big business - Publications - Faculty & Research

30 Aug 2004
Research & Ideas

Real Estate: The Most Imperfect Asset

As a driver of both the overall economy and of individual wealth, real estate is pretty hard to beat. As Harvard Business School professor Arthur Segel says, real estate is the largest asset class in the world—the value of housing in the... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Johnston; Construction; Real Estate

Program

Aligning Strategy and Sales

Summary A company's sales organization is a core vehicle for implementing business strategy—yet there's often a big gap between the company's strategic objectives and the way its sales organization actually... View Details

10 Sep 2001
Research & Ideas

Do You Have Change Fatigue?

its operating companies. Two weeks after the kickoff event—three fabulous days of inspirational talks by inventors, creators, and consultants—each attendee received a big box with the words "Tool Kit" on the front. It was filled... View Details

Keywords: by Nick Morgan

05 Sep 2023
Book

Failing Well: How Your ‘Intelligent Failure’ Unlocks Your Full Potential

Business School Professor Amy Edmondson argues in her new book Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well. Alimta is an example of an “intelligent failure,” Edmondson says, because the scientists developing it had no way to advance... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

11 Feb 2015
HBS Seminar

EVENT POSTPONED - Ohad Barzilay, Tel Aviv University

April 2025
Supplement

Lisa Su and AMD (B)

By: Joshua D. Margolis, Matthew Preble and Dave Habeeb

This multimedia case study focuses on CEO Lisa Su’s turnaround and subsequent transformation of the technology company Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD). When Su accepted the top position in 2014, AMD was on the verge of collapse. Su focused on the company’s culture,... View Details

Keywords: Turnaround; Leading Change; Transformation; AI and Machine Learning; Innovation Leadership; Innovation Strategy; Organizational Culture; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Business Strategy; Semiconductor Industry; Computer Industry; United States; California; Texas

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November 1999 (Revised June 2006)
Case

DLJdirect: "Putting Our Reputation Online"

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Gillian Morris

Online broker DLJdirect faced two decisions during the fall of 1999: what customer segments should it target and how much should it spend on marketing? Unlike its competitors, who focused either on day traders or more mainstream investors, DLJdirect differentiated its... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Marketing Communications; Competitive Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Investment; Cost Management; Business Plan; Research and Development; Customers; Budgets and Budgeting; Online Advertising; Internet; Financial Services Industry

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Most leadership books are written for people who are already labeled as “leaders”—corporate execs, high-ranking managers, entrepreneurs. They may not speak to the underrepresented young person or uncommon experienced person with a dream to create change in the... View Details

12 Jul 2004
Research & Ideas

Enron’s Lessons for Managers

Some events mark a generation. If a marker is a source of deep learning about ourselves, as Malcolm Salter believes it is, then the Enron crisis is exactly that for business people. Political scientists have the Bay of Pigs; engineers... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

September–October 2020
Article

When It's Time to Pivot, What's Your Story?: How to Sell Stakeholders on a New Strategy

By: Rory McDonald and Robert Bremner

To succeed, a new company must rally investors, staff, customers, and the media around a good story. But often that narrative turns out to be wrong, and entrepreneurs realize they need to change direction. How that shift is communicated can have a huge impact on a... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business Model; Strategy; Change Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Communication Strategy; Business and Stakeholder Relations

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06 May 2024
Research & Ideas

The Critical Minutes After a Virtual Meeting That Can Build Up or Tear Down Teams

screen or the conference call as a theater, says Harvard Business School Professor Leslie Perlow, building on the foundational work of sociologist Erving Goffman. “You’re on the frontstage, and that’s for all the world to see,” she says.... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

November 2019 (Revised January 2025)
Case

Russia: A Drama In Three Acts

By: Rawi Abdelal, Rafael Di Tella, Galit Goldstein, Sogomon Tarontsi and Lavinia Teodorescu

The collapse of central authority in the Soviet Union in 1991 ushered in a period of revolutionary transformations for the states that emerged in its wake. The leaders of Russia, the USSR's successor, struggled to reestablish central authority while also seeking to... View Details

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February 2009 (Revised February 2011)
Case

"Lather, Rinse, Repeat": FeedBurner's Serial Founding Team

By: Noam T. Wasserman and Eric Olson

"Is this the right time or is it still too early?" Dick Costolo wondered as he reflected on the latest acquisition offer. He had been building FeedBurner with his three co-founders for almost four years and was staring at the details of an acquisition offer from... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Exit or Shutdown; Decision Choices and Conditions; Entrepreneurship; Negotiation Offer; Groups and Teams

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24 Oct 2023
HBS Case

From P.T. Barnum to Mary Kay: Lessons From 5 Leaders Who Changed the World

believed you could praise people to success.” Bill Wilson: Eliminate ego Bill Wilson isn’t a household name in business circles—and that’s intentional. The founder of Alcoholics Anonymous was adamant that successful organizations need a... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

17 Oct 2023
HBS Case

With Subscription Fatigue Setting In, Companies Need to Think Hard About Fees

about the benefits of switching to a subscription model. “There can be this hesitancy to move all out,” says Ofek. “But as the benefits of the subscription model become evident, [more] firms find it worthwhile to do it.” You Might Also Like: Could a View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald; Consumer Products; Information; Information Technology

04 May 2010
First Look

First Look: May 4

Reexamination of Tunneling and Business Groups: New Data and New Methods Authors:Jordan I. Siegel and Prithwiraj Choudhury Abstract The last decade of corporate governance research has been focused in large part on identifying what leads... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

14 Feb 2011
Research & Ideas

Clay Christensen’s Milkshake Marketing

price, or dividing the customer base into target demographics, such as age, gender, education, or income level. Unfortunately, neither way works very well, according to Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, who notes that... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Retail; Service; Consumer Products; Food & Beverage

Web

Initiatives & Projects - Faculty & Research

IFVI’s research agenda is currently chaired by Serafeim. Institute for Business in Global Society The Institute for Business in Global Society (BiGS) exists to help and harness View Details

16 Mar 2009
Research & Ideas

When the Internet Runs Out of IP Addresses

roadblocks are delaying its widespread implementation, probably for many years. So what happens when the last IPv4 address is assigned? Harvard Business School professor Benjamin G. Edelman proposes a solution: Create a market for holders... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Telecommunications

February 2024
Case

Continuity & Change at Boston Consulting Group

By: David G. Fubini, Suraj Srinivasan and David Lane

As the new CEO of Boston Consulting Group (BCG) since autumn 2021, Christoph Schweizer had big shoes to fill—his predecessor, Rich Lesser, had tripled the partnership’s total revenues and created digital initiatives that contributed 40+% of 2021 revenues, more than... View Details