Publications

November 2019 (Revised February 2020)
Case

Starbucks: Reaffirming Commitment to the Third Place Ideal

By: Francesca Gino, Katherine B. Coffman and Jeff Huizinga

On April 12, 2018, two African American entrepreneurs had scheduled a business meeting at a Starbucks in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. They sat without ordering, waiting for a local businessman to show up for the meeting. The store manager called 911... View Details

Keywords: Mission and Purpose; Values and Beliefs; Prejudice and Bias; Crisis Management; Employees; Training

20 Sep 2022
Research & Ideas

How Partisan Politics Play Out in American Boardrooms

American corporations have never been more partisan—starting at the top with executives who often bring on like-minded managers belonging to the same political party. Now, new research shows that when boardrooms are dominated by one party, the companies’ financial... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

03 Dec 2014
What Do You Think?

Can the Brilliant Jerk Be Managed Effectively?

Summing Up Can the Brilliance of the "Jerk" Be Tapped? The best business problem cases are those that divide a class into groups making two or more persuasive arguments. The questions of whether or not and how to make investments in "brilliant... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

June 1995 (Revised September 1996)
Case

Union Carbide's Bhopal Plant (A)

By: Debora L. Spar

In December 1984, a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, sprung a leak, releasing thousands of gallons of highly toxic gas into the atmosphere. By the time the leak was sealed, over 2,000 people had died. In a series of three excerpts from published accounts, the case... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Chemicals; Foreign Direct Investment; Chemical Industry; United States; India

2010
Working Paper

Men as Cultural Ideals: How Culture Shapes Gender Stereotypes

By: Amy J.C. Cuddy, Susan Crotty, Jihye Chong and Michael I. Norton

Three studies demonstrate how culture shapes the contents of gender stereotypes, such that men are perceived as possessing more of whatever traits are culturally valued. In Study 1, Americans rated men as less interdependent than women; Koreans, however, showed the... View Details

Keywords: Prejudice and Bias; Perception; Values and Beliefs; Gender; Culture; Power and Influence

Read Now

11 May 2009
Research & Ideas

The IT Leader’s Hero Quest

capabilities reside in the team, and that great technical expertise is accessible to the team. Be prepared, and not surprised, by this kind of decision-making. In addition, ensure that all decisions are executed in the context of a deep View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

2015
Working Paper

Toxic Workers

By: Michael Housman and Dylan Minor

While there has been a strong focus in past research on discovering and developing top performers in the workplace, less attention has been paid to the question of how to manage those workers on the opposite side of the spectrum: those who are harmful to organizational... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Human Resource Management; Misconduct; Worker Productivity; Superstar; Ethics; Performance Productivity; Personal Characteristics; Employees

SSRN

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29 Nov 2017
Research & Ideas

How to Succeed in Business (According to a 15th Century Trade Merchant)

broader potential as a societal goal,” says Reinert. “You needed to be wealthy to give to others. Instead of conquering, you could achieve greatness through excellence in trade.” “They incorporated business into a larger social and View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

March 2023 (Revised April 2023)
Case

Independent Governance of Meta’s Social Spaces: The Oversight Board

By: Jesse M. Shapiro, Natalia Rigol, Benjamin N. Roth and William R. Kerr

Julie Owono is a member of the Oversight Board, an outside entity with the authority to make binding decisions on tricky moderation questions for Meta's companies. She considers the Board's impact, and its future. View Details

Keywords: Business and Government Relations; Social Media; Fairness; Governing and Advisory Boards; Technology Industry; Communications Industry

01 Oct 1997
News

L.E. Simmons

of bank teller to become chairman of Zions Bancorporation in Salt Lake City, with teaching him that ethical standards are an intrinsic part of doing business. "He measures his performance in terms of doing the right thing and... View Details

Keywords: Deborah E. Blagg

27 Feb 2017
Research & Ideas

Reputation is Vital to Survival in Turbulent Markets

the rough-and-tumble of business everywhere, let alone in conditions of turbulence where corruption may be the norm and not the exception, it may seem almost counterintuitive to believe that maintaining the highest standards, including View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

October 2022
Case

Weapons of Self Destruction: Zak Pym Williams and the Cultivation of Mental Wellness

By: Lauren Cohen, Ronnie Stangler and Grace Headinger

Zak Pym Williams, mental health advocate, grappled with the question of how to create a proactive mental health family environment for his children. Having witnessed how mental health challenges such as addiction and depression had impacted the past four generations of... View Details

Keywords: Family; U.S.; Mental Health; Family Business; Entertainment; Values and Beliefs; Ethics; Leading Change; Family and Family Relationships; Well-being; Social Issues; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States; California

May 2024
Article

Moral Thin-Slicing: Forming Moral Impressions from a Brief Glance

By: Julian De Freitas and Alon Hafri

Despite the modern rarity with which people are visual witness to moral transgressions involving physical harm, such transgressions are more accessible than ever thanks to their availability on social media and in the news. On one hand, the literature suggests that... View Details

Keywords: Moral Judgement; Thin Slices; Social Media; Fake News; Misinformation; Moral Sensibility; News; Behavior

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01 Jun 2001
News

Monsignor Frederick Dolan Finds a New Calling at HBS Club of Montreal

brown-bag lunches where members can generate ideas for club activities or participate in classes covering ethics in business. Dolan also wants to create a course offering the opportunity to explore spirituality in the workplace — an area... View Details

Keywords: Elena N. Berg; Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Personal Services

December 2003 (Revised August 2006)
Case

Malden Mills (A)

By: Nitin Nohria, Thomas R. Piper and Bridget Gurtler

CEO Aaron Feuerstein of Malden Mills decided to pay idled workers after a massive fire at his mill in 1995. Focuses on the decisions made post-fire and the rebuilding process and eventual bankruptcy of the company. Also outlines creditors' struggle to decide whether to... View Details

Keywords: Wages; Situation or Environment; Ethics; Financing and Loans; Resignation and Termination; Employees; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Manufacturing Industry; Massachusetts

03 Jul 2008
What Do You Think?

Are Followers About to Get Their Due?

may not help since it will depend on the style and type of leader ...." In Linda Joy Ortiz' words, "I do not think individuals would benefit from classes on followership ... following is basically an instinct and has more to do with individual character,... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

17 Aug 2021
Research & Ideas

Can Autonomous Vehicles Drive with Common Sense?

introduction of penicillin or vaccines. “So many people are injured and dying on the roads every year, and we are allowing that to happen,” says De Freitas. “That’s an ethical choice.” "People want to be able to say, it’s behaving in a... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Auto

June 2014 (Revised September 2014)
Case

Johnson & Johnson: The Promotion of Wellness

By: John A. Quelch and Carin-Isabel Knoop

To create the world's healthiest workforce, diversified health care giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) mandated participation in its "Culture of Health" program globally, customized by location, culture, and specific health needs to offer prevention-focused education,... View Details

Keywords: Healthcare; Employee Motivation; Transformation; Ethics; Health; Human Resources; Leadership; Management; Personal Development and Career; Problems and Challenges; Strategy; Health Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; North and Central America; Middle East; Latin America; Europe; Asia