Publications

March 2024 (Revised May 2025)
Case

Governing OpenAI (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine, Suraj Srinivasan and Will Hurwitz

In late November 2023, OpenAI’s new board of directors took stock of the situation. The company, which sought to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI)—computer systems with capabilities exceeding human abilities—was looking to regain its footing after a chaotic... View Details

17 Nov 2003
Research & Ideas

The Business of Babies

are relocating for the sole purpose of obtaining coverage. Ambiguous legislation regarding ownership of children. "Court decisions have been all over the map," said Spar. Absence of property rights. "Do you own a child—even... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Health

06 Jan 2003
Research & Ideas

Why Expensing Options Doesn’t Solve the Problem

company to transfer assets and liabilities to certain so-called special purpose entities (SPEs). According to the Powers report, which was published by a special committee of Enron's board after the company entered bankruptcy protection... View Details

Keywords: by William Sahlman

01 Jul 2014
First Look

First Look: July 1

how they would answer the question, "Can for-profit corporations be good citizens?" In reflecting on their answers, the chapter puts forward an account that grounds the purpose and responsibilities of for-profit corporations in... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

19 Nov 2001
Research & Ideas

Alfred Chandler on the Electronic Century

clones. The Approach—the Paths Of Learning My basic purpose in this volume is to carry out the fundamental task of the historian: to record where, when, how, and by whom technical knowledge was commercialized into the new products that... View Details

Keywords: by Alfred D. Chandler, Takashi Hikino & Andrew Von Nordenflycht; Computer; Consumer Products; Electronics; Manufacturing; Technology

21 Mar 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research, March 21

loathed or erased from memory? This case prepares participants for an in-class exercise in which they discover design principles that make experiences great. The exercise uses two methodologies: LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) and Storytelling. It requires the purchase of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

23 Jun 2016
Op-Ed

Brexit: Should Britain Stay or Go?

work closer together on global challenges, from poverty and migration to climate change and energy security, from terrorism to geopolitical issues. This requires a new, bold common purpose that can take it to the next stage of its... View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey G. Jones & Dante Roscini

13 Mar 2005
Research & Ideas

Reinforcing Values: A Public Dressing Down

through his own leadership of the meeting. The purpose of these rules was to introduce new standards of interpersonal behavior and, in the process, to combat several dysfunctional routines. One serious test of Levy's ability to reinforce... View Details

Keywords: by David A. Garvin & Michael A. Roberto

June 2020
Supplement

Career Karma: Growth in a Time of Global Uncertainty (B)

By: Laura Huang and Elizabeth Jiang

This (B) case expands upon the journey of Career Karma’s three founders by presenting a fictionalized Investor Meeting scenario. View Details

10 Sep 2013
First Look

First Look: September 10

studied the corporate headquarters (CHQ)-the multidivisional firm's central organizational unit. The purpose of this article is to review the diverse and fragmented literature on the CHQ and to identify the variables of interest, the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

26 Jan 2009
Research & Ideas

Where is Home for the Global Firm?

that Nestlé's bankers fashioned a solution for Alcon that would preserve its Swiss identity for some purposes yet make it look completely American for various other reasons. It seemed to me that a firm could easily change its national... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

01 Jul 2021
Office Hours

Readers Ask: Which Companies Are Transforming Work?

make sure they’re fully apprised of the purpose of the work. Make it meaningful to them." How has your research changed pre-pandemic to now? "The pandemic caused us to shift the focus of our research in the Managing the Future of Work... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Retail; Manufacturing

01 Dec 2003
What Do You Think?

Is This the Twilight Era for the Managed Mutual Fund?

Summing Up What Will it Take to Save the Managed Mutual Fund? In this month's column, I purposely took what I assumed was an extreme position in asking if this was the twilight era for the managed mutual fund. The responses the column... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

July 2019 (Revised November 2022)
Case

Backstage at Boston Ballet

By: David G. Fubini, Ryan Raffaelli, Begum Agca Okutgen and Julia Kelley

This case asks students to consider how to prioritize goals when placed in a new leadership role. In August 2014, Meredith “Max” Hodges became the youngest Executive Director (ED) in the Boston Ballet’s 51-year history. In her first year, she was able to claim several... View Details

February 1998
Case

Creating the International Trade Organization

By: David A. Moss, George R. Appling and Andrew D Archer

In the late 1940s, officials at the U.S. State Department began campaigning for the creation of an International Trade Organization (ITO). This new organization would oversee global negotiations on trade liberalization, foreign direct investment, cartels, and commodity... View Details

Keywords: Mission and Purpose; Trade; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Policy; Globalized Economies and Regions; Agreements and Arrangements; Foreign Direct Investment; Economic Systems; International Relations