Publications

04 Nov 2016
News

The Competitiveness of Lost Causes

finding solutions for high unemployment in outmoded manufacturing industries, which was a situation that contributed to political and social unrest in the region. “It was one of the first applications of the ideas in The Competitive... View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg

13 Nov 2007
Research & Ideas

Six Steps for Reinvigorating America

innovation and the opportunity to participate in the "white coat" economy and life sciences revolution of the 21st century. Writes a new social contract based on real family values, creating fair and flexible workplaces that are... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

2013
Working Paper

Testing Coleman's Social-Norm Enforcement Mechanism: Evidence from Wikipedia

By: Mikolaj J. Piskorski and Andreea Gorbatai

Since Durkheim, sociologists have believed that dense network structures lead to fewer norm violations. Coleman (1990) proposed one mechanism generating this relationship and argued that dense networks provide an opportunity structure to reward those who punish norm... View Details

Keywords: Governance Compliance; Governance Controls; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Information Publishing; Social and Collaborative Networks; Social Issues; Societal Protocols

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March 2004 (Revised June 2004)
Case

Business of Life, The

By: Debora L. Spar

Every day, around the world, babies and children are being sold. Frequently, these transactions appear to be above or beyond the market. Orphaned children are never "sold"--they are only "matched" with their "forever families." Eggs are "donated," and surrogate mothers... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Markets; Social Issues; Family and Family Relationships

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09 Feb 2004
Research & Ideas

Got a New Strategy? Now Make it Happen

Typically, this involves looking closely at the roles and decision rights of various parts of the business, as well as changing the behavior of people at all levels. Public, organization-wide conversations about such fundamental issues... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Beer & Russell A. Eisenstat

01 Jun 2024
News

Action Plan: Role-Play

When you encounter the phrase private investigator, chances are good the character you conjure up in your mind doesn’t resemble Sarah Carson (MBA 1971). So much the better for Carson, whose work has often required convincing people she was a small-business employee... View Details

Keywords: Christine Speer Lejeune; photo by Christina Gandolfo; detective; private investigator; undercover; acting

19 Dec 2005
Research & Ideas

Public Education Goes to School

ranking 16th out of 20 in the number of students who complete high school. Just as importantly, public education is facing a social justice issue that has the potential to undermine our democracy. Even with... View Details

Keywords: by Mallory Stark; Education

October 2022
Case

Afrigen Biologics: Vaccines for the Global South

By: Debora L. Spar and Julia Comeau

The majority of vaccines used on the continent of Africa (99%) are produced offshore. This makes African nations reliant on the West for major health care needs, a problem which was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Afrigen Biologics (in partnership with the WHO)... View Details

Keywords: Vaccination; Vaccine; mRNA; COVID; COVID-19; Inequity; Hub-and-spoke; Health Care and Treatment; Health Pandemics; Production; Social Issues; Business and Government Relations; South Africa; Africa

June 2006 (Revised February 2007)
Case

De Beers at the Millennium

At the time of the millennium, diamond demand was threatened by an increasing awareness among jewelry customers that diamond production and trading in some countries was being linked to growing inequities and human rights violations. This, in turn, had an impact on De... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Value Creation; Strategic Planning; Social Issues; Luxury; Consumer Products Industry; Mining Industry; Africa

01 Mar 2017
News

Research Brief: Lost in Translation

English-speaking investor bases. For Yu, the lesson is obvious: Crystal clear communication is essential for CEOs and other leaders who are talking with their investors. “So much communication is becoming real-time these days, thanks to View Details

Keywords: Erin Peterson

September 2022
Article

The Impact of Financial Assistance Programs on Health Care Utilization: Evidence from Kaiser Permanente

By: Alyce S. Adams, Raymond Kluender, Neale Mahoney, Jinglin Wang, Francis Wong and Wesley Yin

Most hospitals have financial assistance programs for low-income patients. We use administrative data from Kaiser Permanente to study the effects of financial assistance on health care utilization. Using a regression discontinuity design based on an income threshold... View Details

Keywords: Healthcare; Utilization; Financial Assistance; Health Care and Treatment; Social Issues; Poverty; Health Industry

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May 2019
Teaching Note

Universal Basic Income, Job Guarantees, or None of the Above?

By: William R. Kerr and Jordan Bach-Lombardo

Teaching Note for HBS No. 819-035. View Details

Keywords: UBI; Job Guarantee; Public Policy; EITC; Employment; Labor; Social Issues; Income; Governance; Policy; Welfare

July 2022
Case

General Mills: Responding to the Killing of George Floyd (A)

By: Debora L. Spar and Alicia Dadlani

Jeff Harmening, CEO of General Mills, one of the world's largest manufacturers of breakfast cereals and packaged foods, was deeply disturbed and instantly aware that he and General Mills would need to respond. George Floyd, an African-American man who had been accused... View Details

Keywords: Race; Decisions; Social Issues; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Consumer Products Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Minneapolis; Minnesota; United States

June 1990 (Revised February 1991)
Case

In the Shadow of the City

Traces the history of a collaborative effort to create an organization to manage a major international development project in the slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Focuses on a serious set of disagreements which develops several months into the project between the two... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit Organizations; Conflict and Resolution; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Ethiopia