Publications

September 2002
Case

World Trade Organization, The

By: David A. Moss and Nick Bartlett

Explores the origins and workings of the World Trade Organization (WTO), focusing particular attention on the special challenges of trade liberalization at the dawn of the 21st century. View Details

Keywords: Trade; Business History; Problems and Challenges

27 Sep 2017
Research & Ideas

What Happens When Ordinary People Get Creative?

Source: FangXiaNuo The topic of creativity tends to conjure conversations about individual geniuses whose artistic or scientific contributions have rocked history—the Ludwig Van Beethovens, the Emily Dickinsons, or the George Washington Carvers of the world. So it’s... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

September 1992 (Revised January 2002)
Case

Chrysler: Iacocca's Legacy

By: Nitin Nohria and Sandy Green

Describes the changes fashioned by Iacocca during his tenure as CEO of the Chrysler Corp. Pays particular attention to the rhetoric he employed in mobilizing change and the actions he took to implement change. View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leading Change; Leadership Style; Management Teams; Communication Strategy; Auto Industry; Manufacturing Industry

02 Aug 2016
First Look

August 2, 2016

the optimal capital requirement is around 20%. Download working paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=51305 The Empirical Economics of Online Attention By: Boik, Andre, Shane Greenstein, and Jeffrey Prince Abstract—In... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Research Summary

Financial Innovation and Financial Crisis in Historical Perspective

By: David A. Moss

This line of research aims to inform our understanding of modern financial challenges and vulnerabilities by reexamining important financial innovations and financial crises of the past, with particular but not exclusive attention to U.S. financial history. View Details

11 Feb 2013
Research & Ideas

Neuroeconomics: Eyes, Brain, Business

why the brain evolved to pay attention to other people.” The problem was that while the film's characters appeared astonishingly human in many ways, their eyes looked lifeless. Viewers were creeped out. Humans are often delighted by... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

February 2017 (Revised February 2022)
Background Note

Creating and Sustaining Competitive Advantage

By: Eric Van den Steen

This note gives students a systematic and comprehensive framework for analyzing and developing competitive advantage. It pays explicit attention to both creating and sustaining advantage and considers both alignment and assets as sources of advantage. View Details

Keywords: Scope; Scale; Competitive Dynamics; Value Proposition; Bargaining Power; Competitive Advantage; Assets; Alignment; Business Strategy; Design

Teaching Interest

Leading Innovation and Change

By: Michael L. Tushman

This portion of a doctoral seminar at the Harvard Graduate School of Education explores the relationship between innovation, organization design, and leadership in complex educational environments. We pay particular attention to leading large system change. View Details

September 2017 (Revised March 2019)
Case

Henry Kissinger: Negotiating Black Majority Rule in Rhodesia (A)

By: James K. Sebenius and Laurence A. Green

In 1976, a growing crisis in Southern Africa drew the attention of United States Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger. White Rhodesian leader Ian Smith's refusal to accede to black majority rule threatened to widen into a regional conflict involving apartheid South... View Details

Keywords: Equality and Inequality; Race; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Participants; Government and Politics; Africa; United States

2019
Chapter

Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Tiona Zuzul

Selecting the appropriate method for a given research question is an essential skill for organizational researchers. High-quality research involves a good fit between the methods used and the nature of the contribution to the literature. This article describes a... View Details

Keywords: Mathematical Methods; Organizations

July 2004 (Revised March 2006)
Background Note

Work and Job Search Related Stress

Explores the experience of work-related stress and examines various coping tactics. Pays particular attention to stress related to the job-search process. Teaching Purpose: To help students recognize sources of stress and develop more effective coping skills. View Details

Keywords: Job Search; Personal Development and Career; Emotions

January 2000 (Revised September 2002)
Case

Hitting the Wall: Nike and International Labor Practices

By: Debora L. Spar and Jennifer Burns

In the mid-1990s Nike, one of the world's most successful footwear companies, is hit by a spate of alarmingly bad publicity. After years of high-profile media attention as the company that can "just do it," Nike is suddenly being portrayed as a firm that relies on... View Details

Keywords: Wages; Developing Countries and Economies

12 Oct 2011
Research & Ideas

Creating Online Ads We Want to Watch

viewer's attention cannot be purchased by an advertiser but must be gained by the ad. Thus, he is helping advertisers to make online video ads so riveting that users want to watch them. His experimental research looks at the emotional... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Consumer Products

28 Aug 2008
Sharpening Your Skills

Sharpening Your Skills: History Matters

Sharpening Your Skills dives into the HBS Working Knowledge archives to bring together articles on ways to improve your business skills. Questions To Be Answered How can business history influence current practice? What can the work of Joseph Schumpeter tell us about... View Details

Keywords: Re: Geoffrey G. Jones & Anthony Mayo

2025
Working Paper

A Cognitive Theory of Reasoning and Choice

By: Pedro Bordalo, Nicola Gennaioli, Giacomo Lanzani and Andrei Shleifer

We present a theory of decisions in which attention to the features of choice options is determined by the decision maker's categorization of the current choice problem in a set of problems she solved in the past. Categorization depends on goal-relevant as well as... View Details

Keywords: Cognition and Thinking; Perception; Decision Choices and Conditions

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September–October 2022
Article

The Essential Link Between ESG Targets and Financial Performance

By: Mark R. Kramer and Marc W. Pfitzer

Despite heightened attention to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, surprisingly few companies are making meaningful progress in delivering on their commitments. Most firms are not integrating ESG factors into internal strategy and operational decisions... View Details

Keywords: ESG; Environmental Sustainability; Social Issues; Governance; Financial Strategy; Decision Making; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Organizational Structure

January 1994
Background Note

Note on Financial Programming Over Long Horizons

By: Timothy A. Luehrman

Introduces students to financial programming as a way to incorporate concepts and tools from modern corporate finance theory into a framework for managing over long horizons. Particular attention is paid to corporate capital budgeting and investment processes. View Details

Keywords: Framework; Theory; Investment; Business Processes; Capital Budgeting; Corporate Finance

September 1996 (Revised December 2000)
Background Note

Protection of Intellectual Property in the United States, The

By: Myra M. Hart and Howard G. Zaharoff

Presents an overview of U.S. laws/systems in place to safeguard intellectual property rights. Includes a brief history of the development of the laws. Attention is given to patents, licenses, copyrights, trade secrets, trade and service markets, and non-disclosure and... View Details

Keywords: Trademarks; Patents; Copyright; Laws and Statutes; Agreements and Arrangements; United States

September 2012 (Revised September 2016)
Background Note

Convertible Notes in Seed Financings

By: Ramana Nanda, William R. Kerr and Robert F. White

This note introduces convertible notes in angel financing. It begins by delineating the differences between a priced and non-priced round. It then describes a specific example of a convertible note, with attention paid to technical details regarding valuation caps. View Details

Keywords: Financing; Finance; Entrepreneurship