Publications

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21 Sep 2009
Research & Ideas

Excessive Executive Pay: What’s the Solution?

"Big labor unions are trying to achieve at the board table what they cannot achieve at the negotiating table, under the guise of shareholder protection," said David Hirschmann, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Center View Details

Keywords: by Roger Thompson

March 2011
Article

Cheaper Patents

By: Tom Nicholas

The 1883 Patents Act in Britain provides perspective for modern patent policy reforms because it radically changed incentives for inventors by reducing filing fees by 84 percent. Patents increased 2.5 fold after the reform, which was evenly distributed across the... View Details

Keywords: Patents; Global Range; Distribution; Demand and Consumers; Organizational Structure; Business Processes; Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Management; Policy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Fluctuation; Motivation and Incentives; Distribution Industry; United States; Great Britain

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31 Jan 2017
Research & Ideas

The Dow at 20,000: What's That All About?

that the markets expect strong deregulation, and that impacts every other sector that is highly regulated in the economy. So you saw the rising stock prices of financials, for example, as well as energy... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Aisner

05 Sep 2000
Research & Ideas

Building Bridges Between Education and Business

participants when they came together to report on their group discussions, "Your ideas clearly show the great dividend we can get through cooperation, exchange, and learning from one another." Barriers Linger Businesses have lots of... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

November 2007 (Revised March 2009)
Case

Allston: Brand vs. Architecture

By: Andre F. Perold, Arthur I Segel and Christopher M. Gordon

Harvard President Lawrence Summers had presided over the final interviews of world-renowned architects being considered for the science complex planned for Harvard's expanded campus in Allston. The selection process had absorbed nine months in 2005 and amplified the... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Brands and Branding; Design; Urban Development; Selection and Staffing; Construction Industry; Boston

29 Sep 2008
Research & Ideas

How Economics May Lead to Better Football Games

Matching is economist-speak for how we get the things we choose in life that also choose us. You can't just choose a selective school or a job—you have to be admitted or hired—just as you can't simply choose your spouse, you also have to... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Sports

27 Feb 2020
Blog Post

Taking the LEAP into the Case Method

Dr. Baozhong Su now is an Asian Fellow at Ash Center for Demo Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School. As a professor, he comes from the College of Economics and Management, China Agricultural University (CAU) in Beijing, P.R.... View Details

November 2023
Article

Algorithmic Mechanism Design with Investment

By: Mohammad Akbarpour, Scott Duke Kominers, Kevin Michael Li, Shengwu Li and Paul Milgrom

We study the investment incentives created by truthful mechanisms that allocate resources using approximation algorithms. Some approximation algorithms guarantee nearly 100% of the optimal welfare, but have only a zero guarantee when one bidder can invest before... View Details

Keywords: Mechanism Design; Market Design; Auctions

17 Dec 2017
News

Indie bookstores’ surprising revival based on giving customers ‘an experience’

21 Apr 2020
Research & Ideas

7 Successful Battle Strategies to Beat COVID-19

Drawing on lessons from the battlefield is common practice for business leaders seeking tested strategies to succeed against adversity. Today, the battle against COVID-19, an invisible enemy, feels to many observers like a military... View Details

Keywords: by Euvin Naidoo

February 2025 (Revised February 2025)
Case

Managing Complexity at mymuesli

By: Thomas Graeber and Stacy Straaberg

In April 2009, direct-to-consumer e-commerce muesli brand mymuesli faced a flood of customer questions. The breakfast cereal startup enabled users to order personalized muesli on its website by choosing from 75 organic ingredients for a total of 566 quadrillion... View Details

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction; Decisions; Food; Product Marketing; Product Positioning; Product Launch; Problems and Challenges; Behavior; Competitive Advantage; Customization and Personalization; Segmentation; Internet and the Web; Food and Beverage Industry; Europe; Germany

May 2017 (Revised November 2019)
Case

The Dubai International Film Festival

By: Rohit Deshpandé and Alpana Thapar

This case follows the conception and emergence of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). In an already crowded and highly competitive industry, Abdulhamid Juma was attempting to define and establish a unique brand positioning for DIFF. Committed to its vision,... View Details

Keywords: Brand Positioning; Underdog Brand Building; Business Models; Non-profit; Managing Multiple Stakeholders; Film Entertainment; Brands and Branding; Business Model; Competitive Strategy; Decision Making; Growth and Development Strategy; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry

February 2014
Teaching Note

The Slingshot: Improving Water Access

By: John A. Quelch

Entrepreneur Dean Kamen has inked a multimillion dollar partnership with Coca-Cola (CC) to mass produce and distribute the Slingshot, a low energy device that can convert raw sewage into potable water for poor people and communities in developing economies. View Details

Keywords: DEKA; Dean Kamen; Coca-Cola; Technological Innovation; Innovation Strategy; Commercialization; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; Health Industry; North Africa; South Africa; Asia; South America

March 2005 (Revised June 2005)
Background Note

Arbitration between Foreign Investors and Host Governments

By: Louis T. Wells Jr. and Regina Garcia-Cuellar

Explains the emergence of international arbitration as an option for foreign investors with disputes with governments of emerging markets. Presents issues about whether arbitration will remain acceptable to countries and governments. View Details

Keywords: Conflict and Resolution; Foreign Direct Investment; Globalized Markets and Industries; Emerging Markets; Government and Politics

07 Apr 2014
Research & Ideas

Excerpt: ‘The Art of Negotiation’

positive sense of a willingness to abandon the status quo and venture into the unknown, at least partway. For a negotiator, that could be voicing a novel idea or being more (or less) confrontational than... View Details

Keywords: Re: Michael A. Wheeler

February 2025
Case

Abiomed: Clinical Trials and Tribulations

By: Satish Tadikonda, Faith Robertson and William Marks

After receiving 510(k) clearance for the Impella 2.5 device, Abiomed had proceeded to conduct a premarket approval (PMA) process as well to prove clinical superiority, earn greater protection, and extend commercial runway. However, in the middle of the clinical trial... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Disclosure; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Health Testing and Trials; Product Launch; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

14 Jan 2015
News

We Know How You Feel

April 2004 (Revised August 2004)
Teaching Note

BuildingBlocks International

BuildingBlocks International (BBI) plans to accomplish its mission to help children in developing countries succeed in school by bringing management expertise to local organizations. Two years after founding BBI, however, the team hasn't figured out exactly how to make... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Social Marketing; Developing Countries and Economies; Sales