Small Business - Publications - Faculty & Research

19 Sep 2011
Research & Ideas

Doomsday Coming for Catastrophic Risk Insurers?

Kenneth A. Froot spends more time thinking about natural disasters than the average business school professor. In addition to the rise and fall of the Dow and the long-term implications of the financial crisis in Greece, he has natural... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish; Financial Services

28 Aug 2012
First Look

First Look: August 28

a business opportunity from the perspective of a "triple bottom line"-a performance evaluation scheme focused on "people, planet, and profit" that construes success in terms of social benefits, environmental... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

31 Mar 2002
What Do You Think?

Is This the Decade of the Investor?

interests of small investors." He also suggests that investors have little ability to judge whether compensation for managers is fair, particularly in an information economy in which it is difficult to assess justification for... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

02 Apr 2014
What Do You Think?

Has the Post-Capitalist Economy Finally Arrived?

entrepreneurship " Peter McCann pointed out that things are déjà vu all over again. "There will be increased productivity but the day of zero marginal cost for more than a small set of goods and services is not even on the... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Service

06 Jan 2021
Research & Ideas

Unexpected Exercise Advice for the Super Busy: Ditch the Rigid Routine

“People think, ‘It would be wonderful if every morning I went for a run at 7 a.m. and then was showered and ready to work at 8 a.m.,’” says John Beshears, the Terrie F. and Bradley M. Bloom Associate Professor of Business Administration... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

11 Aug 2016
Cold Call Podcast

Why College Rankings Keep Deans Awake at Night

this system is extraordinarily new. The US News and World Report, which everyone knows in the United States, started its college rankings in 1983 because it was a failing news magazine that needed another business to stay in print. That's... View Details

Keywords: Re: William C. Kirby; Education

16 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Making the Most of Government Upheaval

related businesses in the local market or even in other countries. Stage III: Acquisition of New Capabilities. Becoming increasingly sophisticated as they competed with larger foreign rivals, the firms developed new capabilities in areas... View Details

Keywords: by Nancy O. Perry

01 Feb 2008
What Do You Think?

How Sustainable Is Sustainability in a For-Profit Organization?

sustainability is more achievable "if the concept is integrated into the business model at inception." And as Laura Howard put it, "This works best in small companies who can design their... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

22 Jun 2021
Research & Ideas

The COVID-19 Mutiny: When Teams Leave and Take Their Clients

everyone else, these people have been reflecting on their lives and options. As the Wall Street Journal put it: “A small but substantial sliver of America, however, is doing better than ever using this pause in the typical 24/7 busyness... View Details

Keywords: by Robin Abrahams, Boris Groysberg, and Steven L. Manchel

27 Nov 2006
Research & Ideas

Manly Men, Oil Platforms, and Breaking Stereotypes

Harvard Business School professors often travel into the field to conduct business research, but it's a safe bet none have had the experience of Professor Robin Ely. She and coauthor Debra Meyerson of... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Energy; Utilities

26 Sep 2013
Research & Ideas

Behind India’s Economic and Political Woes

Institute at Harvard University and Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor at Harvard Business School, offers some insights into the causes and conditions at play. Zeenat Potia: Can you give some context around the downturn of the Indian economy... View Details

Keywords: by Zeenat Potia

02 Jul 2001
Research & Ideas

Ray A. Goldberg

concerns." Discussing these matters recently, Goldberg displays the same high level of energy and determination that have been his hallmarks throughout his life. Born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota, he started working in his father's View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Agriculture & Agribusiness

21 Dec 2009
Research & Ideas

Good Banks, Bad Banks, and Government’s Role as Fixer

banks by the federal government, it can divide them into good banks and bad banks. The good banks would return to the normal business of taking deposits and making loans; the bad banks would work out and sell toxic assets over several... View Details

Keywords: by Roger Thompson; Banking; Financial Services

05 May 2009
First Look

First Look: May 5, 2009

Survive—Thrive: Leading Innovation in Good Times and Bad Authors:Lynda M. Applegate and Bruce Harreld Abstract Battered by contracting markets and frozen credit, many businesses today are fighting for survival. Indeed, the current global... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

24 Mar 2022
Research & Ideas

Why Cutting Jobless Aid Isn't the Answer to Worker Shortages

stop to unemployment benefits slashed the incomes of the vast majority of those who were cut off and crimped overall spending in local economies, says Raymond Kluender, an assistant professor in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

13 Oct 2003
Research & Ideas

Negotiating Challenges for Women Leaders

McGinn believe that negotiation skills are crucial to closing the gender gap in leadership. Riley Bowles, who earned her doctoral degree from Harvard Business School, is an assistant professor at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

24 Feb 2014
Research & Ideas

Busting Six Myths About Customer Loyalty Programs

markets is a sector notorious for its lack of differentiation between players. Once location has played out its magic, retailers tend to get squeezed in a business characterized by the infernal duo of low margin and high fixed cost. In... View Details

Keywords: by Marcel Corstjens & Rajiv Lal; Retail; Consumer Products

12 Nov 2018
Research & Ideas

'Always On' Isn't Always Best for Team Decision-Making

Improve Collective Intelligence, written by Ethan Bernstein, the Edward W. Conard Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School; Jesse Shore, assistant professor at Boston... View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland

15 May 2020
Research & Ideas

Find Your Pragmatic Path through Radical Uncertainty

social restrictions and reopen businesses? Other questions depend on the answers to the medical questions. Will government funds for the disadvantaged people and businesses be sustainable? What will happen to inflation? Will food supplies... View Details

Keywords: by Howard Stevenson, Eugene B. Kogan, and Shirley Spence

04 Jan 2021
What Do You Think?

How Do We Sustain Organization Diversity?

that process, and uneconomic decisions are made, often involving subsidies to make up for manmade market imperfections. What’s to be done to encourage investment in low-wage workers, the question of the month? SayHowItReallyIs made several suggestions: (1) “Fund... View Details