Publications

01 Jun 2008
News

You Only Thought You Were Republican

benefits of these cuts would go “to people at the bottom end of the economic ladder,” he assured voters. And yet, of course, CEOs — let alone hedge fund managers — now routinely pay a lower proportion of their income in federal tax than... View Details

Keywords: Andrew Tobias; national debt; Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Business Schools & Computer & Management Training

22 Mar 2010
Research & Ideas

One Strategy: Aligning Planning and Execution

question that decades of success at Toyota demonstrate the power of its management systems and approaches. At the same time, the roots of its current crisis appear very deep. It is difficult to understand... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Video Game; Web Services

20 Apr 2021
Book

A Simple Question That Can Guide Companies to Epic Success

New Video: Books@Baker Interview with Felix Oberholzer-Gee Click to watch. Some companies gain advantage by commanding premium prices. Others lean on their world-class talent. But, a small slice of companies manages to do both—and... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

Web

1929: The Great Crash - Bubbles, Panics & Crashes – Historical Collections – Harvard Business School

HBS Quick Links MBA Executive Education Doctoral Programs Faculty and Research Alumni HBS Publishing Site Index HBS Home Contact Us Map/Directions Introduction 1837: The Hard Times 1873: Off the Rails 1907: The Banker's Panic 1929: The Great Crash View Details

January 2021 (Revised August 2021)
Case

ByteDance: TikTok and the Trials of Going Viral

By: William C. Kirby and John P. McHugh

In 2020, TikTok became the most valuable start-up ever. The short-form, video-sharing social media platform emerged as the crown jewel of the Chinese technology firm ByteDance, realizing 850 million monthly users and an estimated worth of $180 billion. However, a... View Details

01 Jan 2011
News

Karen Gordon Mills, MBA 1977

loan when the credit crisis hit, small business owners inspire Mills daily with their determination, she says. "The people we work with are tightly woven into the fabric of their communities," notes Mills, whose career has been influenced... View Details

April 2015 (Revised April 2022)
Case

Bankruptcy in the City of Detroit

By: Stuart Gilson, Kristin Mugford and Annelena Lobb

The June 2013 bankruptcy of the city of Detroit, Michigan was, at the time, the largest municipal bankruptcy in American history. Detroit had struggled for years with a weakening tax base, high unemployment, a heavy debt load and increasing retiree costs. These... View Details

January 2004 (Revised May 2008)
Case

Johnson & Johnson's Corporate Credo

By: Thomas R. Piper

No corporate credo is better known than that of Johnson & Johnson. Describes the history of the credo, including the credo challenge initiated by the CEO, James Burke, in 1975 and the role the credo played during the Tylenol poisoning crisis. View Details

Keywords: History; Mission and Purpose; Goals and Objectives; Corporate Accountability; Reputation; Crisis Management; Corporate Governance; Management Teams

11 Oct 2006
What Do You Think?

How Do We Respond to the “Dependency Ratio” Dilemma?

Summing Up Dependency ratios are useful as general indicators of future economic and social health. But they must be managed downward on both a micro and macro basis, in the opinion of the majority of respondents to this month's column.... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

21 Apr 2021
Research & Ideas

The Pandemic Conversations That Leaders Need to Have Now

leaders manage these conversations effectively. Drawing on our insights and those of others, we offer this guide to help leaders have the kinds of discussions we need to be having right now. The four I’s of conversational leadership The... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg, Robin Abrahams, and Katherine Connolly Baden

18 Sep 2017
Research & Ideas

'Likes' Lead to Nothing—and Other Hard-Learned Lessons of Social Media Marketing

recently, it has allowed companies to reap creative ideas on product improvements directly from their customers (Lay's flavored potato chips). And it has also managed to get brands into trouble (United Breaks Guitars). The smash hit Old... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Advertising; Technology

14 Dec 2020
Working Paper Summaries

Nonprofit Boards: It is Time to Lift Your Gaze and See the System

Keywords: by Shamal Dass, Kristy Muir, and V. Kasturi Rangan

04 Apr 2022
What Do You Think?

As Disney Board Chair, What Would You Advise CEO Bob Chapek Regarding 'Don’t Say Gay'?

But Iger, who had stayed on until recently as executive chairman and chairman of the board after a “legendary” tenure as CEO, said publicly, “A crisis of this magnitude, and its impact on Disney, would necessarily result in my actively... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

27 Feb 2017
Research & Ideas

Reputation is Vital to Survival in Turbulent Markets

from Latin America, Africa, Turkey, and South Asia exuded this idea of stability, which assured employees, partners, customers, and everyone else. “After the crisis of 2009, the orders increased and our growth rate over the following five... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

October 1990 (Revised March 1998)
Case

De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd. (A)

Describes the problems facing De Beers at the start of 1983. De Beers had, since its formation in 1888, exercised a large measure of control over the world supply of diamonds. In 1983, the company itself mined over 40% of the world's natural diamonds and, through... View Details

Keywords: Industry Structures; Crisis Management; Business Strategy; Mining; Mining Industry

February 2009 (Revised March 2009)
Case

Publicis Groupe 2009: Toward a Digital Transformation

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Matthew Bird

After a series of acquisitions, Maurice Levy, the Chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, had created the fourth largest marketing and communications company in the world. His next major challenge was managing the firm's digital transformation. In December 2006, the... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Transformation; Financial Crisis; Globalized Firms and Management; Leading Change; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Expansion; Information Technology; Advertising Industry; Communications Industry