Publications

January 2004 (Revised February 2005)
Case

Timberland and Community Involvement (Abridged Version)

By: James E. Austin and James Quinn

When Jeffrey Swartz became the third generation in his family to lead the Timberland Co., he made community involvement an integral part of the company's strategy. Under Swartz's leadership, Timberland formed a close partnership with City Year, the national corps of... View Details

Keywords: Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Business and Community Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Corporate Strategy; Manufacturing Industry

January 2005 (Revised March 2008)
Case

Kohler Co. (A)

Kohler Co., best known for its plumbing fixtures, is a large, private family firm. As part of a recapitalization aimed at preserving family ownership of Kohler Co., nonfamily shareholders, who held 4% of common stock, were required to sell their shares to the company.... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Capital Structure; Cash Flow; Stocks; Price; Family Ownership; Business and Shareholder Relations; Valuation

19 Mar 2012
HBS Case

HBS Cases: Overcoming the Stress of ‘Englishnization’

astonished," said an engineer interviewed after the announcement. "Many Rakuten employees are allergic to English." “If they don't have a language strategy, they'll regret it” In a company where just 10 percent of all... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard

2016
Chapter

Luxury Branding Research: New Perspectives and Future Priorities

By: Anat Keinan, Sandrine Crener and Silvia Bellezza

Several major trends have changed the landscape for luxury brands. These shifts include the increasing role of technology (digital and mobile) as well as the use by consumers of alternative signals of status, such as wearing less prominently branded apparel, being less... View Details

Keywords: Luxury; Brands and Branding

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Gerald Chertavian is the Founder of Year Up, one of the nation’s largest and most effective youth workforce development programs. Chertavian was a successful technology entrepreneur and Wall Street banker, but it was through his many years as a Big Brother... View Details

06 May 2008
First Look

First Look: May 6, 2008

an examination of companies such as Boston Scientific and Paramount, and through research on auctions, the authors identified three principal drivers of competitive arousal: intense rivalry, especially in the form of one-on-one... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Blog

Inside the Learning: Sustainability—on Campus and Beyond

environment-related research conducted by HBS faculty Listen to timely interviews in our Climate Rising podcast Explore some of the many ways companies are improving sustainability today Read a recent... View Details

15 May 2020
Research & Ideas

Find Your Pragmatic Path through Radical Uncertainty

to consider what we can realistically and meaningfully do. Choices are required, personally (financial donations? hands-on (volunteering?), and professionally (commitment of company resources?). Another “should do” in these trying View Details

Keywords: by Howard Stevenson, Eugene B. Kogan, and Shirley Spence

Career Coach

Laetitia Tiani Vessah

earnings. Her secret power is finding cool job opportunities across a range of industries & company stages. Her mission is to help you secure your bag! Work Experience: Procter & Gamble. Kapor Startup Fellow (pre-MBA internship), WSC &... View Details

05 Dec 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, December 5, 2017

sustainably differentiated the company from its competitors. For instance, the adoption of fleet management resulted in customer loyalty levels five times higher than under the dominant business model Hilti... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

30 Jan 2020
Research & Ideas

The Upside of Highlighting a Product's Downsides

later? At least in some cases, the answer is yes, according to Harvard Business School researchers who tested the effects of highlighting a product’s trade-offs with almost 400,000 customers of Australia’s largest bank. MoonSoo Choi Most View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

April 1994 (Revised October 2002)
Case

Frito-Lay, Inc.: A Strategic Transition (1987-1989)

By: Lynda M. Applegate

Describes the actions taken by the new CEO to return the company to profitability, to clarify the vision, and then to build the infrastructure (human, capital, and information) needed to support the long-term change in strategy and organization. Ends with senior... View Details

Keywords: Transition; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Information Technology; Management Teams; Business Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry

16 Mar 2020
News

15 Questions About Remote Work, Answered

18 Dec 2018
News

SurveyMonkey’s CEO on Creating a Culture of Curiosity

October 7, 2021
Article

Carbon Might Be Your Company’s Biggest Financial Liability

By: Robert G. Eccles and John Mulliken

The price of carbon may be zero in many places today, but it’s unlikely to remain zero for long. That means that many companies have hidden liabilities on their books. To cover their carbon short position, executives can take several steps: Measure the position in... View Details

Keywords: Climate Risk; Climate Finance; Risk Management; Governance; Environmental Accounting; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability

July 2022
Supplement

General Mills: Responding to the Killing of George Floyd (B)

By: Debora L. Spar and Alicia Dadlani

Jeff Harmening, CEO of General Mills, one of the world's largest manufacturers of breakfast cereals and packaged foods, was deeply disturbed and instantly aware that he and General Mills would need to respond. George Floyd, an African-American man who had been accused... View Details

Keywords: Race; Decisions; Social Issues; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Consumer Products Industry; Minneapolis; Minnesota; United States

May 1990 (Revised April 1995)
Teaching Note

Karen Green, Teaching Note

By: Linda A. Hill

The video depicts Karen Green, a manager in her early thirties, on a company retreat. She is being considered for a project manager position, a promotion she does not receive. During the retreat, the circumstances that influenced the decision become evident. The... View Details

Keywords: Work-Life Balance; Personal Development and Career; Gender; Power and Influence