Publications

March 2023 (Revised January 2025)
Case

Wilshire Lane Capital

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Lindsay N. Hyde and Stacy Straaberg

In September 2021, Adam Demuyakor (MBA 2017) was faced with decisions about how to launch his venture capital (VC) investment firm. His previous investment activities were a series of angel investments and special purpose vehicles alongside two part-time general... View Details

Keywords: Ownership Stake; Investment Funds; Venture Capital; Business and Shareholder Relations; Real Estate Industry; Technology Industry; Los Angeles; California; United States

28 Jan 2014
First Look

First Look: January 28

distinctive methods of prediction to investors and businesses and thrived in the boom years that followed World War I. Yet, almost to a man, they failed to predict the devastating crash of 1929. Despite their failures, this first... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

26 Oct 2022
Research & Ideas

How Paid Promos Take the Shine Off YouTube Stars (and Tips for Better Influencer Marketing)

YouTube influencers amass followers by filming everything from popping pimples to reviewing lipstick, with businesses watching closely for marketing opportunities. But audience loyalty only goes so far. When YouTubers post too many paid... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin; Technology; Media & Broadcasting

18 Jan 2016
Research & Ideas

Hazard Warning: The Unacceptable Cost of Toxic Workers

Toxic workers aren’t just a pain in the rear; they’re also a pain in the bottom line, according to a new Harvard Business School working paper. Dylan Minor, visiting assistant professor of business... View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland

05 Mar 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, March 5, 2019

forthcoming Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis Leverage and the Beta Anomaly By: Baker, Malcolm, Mathias F. Hoeyer, and Jeffrey Wurgler Abstract— The well-known weak empirical relationship between beta risk and the cost of... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

11 Jan 2022
Research & Ideas

Feeling Seen: What to Say When Your Employees Are Not OK

crucial, especially for managers trying to lead widely dispersed teams during difficult times, says Harvard Business School Assistant Professor Julian Zlatev. Many managers believe in maintaining emotional boundaries with employees, but... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

08 Oct 2015
Research & Ideas

Four Questions Fundraisers Must be Prepared to Answer

Stevenson has concluded that public recognition is not the major reason why people make significant gifts. Instead, they want to make a positive impact on the world, says Stevenson, Harvard Business School’s Sarofim-Rock Professor of... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

May 2018
Case

Harvest City: The Intelligent Procurement System Project

By: Lynda M. Applegate and Ramiro Montealegre

The Harvest City case describes the implementation of a cloud- and IoT-based intelligent procurement system at a new convention complex in the U.S. Midwest. The decision to build a convention complex is a strategic initiative for this city and involves extensive use of... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Projects; Management; Decision Making; Business and Government Relations; Information Technology Industry

27 Apr 2021
Research & Ideas

IPO or M&A? How Venture Capital Shapes a Startup's Future

ventures in a new study. For founders just trying to keep a fledgling business going, a cash injection—from any source—can make all the difference in launching a critical product. However, founders who don’t scrutinize investors’ View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

01 Sep 2022
What Do You Think?

Is It Time to Consider Lifting Tariffs on Chinese Imports?

pretty long list for the world’s two largest economies, which are connected by some of the busiest trade routes. If the situation were a business analogy, it would be as if a company not only competed intensely with both its important... View Details

Keywords: Re: James L. Heskett

20 Apr 2021
Book

A Simple Question That Can Guide Companies to Epic Success

New Video: Books@Baker Interview with Felix Oberholzer-Gee Click to watch. Some companies gain advantage by commanding premium prices. Others lean on their world-class talent. But, a small slice of companies manages to do both—and dramatically outperform peers. What... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

13 Jan 2009
First Look

First Look: January 13, 2009

as complicated local etiquette, obscured decision-making processes, and heavy reliance on interpersonal relationships instead of legal instruments all add to the complexities of Sino-foreign business... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

04 Feb 2021
Research & Ideas

Inside CEOs' Pandemic Worries: Uncertainty, Employees, and Kids

Responding to COVID-19 in early 2020 was an exercise in crisis leadership. In 2021, the pandemic feels like a painful marathon that will never end. The rapidly spreading virus forced a precipitous shift to remote work at many companies, complicating matters for View Details

Keywords: by Gamze D. Yucaoglu, Robin Abrahams, and Boris Groysberg

23 Oct 2000
Research & Ideas

The Strategy-Focused Organization

share best practices across the business units and shared service units. The meeting was called the "Balanced Scorecard Conference," but, of course, the meeting was about the division's strategy and its execution. When the major... View Details

Keywords: by Robert S. Kaplan & David P. Norton

11 Dec 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, December 11, 2018

Fashion Icon to Nazi Agent This case describes the career of the iconic French fashion designer Coco Chanel who created a transformational business during the first half of the 20th century. Beginning in her early adulthood, Chanel... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

24 Oct 2005
Research & Ideas

Building an IT Governance Committee

In a recent Harvard Business Review article, authors Richard Nolan and Warren McFarlan explored the role of the board of directors in IT governance—and how most "fall into the default mode of applying a set of tacit or explicit rules... View Details

Keywords: by Richard Nolan & Warren McFarlan

March 2003 (Revised March 2011)
Background Note

A Note on Antitrust and Competitive Tactics

By: Dennis A. Yao

Provides an overview of antitrust law as it relates to competitive strategy. Discusses the problem of managing antitrust risk and provides a guide to business actions that pose antitrust risk. View Details

Keywords: Laws and Statutes; Risk Management; Monopoly; Business and Government Relations; Competitive Strategy