Publications

02 May 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: May 2, 2017

April 14, 2017 Harvard Business Review Companies Like United Need to Cultivate Good Judgment, and Free Their Employees to Use It By: Deighton, John A. Abstract—United Airlines has pledged to improve its training programs and empower its... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

27 Jun 2005
Research & Ideas

Asian and American Leadership Styles: How Are They Unique?

Political connections and family control are more common in Asian businesses than in the United States. In addition, says HBS professor D. Quinn Mills, American CEOs tend to use one of five leadership... View Details

Keywords: by D. Quinn Mills

January 2003 (Revised October 2012)
Case

Newport Creamery (A)

By: Paul Marshall and Todd Thedinga

Describes the operating challenges of Newport Creamery, a Rhode Island-based chain of ice cream restaurants. Profiles the company's transition from longtime family ownership to a real estate developer, the developer's expansion strategy, and the company's subsequent... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Crisis Management; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Food and Beverage Industry; Rhode Island

October 2015 (Revised September 2016)
Case

The Transformation of Mudo

By: Anthony J. Mayo, Esel Çekin and Çiğdem Çelik

After 16 years in management consulting, Barış Karakullukçu left to become the CEO of Mudo in 2012, one of the best-known names in Turkey's retail industry. She was tasked with leading Mudo's transition from a family business to a more institutionalized, corporate... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Management Challenges; Emerging Market; Retail; Second-generation; Operational Efficiency; Performance Management; Corporate Culture; Growth; Leading Change; Family Business; Organizational Culture; Emerging Markets; Family Ownership; Transformation; Performance Improvement; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry; Turkey

February 2016 (Revised September 2017)
Case

Scaling Well by Doing Good: Motivating Talent at b.good

By: Francesca Gino, Paul Green Jr. and Bradley Staats

Boston-based fast-casual chain b.good was founded on the idea of healthy food, sourced locally, and prepared in-store. The founders had built a value-based business and worked hard to cultivate a sense of family—among employees, customers, and suppliers. In 2015, they... View Details

Keywords: Motivation; Values; Corporate Culture; Growth Strategy; Motivation and Incentives; Values and Beliefs; Growth Management; Organizational Culture; Growth and Development Strategy; Service Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; New England

Article

Guanxi versus Networking: Distinctive Configurations of Affect- and Cognition-based Trust in the Networks of Chinese and American Managers

By: Roy Y.J. Chua, M.W. Morris and P. Ingram

This research investigates hypotheses about differences between Chinese and American managers in the configuration of trusting relationships within their professional networks. Consistent with hypotheses about Chinese familial collectivism, an egocentric network survey... View Details

Keywords: Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Managerial Roles; Relationships; Cognition and Thinking; Emotions; Social and Collaborative Networks; Trust; China; United States

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February 1995 (Revised September 1995)
Case

The Bourland Companies

By: William J. Poorvu and John H. Vogel Jr.

Michael Bourland, the president of the Bourland Companies, needs to refinance two properties, an office building in southern New Hampshire and a retail property in Massachusetts. He is considering three alternatives: a renewal of a bank mini-perm, a 15-year mortgage... View Details

Keywords: Capital Markets; Property; Mortgages; Family Business; Financial Management; Family Ownership; Real Estate Industry; Massachusetts; North and Central America

March 2020 (Revised May 2020)
Case

Board Director Dilemmas—Family Affairs

By: David G. Fubini, Suraj Srinivasan and Amram Migdal

This case focuses on a new director who must help resolve a disagreement between two generations of leaders in a family business. The case raises questions of the proper role and approach for a director trying to manage a legitimate disagreement between shareholders... View Details

