Cultural Strategies - Publications - Faculty & Research

January 2024 (Revised May 2024)
Case

Uncle Nearest: Creating a Legacy

By: Hise Gibson, Archie L. Jones, Nicole Gilmore and Ai-Ling Jamila Malone

Fawn Weaver, as a Black woman and industry outsider in a capital-intensive, highly regulated, competitive and male-dominated spirits industry, successfully overcame numerous obstacles to launch a premium American whiskey brand, Uncle Nearest in 2017, which became the... View Details

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20 Feb 2019
Research & Ideas

Rocket-tunity: Can Private Firms Turn a Profit in Space?

that optimism will eclipse concerns about slow progress and instead lead to the intersection of popular culture and commercial space flights. “Every astronaut who's been in space describes how, in essence, their whole view of what it... View Details

Keywords: by Scott Wallask; Aerospace; Tourism; Transportation

31 Jan 2012
First Look

First Look: Jan. 31

http://www.hbs.edu/research/facpubs/workingpapers/papers0910.html#wp10-070 When the Name Is the Game Authors:Marco Bertini, John Gourville, and Elie Ofek Publication:Business Strategy Review 22, no. 3 (2011) Abstract In Romeo and Juliet,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne & Carmen Nobel

01 Sep 2023
News

Alumni and Faculty Books

Edited by Margie Kelley The Happiness Handbook By Landon Carter (MBA 1967) Marshall and McClintic Publishing Have you ever wished you had the instruction manual for being a happy human on planet Earth? This book will answer some of life’s fundamental questions: Who am... View Details

12 Feb 2020
Blog Post

Trying Out New Career Options with SIPs (Short Intensive Programs)

social innovation, as the delivery system for critical goods and services at scale, as the stewards of our cultural heritage, and as advocates for a more just and inclusive society. This SIP will take a closer look at how to be an... View Details

18 Jan 2018
News

The Lessons of All-Day Breakfast

Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on SoundCloud More Skydeck episodes Dan Morrell: When Kristy Cunningham (MBA 1998) arrived at McDonald’s in 2014 as vice president of strategy and insights, she asked her team about the most common requests... View Details

Keywords: Food Services and Drinking Places; Hospitality

18 Mar 2014
First Look

First Look: March 18

results suggest that language use by corporations is a key cultural variable that is a strong predictor of CSR and sustainability. Download working paper: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2403878 Financing Risk and Innovation By: Nanda, Ramana,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Web

Artful Leadership | Social Enterprise | Harvard Business School

Artful Leadership When she arrived at HBS, Meredith “Max” Hodges (MBA 2010) already knew that she wanted to be the director of a nonprofit cultural organization. “I think that was the first line of my application essay,” she says, adding,... View Details

20 Nov 2007
First Look

First Look: November 20, 2007

we call "design-driven innovation." This strategy aims at radically changing the emotional and symbolic content of products, i.e., their meanings and languages, through a deep understanding of broader changes in society, View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

April 2005 (Revised January 2007)
Case

Furman Selz LLC (A): A Tale of Two Acquisitions

By: Nancy D. Beaulieu, Boris Groysberg and Kyle Doherty

Profiles a firm that was reacquired by two companies with different degrees of success. Highlights integration challenges present in acquisition deals when the primary assets of the target are human capital. Focuses on Furman Selz's acquisition by Xerox in 1987; its... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Transition; Valuation; Human Capital; Compensation and Benefits; Integration; Organizational Culture; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry; United States

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12 Sep 2018
Blog Post

Optimizing the Coaching Experience for Midcareer Professionals

the starting gate or far along the road – the fundamental dimensions of career vision, strategy and tactics remain relevant. But with experience, the content of these dimensions can change dramatically. "Life is intricate," says... View Details

01 May 2017
Research & Ideas

Bad At Your Job? Maybe It's the Job’s Fault

because it means creating a culture where people feel a shared sense of purpose, identify with the group, have trust in co-workers, and share in rewards. A screenshot of the optimization tool, which shows managers how they could improve... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

13 Sep 2010
Research & Ideas

The Consumer Appeal of Underdog Branding

Pike Place Roast, which emphasizes the brand's humble Seattle coffee culture beginnings. Adidas's "Impossible Is Nothing" campaign emphasized the underdog stories of famous athletes. Q: How did you notice this trend? How did you... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

29 Aug 2018
What Do You Think?

What Should Harley-Davidson’s Management Do?

strong culture and dedicated customer base helped it avoid larger declines. Its customers organized rallies attended by as many as 50,000 Harley owners, whose average age had risen into the 50s and whose backgrounds contradicted the... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Auto

03 Jul 2013
What Do You Think?

What Are the Limits of Transparency?

information is delivered." One possible line would include information about a company's strategy. Brad Keller commented that "It takes more than just sharing financials or performance review data It is really a matter of being open about an organization's... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

April 2022 (Revised August 2022)
Case

Restaurant Brands International: Version 2.0

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott

In 2010, 3G Capital acquired Burger King, the second largest burger chain globally. 3G expanded Burger King’s operations via acquisitions into a multi-brand business, renamed Restaurant Brands International. The acquisition had been a financial success story for 3G.... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Growth and Development; Performance Evaluation; Private Equity; Franchise Ownership; Culture; Change Management; Strategy; Human Resources; Information Technology; Competition; Retail Industry; United States

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16 May 2005
Research & Ideas

Nonprofit Networking: The New Way to Grow

are deliberately using a network strategy and discovering its potential to serve more people more effectively. "I'm interested in high performance networks and understanding how those networks were created and are managed," says... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

07 Apr 2020
Research & Ideas

What Customers Need to Hear from You During the COVID Crisis

marketing communications for the first and second quarter of the year. What’s the right strategy for a CMO during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic? During the week of March 23, 2020, Edelman, a global communications firm, conducted... View Details

Keywords: by Jill Avery and Richard Edelman

01 Dec 2022
News

Full Court Press

didn’t exist before.” Growing basketball on the continent entails addressing the logistics and marketing challenges inherent in trying to scale any operation across 54 countries. It also poses a deep cultural challenge—the kind where the... View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell

April 2011 (Revised September 2011)
Case

BlackRock Solutions

By: Kenneth A. Froot and Scott Waggoner

The BlackRock Solutions case examines the different functions and economics of a global asset manager's value chain, with particular emphasis on the "money management" and the "investment systems platform" businesses. Students analyze why BlackRock decided to unbundle... View Details