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      • Faculty Publications  (120)

      Difficult DecisionsRemove Difficult Decisions →

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      • January 2025
      • Case

      Uncovering Questionable Behavior

      By: David Fubini, Patrick Sanguineti, Amy Chambers and William Fubini
      In this short vignette on the boundaries of professionalism, Alex Harding, recently promoted to Team Leader, faces a difficult decision regarding his client. While serving the CFO of the client company in preparation for an upcoming merger, he and his team uncover... View Details
      Keywords: Ethics; Decision Choices and Conditions; Leadership
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      Fubini, David, Patrick Sanguineti, Amy Chambers, and William Fubini. "Uncovering Questionable Behavior." Harvard Business School Case 425-050, January 2025.
      • January 2025 (Revised April 2025)
      • Case

      Food for Thought: Exiting Russia? (A)

      By: Clayton S. Rose, Hugo Etchegoyhen and Lena Duchene
      In September 2022, the French food companies Bonduelle and Danone each grappled with the difficult decision of whether to exit Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in February. Both companies were deeply embedded in Russia’s agricultural supply chains and local... View Details
      Keywords: Food and Beverage Industry; Europe; France; Russia
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      Rose, Clayton S., Hugo Etchegoyhen, and Lena Duchene. "Food for Thought: Exiting Russia? (A)." Harvard Business School Case 325-084, January 2025. (Revised April 2025.)
      • November 2024 (Revised March 2025)
      • Case

      Tim Ferriss: What Might This Look like If It Were Easy?

      By: Reza Satchu and Denise Koller
      In April 2024, writer-podcaster Tim Ferriss—celebrated as the “Oprah of audio” for his billion-download show and known for NYT-bestsellers like The 4-Hour Workweek—found himself at a crossroads. Despite generating a multi-million-dollar annual revenue with just three... View Details
      Keywords: Transition; Personal Development and Career; Business Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Media and Broadcasting Industry
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      Satchu, Reza, and Denise Koller. "Tim Ferriss: What Might This Look like If It Were Easy?" Harvard Business School Case 825-091, November 2024. (Revised March 2025.)
      • September 2024
      • Case

      Comun: Partners in Peril

      By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Alexis Lefort
      In spring 2023, Abiel Gutierrez and Andres Santos, co-founders of Comun, faced a critical decision at their fintech startup serving Latino immigrants. Having launched their product the previous year, they experienced rapid growth but encountered rising fraud and... View Details
      Keywords: Fintech; Business Development; Venture Capital; Business Startups; Partners and Partnerships; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Financial Services Industry; Banking Industry; Latin America; United States
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      Bussgang, Jeffrey J., and Alexis Lefort. "Comun: Partners in Peril." Harvard Business School Case 825-036, September 2024.
      • August 2024
      • Background Note

      Your True Moral Compass

      By: Joseph L. Badaracco
      This note explores the concept of a "moral compass" for making difficult decisions in leadership roles. It argues that the standard view of a moral compass as a simple, internal guide is inadequate for complex situations. Instead, it proposes that our true moral... View Details
      Keywords: Moral Sensibility; Decision Choices and Conditions
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      Badaracco, Joseph L. "Your True Moral Compass." Harvard Business School Background Note 325-034, August 2024.
      • June 2024
      • Teaching Note

      Dirk Nowitzki: Changing the Game

      By: Boris Groysberg, Katherine Connolly Baden and Robin Abrahams
      Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 420-031. NBA Superstar Dirk Nowitzki was unsure whether the 2018-19 season would be his last as an NBA player. He had not faced such uncertainty since 1998, when he had navigated a difficult decision regarding the timing of his move to... View Details
      Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Practice; Retirement; Work-Life Balance; Success; Knowledge Acquisition; Knowledge Sharing; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Growth and Development; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Performance; Sports Industry; United States
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      Groysberg, Boris, Katherine Connolly Baden, and Robin Abrahams. "Dirk Nowitzki: Changing the Game." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 424-100, June 2024.
      • May 2024
      • Case

      Naked Wines: The Profit vs. Growth Decision

      By: Benjamin C. Esty and Edward A. Meyer
      Nick Devlin faced a difficult strategic decision in October 2022. As the CEO of a UK-based subscription business connecting wine drinkers in the US, UK, and Australia with winemakers from around the world (which one journalist called the “Netflix of Wine”), he had to... View Details
      Keywords: Profit Vs. Growth; Platform Business; Economies Of Scale; Subscription Business; Wine; Scaling; Racing; Value Creation; Network Effects; Business Startups; Small Business; Financial Management; Financial Strategy; Growth Management; Business Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Expansion; Profit; E-commerce; Growth and Development Strategy; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States; Australia; United Kingdom
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      Esty, Benjamin C., and Edward A. Meyer. "Naked Wines: The Profit vs. Growth Decision." Harvard Business School Case 724-462, May 2024.
      • December 2023
      • Case