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Family Business

05 Oct 2015
News

Study finds that daughters benefit when moms work

March 2012 (Revised October 2012)
Case

Gary Hirshberg and Stonyfield Farm

By: Nancy F. Koehn, Nora N. Khan and Elizabeth W. Legris

Gary Hirshberg and Stonyfield Farm is the story of one entrepreneur's vision and journey to create a market-leading, environmentally responsible business founded on the principles of product quality, organizational alignment, and sustainability. A former environmental... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurs; Values; Development Stage Enterprises; Innovation; Management By Objective; Experimentation; Emerging Technologies; Mission and Purpose; Management Style; Values and Beliefs; Social Issues; Organizational Culture; Environmental Sustainability; Business Growth and Maturation; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Innovation and Invention; Food and Beverage Industry; New Hampshire

September 2005 (Revised April 2007)
Case

Spyder Active Sports - 2004

By: Belen Villalonga, Dwight B. Crane and James Quinn

David Jacobs founded a high-end ski apparel company in 1978. He successfully built and grew the company, establishing a major international brand that appealed to ski racers and other active skiers. In 1995, he sought external financing to support further growth of the... View Details

Keywords: Private Ownership; Private Equity; Financial Liquidity; Business Exit or Shutdown; Valuation; Brands and Branding; Wealth; Family Business; Financing and Loans; Globalization; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Sports Industry; Colorado

11 Apr 2024
In Practice

Why Progress on Immigration Might Soften Labor Pains

Almost one-third of Americans consider immigration the most important “problem” that the United States faces, according to a new Gallup poll. And yet, companies say they need far more workers than the current system allows. Some business... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

October 2019
Supplement

Airbus vs. Boeing (K): New Partnerships (2018)

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Karen Elterman

This case describes Airbus’ partnership with the Montreal-based aircraft manufacturer Bombardier beginning in 2017. The two companies partnered on the C Series of aircraft (later named the A220 Family), which consisted of small aircraft with 100–150 seats. The case... View Details

Keywords: Product Development; Air Transportation; Projects; Competition; Partners and Partnerships; Joint Ventures; Manufacturing Industry; Air Transportation Industry; United States; Europe; Canada; Brazil

May 2013 (Revised June 2014)
Case

Getit

By: Ramana Nanda and Rachna Tahilyani

Sidharth Gupta, CEO of Getit Infomediary Ltd, had just received a term sheet from Helion Venture Partners (Helion), one of India's independent venture capital firms, offering to invest Rs 200 million in return for an equity stake in the company. His dream of... View Details

Keywords: Publishing; Media And Publishing; Entrepreneurial Finance; Venture Capital; Media; Entrepreneurship; India

09 Jul 2021
News

Three Ways Employers Can Best Support Caregivers Returning To Work

08 Sep 2021
Blog Post

Socioeconomic Inclusion at HBS: Joshua Mbanusi (MBA 2021)

As the youngest of five siblings, Joshua Mbanusi (MBA 2021) grew up watching his single mother juggle two—and sometimes three—jobs while getting the undergraduate degree required to resume the nursing career she left behind when she immigrated from Nigeria. Her efforts... View Details

11 Feb 2002
Research & Ideas

The Quiet Leader—and How to Be One

It sounds almost paradoxical. A quiet leader? Yet quiet leaders—managers who apply modesty, restraint, and tenacity to solve particularly difficult problems—are more common than we think, says Harvard Business School professor Joseph L.... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

26 Jun 2023
Research & Ideas

Want to Leave a Lasting Impression on Customers? Don't Forget the (Proverbial) Fireworks

the day, huddling with family in the Florida twilight as brilliant fireworks light up the sky above Cinderella’s castle. Disney clearly knows a thing or two about creating memorable moments, says Julian De Freitas, assistant professor at... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Entertainment & Recreation

January 2009 (Revised December 2009)
Supplement

Playing with Fire at Sittercity (B)

By: Noam T. Wasserman and Rachel Gordon

To help her finance her aggressive expansion plans, Genevieve Thiers plans to raise venture capital for the first time. She has spent the last six long years building Sittercity into the nation's leading babysitting web service, larger than all of its competitors... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Problems and Challenges; Risk Management; Agreements and Arrangements; Service Operations; Family and Family Relationships; Competition; Expansion; Internet