Publications

Jan W. Rivkin is a Professor in the Strategy Unit at Harvard Business School. In the past, he has served as Faculty Chair of the MBA Program, Senior Associate Dean for Research, and head of the Strategy Unit. His research, course development, and teaching focus on... View Details

Keywords: airline; computer; internet; music; transportation

October 1990 (Revised April 1991)
Case

RU 486 (A)

By: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.

Describes the factors faced by Roussel UCLAF, a French drug company, in deciding whether and how to market a controversial new drug, RU 486, which is often called "the French abortion pill." Roussel's decision involved its relations with the French government, its... View Details

Keywords: Judgments; Ethics; Product Launch; Negotiation; Outcome or Result; Performance; Business and Government Relations; Health Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; France; Germany; United States

August 2005 (Revised February 2007)
Case

Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Young Minister Confronts the Challenges of Montgomery

By: William W. George, Rick Buhrman and Andrew N. McLean

As the Montgomery Bus Boycott starts, the young Martin Luther King Jr. faces challenges to his leadership goals, strategic vision, and personal and family safety. Makes extensive use of King's own words and writings and builds a portrait of a young, talented, and... View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Education; Values and Beliefs; Biography; Leadership; Personal Development and Career; Family and Family Relationships; Alabama

July 2024
Case

Google Stadia: Game On or Game Over?

By: Derek C. M. van Bever and Akshat Agrawal

This case explores Google leadership's decision to pursue its cloud gaming innovation, Google Stadia, following disappointing early uptake by premium videogamers, the segment of the market that Google had targeted. Google had invested substantial resources and time... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Product Development; Leadership; Segmentation; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Video Game Industry

2014
Working Paper

Don't Take 'No' for an Answer: An Experiment with Actual Organ Donor Registrations

By: Judd B. Kessler and Alvin E. Roth

Over 10,000 people in the U.S. die each year while waiting for an organ. Attempts to increase organ transplantation have focused on changing the registration question from an opt-in frame to an active choice frame. We analyze this change in California and show it... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Health Care and Treatment; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Health Industry

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2018
Book

Escaping the Build Trap: How Effective Product Management Creates Real Value

By: Melissa Perri

This book is a guide to getting out of the build trap with great product management. We look at what it means to become and be a product-led organization, which involves four key components: creating a product manager role with the right responsibilities and structure;... View Details

Keywords: Product And Process Development; Product Management; Customer Focus and Relationships; Value Creation

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July 2019
Case

Christmas Inc. (A)

By: Susanna Gallani, Gregory Sabin, Lexor Adams and Nicholas Haberling

Santa Claus is facing increasing pressures to contain costs. The economic model that has worked for centuries is starting to show some cracks, to the point that he is considering outsourcing part of its toy production. Evaluating the bids his team collected from... View Details

Keywords: Costing; Production; Cost; Analysis; Decision Making; Strategy

January 2014
Case

Steven Carpenter at Cake Financial (Abridged)

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann, Joseph B. Fuller and Shikhar Ghosh

Steven Carpenter reflects on the successes and failures of his recent venture, Cake Financial. Carpenter had just sold the four-year-old startup and was at work on a new business plan. But first, he wanted to understand why Cake Financial, a service that allowed users... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Business or Company Management; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Strategy; Internet; Financial Services Industry; Web Services Industry

September 2014
Article

Improving the Quality of Cancer Care in America Through Health Information Technology

By: Thomas W. Feeley, George W. Sledge, Laura Levit and Patricia A. Ganz

A recent report from the Institute of Medicine titled Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis, identifies improvement in information technology (IT) as essential to improving the quality of cancer care in America. The... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Information Technology Industry; Cancer Care In The U.S.; Health; Technology; Health Industry; North and Central America

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2023
Working Paper

Words Can Hurt: How Political Communication Can Change the Pace of an Epidemic

By: Jessica Gagete-Miranda, Lucas Argentieri Mariani and Paula Rettl

While elite-cue effects on public opinion are well-documented, questions remain as to when and why voters use elite cues to inform their opinions and behaviors. Using experimental and observational data from Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic, we study how leader... View Details

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July 2011 (Revised October 2011)
Case

Lady Gaga (A)

By: Anita Elberse and Michael Christensen

In September 2009, Troy Carter, manager of up-and-coming pop star Lady Gaga, has to decide on a new course of action now that his artist's planned co-headlining arena tour with hip-hop superstar Kanye West has been cancelled. Carter knows that continuing the tour, but... View Details

Keywords: Employee Relationship Management; Marketing Strategy; Product; Product Development; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Creativity; Music Industry

06 Jan 2021
Blog Post

My HBS Student Loan Story: Gorick Ng (MBA 2018)

Business school is a valuable investment in your future. HBS supports that investment through generous need-based scholarships. In addition to scholarships, many HBS students utilize student loans to help meet their portion of the shared... View Details

08 Feb 2016
Blog Post

Applying to Business School as a Couple

For Kate Kingen and Patrick Garrison applying to business school was a mutual decision – and coming to HBS was a journey they decided to embark on together. Kate and Patrick first met in New York City when they were both working as... View Details

24 May 2016
News

The EU Has Trust Issues, and It’s Taking Down Greece’s Economy

April 2006 (Revised June 2008)
Case

New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.

By: H. Kent Bowen, Robert S. Huckman and Carin-Isabel Knoop

Considers whether New Balance, one of the world's five largest manufacturers of athletic footwear, should respond to Adidas' planned acquisition of Reebok--a transaction that would join the second- and third-largest companies in the industry. Highlights the unique... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Production; Supply Chain Management; Performance Improvement; Competition; Consolidation; Apparel and Accessories Industry

07 Jun 2004
Research & Ideas

What Drives Supply Chain Behavior?

forecasts as well as decisions about inventory. In this interview with HBS Working Knowledge, Oliva and Watson say a key to understanding and avoiding supply chain inefficiency may be a better understanding of the behavioral side of the... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Johnston

16 Apr 2019
Blog Post

How Being an Introvert Influenced My Business School Experience

I was lucky to be supported by the HBS Social Enterprise Summer Fellowship, without which I likely would not have taken the leap. My decision to pursue entrepreneurship, often referred to as a lonely path,... View Details

07 Nov 2023
Blog Post

Get to Know the HBS Armed Forces Alumni Association

development and job search process of members, and raise awareness and support for the military among the members of the Harvard University community. The AFAA welcomes service members and veterans from all branches and nations. What does... View Details

2017
Working Paper

What Else Do Shareholders Want? Shareholder Proposals Contested by Firm Management

By: Eugene F. Soltes, Suraj Srinivasan and Rajesh Vijayaraghavan

Shareholder proposals provide investors an opportunity to exercise their decision rights within firms, but managers can seek permission from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to dismiss proposals. We find that managers seek to exclude 39% of all proposals... View Details

Keywords: Voting; Business and Shareholder Relations