Pandemic - Publications - Faculty & Research

Web

Finance - Faculty & Research

Business Owners in the COVID-19 Pandemic By: Olivia S. Kim , Jonathan A. Parker and Antoinette Schoar August 2025 | Article | Journal of Financial Economics Using financial account data linking small businesses to their owner households,... View Details

01 Sep 2023
News

Solving for Z

With nearly 20 years of experience as a senior human resources executive, Matthew Breitfelder (MBA 2002) has seen a lot of change in the corporate talent space. But what’s happening now looks like a tectonic generational shift. From his perch as global head of human... View Details

Keywords: Alexander Gelfand; Illustrations by Doug Chayka; Administration of Human Resource Programs; Government

08 Dec 2021
Blog Post

The Drive to Succeed: Silvio Memme (MBA 2020) and the Transition to Venture Capital

never-take-no-for-an-answer attitude resonated with me.” As it turned out, Memme would hear a lot of “no” along the way, so the personality traits he shared with Leone would play a major role in his success. Changing Gears Amid a Pandemic... View Details

Web

HBS - The year in Review

pandemic travel restrictions, the program pivoted to focus on US challenges and opportunities, taking more than 1,000 students to one of 15 domestic locations. With a lens on the course’s three modules—contextual intelligence, team... View Details

April 2024 (Revised November 2024)
Case

Moderna: Pioneering a People Platform to Accelerate Science Innovation

By: Tatiana Sandino, Emil Dy and Samuel Grad

Moderna was founded in 2010 to explore how messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) could be used to create breakthrough medicines by encoding instructions for the body to create antibodies. When Stéphane Bancel (HBS 2000) took over in 2011, he bet on the potential of this... View Details

Keywords: Disruptive Innovation; Talent and Talent Management; Selection and Staffing; AI and Machine Learning; Digital Strategy; Innovation and Management; Leadership Development; Management Practices and Processes; Management Systems; Organizational Culture; Performance Evaluation; Alignment; Employee Relationship Management; Science-Based Business; Expansion; Pharmaceutical Industry; Biotechnology Industry; United States

Citation

Educators

Purchase

Web

Skydeck - Alumni

improve Black representation in their ranks What the Climate Change Movement Can Learn from the Pandemic Joro founder Sanchali Pal (MBA 2018) on the power of collective action How Business Can Advance Racial Equity Executive Lisa Lewin... View Details

30 Mar 2021
Research & Ideas

Commuting Hurts Productivity and Your Best Talent Suffers Most

as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes and remote employees—perhaps grudgingly—contemplate returning to offices. Wu’s conclusions were clear: A long commute hurts workers and their employers by hindering creativity and productivity, which stifles... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

08 Oct 2020
Research & Ideas

Keep Your Weary Workers Engaged and Motivated

by allocating rewards and resources for both traditional performance and for learning activities. What has changed and what hasn’t? The four drives themselves, fundamental to human psychology, have not changed. The COVID-19 pandemic has... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

Web

Faculty & Research - Entrepreneurship

industry is moving from hardware to software in the form of smart, connected elevators. But instead of laying off lega... More Research August 2025 Article Revenue Collapses and the Consumption of Small Business Owners in the COVID-19 View Details

05 May 2022
Research & Ideas

Why Companies Raise Their Prices: Because They Can

School. Despite the steady increase, shoppers still bought their favorite breakfast cereals, paper towels, and other consumer goods during the decade and a half before the pandemic began, write MacKay, Georgetown University’s Nathan... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

July 2020 (Revised September 2020)
Case

The Honor Foundation: Accessing Special Operations Talent

By: Boris Groysberg and John Masko

In 2020, The Honor Foundation (THF), a nonprofit dedicated to helping U.S. military special operators to transition into civilian careers, was facing a series of strategic challenges. THF had been founded in 2013 by former Navy SEAL trainee Joe Musselman, who observed... View Details

Citation

Educators

Purchase

12 Oct 2021
Research & Ideas

What Actually Draws Sports Fans to Games? It's Not Star Athletes.

in 2020 amid pandemic closures. While Lakhani’s study focuses on Australian football, the principles apply to any league trying to re-engage fans and revitalize the businesses that depend on them. “We’re talking about billion-dollar... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Sports

10 Jan 2023
Research & Ideas

How to Live Happier in 2023: Diversify Your Social Circle

relationships. The study offers new ideas for quiet quitters who are contemplating the meaning of happiness and fulfillment amid pandemic burnout. In addition to Norton, the authors include HBS doctoral student Hanne Collins, HBS... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

2025
Working Paper

Managing Remote Work Quality: Evidence from Auditing Management Systems Standards

By: Ashley Palmarozzo, Michael W. Toffel and Melissa Ouellet

Remote work has become more common, providing operational flexibility and productivity benefits, but questions remain about whether and how it affects work quality. We investigate the quality effects of remote work in a context in which remote work separates workers... View Details

Keywords: Audit; Auditing; Remote Work; Compliance; Assessment; Environment; Management Systems; Quality Management; Quality Management System; Quality; Operations; Supply Chain Management; Environmental Management; Safety

Citation

SSRN

Read Now

21 Dec 2023
Blog Post

Top 10 MBA Voices Blogs of 2023

While all cases help broaden the perspectives of future leaders, students find some to be more meaningful than others. Read More>>> DISPELLING MYTHS ABOUT HBS THROUGH MY SUMMER VENTURE IN MANAGEMENT PROGRAM EXPERIENCE Graduating high school during the height... View Details

18 Jun 2020
Research & Ideas

What Is an "Essential" Purchase for a Low-Income Family?

person—an average of $152—compared to only $125 for the lower-income person. It was a simple demonstration of the potentially far-reaching behavioral implications this implicit double standard may have. The research was completed before the COVID-19 View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

21 Nov 2022
Research & Ideas

Buy Now, Pay Later: How Retail's Hot Feature Hurts Low-Income Shoppers

likely to be highly risky.” You Might Also Like: Are Banks the ‘Bad Guys’? Overdraft Fees Are Crushing Low-Income Customers Did Pandemic Stimulus Funds Spur the Rise of 'Meme Stocks'? Why Companies Raise Their Prices: Because They Can... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Retail; Financial Services; Technology

16 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restaurant Revolution: How the Industry Is Fighting to Stay Alive

business model for small independents is often elusive. So when a crisis of the magnitude of the COVID-19 global pandemic forces restaurants to close, and their revenue drops to zero overnight, things get particularly dire. Unlike the... View Details

Keywords: by Michael S. Kaufman, Lena G. Goldberg, and Jill Avery; Food & Beverage

16 Jun 2021
HBS Case

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

reported infections. By mid-March, Carnival, the largest cruise line in the world, suspended operations across the globe. Yet it took weeks to get its 260,000 guests and 80,000 employees who were floating at sea back to their homes in more than 130 countries. The... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Travel