Publications

October 2018 (Revised September 2020)
Case

Testing Autonomy in Pittsburgh

By: Mitchell Weiss and Brittany Urick

Pittsburgh’s mayor had been among the first to welcome self-driving vehicles but was now one of many needing to react after a pedestrian fatality involving an autonomous Uber in Arizona. He had originally preferred to roll out “the red carpet” instead of the “red... View Details

30 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Entering the Age of Alliances

which trains disadvantaged inner-city youths and unemployed adults of southwestern Pennsylvania for jobs in high-tech, culinary, and medical fields, partnered with Bayer, a major pharmaceutical and chemical company, to develop a chemical... View Details

Keywords: by James Austin

06 Jan 2021
Research & Ideas

Unexpected Exercise Advice for the Super Busy: Ditch the Rigid Routine

reality is that some days you need to drive your kid to school.” So, what’s the alternative? Beshears teamed with researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University in 2015 to test different ways to help 2,508... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

10 Jul 2000
Research & Ideas

Cable TV: From Community Antennas to Wired Cities

John Walson launched the first commercial cable television system in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, an Appalachian town eighty-six miles from Philadelphia. 1,2 Walson worked as a lineman for Pennsylvania Power & Light and also owned a... View Details

Keywords: by Thomas R. Eisenmann; Media & Broadcasting; Consumer Products; Entertainment & Recreation

April 2024
Supplement

Recycle & Re-Match: The Future of Soccer Turfs

By: George Serafeim

23 Jun 2009
First Look

First Look: June 23

these predictions empirically by examining how the 1996 repeal of certificate-of-need (CON) legislation in Pennsylvania affected the market for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in the state. Within a few years of the repeal of... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

April 2025
Case

Campbell's Recipe for Advancing School Nutrition

By: Hise O. Gibson, F. Christopher Eaglin and Ai-Ling Jamila Malone

In 2021, The Campbell’s Company launched Full Futures, a collective impact initiative aimed at advancing school nutrition environments in underserved communities. The program started in Camden, NJ—home to Campbell’s headquarters—and later expanded to Charlotte, NC, and... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Leadership; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Education; Nutrition; Social Enterprise; Business and Community Relations; Decision Making; Operations; Partners and Partnerships; Food and Beverage Industry; New Jersey; North Carolina; Pennsylvania

2023
Working Paper

The Real Effects of Fair Workweek Laws on Work Schedules: Evidence from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia

By: Caleb Kwon and Ananth Raman

Effective in eight jurisdictions and banned in four, Fair Workweek Laws (FWL) aim to increase the predictability and stability of work schedules. Among other requirements, these laws penalize employers for unilaterally adjusting work schedules without providing some... View Details

Keywords: Working Conditions; Employees; Outcome or Result; Los Angeles; Chicago; Philadelphia

SSRN

Read Now

23 Jul 2001
Research & Ideas

How the Giants of Enterprise Seized the Future

nineteenth century. From a bobbin boy in a steam-driven textile mill, where he was paid $1.20 a week, he moved on to a telegraph office, then to the Pennsylvania Railroad, and eventually to the gigantic complex of mills on the Allegheny... View Details

Keywords: by Richard S. Tedlow

11 Sep 2012
First Look

First Look: September 11

Rockman, Sven Beckert, and David Waldstreicher. University of Pennsylvania Press, forthcoming Abstract The traditional story of modern management begins in the factories of England and New England, extending only much later to the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

22 May 2007
First Look

First Look: May 22, 2007

Southeastern Pennsylvania University Hospital. He must balance his time taking care of patients, running a practice, managing up, down, and laterally, managing stars with little formal authority, allocating resources fairly, developing... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

24 Jul 2013
Op-Ed

Detroit Files for Bankruptcy: HBS Faculty Weigh In

projects and brownfield redevelopments. In spite of this, Pittsburgh almost went bankrupt. It fell under state receivership in 2004 due to rising pension obligations, and the state of Pennsylvania has had oversight of Pittsburgh's fiscal... View Details

Keywords: by John Macomber, Robert C. Pozen, Eric D. Werker & Benjamin Kennedy; Auto

February 2018 (Revised December 2019)
Case

Rise of the Drones: Identified Technologies

By: Andy Wu and George Gonzalez

The founder and CEO of Identified Technologies, a Pittsburgh-based drone software and services company, faces a dilemma when San Francisco–based DroneDeploy begins to disrupt the industry with its drone software platform. Identified Technologies needs to consider... View Details

Keywords: Applications and Software; Digital Platforms; Disruption; Network Effects; Computer Industry; Web Services Industry; Pittsburgh; San Francisco

September 2001
Teaching Note

IBM's Reinventing Education (A) TN

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter

Teaching Note for (9-399-008). View Details

Keywords: Information Technology Industry; Education Industry; San Jose; Philadelphia; Florida; Ohio

January 2023
Teaching Note

The Opioid Settlement and Executive Pay at AmerisourceBergen

By: Suraj Srinivasan and Li-Kuan Ni

Teaching Note for HBS Case No 122-014. In 2020, AmerisourceBergen Corporation, a Fortune 50 company in the drug distribution industry, agreed to settle thousands of lawsuits filed nationwide against the company for its opioid distribution practices that critics alleged... View Details

06 Dec 2016
First Look

December 6, 2016

2016 Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press Slavery's Capitalism: A New History of American Economic Development By: Beckert, Sven, and Seth Rockman, eds. Abstract—During the nineteenth century, the United States entered the ranks... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

March 2022 (Revised June 2023)
Background Note

Climate Issues on the Ground: Snapshots of Diverse American Cities

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Coelin Scibetta and Ryan Barr

This compilation provides brief snapshots of climate action and its geographic and institutional context in 13 U.S. cities that send diverse participants to the Harvard Business School Young American Leaders Program to learn about cross-sector collaboration to address... View Details

Keywords: Cities; Ecosystems; Cross-sector Collaboration; Green Business; U.S. Competitiveness; Economic Sectors; City; Climate Change; Leadership; Change; Boston; Detroit; Minneapolis; Pittsburgh; San Jose; Seattle

October 2015
Case

Bigbelly

By: Mitch Weiss and Christine Snively

To accelerate Bigbelly's sales growth and its "smart cities" positioning, its CEO planned to shift his company from equipment sales to a subscription service. Jack Kutner hoped to re-position Bigbelly's solar-powered trash compacting stations beyond trash and recycling... View Details

February 2024
Case

Can Cities Beat the Heat? (A): A Comparative Analysis of Climate Actions and Change Enablers in 14 U.S. Cities

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Jacob A. Small

Throughout the early 2000's, emphasis was placed on initiatives to adapt to and mitigate climate action in cities. This series presents overviews (snapshots) of 14 U.S. metropolitan regions to help identify similarities, differences, and opportunities for developing... View Details