Publications

19 Oct 2011
Research & Ideas

Designing Cities for a Sustainable Future

On a June day in Manhattan with temperatures heading into the 90s, a straphanger named Mike is taking his customary subway ride to work. People are grumbling about the heat, but hey, it's summer, it's supposed to be hot, and besides, "Whaddya gonna do?" New Yorkers... View Details

Keywords: by Garry Emmons; Construction; Real Estate

01 Jun 2022
News

Research Brief: Weatherproofing Renewables

Colombian energy firms manage frequent fluctuations in the weather by diversifying their energy sources: During the dry season, when the cost of hydropower can increase as much... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Electric Power Generation, Transmission, Distribution; Utilities

06 Mar 2012
First Look

First Look: March 6

Broad Group, had developed a series of innovative products aimed at solving China's environmental problems. Broad Group's products, services, and management were guided by values that prioritized morals, responsibility, environmental... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

06 Dec 2021
News

New Wave

electricity—enough to power approximately 150 households. The turbines are the spinning heart of the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) Project, an initiative undertaken by Verdant Power, the startup that Smith cofounded in 2000 to... View Details

Keywords: Alexander Gelfand; photographed by Chris Sorensen

February 2024
Supplement

ReNew (B): A New Direction

By: Gunnar Trumbull and Malini Sen

The global renewables sector was in a slump, but the Indian market was booming. India’s largest renewable electricity generator, ReNew, faced a dilemma: it traded on the Nasdaq in New York, but saw huge opportunity in the Indian market. In response, CEO Sumant Sinha... View Details

Keywords: Energy Generation; Renewable Energy; Entrepreneurship; Forecasting and Prediction; Trends; Transformation; Private Ownership; Environmental Sustainability; Mission and Purpose; Expansion; Market Entry and Exit; Energy Industry; Asia; India

June 2011
Teaching Note

The Suzlon Edge (TN)

By: Richard H.K. Vietor

Teaching Note for 708051. View Details

Keywords: Price; Non-Renewable Energy; Investment; Problems and Challenges; Climate Change; Globalization; Renewable Energy; Inflation and Deflation; Production; Machinery and Machining; Family Ownership; Policy; Energy Industry

08 Jun 2011
Lessons from the Classroom

Twenty-first Century Skill: Trading Carbon Credits

as several states in the West were planning a new joint program. “Those who make poor choices feel the consequences of price uncertainty most deeply.” So clearly it's important for business managers in many industries to understand how... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Energy; Energy

Career Coach

Courtney Fairbrother

Courtney (Washington and Lee ’11) is CPD’s industry lead for Energy, Cleantech, Sustainability, Manufacturing, and Transportation as well as Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. She was formerly the Associate Director for HBS’s Business and Environment... View Details

Keywords: Energy; Energy; Energy; Energy; Energy

30 Nov 2018
What Do You Think?

What’s the Best Administrative Approach to Climate Change?

Summing Up: Should a 'Montreal Protocol' for Administering Global Warming Be Pursued? Climate change and how to manage it is a daunting subject. Nevertheless, several readers of this month’s column were willing to venture a model or two for administering a system... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Energy

1998
Chapter

Foreign Firms in the Chinese Power Sector: Economic and Environmental Impacts

By: F. L. Reinhardt, Fiona Murray and Richard Vietor

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Energy; Environmental Sustainability; Developing Countries and Economies; Energy Industry; China

February 2017 (Revised June 2017)
Supplement

ExxonMobil: Business as Usual? (B)

By: George Serafeim, Shiva Rajgopal and David Freiberg

The case presents ExxonMobil's response to growing pressure to disclose how climate change will impact their business. This includes multiple asset impairments and losing a proxy vote to shareholders to increase climate change related reporting. Supplements the (B)... View Details

Keywords: Oil ＆ Gas; Oil Prices; Oil Companies; Asset Impairment; Predictive Analytics; Sustainability; Environmental Impact; Innovation; Disclosure; Accounting; Valuation; Energy Sources; Ethics; Corporate Disclosure; Governance Compliance; Climate Change; Financial Reporting; Energy Industry; United States

01 Jun 2020
News

Inside Out

a building? Or even on one floor, or in one room? This is not a trivial undertaking. And because it’s hard, it has been a barrier to advancement. We measure energy really well, so we manage it. But we’ve... View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell; Corporate, Subsidiary, and Regional Managing Offices; Corporate, Subsidiary, and Regional Managing Offices

April 2008 (Revised March 2014)
Case

Flying J (A)

By: Rohit Deshpande and Lauren Barley

The largest retailer of diesel fuel in the U.S., Flying J, is rethinking its growth strategy as the economy goes into a recession. Its major customer base, owner-operated truck drivers, are facing increasing costs of doing business. Yet Flying J is considering whether... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Growth and Development Strategy; Price; Consumer Behavior; Non-Renewable Energy; Energy Industry; United States

Research Summary

Overview

What makes some organizations more innovative than others? Innovation follows from strategy and structure. A good strategy allows individuals to impose their own imagination towards organizational goals in a coordinated way. Good structure adds incentives that... View Details

Keywords: Energy Generation; Renewable Energy; Entrepreneurship; Environmental Sustainability; Green Technology; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Innovation and Management; Resource Allocation; Strategy; Energy Industry; Energy Industry; Canada; United States; Europe; Croatia; Serbia and Montenegro

September 2007 (Revised August 2008)
Case

Suncor in the Oil Sands Industry

By: Forest L. Reinhardt and Nazli Uludere

Describes the economics, technology, and politics of the oil sands industry, focusing on one of the industry's leading firms. Oil sands deposits in Alberta represent a potentially vast reserve of hydrocarbons, but the extraction, refining, and transportation challenges... View Details

Keywords: Economics; Non-Renewable Energy; Government and Politics; Supply and Industry; Natural Environment; Competitive Strategy; Environmental Sustainability; Energy Industry; Alberta

01 Dec 2018
News

Combating Climate Change

If global temperatures rise by 6 degrees celsius by 2050—as they are on track to do—officials at the International Energy Agency say the changes would bring “devastating consequences for the planet.” And those consequences will extend to... View Details

15 Nov 2011
First Look

First Look: November 15

Imitation: The Case of Sponsor-Based Business Models Authors:Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Feng Zhu Publication:Strategic Management Journal (forthcoming) Abstract This paper provides the first formal model of business model innovation.... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

May 1999 (Revised November 2000)
Case

AES Global Values

By: Lynn S. Paine

Members of the development team for the AES Corp.'s power plant project in India must decide what plant technology to specify in their application for techno-economic clearance from the government of India's Central Electric Authority. Their choice is between more... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Energy Generation; Technology Adoption; Energy Industry; India; United States