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30 Nov 2011
Research & Ideas

Only Capitalists Can Save Capitalism

of the industrial system, or the way society wanted it to function," says Bower. "And lo and behold, we now have a crisis that illustrates what they were concerned about." “If you believe that the problems ahead are likely to be very... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish

Fall 2013
Article

In Strange Company: The Puzzle of Private Investment in State-Controlled Firms

By: Mariana Pargendler, Aldo Musacchio and Sergio G. Lazzarini

A large legal and economic literature describes how state-owned enterprises (SOEs) suffer from a variety of agency and political problems. Less theory and evidence, however, have been generated about the reasons why state-owned enterprises listed in stock markets... View Details

Keywords: State-owned Enterprises; Oil Companies; Corporate Governance; Business and Shareholder Relations; Energy Industry; Brazil; Mexico; Norway

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Courses | Social Enterprise | Harvard Business School

governance systems leaders can use to promote responsible conduct by companies and their employees, and shows how personal values can play a critical role in effective leadership. Social Purpose of the Firm (SPF) SPF is a short module... View Details

January 2006 (Revised November 2006)
Case

Blogs at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein (A)

In May 2005, JP Rangaswami, the chief information officer at investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein (DrKW), wonders how to extend the bank's use of blogs. Corporations are now increasingly using these tools to diffuse news, opinions, and knowledge and improve... View Details

Keywords: Blogs; Information Technology; Performance Productivity; Governance Compliance; Investment Banking; Banking Industry; Banking Industry

January 1990 (Revised September 1994)
Case

Cray Research, Inc.: Preparing for the 1990s

By: Francis Aguilar

Describes the major changes Cray Research faced from 1985 (the time of the original case) to 1990. The dramatic decision to divide the company into two separate firms sets the stage for an analysis of the major strategic and organizational challenges facing senior... View Details

Keywords: Policy; Management Systems; Change Management; Technology Adoption; Business Units; Organizational Structure; Business Strategy; Management Teams; Growth and Development Strategy; Information Technology

Find at Harvard

February 2023 (Revised March 2025)
Case

Doing Business in Accra, Ghana

By: Hakeem Belo-Osagie, Leonard Schlesinger and Namrata Arora

This case examines the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Ghana. It highlights Ghana economic transformation in the decades leading up to 2024 in the context of its history, culture, and politics. The case gives an overview of some of the main obstacles... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Business and Government Relations; Technological Innovation; Foreign Direct Investment; Economic Growth; Financial Crisis; Agribusiness; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Ghana

12 Jun 2014
Working Paper Summaries

The Triumph of the Humble Chief Risk Officer

Keywords: by Anette Mikes

Benjamin C. Esty

Benjamin Esty is the Roy and Elizabeth Simmons Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Over the years, he has taught a variety of courses ranging from advanced corporate finance and project finance to competitive strategy and leadership. He... View Details

Keywords: investment banking industry; investment banking industry; investment banking industry; investment banking industry; investment banking industry; investment banking industry; investment banking industry

October 2010 (Revised October 2011)
Case

Ken Langone: Member, GE Compensation Committee

By: Suraj Srinivasan and Lizzie Gomez

On September 2003, Richard Grasso stepped down as chairman and CEO of the New York Stock Exchange, following weeks of intense public criticism over the size of his $190 million compensation package. As chairman of the committee that oversaw Grasso's payout, Ken Langone... View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Employee Stock Ownership Plan; Executive Compensation; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Labor and Management Relations; Wages; Change Management; Energy Industry; New York (city, NY)

16 Feb 2024
Research & Ideas

As AI Upends Recruiting, Job Seekers Need a Waze App for Careers

Artificial intelligence is changing the nature of work on a scale some predict will be as transformative as the Industrial Revolution. It’s also exposing the yawning gaps in a fractured US employment system that many companies and workers... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Information Technology; Technology

Career Coach

Lauren Murphy

coaches. In that role, she also led the Career development program team and doubled career development programs offered to alumni and students. In her current work with HBS, Lauren skillfully coaches students and alumni across all View Details

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Frameworks & Key Concepts - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

HBS ISC Competitiveness & Economic Development CED Competitiveness & Economic Development Frameworks & Key Concepts Research & Applications Frameworks & Key Concepts Frameworks & Key Concepts Drivers of Competitiveness The Diamond Model Clusters Stages of Development... View Details

February 2002 (Revised July 2004)
Case

Note on Deregulation and Social Obligations: Universal Services, Access Pricing and Competitive Dynamics in U.S. Telecommunications

Can deregulation and the unleashing of competitive forces be combined with continued social obligations such as a duty to serve? This note uses the experience of U.S. telecommunications to illustrate the existence and influence of social obligations. Recognizing these... View Details

Keywords: Governance Compliance; Social Issues; Telecommunications Industry

March 2010 (Revised January 2011)
Case

Public Education in New Orleans: Pursuing Systemic Change through Entrepreneurship

By: Stacey M. Childress and James Weber

After Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in August 2005, the state had taken over 102 of the 118 public schools in New Orleans and shifted the management structure from a “single school system to a system of schools.” Entrepreneurs from the region and around the... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Governance; Natural Disasters; Education; Entrepreneurship; Education Industry; New Orleans

18 Oct 2011
Working Paper Summaries

Historical Trajectories and Corporate Competences in Wind Energy

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones & Loubna Bouamane; Energy; Utilities

02 Oct 2017
News

Our Political System Is Big Business - And That's Why It's Failing Us

November 2018 (Revised December 2018)
Case

CalSTRS Takes on Gun Violence

By: Vikram S Gandhi and Caitlin Reimers

In Spring of 2018, Chris Ailman, CIO of the $200 billion pension plan for California public school teachers (CalSTRS) was mandated by his board to “prioritize engagement with makers and retailers of firearms in California” following a series of gun-related tragedies in... View Details

Keywords: Pension Funds; Pension Plan; Asset Allocation; Screening; ESG; Gun Violence; Business and Government Relations; Values and Beliefs; Education Industry; California; United States

2022
Article

Which Corporate ESG News Does the Market React To?

By: George Serafeim and Aaron Yoon

Using a dataset that classifies firm-level ESG news as positive and negative, we examine how stock prices react to different types of ESG news. We analyze 111,020 firm-day observations for 3,126 companies and find that prices react only to issues identified as... View Details

Keywords: ESG; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; ESG Ratings; Social Capital; Environment; Sustainability; CSR; Stock Price; Stock Market Expectations; Materiality; Market Reaction; Environmental Sustainability; Governance; Social Issues; Performance; News