotiation: Don’t Leave It On the Table

In a new book, Breakthrough International Negotiation: How Great Negotiators Transformed the World's Toughest Post-Cold War Conflicts, Harvard Business School professor Michael Watkins dissects the art of give-and-take. This excerpt... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Watkins

12 Sep 2016
Research & Ideas

What Brands Can Do to Monitor Factory Conditions of Suppliers

View Video Video by Amelia Kundhardt They keep on coming—corporate scandals involving revelations of deplorable working conditions at overseas factories. If it’s not the Foxconn factories that Apple employs in China, then it’s Gap’s... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

05 Sep 2023
Book

Thriving After Failing: How to Turn Your Setbacks Into Triumphs

it. Those emotions are deep-seated from an evolutionary standpoint. “From a survival perspective, we are risk-averse,” she says. “Just as we are interested in other people thinking well of us. Long ago, rejection by the group could, in... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

12 May 2021
Book

The Hard Truth About Being a CEO

About the Author Michael Blanding is a writer based in Boston. [Image: iStockphoto/LL28] What's the best management advice you've heard? Share your insights in the comments below. Book Excerpt Five Ways To Keep Connected View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

01 Aug 2005
Research & Ideas

How to Choose the Best Deal

million, though the price may be negotiable. The other site, a former apple orchard of about one hundred acres, was acquired by a local bank through a foreclosure. The bank is preparing to list the property but has yet to set an asking... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Wheeler

21 May 2012
Research & Ideas

OSHA Inspections: Protecting Employees or Killing Jobs?

inspectors find safety problems is not surprising," says Michael W. Toffel, an associate professor and the Marvin Bower Fellow at Harvard Business School. At the same time, when problems are resolved, there's no way of telling whether the... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

19 Jul 2017
Research & Ideas

Why Government 'Nudges' Motivate Good Citizen Behavior

suitcases at the airport. But now agencies are finding that subtle “nudges” can motivate behavior much better than ads, fines, or deadlines. Nudges, or small changes to the context in which decisions are made, are the subject of a new analysis View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding