Publications

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29 Jun 2017
Research & Ideas

Why Uber Is Worth Saving and How To Do It

management style has left in its wake a long line of unhappy stakeholders: regulators, competitors, drivers, customers, and even some partners. Kanter, who wrote a case study on the company after featuring Uber in a recent book, hopes... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Transportation

03 Sep 2020
Op-Ed

Why American Health Care Needs Its Own SEC

GAAP can wind up in jail or pay hefty fines. Its accounting principles are derived from an exhaustive public process overseen by experts in measurement, not like the stakeholders of present “transparency” who are interested in protecting... View Details

Keywords: by Regina E. Herzlinger; Health

08 Jul 2024
Research & Ideas

The Critical Computer Science Principles Every Strategic Leader Needs to Know

In an AI-world, leaders who speak technology’s language gain an edge. But that doesn’t mean every manager needs a computer science degree. A handle on a handful of basics goes a long way toward preparing strategic leaders for today’s... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand; Technology; Information Technology

February 2022
Case

Leading The UK Vaccine Task Force

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Claudia Pienica

This case describes the first six months of the UK Vaccine Taskforce, under the leadership of Kate Bingham. With a career spent in the private sector as a biotech investor, Bingham’s appointment within the government was considered unusual. The overarching brief given... View Details

December 2003 (Revised March 2004)
Case

FIRA: Confronting the Mexican Agricultural Crisis

By: James E. Austin, Michael Chu and Cate Reavis

In fall 2003, Mexico's agriculture sector was facing a crisis brought on largely by a surge in cheap U.S. imports resulting from NAFTA and inaccessible and/or expensive terms of credit for Mexican agricultural producers. It was getting harder for Mexican producers to... View Details

Keywords: Development Economics; Public Sector; Trade; Financial Instruments; Crisis Management; Markets; Strategic Planning; Partners and Partnerships; Competitive Strategy; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

Find at Harvard

06 Sep 2011
Research & Ideas

How Small Wins Unleash Creativity

that's a mere 5 percent. Instead, overall, these managers ranked "recognition for good work (either public or private)" as the most important factor in motivating workers and making them happy.... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

02 Feb 2004
Research & Ideas

Mapping Your Corporate Strategy

structure for meetings where managers can quickly see which aspects of their strategy are succeeding and where they are falling short. The causal relationships enable managers to test whether the theory of... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

December 2015 (Revised May 2017)
Case

Corning, 2002

By: Malcolm Baker

Corning, with large investments in fiber optic technology, was hit particularly hard by the collapse of the telecommunications industry in 2001. With over $4 billion in debt, the firm's survival appears to rest on raising additional equity capital. James Flaws, the... View Details

Keywords: Financial Strategy; Financial Condition; Financial Instruments; Valuation; Capital; Public Equity; Stock Shares; Business or Company Management; Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; Industrial Products Industry

09 Feb 2004
Research & Ideas

Got a New Strategy? Now Make it Happen

whole set of interdependent players—the CEO, the senior leadership team, and managers down the line. This won't happen without a collective, public conversation. By "collective" we mean that... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Beer & Russell A. Eisenstat

May 1998 (Revised April 2000)
Case

City of New York, The

By: Paul M. Healy

This case examines the economics of a municipality, and then explores its financial position from the perspective of a bond rating firm. View Details

Keywords: Bonds; Financial Management; Public Sector; City; Financial Statements; Government Administration

22 Feb 2010
Op-Ed

Tragedy at Toyota: How Not to Lead in Crisis

plans for resolution have been Toyota's substitute for crisis response. As accounts pour in about declining quality, the company parades out relatively unknown mid-level managers to quell the firestorm. It won't work. "You live by... View Details

Keywords: by William George; Auto

07 Aug 2009
What Do You Think?

Why Can’t Americans Get Health Care Right?

provided excellent comparative data of the kind that we have seen all too little in the public debate on the matter. And nearly everyone admirably avoided the political rhetoric that has clouded rational thought about a truly complex... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Health

November 2004 (Revised May 2010)
Case

RightNow Technologies

By: William A. Sahlman and Dan Heath

The founder and CEO of a CRM software start-up must decide between an attractive acquisition offer and the opportunity to go public. Discusses the growth of the company--including a lengthy discussion of entrepreneurial bootstrapping--as well as an aborted IPO attempt... View Details

Keywords: Business Exit or Shutdown; Applications and Software; Going Public; Management Teams; Finance; Strategy; Value Creation; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Acquisition; Computer Industry