      Gabriela Santana Goldstein

      By: Leslie Perlow and Hannah Weisman
      Gabriela Santana Goldstein was pursuing her passion, working as the Head of Business for a telehealth startup, when her father went into sudden cardiac arrest and family duty called. The case discusses Goldstein’s difficult decision to leave her dream job, and her path... View Details
      Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Well-being; Work-Life Balance; Family and Family Relationships; Decisions; Health Industry; United States; Boston; New York (city, NY)
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      Perlow, Leslie, and Hannah Weisman. "Gabriela Santana Goldstein." Harvard Business School Case 424-021, December 2023.
      • 2024
      • Working Paper

      The Uneven Impact of Generative AI on Entrepreneurial Performance

      By: Nicholas G. Otis, Rowan Clarke, Solène Delecourt, David Holtz and Rembrand Koning
      Scalable and low-cost AI assistance has the potential to improve firm decision-making and economic performance. However, running a business involves a myriad of open-ended problems, making it difficult to know whether recent AI advances can help business owners make... View Details
      Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Performance Improvement; Small Business; Decision Choices and Conditions; Kenya
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      Otis, Nicholas G., Rowan Clarke, Solène Delecourt, David Holtz, and Rembrand Koning. "The Uneven Impact of Generative AI on Entrepreneurial Performance." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 24-042, December 2023.
      • October 2023 (Revised January 2024)
      • Case

      McDonald's Board of Directors (A)

      By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz
      In October 2019, the McDonald’s Corporation board of directors, chaired by Enrique Hernandez, Jr., gathered to learn the results of their outside counsel’s investigation into the conduct of the CEO. On the surface, the iconic fast-food chain was thriving as growing... View Details
      Keywords: Board Of Directors; Board Chair; Board Decisions; Business Ethics; Corporate Boards; Fast Food; Franchising; Legal Aspects Of Business; Legal Battle; Legal Settlement; Misconduct; Regulation; Reorganization; Restaurant Industry; Sexual Harassment; Shareholders; Stakeholder Management; Strategy And Execution; Turnaround; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Culture; Executive Compensation; Leadership; Management; Ethics; Governing and Advisory Boards; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Food and Beverage Industry; Illinois; United States
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      Paine, Lynn S., and Will Hurwitz. "McDonald's Board of Directors (A)." Harvard Business School Case 324-044, October 2023. (Revised January 2024.)
      • September 2023
      • Module Note

      Live Case Exercise for Financial Reporting

      By: Tatiana Sandino and Marshal Herrmann
      Harvard Business School employs the case method as a cornerstone of its pedagogy, providing students with opportunities to engage in discussions related to difficult or contentious decisions confronted by real-world organizations. In this “live case,” we depart from... View Details
      Keywords: Financial Reporting; Research; Corporate Disclosure
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      Sandino, Tatiana, and Marshal Herrmann. "Live Case Exercise for Financial Reporting." Harvard Business School Module Note 124-031, September 2023.
      • September–October 2023
      • Article

      What Does 'Stakeholder Capitalism' Mean to You?: A Guide to the Four Main Types

      By: Lynn S. Paine
      Business leaders are being urged to adopt a multistakeholder approach to governance in place of the shareholder-centered approach that has guided their work for several decades. But through hundreds of interviews with directors, executives, investors, governance... View Details
      Keywords: Stakeholder Capitalism; Corporate Governance; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Organizational Structure; Trust
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      Paine, Lynn S. "What Does 'Stakeholder Capitalism' Mean to You? A Guide to the Four Main Types." Harvard Business Review 101, no. 5 (September–October 2023): 108–119. (Reprinted in HBR’s 10 Must Reads 2025: The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review 2025, Boston, Mass: Harvard Business Review Press, 2025, pp. 115-132.))
      • August 2023
      • Case

      Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Corporate Development at a Novel Therapeutic Company

      By: Satish Tadikonda and Brad Prosek
      Constellation Pharmaceuticals was a company focused on epigenetic therapies for cancer patients. Despite a promising start and an early deal with a leading biopharma company, the company weathered twin setbacks in the end of a major research collaboration and the... View Details
      Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Health Care and Treatment; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Research and Development; Business Strategy; Partners and Partnerships; Goals and Objectives; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States
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      Tadikonda, Satish, and Brad Prosek. "Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Corporate Development at a Novel Therapeutic Company." Harvard Business School Case 824-032, August 2023.
      • August 2023
      • Case

