Publications

February 2002
Background Note

Mediating in the Wake of Disaster: The MIT Settlement

By: Michael A. Wheeler and Gillian Morris

In 1997, MIT freshman Scott Kruger died from alcohol poisoning after a ritual fraternity ceremony. His death sparked national controversy over the responsibility of universities for their students. For his parents, though, the pain was personal and almost solely... View Details

Keywords: Higher Education; Negotiation Deal; Moral Sensibility; Leadership; Situation or Environment; Framework; Legal Services Industry; Education Industry

January 1996
Case

Managing Xerox's Multinational Development Center (Abridged)

Describes a manager's role in developing a staff group responsible for enhancing the efficiency of Xerox's worldwide logistics and inventory management systems. Illustrates a range of management strategies for upward and lateral influence in a complex organizational... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Personal Development and Career; Consumer Products Industry; Technology Industry

July 1993 (Revised April 1999)
Case

ABB's Relays Business: Building and Managing a Global Matrix

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Describes the development and management of the relays business area (BA) in ABB's global matrix organization. Focuses on three levels of management--corporate, BA, and operating company. Highlights the roles and responsibilities of individuals at each level as ABB... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Business or Company Management; Business Strategy; Organizational Structure; Managerial Roles; Management Practices and Processes; Employees; Organizational Culture; Success; Manufacturing Industry

23 May 2013
News

I’m Out of the Office. No, Really. I Am.

24 Apr 2015
Video

RapidSOS Grand Prize winner of 2015 New Venture Competition business track

Program

Private Equity and Venture Capital

responsible for a firm's investment portfolio Entrepreneurs in the process of receiving and/or structuring capital funds May also be appropriate for: Professionals who provide banking, accounting, legal, or other advisory services to the... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Finance

13 Jan 2021
Blog Post

Welcome to the BEI Blog!

Is business the answer to the climate crisis? Here at the Business & Environment Initiative, we believe that it is the responsibility of business to lead on confronting climate change. In many ways, business has been the engine... View Details

January 2004 (Revised April 2004)
Case

Crisis and Response: Sexual Abuse Allegations in the Boston Archdiocese (A)

By: Ashish Nanda

This case describes how the Boston archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church handled allegations of clergy sexual abuse during the 1990s. In 2002, the archdiocese was confronted by public revelations of how the allegations were handled. Professional organizations first... View Details

Keywords: Conflict of Interests; Crime and Corruption; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Religion; Crisis Management; Boston

14 Jun 2023
Research & Ideas

Four Steps to Building the Psychological Safety That High-Performing Teams Need

you’re saying, ‘I value your voice,’” Edmondson says. Finally, good leaders don’t get angry if the response isn’t what they want to hear. “Don’t shoot the messenger. Don’t get angry when you hear a dissenting view or bad news. In a... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin

Research Summary

Effective Learning from Failure

Professor Myers examines the traits and characteristics that make people effective at learning from experience—characteristics that are particularly important when they attempt to draw lessons from failure. Results of experiments indicate that individuals learn more... View Details

Keywords: Learning From Failure; Learning

November 2006
Case

Selling Biovail Short

By: Malcolm P. Baker, Chris Lombardi and Aldo Sesia

Hedge fund SAC Capital and analysts from Gradient Analytics and Banc of America face charges of stock price manipulation from Biovail, a Canadian pharmaceutical company. Gradient and BofA produced negative reports on Biovail's earnings quality. At the same time, SAC... View Details

Keywords: Stock Shares; Investment Banking; Asset Pricing; Financial Strategy; Crime and Corruption; Pharmaceutical Industry; Financial Services Industry; Canada

January 2005 (Revised November 2014)
Case

Arch Wireless, Inc.

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Perry L. Fagan

The largest wireless paging company in the United States has to restructure its debt in response to the collapse of its market. The restructuring faces formidable challenges. Valuing the company is extremely difficult because Arch's public competitors are also severely... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Borrowing and Debt; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Organizational Structure; Valuation

February 2000 (Revised August 2005)
Case

Deep Sight Technology, Inc.

By: Henry B. Reiling and Catherine M. Conneely

The founders of a deep sea technology company must refine their tentative capital structure and founders agreement in response to tax factors. Some parties are conveying partnership assets, others are conveying rights to an invention, another will be primarily... View Details

Keywords: Contracts; Agreements and Arrangements; Capital Structure; Alliances; Taxation; Entrepreneurship; Technology Industry

March 1982 (Revised April 1982)
Case

Hertz Corp.: Guaranteed Pricing

The Hertz Corp., a $1.3 billion subsidiary of RCA, has instituted a "no mileage charge, ever" price program in response to competitive pressures. Pro forma revenue and profit projections, however, show the firm to be even further away from its corporate plan than... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Corporate Strategy; Product Marketing; Transportation Industry; Service Industry