Publications

January 1999 (Revised March 2003)
Case

Rich-Con Steel

One month after "going live" with a new information system, Rich-Con Steel is in crisis. The new system was intended to give the company basic visibility and control over its business processes, but instead, visibility and control appear to have evaporated. Marty... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Crisis Management; Business Processes; Steel Industry

01 Sep 2018
News

After the Fall

Ten years ago, the global financial system teetered dangerously on the edge of total collapse. What began as a subprime mortgage crisis in the United States developed into a full-blown meltdown, causing the collapse of major banks... View Details

Keywords: Jennifer Myers; illustration by Dan Bejar; Monetary Authorities-Central Bank; Finance; Securities, Commodities, and Other Financial Investments; Finance; Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support; Government

September 1996 (Revised January 1997)
Case

Technology Crises and the Future of Agribusiness: BSE in Europe

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Juan Enriquez-Cabot

Keywords: Technology; Agribusiness; Crisis Management; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Europe

May–June 2021
Article

Case Study: What Role Should a Company Play in a National Crisis?

By: Christopher J. Malloy

The article presents a fictionalized case study asking what type of role should a company play in a national crisis, specifically a tsunami hitting Indonesia, similar to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Topics include how disasters can impact family-owned companies, the... View Details

Keywords: Emergency Preparedness; Disaster Relief; Natural Disasters; Crisis Management

October 1989
Case

Federal Express: The Money Back Guarantee (A)

Discusses a large overnight express company, which guarantees its service, and which has created a major headache for one of its customers. The problem exposes deficiencies in its service and in the guarantee it has advertised heavily. A formal complaint is made to the... View Details

Keywords: Service Delivery; Crisis Management; Service Industry; Shipping Industry

August 1992
Case

Procter & Gamble: What's the Story?

By: Ellen D. Herman and Stephen A. Greyser

Keywords: Crisis Management; Ethics; Communication; Strategy

June 2009 (Revised May 2010)
Background Note

A Note on Cost Reduction in Financially Troubled Organizations

By: Paul W. Marshall

This note discusses methods for reducing costs, particularly labor costs, in a financially distressed organization. View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Entrepreneurship; Cost Management; Financial Condition; Labor; Crisis Management

01 Jun 2009
News

Too Big To Fail

recruited Moss, an expert in risk management, to provide historical context to the financial crisis and a framework for reform. For his efforts, the panel acknowledged his key role “in conceptualizing and drafting” significant parts of... View Details

Keywords: Roger Thompson; federal bailouts; Credit Intermediation and Related Activities; Finance

November 1980 (Revised February 1982)
Case

Explosion in the Dover Plant

By: Robert H. Hayes

Keywords: Crisis Management; Operations; Management; Chemical Industry

16 Nov 2020
Research & Ideas

Transitions of Power Are Difficult. What Joe Biden and Other Incoming Leaders Need to Know.

the author Sean Silverthorne is editor-in-chief of Harvard Business School Working Knowledge. [Image: iStock Photo] Related Reading Good Leadership Is an Act of Kindness How a New Leader Broke Through a Culture of Accuse, Blame, and Criticize Why View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

01 Sep 2009
News

Over the Top

Street’s outsize pay packages “shameful,” especially for companies in need of federal bailouts. Such pay, he said, is “exactly the kind of disregard for the costs and consequences of their actions that brought about this crisis — a... View Details

Keywords: Roger Thompson; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Finance; Government

October 1990 (Revised July 1996)
Case

Northwest Airlines Confronts Change

Describes the leadership role of Northwest Airlines' chairman and his key organizational development "lieutenant" during five years of major change and pressure--1985-89. During this time the airline was confronted with major customer service problems, the merger with... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Change Management; Crisis Management; Air Transportation Industry; United States

October 26, 2022
Article

Climate Risk Is Growing. Is Your Company Prepared?

By: John D. Macomber

Most people don’t have a strategy for how to handle the worsening perils of flooding, wildfires and extreme heat. They should adopt a four-step process for protecting their property, whether it be a home or a business. First, they should prioritize how important... View Details

Keywords: Climate Risk; Climate Change; Risk Management; Crisis Management; Insurance

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April 2020
Case

Cockpit Dynamics in Air France 447 and United 232

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Joshua Raymond

This case compares leadership and team dynamics between the cockpit crews in two renowned passenger airline crashes, twenty years apart: Air France 447 in 2009 and United 232 in 1989. The key dimensions of difference across the cases include organization and task... View Details

Keywords: Teams; Team Launch; Crisis Management; Groups and Teams; Leadership; Communication; Air Transportation Industry