Publications

November–December 2020
Article

The Risks You Can't Foresee: What to Do When There's No Playbook

By: Robert S. Kaplan, Herman B. Leonard and Anette Mikes

No matter how good their risk management systems are, companies can’t plan for everything. Some risks are outside people’s realm of experience or so remote no one could have imagined them. Some result from a perfect storm of coinciding breakdowns, and some materialize... View Details

Keywords: Novel Risks; Risk Management; Crisis Management

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January 2007 (Revised January 2007)
Background Note

Note on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

By: Robert F. Higgins, Richard G. Hamermesh and Virginia Fuller

Describes the U.S. FDA with particular emphasis on its role in the development of new drugs, biologic products, and medical devices today. Provides context for the drug approval process by describing the FDA's history and organizational structure. View Details

Keywords: Health; Governance Compliance; Policy; Product Development; Government and Politics; Pharmaceutical Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Biotechnology Industry; Public Administration Industry; United States

Winter 2015
Article

When One Size Doesn't Fit All: Evolving Directions in the Research and Practice of Enterprise Risk Management

By: Anette Mikes and Robert S. Kaplan

Enterprise risk management (ERM) has become a crucial component of contemporary corporate governance reforms, with an abundance of principles, guidelines, and standards. This paper portrays ERM as an evolving discipline and presents empirical findings on its current... View Details

Keywords: Contingency Theory; Grounded Research; Risk Management; Customization and Personalization

01 Mar 2010
News

John Crowley’s Extraordinary Measures

which opened in late January, stars Brendan Fraser as Crowley, Keri Russell as Aileen, and Harrison Ford as Dr. Robert Stonehill, a composite of the doctors who treated the Crowley children and researched a treatment. Extraordinary... View Details

Keywords: Sarah Auerbach; Ambulatory Health Care Services; Health, Social Assistance; Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries; Information

March 2014
Article

Choosing the Right Customer

By: Robert Simons

Companies that win in competitive markets identify a primary customer and dedicate maximum resources to meeting that customer's needs. This article will show you how to identify the best primary customer for your business by analyzing perspective, capabilities, and... View Details

Keywords: Strategy Execution; Customer Focus; Organization Design; Accountability; Management Control Systems; Customer Relationship Management; Organizational Design

23 Aug 2011
First Look

First Look: August 23

relevant for industries characterized by product proliferation and horizontal differentiation. Read the paper: http://www.people.hbs.edu/banand/matchmaker2011published.pdf Accelerating the Adoption of Integrated Reporting Authors:Robert... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 2009 (Revised April 2009)
Case

The Carlyle Group

By: Robert G. Eccles and Carin-Isabel Knoop

This case describes the investment philosophy, organizational structure, management processes and culture of the largest private equity firm in the world measured in terms of assets under management ($89 billion). The Carlyle Group is distinctive in several ways,... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Assets; Private Equity; Investment; Global Strategy; Innovation and Invention; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Management Practices and Processes; Organizational Structure; Information Technology; Asia; Washington (state, US)

01 Mar 2016
First Look

March 1, 2016

2016 Boston: Self-published An Easy Introduction to Financial Accounting: A Self-Study Guide By: Narayanan, V.G. Abstract—This book is a self-study guide written for someone who wishes to teach themselves basic financial accounting. It is based on a course View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 2012 (Revised May 2013)
Case

Integrated Assurance at Philips Electronics N.V.

By: Robert G. Eccles and Daniela Saltzman

Philips Electronics is a leader in integrated reporting. In 2010 it produced its third generation report. Since its first report in 2008, Philips' integrated reports and its integrated reporting website had grown in sophistication. In planning for its integrated report... View Details

Keywords: Accounting Audits; Reports; Organizational Culture

18 Dec 2014
Blog Post

Turnaround & Restructuring Club Conference Recap

moderated by HBS Professor Kristin Mugford. Mr. Toy spoke in detail about his vast turnaround experiences and when asked about current trends stated, “Currently the market is doing pretty well, so there’s not as much restructuring needed.... View Details

01 Sep 2023
News

History Matters

The stunning collapse of three high-profile banks in recent months—Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank—churned up a host of headlines and fears: Are these signs of major instability? The first dominos to fall? In the second edition of their... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information

Web

Case Studies - Social Impact Collaboratory

Ford Foundation (A) (220026) by Shawn Cole , Michael Norris and T. Robert Zochowski FEBRUARY 2020 (REVISED JANUARY 2022) Darren Walker and his staff have been preparing for months to present the final... View Details

September 2003 (Revised January 2005)
Case

Bridges to Excellence: Bringing Quality Health Care to Life

By: Richard M.J. Bohmer, Ingrid Marie Nembhard and Robert Galvin

General Electric launched Bridges to Excellence Diabetes Care Link, a program through which enrolled physicians receive bonuses of up to 10% of their salary for delivering quality care to diabetic patients covered by a participating employer or health plan. A day... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Motivation and Incentives; Programs; Ethics; Quality; Moral Sensibility; Service Delivery; Compensation and Benefits; Health Industry

13 Mar 2018
First Look

March 13, 2018

multidivisional enterprises that have diversified into related product lines. The present book aims to fill in this gap in the literature by adopting a coherent approach to this elusive subject. Publisher's link:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Web

Forum - U.S. Competitiveness

profit for the company. Started 24 Jun 2014 Shattering the Myths About U.S. Trade Policy Forum started by Robert Z. Lawrence and Lawrence Edwards The United States economy has to grow faster than its... View Details

October 2016
Case

U.S. Presidential Campaign 2016: Marketing Communication Strategy

By: Robert J. Dolan

On October 18, 2016, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump began the last three weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign by preparing for the next day's third and final presidential debate. Tuesday, November 8 was Election Day, but in... View Details

Keywords: Election Outcomes; Voting Behavior; Voting; Marketing Communications; Political Elections; United States

17 Aug 2010
First Look

First Look: August 17

expenditures, to manage earnings to meet or beat key benchmarks. This paper examines this hypothesis by testing how different types of marketing expenditures are used to boost earnings for a durable commodity consumer product, which can... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

September 1993
Background Note

The Private Label Movement

By: Robert S. Kaplan and Ray A. Goldberg

Private labels, previously weak in the U.S. market, are making inroads in the United States and Canada. Reasons for this include a weak economy, better quality of private label goods, and a desire by retailers to increase profitability. View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Retail Industry; United States; Canada