Small Companies - Publications - Faculty & Research

08 Dec 2003
Research & Ideas

Why Europe Lags in Pharmaceuticals and Biotech

new product. While the Americans concentrated on ways to get the product out the door, his British colleagues "always wanted to do the extra study." Ironically, there are more biotech companies in Europe than the U.S., but they... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Biotechnology; Health; Pharmaceutical; Technology

09 Dec 2015
Research Event

When Hosts Attack: The Competitive Threat of Online Platforms

application developers turn to the App Store for digital distribution. The platform providers are their selling partners, scraping off a little bit for themselves on each sale. It’s a great arrangement for small businesses—until their... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Retail; Technology; Web Services

03 Mar 2011
Research & Ideas

HBS Faculty on Revolution in the Middle East and North Africa

Furthermore, now that the Obama Administration has offered "any type of assistance" to the rebels, there is even less incentive for them to damage the oilfields. Although production is down because the companies operating in the... View Details

Keywords: Re: Deepak Malhotra; Energy; Utilities

20 Jan 2017
Research & Ideas

Here’s How Businessman Trump Is Likely to Approach the Presidency

likes to do operations like housekeeping and food and beverage. And there’s a third entity that has the brand. Companies like the Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton, we say they “flag” a hotel. They don’t manage it; they “flag” it. Trump has a... View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese

19 Jul 2006
Research & Ideas

Political Turmoil and Mexico’s Economy

Mexico's overall prosperity, this is pretty small potatoes." And foreign investment is no substitute for domestic investment in institutions such as education, the judicial system, and health and social welfare programs. A system of... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

06 May 2002
Research & Ideas

Profits for Nonprofits: Earning Your Own Way

session was devoted to the topic "Profits for Nonprofits: Challenges of Earning Your Own Way." (Starbuck's CEO Orin Smith addressed a related theme—can for-profit companies integrate non-profit values—in his keynote speech... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

04 Jun 2001
Research & Ideas

Why dot.coms Will Rise Again

scheme.—F. Warren McFarlan He offered the case of the Hong Kong-based global trading company Li & Fung as one example of a company that has virtually dissolved its boundaries and embraced technology as a... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

26 Mar 2008
Sharpening Your Skills

Sharpening Your Skills: Disaster!

from the tragedy? For one, small decisions have big consequences. Key concepts include: Words and actions by leadership shape perceptions and beliefs of organization members. Leaders need to hold a delicate balance in nurturing... View Details

05 Sep 2007
First Look

First Look: September 5, 2007

because a relative's company needed a small amount of the ingredient to make a local product. Once the real motivation surfaced, a compromise quickly followed. Understanding the other side's motives and... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

15 Feb 2012
Op-Ed

Occupy Wall Street Protestors Have a Point

would triple the middle class from 400 million to 1.2 billion people, these business leaders were concerned about the growing inequality of income within many nations, across nations, and across regions. Half the world's poor would be in sub-Saharan Africa living on... View Details

Keywords: by Joseph L. Bower, Herman B. Leonard & Lynn S. Paine

02 Apr 2015
Research & Ideas

Digital Initiative Summit: The Business of Crowdsourcing

platform might be too good to be true. The company was crowdsourcing creative work, inviting people to both pitch ideas and create marketing videos — and promising to pay anywhere from a few hundred for the best concepts to several... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

02 Apr 2013
First Look

First Look: April 2

413-031 Talking Strategy at Greighton Partners Since its inception, London-based private equity firm Greighton Partners had managed over $15 billion in investor capital. The firm employed about 150 professionals around the globe and had completed over 175 View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

03 May 2004
Research & Ideas

Business History around the World

Heineken in the Netherlands, or Cargill or Mars in the United States are the tip of a huge iceberg of successful and long-lived family firms worldwide. Even today around a third of Fortune 500 companies are family controlled. Business and... View Details

Keywords: by Cynthia Churchwell

26 Jan 2010
First Look

First Look: Jan. 26

Working PapersCompeting Ad Auctions: Multi-homing and Participation Costs Authors:Itai Ashlagi, Benjamin Edelman, and Hoan Soo Lee Abstract We model competing auctions for online advertising, with attention to the participation costs that limit advertisers' interest... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

21 Dec 2009
Research & Ideas

Good Banks, Bad Banks, and Government’s Role as Fixer

companies that are owned by private equity. They are composed of the CEO and six directors, all of whom have relevant industry expertise. The directors make the time commitment, spending several days each month at the company. And they... View Details

Keywords: by Roger Thompson; Banking; Financial Services

24 Feb 2003
Research & Ideas

In Troubled Africa, Botswana Flowers

(diamonds) and have managed this resource extremely well. Working with De Beers, the government has consistently and strategically limited its sales of diamonds, striving to keep prices steady over the long run rather than maximizing short-term rewards. Q: What are the... View Details

Keywords: by Cynthia Churchwell

13 Oct 2015
First Look

October 13, 2015

contribution is tax-deductible in the contribution year, but both principal and investment earnings are taxed upon withdrawal. Using administrative data from 11 companies that added a Roth contribution option to their existing 401(k) plan... View Details

13 Nov 2006
Research & Ideas

Science Business: What Happened to Biotech?

doesn't get you anywhere in terms of integration or long-term capability building. I would really like to see some companies start to experiment with a different approach to alliances: one that focuses on fewer, but deeper relationships.... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Biotechnology

30 Dec 2013
Research & Ideas

Most Popular Articles of 2013

Best Employees Many companies hand out awards such as "employee of the month," but do they work to motivate performance? Not really, says Ian Larkin. In fact, they may turn off your best employees altogether. Power Posing: Fake... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

25 Feb 2008
Sharpening Your Skills

Sharpening Your Skills: Starting a Business

legitimacy, status, and reputation. Key concepts include: Small companies can grow by developing intangible social resources such as legitimacy, status, and reputation. In some cases the location of a new... View Details

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