Publications

Second Quarter 2014
Article

Dynamics of the Board Interview

By: Blythe McGarvie

You want candidates who meet the requirements of cultural fit, the right skill set, and meaningful diversity. No one expects the candidate to know everything about the company during the interview process. Research shows that companies with more women on their boards... View Details

March 2020 (Revised May 2020)
Case

Board Director Dilemmas—Family Affairs

By: David G. Fubini, Suraj Srinivasan and Amram Migdal

This case focuses on a new director who must help resolve a disagreement between two generations of leaders in a family business. The case raises questions of the proper role and approach for a director trying to manage a legitimate disagreement between shareholders... View Details

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Family Business

March 2020 (Revised May 2020)
Case

Board Director Dilemmas—Incorrigible CEO

By: David G. Fubini, Suraj Srinivasan and Amram Migdal

This case focuses on a new director who, along with fellow directors, struggles with the inappropriate behavior of an otherwise competent—even brilliant—founder and CEO. This case is part of a series of vignettes that capture different dilemmas faced by directors as... View Details

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards

March 2020 (Revised September 2020)
Case

Board Director Dilemmas—Pushing Senior Management

By: David G. Fubini, Suraj Srinivasan and Amram Migdal

This case explores a new board director who wants more detail from the management team than his fellow directors are willing to press for. New board director Sam Pesca is frustrated that CFO Alex Marotta provides only a minimal two-page financial summary at board... View Details

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Management Teams

March 2020 (Revised October 2020)
Case

Board Director Dilemmas—Digging into Detail

By: David G. Fubini, Suraj Srinivasan and Amram Migdal

This case explores a new board director who asks a detailed question about a footnote in the lengthy board packet distributed to directors by management. The case allows for discussion about the amount of information and level of detail provided by management, the... View Details

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards

March 2020 (Revised May 2020)
Case

Board Director Dilemmas—Sharing Expertise

By: David G. Fubini, Suraj Srinivasan and Amram Migdal

This case focuses on a new director who was invited to the board specifically due to her expertise in a technical area. The case allows for discussion of the board director’s appropriate role: to advise and direct management or to ask thoughtful questions about... View Details

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Experience and Expertise

February 2014
Supplement

Pixability: Managing a Corporate Board

By: Noam Wasserman

"Bettina’s Board Walk" examines the board management methods of Bettina Hein, Founder-CEO of Pixability, Inc., as she prepares for and conducts a standard board meeting. The case is designed to give students an understanding of the delicate dynamics inherent in board... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurial Management; Board Of Directors; Entrepreneurship

February 2015 (Revised April 2015)
Case

The Board of Directors at Market Basket

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Emily McTague

The firing of Market Basket CEO Arthur T. Demoulas by his cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas, and directors affiliated with him set off employee protests throughout the grocery store chain. Industry specialists estimated that Market Basket was losing close to ten million... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Behavior; Shareholder Votes; Board Of Directors; Board Dynamics; Board Decisions; Boards; Grocery; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Business and Shareholder Relations; Corporate Governance; Food and Beverage Industry; New England

January 2021 (Revised October 2024)
Case

Aptiv PLC Board of Directors (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz

Aptiv’s board must decide whether a joint venture with an auto maker is the right next step in the company’s efforts to develop and commercialize a production-ready autonomous driving system. While many commentators believed that Aptiv’s self-driving technologies had... View Details

February 2014 (Revised April 2014)
Supplement

Pixability: Managing a Corporate Board (Pre Class)

By: Noam Wasserman

"Bettina’s Board Walk" examines the board management methods of Bettina Hein, Founder-CEO of Pixability, Inc., as she prepares for and conducts a standard board meeting. The case is designed to give students an understanding of the delicate dynamics inherent in board... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurial Management; Board Of Directors; Entrepreneurship

Article

Understanding Boards of Directors: A Systems Perspective

By: Jay W. Lorsch

In this essay, my goal is to explore why, despite the tireless efforts of talented people, research on corporate governance has been slow and uneven, and where that research should turn to next to be most valuable to practitioners. My belief is that the most fruitful... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Boards; Business Admnistration; Social Systems; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; System

01 Sep 2013
News

Dynamic Duo

of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Judy, a former Fidelity Investments executive, is leading a science education initiative for early teens at the Museum of Science and serves on the board of Rosie's... View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

04 Jun 2014
News

Boards and Shareholders Redrawing Their Boundaries

11 Jul 2012
Research & Ideas

The Future of Boards

MacIver, and Back to the Drawing Board: Designing Corporate Boards for a Complex World, with Colin B. Carter. (Read an excerpt from The Future of Boards.) Julia Hanna: You've been studying board View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

September 2013
Case

United Rentals (A)

By: Jay W. Lorsch, Kathleen Durante and Emily McTague

In December 1997 United Rentals (URI) went public on the NYSE. Ten years later, during the peak of the economic meltdown, the company's performance was in decline. United Rentals had experienced its share of problems in the prior years and was still struggling to... View Details

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Board Dynamics; Accounting Fraud; Governance; Board Committees; Merger; Corporate Governance; Construction Industry; United States

June 1994 (Revised October 1999)
Background Note

Beer Game, The: Board Version

By: Janice H. Hammond

The beer game is an exercise that demonstrates supply channel dynamics. Simulates the flow of material and information in a simplified channel of beer production and distribution, focusing on the linkages among a beer manufacturer, its distributors, a wholesaler, and a... View Details

Keywords: Cost Management; Information; Distribution Channels; Production; Supply Chain Management; Problems and Challenges