      Stay or Go? Sarah Reynolds at Kensington Partners

      By: David G. Fubini, Amr Seifeldin and Patrick Sanguineti
      Sarah Reynolds, a Partner at the global Kensington Partners strategy consulting firm, has headed the firm's Telecommunications Group for a few years. Thanks to her stellar track record with clients, she has brought the group, and herself, a range of accolades and... View Details
      Keywords: Consulting; Consulting Firms; Client Service; Career Management; Success; Time Management; Decision Choices and Conditions; Personal Development and Career
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      Fubini, David G., Amr Seifeldin, and Patrick Sanguineti. "Stay or Go? Sarah Reynolds at Kensington Partners." Harvard Business School Case 424-020, August 2023.
      • February 2023 (Revised March 2025)
      • Case

      Graphic Packaging: Project Cowboy (A)

      By: Benjamin C. Esty and E. Scott Mayfield
      In July 2019, Graphic Packaging CEO Michael Doss was proposing a $600 million investment in a new machine to produce coated recycled board (CRB), a type of paper packaging used for consumer products (cups, cereal boxes, beverage boxes, etc.) that utilized recycled... View Details
      Keywords: Capital Budgeting; Growth Management; Demand and Consumers; Duopoly and Oligopoly; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Expansion; Value Creation; Supply and Industry; Pulp and Paper Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States; North America
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      Esty, Benjamin C., and E. Scott Mayfield. "Graphic Packaging: Project Cowboy (A)." Harvard Business School Case 223-009, February 2023. (Revised March 2025.)
      • February 2023
      • Supplement

      Graphic Packaging: Project Cowboy (A) Courseware

      By: Benjamin C. Esty and Scott Mayfield
      In July 2019, Graphic Packaging CEO Michael Doss was proposing a $600 million investment in a new machine to produce coated recycled board (CRB), a type of paper packaging used for consumer products (cups, cereal boxes, beverage boxes, etc.) that utilized recycled... View Details
      Keywords: Capital Budgeting; Growth Management; Demand and Consumers; Duopoly and Oligopoly; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Expansion; Value Creation; Supply and Industry; Pulp and Paper Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States; North America
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      Esty, Benjamin C., and Scott Mayfield. "Graphic Packaging: Project Cowboy (A) Courseware." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 223-709, February 2023.
      • January 2023 (Revised September 2024)
      • Supplement

      The END Fund (B)

      By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Courtney Han
      Founded in 2012, the END fund focused on eliminating five Neglected Tropical Diseases that accounted for 80% of the tropical diseases affecting nearly 1.5 billion people worldwide. Its roughly $25 million/year annual budget was fully committed when it got news that the... View Details
      Keywords: Health Disorders; Investment Funds; Global Range; Nonprofit Organizations; Resource Allocation; Decisions; Health Care and Treatment; Mission and Purpose
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      Rangan, V. Kasturi, and Courtney Han. "The END Fund (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 523-064, January 2023. (Revised September 2024.)
      • January 2023
      • Case

      The END Fund: To Eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases

      By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Courtney Han
      Founded in 2012, the END fund focused on eliminating five Neglected Tropical Diseases that accounted for 80% of the tropical diseases affecting nearly 1.5 billion people worldwide. Its roughly $25 million/year annual budget was fully committed when it got news that the... View Details
      Keywords: Nonprofit Organizations; Health Disorders; Health Care and Treatment; Resource Allocation; Global Range; Decisions; Investment Funds
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      Rangan, V. Kasturi, and Courtney Han. "The END Fund: To Eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases." Harvard Business School Case 523-063, January 2023.
      • October 2021 (Revised February 2022)
      • Case

      Green Hydrogen in Chile

      By: Tarun Khanna, Jenyfeer Martínez Buitrago and Mariana Cal
      In 2020, the Chilean government wants to promote green hydrogen, a technology with high potential to help mitigate climate change. President Sebastián Piñera, aware of the country's advantages to produce green hydrogen competitively, asks Energy Minister Juan Carlos... View Details
      Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic; Decision Making; Alternative Energy; Renewable Energy; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Green Technology; Financial Instruments; Energy Policy; Government Administration; Strategy; Government and Politics; Social Issues; Energy Industry; Latin America; South America; Chile
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      Khanna, Tarun, Jenyfeer Martínez Buitrago, and Mariana Cal. "Green Hydrogen in Chile." Harvard Business School Case 722-361, October 2021. (Revised February 2022.)
      • August 2021
      • Supplement

      Dirk Nowitzki: Changing the Game

      By: Boris Groysberg
      NBA Superstar Dirk Nowitzki was unsure whether the 2018–2019 season would be his last as an NBA player. He had not faced such uncertainty since 1998, when he had navigated a difficult decision regarding the timing of his move to the NBA. He also did not know what he... View Details
      Keywords: Career Decisions; Career Journey; "Sports Organizations,; Mentoring; Retirement; Sports; Performance; Training; Personal Development and Career; Decision Making; Talent and Talent Management; Sports Industry; United States
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      Groysberg, Boris. "Dirk Nowitzki: Changing the Game." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Supplement 421-710, August 2021.
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