Publications

05 Dec 2013
What Do You Think?

Is Walmart Defying Economic Gravity?

Given the nature of some unusually thoughtful responses, there was no consensus on the question of whether Walmart has reached its full potential. Comments raised even more View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Retail

January 2010 (Revised April 2010)
Case

Greenbriar Growth Partners and Microsurgery Devices

Greenbriar Growth Partners (GGP), a venture capital (VC) firm, has been an investor in Microsurgery Devices (MSD) for four-plus years and has come into conflict with the company's founder. Should the Board's nominating committee re-nominate the VC investor, and should... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Venture Capital; Private Equity; Initial Public Offering; Governing and Advisory Boards; Conflict of Interests; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; United States

November 2008 (Revised May 2009)
Supplement

BMW's Project Switch (B): Importers vs. National Sales Companies

By: Das Narayandas, Kerry Herman and Laura Winig

BMW is faced with potential channel conflicts across several EU country markets. The case concludes the (A) case's exploration of BMW's approach to redesigning the channel in Greece. The case provides details on both headquarter and country head perspective on BMW's... View Details

Keywords: Business Units; Business Headquarters; Marketing Strategy; Distribution Channels; Conflict and Resolution; Auto Industry; European Union

02 May 2016
Blog Post

5 Facts about Clubs at HBS

many options at HBS, participating in student-run clubs can be a great way both to explore interests and meet some of your closest HBS friends. Here are five things we think you should know. 1. Clubs are a... View Details

Jennifer Zou

I am a fourth year doctoral candidate in the Business Economics program. My research interests are primarily in industrial organization and innovation, with a particular focus on the economics of artificial intelligence/machine learning and digital technology markets.... View Details

Ebehi Iyoha

Ebehi Iyoha is an Assistant Professor in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School. Her research interests lie at the intersection of industrial organization and international trade. Using a combination of structural and reduced-form methods,... View Details

July 1993 (Revised October 2004)
Case

Aston-Blair, Inc.

By: John J. Gabarro

Describes the formation, selection, and experience of a task force with multidepartmental membership. The problems faced by the task force leader at the end of the case raise issues of who does the selection; the establishment of group norms, values, and goals; the... View Details

Keywords: Employees; Leadership; Problems and Challenges; Groups and Teams; Conflict Management

16 Jul 2007
Research & Ideas

Understanding the ‘Want’ vs. ’Should’ Decision

interests (e.g., saving money or donating it to a good cause instead of spending frivolously, eating health food instead of junk food). "People focused a higher percentage... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Retail; Entertainment & Recreation

August 1977 (Revised November 1995)
Supplement

Process Engineering Proposal

By: John J. Gabarro

An "in-basket" decision-making exercise in case form, to be used with Nuclear Tube Assembly Room (A) (Condensed). The purpose is to pose students with several related problems which require immediate analysis arriving at some decisions and planning how to implement... View Details

Keywords: Conflict Management; Operations; Change Management; Engineering

October 1996 (Revised January 1998)
Case

Sony Corporation: Car Navigation Systems

By: John A. Quelch

In the summer of 1996, Masao Morita, president of Sony Personal Mobile Communication Co., contemplated how to formulate its multinational marketing strategy for the fast-changing car navigation systems market. Morita needed to resolve the conflicting views within his... View Details

Keywords: Geographic Location; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Standards; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Conflict and Resolution; Auto Industry; Electronics Industry; Japan

02 Jul 2024
Blog Post

Climate Story #19: Nicole Neeman Brady (MBA 2008): The Critical Role of Business in Tackling Water Challenges

oversight and direction-setting for water.” For those who are interested in finding solutions, Nicole recommends Stanford Professor Barton H. Thompson’s new book, “Liquid Asset: How Business and Government Can Partner to Solve the... View Details

January 2018 (Revised January 2020)
Case

People Analytics at McKinsey

By: Jeffrey T. Polzer and Olivia Hull

A private equity–backed fast food chain has hired McKinsey’s new People Analytics group to help it improve performance. As the final client workshop approaches, Associate Partner Alex DiLeonardo ponders the best way to present the team’s findings, especially those that... View Details

Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Customer Relationship Management; Forecasting and Prediction; Cost Management; Human Resources; Employees; Recruitment; Retention; Selection and Staffing; Measurement and Metrics; Performance; Performance Capacity; Performance Efficiency; Performance Evaluation; Performance Improvement; Consulting Industry; Service Industry

January 2004 (Revised April 2004)
Case

Crisis and Response: Sexual Abuse Allegations in the Boston Archdiocese (B)

By: Ashish Nanda

In 2002, the Boston archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church was confronted by public revelations of how allegations of clergy sexual abuse were handled by the archdiocese during the 1990s. This case describes how the Boston archdiocese addressed the issue over the... View Details

Keywords: Conflict of Interests; Crime and Corruption; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Religion; Crisis Management; Boston

Web

What Google, Lego, and Other Brands Know About the Promise and Peril of AI | Working Knowledge

could also be used for good,” De Freitas says. “They used the technology to make a point about gender bias in sports, not as a way to cut costs. And the timing during the Women's World Cup gave them an interested audience.” Most... View Details

2016
Working Paper

Delay as Agenda Setting

By: James J. Anton and Dennis A. Yao

We examine a dynamic decision-making process involving unrelated issues in which a decision may be endogenously delayed by the allocation of influence resources. Delay is strategically interesting when decision makers with asymmetric preferences face multiple issues... View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Resource Allocation; Conflict of Interests; Power and Influence; Strategy

Read Now

I am a doctoral student in the business economics program. I received a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College in 2019 and my main interests are in the topics of international trade and urban economics. My current research focuses on the role of big... View Details

May 1999 (Revised July 1999)
Background Note

Global Friction Among Information Infrastructures

By: George C. Lodge and Cate Reavis

Examines the conflicts in international communications that result from changing technologies and divergent country policies toward developing infrastructures. Examines a number of different national information infrastructures (NIIs). Points of friction, such as... View Details

Keywords: Conflict Management; Infrastructure; Communication Technology; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues

Find at Harvard

20 Dec 2024
News

Clubs Open HBS Doors for Local Leaders; Meet the Club Leaders: HBS PRIDE; Favorite Reads of 2024

To Boost Communities, Alumni Clubs Send Nonprofit Leaders to HBS For one week every summer, nonprofit leaders from across the globe convene on the HBS campus to sharpen their leadership skills and expand their impact through the Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit... View Details

Keywords: Margie Kelley

August 2001 (Revised June 2002)
Case

IBM Software Solutions (A)

By: Michael L. Tushman, Charles A. O'Reilly III and Robert Chapman Wood

Executives and managers of key IBM software units struggle to make IBM a top player in the post-mainframe era. When one software unit introduces a visionary product with potential to create a new leadership position for the firm, the result is an epic conflict in the... View Details

Keywords: Business Units; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Managerial Roles; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Conflict Management; Information Technology Industry