Publications

Find at Harvard

22 Oct 2014
Research & Ideas

An Economic Principle For Us All: Comparative Advantage

principles in all of economics is that of comparative advantage, first articulated by the British political economist David Ricardo in 1817. Intent on persuading British lawmakers to abandon their... View Details

Keywords: Re: David A. Moss

06 Feb 2006
Research & Ideas

The Trouble Behind Livedoor

manipulating investors' ability to trade was an important aspect of price manipulation for many firms over the past few years. My research looks at how firms used stock splits to manipulate the float—the... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Financial Services; Technology

September 1983 (Revised July 1991)
Case

Orthoteks USA (A)

By: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr. and Richard G. Hamermesh

A series on implementing strategy as the head of the U.S. subsidiary of a successful Swiss medical products firm. Traces the actions of the CEO over a four year period and highlights his negotiations with the Swiss parent and the way functional components of the... View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Trade; Health Care and Treatment; Leadership Style; Agreements and Arrangements; Strategy; Health Industry; Switzerland; United States

January 2004
Article

Cross-country Technological Adoption: Making the Theories Face the Facts

By: Diego Comin and Bart Hobijn

We examine the diffusion of more than twenty technologies across twenty-three of the world's leading industrial economies. Our evidence covers major technology classes such as textile production, steel manufacture, communications, information technology,... View Details

Keywords: Technology Adoption; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Development Economics; Human Capital; Government and Politics; Trade; Production; Information Technology; Steel Industry; Communications Industry

Find at Harvard

Read Now

June 2019
Case

The Shale Revolution: America's Energy Independence?

By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Howaida Kamel

The shale revolution has upended oil and gas markets for nearly a decade and has positioned the U.S. to become a net energy exporter by 2020. Technological improvements pushed productivity forward which has had positive overall positive affects for the U.S. economy.... View Details

Keywords: Shale Oil; Shale Gas; LNG; Energy Policy; Drilling Technology; Energy; Trade; Economics; Macroeconomics; Policy; Energy Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States; Middle East

Profile

Tyler Todd

Why was earning your MBA at HBS important to you? I love my engineering background, but my long-term goals of senior management and running my own company necessitated that I learn how to make sound business decisions. While you can learn... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital / Private Equity; Financial Services; Energy / Extractive Minerals; Manufacturing

07 Jul 2014
News

Banning Big-box Stores Can Hurt Local Businesses

Keywords: Retail Trade

09 Feb 2016
First Look

February 9, 2016

Statistics Trade Credit and Taxes By: Desai, Mihir, C. Fritz Foley, and James R. Hines Jr. Abstract—This paper analyzes the extent to which firms use trade credit to reallocate capital in response to tax... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

July 1986 (Revised August 1987)
Background Note

Note on Comparative Advantage

By: David B. Yoffie and John J. Coleman

Discusses David Ricardo's theory of comparative advantage and the refinement of his model developed by Eli Heckscher and Bertil Ohlin. Presents several criticisms of the Heckscher-Ohlin theory, including Wassily Leontief's empirical demonstration that the nature of... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Forecasting and Prediction; Macroeconomics; Trade; Theory

February 1993 (Revised March 2003)
Case

India (A)

By: Richard H.K. Vietor, Waleed J. Iskandar and Max L. Weston

Outlines India's import substitution strategy and its planned development process. The effects of the difficult political and social context on economic development are analyzed. The failure of the system to achieve sustainable growth and improvement leads to attempts... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Ethnicity; Development Economics; Trade; Economic Growth; Policy; Government and Politics; India

Find at Harvard

March 1991 (Revised January 1996)
Case

The General Mills Board and Strategic Planning

By: Jay W. Lorsch

Examines the General Mills Board of Directors' role in the General Mills joint venture with Nestle S.A. to sell cereals outside of North America. It raises the more general question of the appropriate role for the board of directors in strategy formulation. View Details

Keywords: Joint Ventures; Trade; Corporate Governance; Managerial Roles; Expansion; Food and Beverage Industry; North America

03 Oct 2017
News

Can Bezos’s Ties to Boston—and HBS—Seal the Deal?

In the battle to land Amazon’s second American headquarters, Boston may have an historical advantage with CEO Jeff Bezos. A recent Boston Globe article details Bezos ties to the area, which began with a visit to HBS campus 20 years ago. Since the founder View Details

Keywords: Retail Trade

October 1993 (Revised July 1995)
Case

Microlite S.A.: The Pan-Orient Decision

As Brazil begins lowering its tariffs on imports, Microlite S.A., the country's largest producer of dry-cell batteries, is faced with becoming internationally competitive. It is consolidating production of zinc-carbon batteries in its northeast plant, presenting the... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Production; Trade; Battery Industry; Brazil

29 Jan 2019
Research & Ideas

'Green Bonds' May Be Our Best Bet for Environmental Damage Control

Municipalities have been selling bonds to pay for public works projects—fire stations, parking garages,sewage treatment systems—for 200 years. It’s only in the past decade or so, however, that they’ve been selling them with an extra perk: helping the environment. In... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Energy; Utilities; Construction; Green Technology; Public Administration

March 1997 (Revised November 1997)
Case

Incidents in Foreign Direct Investment

By: Louis T. Wells Jr. and Courtenay Sprague

Presents seven examples (i.e., incidents) of conflict concerning foreign direct investment. The incidents lay the framework for discussion of issues such as the jurisdiction of the WTO and the U.S. position, the Helms-Burton Act of 1996 and its political implications,... View Details

Keywords: Trade; International Finance; Foreign Direct Investment; Laws and Statutes; United States

January 1990 (Revised March 1994)
Case

Royal Ahold NV

By: Richard F. Meyer

Contains a general description of a large international retailer. Focus is on the major financial risks facing the company: exchange rate risk and commodity price risk. This case is an introduction to financial risk management. It poses some of the major problem areas. View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Currency Exchange Rate; Futures and Commodity Futures; Trade; Distribution; Financial Services Industry