Publications

February 2007
Case

Update: The Music Industry in 2006

By: John R. Wells and Elizabeth Raabe

The global recorded music industry was undergoing a major transition in 2006. Sales had been declining for a decade, and consumers were buying music in new formats and through different distribution channels. CD sales still accounted for the majority of revenues, but... View Details

Keywords: History; Arts; Music Entertainment; Intellectual Property; Market Timing; Performance Evaluation; Trends; Music Industry

Most companies treat service as a low-priority business operation, keeping it out of the spotlight until a customer complains. Then service gets to make a brief appearance – for as long as it takes to calm the customer down and fix whatever foul-up jeopardized the... View Details

January 2019 (Revised December 2019)
Case

CrossBoundary Energy

By: John Macomber

Almost 500 million people are without electricity in sub-Saharan Africa. Governments and public utilities are challenged to bring generation and distribution to most of them. Considerable promise exists in “off-grid” or “mini-grid” technologies, notably using renewable... View Details

Keywords: Energy Investing; Economic Development; Renewable Energy; Business Growth and Maturation; Developing Countries and Economies; Project Finance; Emerging Markets; Industry Structures; Infrastructure; Segmentation; Private Equity; Decision Choices and Conditions; Energy Industry; Utilities Industry; Africa; Tanzania; Ghana

15 Dec 2023
News

Like-Minded

sustainable living,” which could mean companies directly focused on ESG in its traditional forms of climate change, health care technology, or environmental tech. All are good investments for MPower, but the company also expands that... View Details

01 Dec 2016
News

In My Humble Opinion: Chip Brewer (MBA 1991)

was hooked.” Brain game: “Skulled, shanked, I’ve done it all. The beauty is I can usually block those shots out and forget about them. I’ve had some good times too. Once, when I was in high school, I made a 40-footer on the last hole to... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

21 Feb 2023
Research & Ideas

Are Your Employees Passing Up Incentives? Try Promoting the Programs More

notice and take action, according to the research, published September in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. The study could provide an incentive of its own for businesses looking to attract and retain talent amid a... View Details

Keywords: by Scott Van Voorhis

25 Jun 2013
First Look

First Look: June 25

http://www.people.hbs.edu/amusacchio/Leviathan/toc.htm 2006 pub Inflated Applicants: Attribution Errors in Performance Evaluation by Professionals By: Swift, S. A., D. Moore, Z. Sharek, and F. Gino Abstract—When explaining others' behaviors, achievements, and failures,... View Details

Keywords: Anna Secino

17 Dec 2020
Blog Post

9 Ways to Have a Better 2021

Yes, we know it shouldn’t be too difficult to improve on 2020. But just to be sure, we drew on the knowledge, experience, and expertise of HBS faculty and alumni to gather nine strategies to put you over the top, whatever the year ahead... View Details

05 Oct 2016
What Do You Think?

Can the US Economy Regain the Growth and Prosperity of the Past?

Whose Job Is It to Rebuild the US Middle Class? Optimism among respondents to this month’s column concerning future United States growth rates hinges on whether the middle class can be restored. That’s a big contingency. Those commenting... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

Web

Climate Impact - Business & Environment

tools they need to simplify, accelerate, and optimize the financing of critical climate assets.” Ayr Muir MBA 2004 | Founder & CEO, Clover Food Lab “Meat production and the agriculture industry behind it are the second biggest... View Details

24 Jan 2018
Research & Ideas

How to Get People Addicted to a Good Habit

habit-forming behavior, whether people recognized it as such, whether it was possible to induce the habit with experimental interventions, and whether the habit would continue after the interventions ceased.... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

June 2001 (Revised July 2001)
Case

SKOLAR: Launching a University Technology Spinoff Company

SKOLAR is the first company formally spun out of Stanford University. The company is searching for the right business model to commercialize its Internet-based medical information offering. View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Commercialization; Higher Education; Information Technology; Business Startups; Information Technology Industry; Education Industry; California

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January 2000 (Revised November 2001)
Case

Mavesa (A): Business Strategy Amid Economic and Political Turmoil

Examines Mavesa's response to external liberalization in 1989. The consumer packaged goods firm, which had been extensively vertically integrated, completely revamps its business strategy in the 1990s. View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Economy; Business Strategy; Government and Politics

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October 1997
Case

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (B)

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Elaine V. Backman

Outlines the process of strategy reinvention adopted by Planned Parenthood. It lays out the new strategic proposals, and the reactions of the various constituencies to those proposals. View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Framework; Core Relationships; Risk and Uncertainty; Adaptation; Health Industry