Publications

April 1996 (Revised May 2008)
Exercise

Adam Baxter Company/Local 190: 1978 Negotiation, Local 190 Confidential Information

By: Kathleen L. McGinn and Victoria Medvec

Includes a series of three negotiation exercises portraying management/labor relations at ABC over a period of seven years. ABC, initially a family-owned business, had prided itself on its cooperative relationship with its union, Local 190. With the skyrocketing... View Details

Keywords: Inflation and Deflation; Compensation and Benefits; Labor Unions; Wages; Working Conditions; Negotiation Process; Labor and Management Relations

30 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Computer Security is For Managers, Too

Companies need to have smart technicians who stay abreast of emerging digital threats and defenses, of course, but the technicians shouldn't be calling the shots. General managers need to take the lead in building processes that will... View Details

Keywords: by Robert D. Austin & Christopher A.R. Darby

11 Feb 2021
Blog Post

2+2 Where Are They Now Spotlight: Ali Evans (MBA 2019)

student business manager within HSA, I gained valuable business and leadership experience managing teams of up to 25 employees and helped launch a startup that was venture funded and is still growing today.... View Details

April 2025
Case

Radical Transformation at Bayer: Dynamic Shared Ownership

By: Boris Groysberg and Gamze Yucaoglu

In 2023, Bill Anderson became CEO of Bayer AG, a 160-year-old life sciences giant looking to strengthen its pharma pipeline, manage debt, and cut through bureaucracy. His bold response: Dynamic Shared Ownership (DSO), a radical model replacing traditional hierarchies... View Details

Keywords: Human Resources; Business Strategy; Alignment; Innovation and Management; Organizational Structure; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry

Web

Finance - Faculty & Research

Private Equity ; Financial Liquidity ; Financial Instruments ; Debt Securities ; Credit Derivatives and Swaps ; Bonds ; Stocks ; Financial Strategy ; Interest Rates ; Governance ; Governing and Advisory Boards ; Crisis Management ; View Details

02 Sep 2015
What Do You Think?

What's Wrong With Amazon’s Low-Retention HR Strategy?

Comparison of Costco to Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Club,” Academy of Management Perspectives, August 2006. David Glass, in a comment confirmed by email on April 10, 2002. James L. Heskett, Earl W. Sasser, Jr., and Leonard A. Schlesinger, What... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Web Services; Retail; Apparel & Accessories; Consumer Products; Fashion

08 Apr 2013
Research & Ideas

How to Demotivate Your Best Employees

productivity. More than 80 percent of companies dole out work-related awards like "employee of the month" or "top salesperson." Managers often view these awards as inexpensive ways to improve worker performance; many believe that when... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Service

May 2017
Supplement

Boston Children's Hospital Process Map Video

By: Robert S. Kaplan and Mary Witkowski

The 13 minute video simulates a discussion among orthopedic surgeons and cast room technicians about the processes and resources used when applying long leg casts for patients. The video should be used when teaching Boston Children’s Hospital (Abridged) case, #914-407,... View Details

Keywords: Activity Based Costing; Healthcare Costing; Process Maps; Activity Based Costing and Management; Health Care and Treatment

January 1992 (Revised August 1992)
Case

Lexon Corp. (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine

A general manager at Lexon Computer Corp. must decide whether interception and surveillance of employees' e-mail is acceptable company practice, and whether to follow the advice of his computer operations manager who wants to fire the person who complained that the... View Details

Keywords: Information; Rights; Managerial Roles; Interpersonal Communication; Employee Relationship Management; Ethics; Computer Industry

03 May 2024
Research & Ideas

How Much Does Proximity Influence Startup Innovation? 20 Meters' Worth to Be Exact

some sort of mechanism that brings us together,” says Roche. “Our study shows that geography can be super powerful because you don’t necessarily pick who you’re going to run into, as it’s more provided by the physical environment.” Roche cowrote the paper, recently... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

Web

Creating Shared Value - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

connecting shared value practitioners worldwide. CSV in Practice About Mark Kramer Mark is co-founder and Managing Director of FSG and the author of influential publications on shared value, catalytic philanthropy, collective impact,... View Details

March 2025
Case

Taylor Guitars: Making Employee Ownership Work the Taylor Way

By: Dennis Campbell, Petros Kusmu and Stacy Straaberg

In 2013, guitar manufacturer Taylor Guitars’ co-founders Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug were considering several exit options including selling to a competitor or to a private equity firm. The co-founders decided, instead, to embark on a seven-year process to transfer 100%... View Details

August 2016
Case

CEO Succession at Cisco (A): From John Chambers to Chuck Robbins

By: Boris Groysberg, J. Yo-Jud Cheng and Annelena Lobb

A smooth transition from former CEO John Chambers to new CEO Chuck Robbins had put Cisco in a position of strength. Looking back, the board reflected on what they had done well and what they might have done differently, and pondered whether another company might be... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Management Succession; Technology Industry

Web

Blavatnik Fellowship in Life Science Entrepreneurship - Health Care

Years of Thinking Big Blavatnik Fellowship: 5 Years of Thinking Big 07 FEB 2020 Harvard Business School Resources & Opportunities Community A network of over 90 business and life science leaders and 49 alumni Blavatnik Fellows can provide... View Details

November 2001
Supplement

Staples

By: Myra M. Hart

Provides information on the development of the office superstore concept, including building partnerships, creating the business plan, and recruiting a management team. View Details

Keywords: Business Plan; Recruitment; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Teams; Operations; Planning; Partners and Partnerships; Complexity; Retail Industry

05 Dec 2022
Research & Ideas

5 Companies Where Employees Move Up the Ladder Fast

scorecard’s authors. “All employers are not created equal in terms of the type of springboard they provide for advancement,” says Fuller, who co-leads the Managing the Future of Work project at HBS. “And that's something that workers and... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

November 2020 (Revised February 2021)
Case

Integrating Beam Suntory (A)

By: David G. Fubini, Rawi Abdelal and David Lane

The spring 2014 acquisition of U.S. alcoholic spirits maker Beam Inc. by Japan’s Suntory Holdings vaulted Suntory from 15th to third-largest international spirits company in the world. Yet Suntory had borrowed nearly the entire $16 billion purchase price, and relied on... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Communication; Borrowing and Debt; Globalization; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Retention; Leadership; Supply Chain; Organizational Structure; Ownership; Relationships; Conflict and Resolution; Integration; Value Creation; Food and Beverage Industry; Japan; United States; Chicago