Publications

Summer 2013
Article

A Tale of Two Stories: Sustainability and the Quarterly Earnings Call

By: Robert G. Eccles and George Serafeim

One of the challenges companies claim to face in making sustainability a core part of their strategy and operations is that the market does not care about sustainability, either in general or because the time frames in which it matters are too long. The response of... View Details

Keywords: Sustainability; Communication; Integrated Corporate Reporting; Investment; Environmental Sustainability

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07 Jul 2021
Book

Good News for Disgraced Companies: You Can Regain Trust

employees as well as customers and the general public. “It’s shocking the number of companies that don’t apologize,” Gupta says. “They think it’s an admission of guilt.” Losing trust The list of companies struggling with trust issues is... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

Web

Online Finance & Accounting Courses | HBS Online

intersection of accounting, strategy, and finance, and learn how to evaluate a business’s performance, prospects, and value to make strategic investment decisions that generate financial success. 8 weeks, 5–6 hrs/week Pay by August 14... View Details

January–February 2025
Article

Want Your Company to Get Better at Experimentation?: Learn Fast by Democratizing Testing

By: Iavor Bojinov, David Holtz, Ramesh Johari, Sven Schmit and Martin Tingley

For years, online experimentation has fueled the innovations of leading tech companies, enabling them to rapidly test and refine new ideas, optimize product features, personalize user experiences, and maintain a competitive edge. The widespread availability and lower... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; AI and Machine Learning; Analytics and Data Science; Product Development; Competitive Advantage

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Resources - Christensen Center for Teaching & Learning

Teaching Quantitative Material Strategies and Tactics for Sensitive Topics Featured Video In this video Professor Jan Rivkin explores General Shoe Company, the first Harvard Business School case study, how... View Details

02 Nov 2023
News

Seeding Startups

Shirish Nadkarni (MBA 1987) was the director of product planning for Microsoft’s MSN when he decided he was ready to become an entrepreneur. He had recently led the growing internet portal’s 1997 acquisition of Hotmail, the first free, web-based email solution, and the... View Details

Keywords: April White

06 Oct 2008
Research & Ideas

Updating a Classic: Writing a Great Business Plan

doing exactly as written, he or she will be sadly disappointed. At the same time, every player has to be somewhat optimistic about the possibility of overcoming inevitable setbacks. I think of ventures as roller coasters, not rocket ships. Q: Any View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

May 2025
Case

'Net Zero in Action': Impact Investing at the McKnight Foundation

By: Lauren Cohen, Christina R. Wing and Sophia Pan

Elizabeth McGeveran, Vice President of Investments at the McKnight Foundation, reflected on how to effectively advance the organization’s net-zero strategy. The foundation had committed 10% of its endowment to building a portfolio of impact investments and was among... View Details

16 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restaurant Revolution: How the Industry Is Fighting to Stay Alive

It’s never been easy to make money in the restaurant industry. A highly fragmented sector dominated by 70 percent independent owners and operators, the average restaurant’s annual revenue hovers around $1 million and generates an... View Details

Keywords: by Michael S. Kaufman, Lena G. Goldberg, and Jill Avery; Food & Beverage

11 Oct 2016
First Look

October 11, 2016

come first. The authors have identified six common barriers to change: (1) unclear direction on strategy and values, which often leads to conflicting priorities; (2) senior executives who don't work as a team and haven't committed to a... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

16 May 2023
In Practice

After Silicon Valley Bank's Flameout, What's Next for Entrepreneurs?

process. Today, it’s SVB, tomorrow it may be something else. While they can’t prepare for every possible scenario, founders should at least know what general processes are in place. Don’t wait for the inevitable. Julia Austin is a senior... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman; Technology; Financial Services

06 Jul 2023
News

Lessons from Major League Baseball's Game-Changing Innovations

numbers, and—in most games—umpires don't miss any calls on the field. And today, that expanded instant replay system is only employed once every other game. "We designed the system based on the data and not based on the perception," Marinak says. Marinak is now the... View Details

29 Apr 2008
First Look

First Look: April 29, 2008

through each phase of this process. The (A) case begins with background on the firm and asks the students to come up with a strategy to improve the way in which Sales and Marketing work together. In the (B) case, we see their View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

October 2022 (Revised December 2022)
Case

Reimagining Enel: Enabling Sustainable Progress

By: Michael L. Tushman and Kerry Herman

CEO Francesco Starace is considering what is next for Enel SpA, one of world's largest energy companies. From 2014 to 2022, he has wrought a dramatic transformation at Enel, restructuring the company's business units; redeploying senior talent across functions and... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Leadership And Change Management; Leadership Style; Leadership Succession; Renewables; Energy; Transformation; Renewable Energy; Business Divisions; Digital Transformation; Restructuring; Organizational Structure; Energy Industry; Europe; Latin America; North America; Spain; Italy

Web

Advisory Board - Entrepreneurship

was purchased for approximately $1.1B by Ariba, where Mr. Burgstone served as Vice President and co-head of corporate development. He has also worked as a high-tech strategy consultant (semiconductor, telecom, online financial services),... View Details

January 2020 (Revised April 2020)
Case

Rumo: Infrastructure for a Healthier Economy

By: Forest L. Reinhardt, Mariana Cal, Ruth Costas and Natalie Kindred

Brazilian logistics company Rumo operated 13,500 km in railway networks, port terminals, and inland transshipment terminals, connecting major Brazilian ports to the agriculture hubs of Mato Grosso and São Paulo state. Controlled by Cosan, Brazil's leading sugar and... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Customer Relationship Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Logistics; Rail Transportation; Value Creation; Rail Industry; Transportation Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Latin America; Brazil

April 2025 (Revised May 2025)
Case

Adobe: GenAI Opportunity or Threat?

By: Sunil Gupta, Rajiv Lal and Allison Ciechanover

In December 2022, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen faced a pivotal strategic decision due to the rapid rise of generative AI image models from OpenAI, Midjourney, and StabilityAI. Adobe, a leader in digital media and marketing software with a 40-year legacy of innovation and... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Ethics; AI and Machine Learning; Trust; Business Strategy; Technology Industry; San Jose