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(5,636)
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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(5,636)
- People (9)
- News (1,106)
- Research (3,764)
- Events (38)
- Multimedia (24)
- Faculty Publications (2,257)
- 2019
- Working Paper
Self-Interest: The Economist's Straitjacket
By: Robert Simons
This paper examines contemporary economic theories that focus on the design and management of business organizations. In the first part of the paper, a taxonomy is presented that describes the different types of economists interested in this subject—market economists,... View Details
Keywords: Self-interest; Economist; Moral Philosophers; Regulation; Capture; Organization Design; Economy Theory; Organization Theory; Management Theory; Commitment; Controls; Governance; Customers; Conflict of Interests; Business or Company Management; Competition; Organizational Design; Business Education; Agency Theory; Economics; Theory; Boundaries
Simons, Robert. "Self-Interest: The Economist's Straitjacket." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 16-045, October 2015. (Revised January 2019.)
- December 2004 (Revised May 2005)
- Case
Nestle: Sustainable Agriculture Initiative
Swiss food giant Nestle attempts to improve the performance of its suppliers of agricultural commodities to raise quality, lower costs, and contribute to sustainable development. Its initiatives focus first on coffee, cocoa, and milk. Nestle managers assert that the... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Social Issues; Business and Community Relations; Corporate Strategy; Agribusiness; Supply Chain Management; Marketing Strategy; Value Creation; Food and Beverage Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry
Reinhardt, Forest L. "Nestle: Sustainable Agriculture Initiative." Harvard Business School Case 705-018, December 2004. (Revised May 2005.)
Lakshmi Ramarajan
Professor Ramarajan is the Diane Doerge Wilson Professor of Business Administration in the Organizational Behavior Unit at Harvard Business School. Her research examines the management and consequences of identities in organizations.
She teaches the... View Details
Keywords: nonprofit industry
- April 2012 (Revised February 2017)
- Case
Dovernet
By: Robert Simons and Natalie Kindred
This case illustrates the implications of using stringent performance measurement systems to create performance pressure, motivate employee achievement, and sharpen a firm's competitiveness. It opens by describing the downsides of the ruthlessly competitive culture at... View Details
Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Information Technology; Competitive Advantage; Decision Choices and Conditions; Organizational Culture; Performance Evaluation; Compensation and Benefits; Web Services Industry; Information Technology Industry; Vancouver
Simons, Robert, and Natalie Kindred. "Dovernet." Harvard Business School Case 112-061, April 2012. (Revised February 2017.)
- TeachingInterests
Tuck MBA Program
VG is the most popular teacher in the Tuck MBA Program. VG has been named in BusinessWeek’s Guide to Best Business Schools as an outstanding teacher. His current courses focus on Implementing Strategy and his research on Global Leadership's research on... View Details
- September–October 2017
- Article
Why Do We Undervalue Competent Management?: Neither Great Leadership Nor Brilliant Strategy Matters Without Operational Excellence
By: Raffaella Sadun, Nicholas Bloom and John Van Reenen
A recurring message in business education is that you can’t compete on the basis of management processes because they’re easily copied. Operational effectiveness is table stakes in the competitive universe, it is often assumed, and thus cannot serve as a sustainable... View Details
Keywords: Management; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Management Practices and Processes; Performance Effectiveness
Sadun, Raffaella, Nicholas Bloom, and John Van Reenen. "Why Do We Undervalue Competent Management? Neither Great Leadership Nor Brilliant Strategy Matters Without Operational Excellence." Harvard Business Review 95, no. 5 (September–October 2017): 120–127. (Winner of 59th Annual HBR McKinsey Award.)
- 02 Apr 2014
- News
A Harvard Study Spices Bollywood Romance 'The Lunchbox'
Celia Stafford
Celia Stafford is a doctoral student in Health Policy (Management). She received a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from Emory University in 2017 and an MPH focused in Biostatistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2020. She is also... View Details
- 13 Oct 2015
- News
How the U.S. Can Reduce Waste in Health Care Spending by $1 Trillion
- September 2005 (Revised March 2007)
- Case
Lifefont: The Case for RetailDriver
Examines how Lifefont (pseudonym), a multidivisional consumer packages goods company, develops a system to manage and measure the impact of promotional events in retail outlets. View Details
Keywords: Framework; Change Management; Compensation and Benefits; Cost vs Benefits; Growth Management; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Customer Relationship Management; Product Marketing; Salesforce Management; Advertising; Management Systems; Information Technology; Retail Industry
Martinez-Jerez, Francisco de Asis, and Karim Fakhry. "Lifefont: The Case for RetailDriver." Harvard Business School Case 106-005, September 2005. (Revised March 2007.)
- spring 1991
- Article
Breaking the Cycle of Failure in Services
By: Leonard A. Schlesinger and James Heskett
Most managers recognize that good service is a direct result of having effective, productive people in customer contact positions. However, most service companies perpetuate a cycle of failure by tolerating high turnover and expecting employee dissatisfaction. This... View Details
Keywords: Goals and Objectives; Service Delivery; Success; Failure; Management Skills; Service Industry
Schlesinger, Leonard A., and James Heskett. "Breaking the Cycle of Failure in Services." MIT Sloan Management Review 32, no. 3 (spring 1991): 17–28.
