Publications

December 2001 (Revised June 2002)
Case

Compensation at Level 3 Communications

Level 3's unique compensation plan rewarded managers for the firm's performance only if the firm's stock price movement exceeded that of the market. This design was intended to maximize shareholder value by tying manager's performance more closely to that of the firm,... View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Compensation and Benefits; Telecommunications Industry

February 2003 (Revised January 2004)
Case

International Steel Group

By: Paul W. Marshall and Todd H Thedinga

Profiles veteran investor Wilbur L. Ross, Jr.'s plan to turn around the aging steel assets of LTV, formerly America's second largest integrated steel producer. Purchasing several key assets from LTV under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code, Ross is able to acquire the... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Strategic Planning; Lawfulness; Labor Unions; Organizational Culture; Agreements and Arrangements; Global Strategy; Assets; Steel Industry; United States

11 Apr 2011
Lessons from the Classroom

Teaching a ‘Lean Startup’ Strategy

several months in stealth mode while perfecting a full-featured product and planning an expensive launch party at a Las Vegas trade show. Rather, the lean startup launches as quickly as possible with what Ries calls a "minimum viable... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Technology; Computer

November 2019
Case

Hapag-Lloyd AG:Complying with IMO 2020

By: Benjamin C. Esty, Mette Fuglsang Hjortshoej and Emer Moloney

A new environmental regulation known as IMO 2020 was creating what one industry analyst called “the biggest shakeup for the oil and shipping industries in decades.” According to the new regulation, all ocean-going ships would have to limit their sulfur emissions by... View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Ship Transportation; Strategic Planning; Game Theory; Pollutants; Supply Chain; Corporate Accountability; Capital Budgeting; Environmental Sustainability; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Governance Compliance; Shipping Industry; Transportation Industry; Germany

January 2020
Case

Khan Academy 2018 (Abridged)

By: William A. Sahlman and Nicole Tempest Keller

Founded in 2008, Khan Academy was a global educational nonprofit with a mission to provide a free, world-class education for anyone anywhere in the world. By 2018, the organization had expanded into numerous content areas, product areas, and geographic markets.... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneur; Sustainability; Scaling; Social Entrepreneurship; Nonprofit Organizations; Education; Entrepreneurship; Strategy; Teaching; Education Industry

December 2024
Case

AC Milan

By: Anita Elberse

In April 2024, Giorgio Furlani is nearing the end of his first full season as chief executive officer of Italian soccer club AC Milan. A Harvard Business School Class of 2007 graduate with a finance background, Furlani was appointed by RedBird Capital Partners’ founder... View Details

Keywords: Sports; Soccer; Football; Entertainment; Media; Talent Management; Superstars; Marketing; Strategy; General Management; Mergers and Acquisitions; Leadership; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Business or Company Management; Sports Industry; Milan

November 2019
Supplement

Hapag-Lloyd AG: Complying with IMO 2020

By: Benjamin C. Esty, Mette Fuglsang Hjortshoej and Emer Moloney

A new environmental regulation known as IMO 2020 was creating what one industry analyst called “the biggest shakeup for the oil and shipping industries in decades.” According to the new regulation, all ocean-going ships would have to limit their sulfur emissions by... View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Ship Transportation; Strategic Planning; Game Theory; Pollutants; Supply Chain; Corporate Accountability; Capital Budgeting; Environmental Sustainability; Shipping Industry; Transportation Industry; Germany

08 Mar 2019
Research & Ideas

Seven Negotiation Lessons from Amazon's HQ Disaster in Queens

As Amazon’s stunning pullout from New York fades into the news archives, its potent lessons for business negotiators risk being lost. Highly promising deals in diffuse multiparty settings with many potential spoilers, like Amazon’s View Details

Keywords: by James K. Sebenius; Real Estate; Construction

October 2016 (Revised February 2020)
Case

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson

By: Anita Elberse

In June 2016, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is planning for the upcoming launch of an endeavor that is a first for a Hollywood actor with superstar status—a digital channel. The channel (named “Seven Bucks Digital Studios”) will be a new part of film and television... View Details

09 Nov 2022
In Practice

COP27: What Can Business Leaders Do to Fight Climate Change Now?

The US government’s newly passed Inflation Reduction Act will direct $370 billion toward advancing renewal energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions—the country's largest investment in fighting climate change so far. As business and government leaders around the... View Details

Keywords: by Lynn Schenk and Danielle Kost

01 May 2018
News

'Rebels’ Approach Work in a Completely Different Way Than Their Peers. Here Are 3 Things They Do Better

07 Jul 2003
What Do You Think?

Can We Have Too Much Productivity Improvement?

As if to suggest that this phenomenon was not limited to the U.S., I read of Ryanair's plan to share the fruits of increased productivity with the passengers on its flights throughout Europe by reducing fares annually over the next... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

September 2015 (Revised February 2017)
Case

MOD Pizza: A Winning Recipe?

By: Boris Groysberg, John D. Vaughan and Matthew Preble

Scott and Ally Svenson, the founders of MOD Pizza, had to make a number of decisions in planning how to scale their small company. They wanted to grow MOD from 45 stores as of May 2015 to 200 stores by the end of 2016, and while the two believed that MOD could manage... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Employees; Employee Relationship Management; Selection and Staffing; Leadership; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing; Service Delivery; Organizational Culture; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mission and Purpose; Service Industry; United States

07 Jan 2022
News

Ask Help Desk: Creating Community and Safety at Work While Omicron Surges

January 2019 (Revised October 2019)
Case

Commercial Sales Transformation at Microsoft

By: Doug J. Chung

Industry leaders should adapt to changes in the business context and consider different ways to grow. Advances in technology had shifted software demand to the cloud. As a result, Microsoft announced a strategic shift in direction from its existing ‘Windows first’... View Details

Keywords: Sales; Strategy; Transformation

Research Summary

Fast Retailing

I am conducting research on Fast Retailing, which is a holding company in Japan best know for its UNIQLO and THEORY brands. The company is going global in a big way and wants to be the No. 1 apparel company in the world, surpassing H&M, Zara, and GAP... View Details

Profile

Danny Cho

Why was earning your MBA at HBS important to you? Three years ago, I made the difficult decision to leave the US Army and enter the private sector. An MBA was a natural next step because I needed the business skills and credibility, but HBS was the View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit / Government

2013
Book

Democracy and Its Elected Enemies: American Political Capture and Economic Decline

By: Steven Rosefielde and Daniel Quinn Mills

Democracy and Its Elected Enemies reveals that American politicians have usurped their constitutional authority, substituting their economic and political sovereignty for the people's. This has been accomplished by creating an enormous public service sector... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Government and Politics; Macroeconomics; Public Administration Industry; United States

Find at Harvard