Publications

01 Sep 2023
News

End Game

passionate about the notion that business could be a force for good. Within a few decades, many of the success stories were acquired by large corporations (L’Oréal, Estée Lauder, Colgate-Palmolive, and Amazon, in the case of the companies above), whereupon the... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Retail Trade

January 2022 (Revised April 2025)
Case

Steem Versus Hive: Testing Blockchain Governance

By: Shikhar Ghosh and Shweta Bagai

This case examines a pivotal governance conflict that occurred in 2020 when Justin Sun, founder of the TRON blockchain, acquired Steemit Inc., the company behind a popular social media platform operating on the Steem blockchain. Steem, launched in 2016 by Daniel... View Details

Keywords: Blockchain; Mergers and Acquisitions; Values and Beliefs; Corporate Governance; Organizational Culture; Technology Industry

September 2023
Technical Note

Note on Difficult Conversations in the Family Enterprise

By: Christina R. Wing

The best time to have a difficult conversation is, ideally, as soon as possible. Engaging in challenging conversations early can produce beneficial results for several reasons, such as resolving issues, improving communication, preserving relationships, and increasing... View Details

Keywords: Conversation; Family Business; Interpersonal Communication; Conflict and Resolution

10 Apr 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research, April 10, 2018

Has Entered the Mainstream By: Chatterji, Aaron K., and Michael W. Toffel Abstract—Leaders in all sectors, from business to sports to education, are increasingly wading into controversial political and social issues. Based on interviews... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

31 Jan 2014
News

Body, Heal Thyself

reaching into the billions. Then one evening he got a call from Noubar Afeyan, managing partner and CEO of Flagship Ventures, a venture capital firm that started Moderna, asking Bancel to swing by the company's Boston office and take a... View Details

Keywords: Maureen Harmon; biotech; Health, Social Assistance; Health, Social Assistance

November 2023
Case

Tata Group in 2021: Pursuing Profits through Purpose

By: Tarun Khanna, Krishna G. Palepu and Vidhya Muthuram

October 8, 2021: Tata Sons won a bid to acquire India’s national carrier Air India, marking the airline's return to its original owners after 68 long years. The winning bid of $2.4 billion gave Tata Sons full ownership of the airline and its coveted network of 6,200... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Mission and Purpose; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Emerging Markets; Mergers and Acquisitions; Ownership; Air Transportation; Air Transportation Industry; India

July 2022
Case

Bringing Ideas to Life: The Story of Paul English

By: Youngme Moon, Frances X. Frei and F. Katelynn Boland

Paul English is one of the most imaginative innovators of his generation. This case explores his process of creative idea generation. The case includes an exercise for students to generate value-creating ideas from scratch. View Details

Keywords: Innovation ＆ Entrepreneurship; Idea Generation; Founder; Startup; Imagination; Innovation and Invention; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Creativity; Value Creation

October 1993
Case

Analyst's Dilemma (A), The

By: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr. and Jerry Useem

A young investment banker returns home one night to find that her roommate and best friend has been laid off from Universal Bank because Universal is shutting down its capital finance group. Her roommate makes her promise to keep this information confidential because... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Values and Beliefs; Leveraged Buyouts; Conflict of Interests; Decision Choices and Conditions; Risk and Uncertainty

November 2023 (Revised July 2024)
Case

'Care in Every Drop': Ayala Corporation and Manila Water (A)

By: Debora L. Spar, Paul Healy, Tricia Peralta and Julia M. Comeau

Since 1834, eight generations of the Ayala family have used their conglomerate to fund nation-building projects in the Philippines, including investments in tramcars, telecommunications, hospitals, and schools. In 1997, Ayala’s subsidiary, Manila Water, took control of... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Economic Growth; Social Entrepreneurship; Climate Change; Natural Resources; Crisis Management; Failure; Privatization; Social Issues; Urban Development; Adaptation; Public Opinion; Mission and Purpose; Utilities Industry; Asia; Philippines

15 Dec 2023
News

Exploring Business Opportunities in Africa; Alumni Grapple with Plastic Waste Problem

Clubs News Clubs News Webinar illuminates broad array of business opportunities across Africa On December 5th, the HBS African-American Alumni Association (HBSAAA) hosted ‘Doing Business in Africa: From Opportunity to Action’, a webinar panel of HBS alumni who shared... View Details

Keywords: Margie Kelley

Web

John H. McArthur | About

his tenure provided a continuing base for research and teaching in entrepreneurship. Another venture McArthur nurtured was the Social Enterprise Initiative, launched in 1993 with a gift from the late John C.... View Details

30 Aug 2011
First Look

First Look: August 30

innovative activity across borders and to allow U.S. multinationals to form new affiliates abroad without the support of local joint venture partners. Thus, this paper points out that immigration can enhance the competitiveness of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

June 2008
Case

Threadless: The Business of Community

By: Karim R. Lakhani and Zahra Kanji

Threadless.com, the online, Chicago-based t-shirt company, was not your typical fashion apparel company. The company, run by Jake Nickell, Jacob DeHart, and Jeffrey Kalmikoff, turned the fashion business on its head by enabling anyone to submit designs for t-shirts and... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Business Startups; Innovation and Invention; Product Design; Partners and Partnerships; Social and Collaborative Networks; Apparel and Accessories Industry

Web

Career Support - Business & Environment

application: Rock Summer Fellows : RC students can work on their venture idea or work at an early-stage startup through a 10-12 week summer fellowship that provides substantial financial support as well as a peer network and community... View Details

January 2015 (Revised November 2016)
Case

La Martina: Leveraging Polo's Luxury Lifestyle

By: Anat Keinan, Maria Fernanda Miguel and Sandrine Crener

Founded in 1984 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, La Martina has grown from a high-end polo equipment company into a global fashion brand with operations in 56 countries. Polo, which is not only a sport but also a way of life, is at the core of the brand DNA. Polo is a... View Details

16 Aug 2011
First Look

First Look: August 16

Abstract This paper documents that ventures that are funded by two successful angel groups experience superior outcomes to rejected ventures: they have improved survival, exits, employment, patenting, web traffic, and financing. We use... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2000
Book

The Collaboration Challenge: How Nonprofits and Business Succeed through Strategic Alliances

By: J. E. Austin

Keywords: Alliances; Business Ventures; Nonprofit Organizations