- March 2022
- Background Note
Climate Challenges for Cities: Introduction to Issues and Actions in the United States
By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Catarina Mia Martinez
This background Note introduces the implications of climate change (global warming) for American cities. In the U.S., partisan political divides and unaddressed economic and racial disparities in climate vulnerabilities can inhibit action. The two main fronts for... View Details
Keywords: Climate Change; Cities; Emission Reduction; Change; Change Leadership; Electric Power Generation; Transportation; Recycling; Green Business; Green Building; Ecosystem; Construction; Systems Change; Cross-sector Collaboration; Adaptation; Geographic Location; Resource Allocation; Infrastructure; Government and Politics; Social Issues; Urban Development; United States
Kanter, Rosabeth Moss, and Catarina Mia Martinez. "Climate Challenges for Cities: Introduction to Issues and Actions in the United States." Harvard Business School Background Note 322-103, March 2022.
- September 2002 (Revised January 2013)
- Case
Siebel Systems: Organizing for the Customer
By: Robert Simons and Antonio Davila
Siebel Systems is one of the fastest growing companies in America. Tom Siebel, the company's founder, has organized the business to accommodate growth and focus on the customer. Innovative information technology systems and clear accountability prove to be essential to... View Details
Keywords: Organizational Structure; Applications and Software; Business Growth and Maturation; Information Technology; Performance Evaluation; Performance Expectations; Innovation and Management; Technological Innovation; Customer Focus and Relationships; Management Teams; Information Technology Industry; North and Central America
Simons, Robert, and Antonio Davila. "Siebel Systems: Organizing for the Customer." Harvard Business School Case 103-014, September 2002. (Revised January 2013.)
- April 2004 (Revised September 2007)
- Case
Accounting Fraud at WorldCom
By: Robert S. Kaplan and David Kiron
The principal players in WorldCom's accounting fraud included CFO Scott Sullivan, the General Accounting and Internal Audit departments, external auditor Arthur Andersen, and the board of directors. The case provides sufficient detail to allow for a full discussion of... View Details
Keywords: Governance Controls; Governing and Advisory Boards; Crime and Corruption; Ethics; Financial Reporting; Organizational Culture; Corporate Governance; Accounting Audits
Kaplan, Robert S., and David Kiron. "Accounting Fraud at WorldCom." Harvard Business School Case 104-071, April 2004. (Revised September 2007.)
- January 1998 (Revised April 1998)
- Case
Lincoln Electric: Venturing Abroad
By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Jamie O'Connell
Lincoln Electric, a 100-year-old manufacturer of welding equipment and consumables based in Cleveland, Ohio, motivates its U.S. employees through a culture of cooperation between management and labor and an unusual compensation system based on piecework and a large... View Details
Keywords: Acquisition; Restructuring; Transformation; Construction; Compensation and Benefits; Management; Market Entry and Exit; Labor and Management Relations; Competitive Advantage; Expansion; Manufacturing Industry; Ohio
Bartlett, Christopher A., and Jamie O'Connell. "Lincoln Electric: Venturing Abroad." Harvard Business School Case 398-095, January 1998. (Revised April 1998.)
- Article
Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage
By: Robert D. Austin and Gary P. Pisano
Many people with neurological conditions such as autism spectrum disorder and dyslexia have extraordinary skills, including those in pattern recognition, memory, and mathematics. Yet they often struggle to fit the profiles sought by employers. A growing number of... View Details
Austin, Robert D., and Gary P. Pisano. "Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage." Harvard Business Review 95, no. 3 (May–June 2017): 96–103.
- 26 Nov 2001
- Research & Ideas
How Toyota Turns Workers Into Problem Solvers
roles, products, processes (assembly, equipment maintenance and repair, materials logistics, training, system redesign, administration, etc.), and hierarchical levels (from shop floor to plant manager and... View Details
- April 1994 (Revised October 2001)
- Case
Mrs. Fields, Inc. (1977 - 1987)
By: Lynda M. Applegate and Keri O. Pearlson
Describes a small company selling freshly baked goods through privately owned specialty stores (each store sells only Mrs. Fields products). The company has about 8,000 employees worldwide and less than 150 information systems people for a unique leverage of MIS... View Details
Keywords: Information Technology; Organizations; Management Systems; Business Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry
Applegate, Lynda M., and Keri O. Pearlson. "Mrs. Fields, Inc. (1977 - 1987)." Harvard Business School Case 194-064, April 1994. (Revised October 2001.)
- January 1990 (Revised March 1991)
- Case
American Red Cross Blood Services: Northeast Region
By: Robert L. Simons
Recounts the financial difficulties and management changes experienced by American Red Cross Blood Services: Northeast Region (NER) during the 1980s. After summarizing industry-wide changes in the collection, testing, and distribution of blood and blood products, the... View Details
Keywords: Change Management; Budgets and Budgeting; Financial Management; Restructuring; Health; SWOT Analysis; Social Enterprise; Marketplace Matching; Management Style; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Health Industry; North and Central America
Simons, Robert L. "American Red Cross Blood Services: Northeast Region." Harvard Business School Case 190-078, January 1990. (Revised March 1991.)
- August 2014
- Case
Three Jays Corporation
By: Paul Marshall and Mark Davis
Brodie Arens is an MBA student and summer intern at Three Jays Corporation, a jam and jelly manufacturer in Michigan. Brodie's first assignment as an intern is to update the inventory and production planning system. Initially, he begins by updating the Economic Order... View Details
Marshall, Paul, and Mark Davis. "Three Jays Corporation." Harvard Business School Brief Case 915-531, August 2014.