Publications

August 2007 (Revised September 2007)
Case

Gome: Bidding for China Paradise

Gome, China's largest electronics retailer, has the opportunity to acquire China Paradise, the number three player in the Chinese electronic retailer industry. This happened in the general context of a great market development and potential consolidation of the... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Trade; Market Entry and Exit; Performance; Opportunities; Competition; Consolidation; Corporate Strategy; Electronics Industry; Retail Industry; China

27 Nov 2006
Research & Ideas

Manly Men, Oil Platforms, and Breaking Stereotypes

organizational scholars, we were interested in organizations as social and cultural contexts that shape how men make sense of themselves—the stories they tell themselves as men about what it means to be male—and in the effect this... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Energy; Utilities

May 2011 (Revised March 2013)
Supplement

Marshall & Gordon: Designing an Effective Compensation System (B)

By: Heidi K. Gardner and Kerry Herman

CEO Kelly Browne wrestles with the design and roll-out of a new compensation system to promote the collaboration necessary for supporting her firm's new strategy. Marshall Gordon International, a global public relations (PR) firm, has recently expanded its service... View Details

Keywords: Globalization; Executive Compensation; Management; Organizational Culture; Performance; Groups and Teams; Behavior; Corporate Strategy; System

June 2023
Case

Grittiness at Convene

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott

Based in New York, Convene was founded in 2009 by Ryan Simonetti and Chris Kelly. Convene was founded on the question: “What if you ran an office building like a hotel?” The company offered a premium corporate events and workspace product. Convene initially took a... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneur; Hospitality Industry; Growth; Culture; Entrepreneurship; Change Management; Growth Management; Strategy; Leadership; Service Industry; United States

23 Jan 2008
First Look

First Look: January 23, 2008

Working PapersA Resource Belief-Curse: Oil and Individualism Authors:Rafael Di Tella, Juan Dubra, and Robert MacCulloch Abstract We study the correlation between a belief concerning individualism and a measure of luck in the US during... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 May 2024
What Do You Think?

Have You Had Enough?

organization performance, then on to China trade policies (2012), the importance of immigration (beginning in 2003), women in leadership (2013), the need for an AI czar (2019), and remote work and organizational culture (2020). “I’m... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

May 2014
Case

Goldman Sachs: Anchoring Standards After the Financial Crisis

By: Rajiv Lal and Lisa Mazzanti

Goldman Sachs, a longtime venerable financial institution headquartered in New York City, had a partnership culture that was known to value its clients. But when the financial crisis hit in 2008 and Goldman Sachs emerged relatively unscathed, its public image took a... View Details

Keywords: Brand Management; Public Image; Corporate Accountability; Reputation; Standards; Financial Crisis; Brands and Branding; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry

November 2024
Case

Innovation at Master Kong Beverages

By: David E. Bell and Shu Lin

Hong-Chen Wei (HBS MBA 2014), Chairman of KSF Beverage Holding Co., Ltd. (KSFB), was steering the company toward the premium segment with the launch of “InheriTea,” a premium, sugar-free tea product. Traditionally, KSFB’s flagship brand, Master Kong, catered to the... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Trends; Behavior; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Product Launch; Product Development; Segmentation; Organizational Culture; Product Positioning; Food and Beverage Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Retail Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Asia; China

29 May 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, May 29, 2018

February 2018 Journal of Accounting & Economics Bank CEO Materialism: Risk Controls, Culture and Tail Risk By: Bushman, Robert, Robert Davidson, Aiyesha Dey, and Abbie Smith Abstract—We investigate how the prevalence of materialistic... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

24 Jan 2023
Research & Ideas

Passion at Work Is a Good Thing—But Only If Bosses Know How to Manage It

their ability to perform, particularly when they are unable to find a favorable resolution." Another wrinkle in the fabric of the passionate organization is that employees may find it challenging to speak up about issues they encounter. In a View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

30 Apr 2024
Book

When Managers Set Unrealistic Expectations, Employees Cut Ethical Corners

ethically lax cultures are another feature of the more recent cases as well as the earlier ones. Perhaps the most striking recent example is Odebrecht, the Brazilian conglomerate caught up in Operation Car Wash (Lava Jato in Portuguese),... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

31 Oct 2023
Research & Ideas

Beyond the 'Business Case' in DEI: 6 Steps Toward Meaningful Change

representation of multicultural employees at every level of management. 2. Hold up the mirror. Do the work you need to do to acknowledge the inequality that may exist in your organization. Ask tough questions of yourself and your senior leadership team. What might we... View Details

Keywords: by Katherine Hutt Scott and Barbara DeLollis

Research Summary

Mastering Strategy Execution

By: Robert Simons

Professor Robert Simons’ research encompasses three areas of management accountability that are the foundation for successful strategy execution: organization design, performance measurement and control, and risk management. In addition, Simons is interested in the... View Details

22 Aug 2016
Research & Ideas

Master the One-on-One Meeting

discussed, decisions made and, if relevant, any constructive feedback that will be measured going forward. Keep it short and sweet: Jessica, good meeting today! From what we discussed: Sounds like the roadmap change won’t slip the... View Details

Keywords: by Julia B. Austin

03 Oct 2023
Research Event

Build the Life You Want: Arthur Brooks and Oprah Winfrey Share Happiness Tips

politics is downstream from culture. And culture is downstream from psychiatry and theology and all kinds of things. But what what do you think is going on in in America right now to cause this this level of dissatisfaction or... View Details

Keywords: by HBS Staff

August 2017 (Revised August 2018)
Case

The Oakland Athletics: Strategy & Metrics for a Budget

By: Srikant M. Datar and Caitlin N. Bowler

This case considers Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane’s data driven and, in baseball circles unconventional, approach to winning games over the duration of the long Major League Baseball season. Beane’s critical approach to crafting strategy within his... View Details

Keywords: Data Analysis; Metrics; Data Science; Analytics and Data Science; Analysis; Measurement and Metrics; Competitive Strategy; Organizational Culture; Sports Industry