Publications

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2022
Working Paper

ESG: Hyperboles and Reality

By: George Serafeim

ESG has rapidly become a household name leading to both confusion about what it means and creating unrealistic expectations about its effects. In this paper, I draw on more than a decade of research to dispel several myths about ESG and provide answers to important... View Details

Keywords: ESG; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; ESG Disclosure; ESG Reporting; ESG Ratings; Sustainability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Performance; Corporate Disclosure; Reports

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March 2009 (Revised June 2011)
Case

The Guardian: Transition to the Online World

By: David J. Collis, Peter W. Olson and Mary Furey

The Guardian had been an early innovator in online newspapers and had not only become the leading U.K. newspaper web site, but was making strides with audiences outside of the U.K. However, The Guardian had been losing money since 2000, and, in spite of the relative... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Revenue; Newspapers; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Risk and Uncertainty; Business Strategy; Online Technology; Journalism and News Industry; Publishing Industry; United Kingdom

16 Sep 2015
Research & Ideas

Can Applied Economics Save Homeless Puppies?

One economic problem is search costs—the time, money, and effort spent on researching which dog to adopt. Another is information asymmetry—in which one person involved in an economic transaction has more View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Retail

18 Mar 2001
Research & Ideas

The Essentials for Enlightened Experimentation

R&D systems for performing experiments that will generate the information needed to develop and refine products quickly. The challenges are managerial as well as technical: Organize For Rapid... View Details

Keywords: by Stefan Thomke

05 Mar 2001
What Do You Think?

Fine Coupling: Can Human Resource Management Learn from Supply Chain Management?

does this theory imply about the employment contract? ... I believe that many people join organizations to be part of something, to make a contribution, and to be a valued member of society. The very notion of looking at people in the... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

June 2020
Case

Extended Reality Extends into Enterprise?

By: David B. Yoffie, Kaushal Jain, Amy Villasenor, Vicky Xu and Annie Yang

While the growth of virtual reality started in gaming, the industry was increasingly focused on enterprise applications in 2020. This note explores the market opportunities and challenges for virtual reality and augmented reality in the enterprise, while diving into a... View Details

Keywords: Virtual Reality; Augmented Reality; Enterprise Computing; Organizations; Information Technology; Markets; Opportunities; Strategy

26 May 2015
Research & Ideas

Corporate Field Researchers Share Tricks of the Trade

won awards from both the Academy of Management's Organization and Management Theory Division and Organizational Behavior Division, was largely guided by the information that the factory workers shared with... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Right from the Start: Common Traps for the New Leader

of the job right away. The time prior to entry is a priceless period when the new leader can go beyond merely absorbing information about the organization to create a joining-up strategy for a successful... View Details

Keywords: by Dan Ciampa & Michael D. Watkins

December 1999
Case

Sun Microsystems, Inc. (A4): Sun Peak: Helen Yang and Mark Walden on "Running Sun on Sun"

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Jane Roessner

SunPeak was the largest project Sun Microsystems, Inc. had ever undertaken: shifting Sun's entire business transaction system from a mainframe-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to a Sun-based system. Making the shift would be complicated and financially... View Details

Keywords: Projects; Transformation; Organizational Structure; Business Strategy; Complexity; Risk and Uncertainty; Success; Information Technology; Internet and the Web; Technology Industry; Computer Industry

October 2012
Case

Riding the Wave of Technological Change at RE/MAX, LLC.

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Ramiro Montealegre and Jeffrey Sweeney

David Liniger, cofounder of RE/MAX, LLC., wondered if his business was prepared to exploit the next wave of business opportunities in the real estate market. This industry had moved from one in which broker/owners controlled all of the consumers' access to information,... View Details

Keywords: General Management; Business Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Business Model; Information Technology; Transformation; Organizational Change and Adaptation

23 Feb 2021
Research & Ideas

COVID-19 Shines New Light on Working Conditions in Supply Chains

about working conditions in supply chains. Toffel also shared information about his newly launched website, which he hopes will be a helpful resource for business practitioners seeking guidance about monitoring suppliers. Danielle Kost:... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Apparel & Accessories

Article

Frame Flexibility: The Role of Cognitive and Emotional Framing in Innovation Adoption by Incumbent Firms

By: Ryan Raffaelli, Mary Ann Glynn and Michael Tushman

Why do incumbent firms frequently reject nonincremental innovations? Beyond technical, structural, or economic factors, we propose an additional factor: the degree of the top management team's (TMT) frame flexibility, i.e., their capability to cognitively expand an... View Details

Keywords: Innovation Adoption; Cognition; Framing; Emotional Resonance; Incumbent Inertia; Innovation and Invention; Technology Adoption; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management

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November 1990 (Revised June 1991)
Case

Final Voyage of the Challenger

Provides a summary of technical and organizational details that led to the decision to launch the Challenger Space Shuttle, and to the ensuing accident. Details of design and testing milestones of the Space Shuttle, with a focus on the Solid Rocket Booster, offer... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Risk Management; Ethics; Decision Choices and Conditions; Business Processes; Aerospace Industry; United States