Publications

July 2022
Case

General Mills: Responding to the Killing of George Floyd (A)

By: Debora L. Spar and Alicia Dadlani

Jeff Harmening, CEO of General Mills, one of the world's largest manufacturers of breakfast cereals and packaged foods, was deeply disturbed and instantly aware that he and General Mills would need to respond. George Floyd, an African-American man who had been accused... View Details

Keywords: Race; Decisions; Social Issues; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Minneapolis; Minnesota; United States

Keywords: Beauty

24 Feb 2014
Research & Ideas

Uncovering Racial Discrimination in the ‘Sharing Economy’

12 percent less for rentals than nonblack hosts—even when the properties were equivalent in terms of location and quality. How did the researchers find out the race of each host? The same way potential... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Construction; Real Estate; Advertising

February 2015
Other Article

Evaluating the Impact of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative on Breast-feeding Rates: A Multi-state Analysis

By: Summer Sherburne Hawkins, Ariel Dora Stern, Christopher F. Baum and Matthew W. Gillman

Objectives: Despite the passage of state laws promoting breast feeding, a formal evaluation has not yet been conducted to test whether and/or what type of laws may increase breast feeding. The enactment of breastfeeding laws in different states in the USA creates a... View Details

Keywords: Race; Nutrition; Laws and Statutes; United States

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June 2009
Case

The Rise of President Barack Hussein Obama

By: David A. Thomas, Laura Morgan Roberts and Stephanie Creary

This case profiles President Barack Hussein Obama's rise to the presidency as an "improbable candidate." The case illustrates the ways in which he overcame criticism from those who questioned his credibility and his values, and skepticism from those who were unsure... View Details

Keywords: Ethnicity; Race; Political Elections; Leadership; Personal Development and Career; Creativity; Trust

August 2022 (Revised January 2025)
Case

Fresh Food Generation

By: Brian Trelstad, Amy Klopfenstein and Mel Martin

This case highlights one of five BIPOC entrepreneurs in the Boston area as part of the HBS Impact Investment Fund. In fall 2021, a team of HBS students reviewed the financial statements of Fresh Food Generation (FFG), a Dorchester, Massachusetts-based food service... View Details

Keywords: Impact Investing; Investment; Entrepreneurial Finance; Entrepreneurship; Race; Food and Beverage Industry; Boston

November 23, 2021
Article

The Nasdaq Mandate Will Expand Diversity in Business—and That’s Good for Business

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Andrea Silbert

As The Boston Club’s corporate census has identified, Massachusetts is moving the needle on the advancement of women and people of color in the business community. In our work, we measure this data year after year, and we are seeing incremental progress, but it is... View Details

Keywords: Women; Equity; Board; Diversity; Race; Gender; Measurement and Metrics; Policy; Massachusetts

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Keywords: Banking, Telecom, Financial Services

2019
Interviews

Interview with Kira Hudson Banks on "Corageous Self Awareness for Social Change"

2020
Presentations & Discussions

Lessons from AASU50

September 2020 (Revised July 2022)
Exercise

Artea (B): Including Customer-Level Demographic Data

By: Eva Ascarza and Ayelet Israeli

This collection of exercises aims to teach students about 1)Targeting Policies; and 2)Algorithmic bias in marketing—implications, causes, and possible solutions. Part (A) focuses on A/B testing analysis and targeting. Parts (B),(C),(D) Introduce algorithmic bias. The... View Details

Keywords: Targeting; Algorithmic Bias; Race; Gender; Marketing; Diversity; Customer Relationship Management; Demographics; Prejudice and Bias; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States

07 Feb 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: February 7

traditional corporate social responsibility, the recent wave of CEO activism focuses on social issues unrelated to their core business, ranging from environmental issues to LGBT rights and race relations.... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

17 Jul 2007
First Look

First Look: July 17, 2007

puzzles including, most significantly, evidence of strong employment growth following adoption of dismissal protections. In light of these puzzles, we read our findings as suggestive but tentative. Ethnic Scientific Communities View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

January 17, 2022
Article

Reducing Racial Disparities in Cancer Outcomes

By: Kathy Giusti and Richard G. Hamermesh

A disproportionate number of Black patients die from cancer in the United States. A key to addressing this problem is enrolling more Black patients in clinical trials. A strategy consisting of these three parts can help accomplish this goal: 1) centralize information... View Details

Keywords: Cancer Trials; Racial Disparity; Health Testing and Trials; Race; Strategy

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July 2022
Supplement

General Mills: Responding to the Killing of George Floyd (B)

By: Debora L. Spar and Alicia Dadlani

Jeff Harmening, CEO of General Mills, one of the world's largest manufacturers of breakfast cereals and packaged foods, was deeply disturbed and instantly aware that he and General Mills would need to respond. George Floyd, an African-American man who had been accused... View Details

Keywords: Race; Decisions; Social Issues; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Consumer Products Industry; Minneapolis; Minnesota; United States

06 Nov 2020
News

Signal Boost

In her role as executive director of the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance (LEDA), Gloria Lara (MBA 1983) focuses on a big question: Once a community, business, or organization becomes more diverse, what happens next? LEDA, a nonprofit... View Details

September 2024 (Revised December 2024)
Case

Ming Min Hui at Boston Ballet

By: Edward H. Chang, David Allen and Annelena Lobb

This case asks how Ming Min Hui, the newly appointed executive director of Boston Ballet, should ensure that the company stays true to its art form yet relevant to its times. Hui stood out among ballet leaders as a young, Asian American woman with a Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: Arts; Change; Diversity; Gender; Race; Entertainment; Theater Entertainment; Leadership; Management; Nonprofit Organizations; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States; Massachusetts; Boston

February 2021 (Revised October 2021)
Case

Collab Capital

By: Natalia Rigol, Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Mitchell Weiss

Founded in 2020 by Jewel Burks Solomon and her partners, Barry Givens and Justin Dawkins, Collab Capital was a new investment firm built on two pillars: first, it would identify and support ventures founded by Black entrepreneurs, a group underrepresented in... View Details

Keywords: Black Entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Race; Business Startups; Financial Services Industry; Atlanta