Publications

May 2013 (Revised September 2013)
Case

The Kashagan Production Sharing Agreement (PSA)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Florian Bitsch

When discovered in the 1990s, the Kashagan oil field was the second largest oil field in the world. The project sponsors (equity investors) signed a 40-year production sharing agreement (PSA) with the Kazakh government in 1997, with the expectation the field would... View Details

20 Dec 2022
Op-Ed

Employee Feedback: The Key to Retention During the Great Resignation

Can there be corporate democracy if employees can’t vote on the actions its companies take? Yes, and it’s needed now more than ever. The pandemic has brought much employee discontent and activism. Last... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Beer

22 Aug 2012
Working Paper Summaries

Key Drivers of Successful Implementation of an Employee Suggestion-Driven Improvement Program

Keywords: by Anita L. Tucker & Sara J. Singer.; Health

August 2017
Case

'Not so fast...' Litigation Strategy in EMC Corporation v. Donatelli (A)

By: Lena G. Goldberg and Danielle V. Holland

The sudden departure to Hewlett-Packard of a top-level EMC Corporation executive who had full knowledge of EMC’s operations, business plans, and key personnel ignited a bi-coastal battle between two fierce rivals that was played out in courts competing for jurisdiction... View Details

Keywords: Non-competition Agreements; Key Employee Agreements; Litigation Strategy; Law; Preliminary Injunctions; Jurisdictional Disputes; Conflict Of Laws; Lawsuits and Litigation; Strategy; Contracts

March 2000 (Revised May 2000)
Background Note

Diagnosing and Overcoming Barriers to Agreement

Synthesizes and extends work on barriers to negotiated agreement. Five key types of barriers are described--structural, strategic, psychological, institutional, and cultural. Approaches to overcoming these barriers are discussed. View Details

Keywords: Agreements and Arrangements; Problems and Challenges

November 1990 (Revised March 1994)
Case

Digital Equipment Corp.: The Kodak Outsourcing Agreement (A)

By: Lynda M. Applegate and Herminia M. Ibarra

Describes grassroots effort which culminated in Digital's winning a competitive bid for the outsourcing of Kodak's internal telecommunications business. Describes the "Telstar" project, from the initial identification of the business opportunity to the process of... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Management; Partners and Partnerships; Leading Change; Agreements and Arrangements; Business or Company Management; Bids and Bidding; Decision Making; Management Teams; Telecommunications Industry

25 May 2011
HBS Case

QuikTrip’s Investment in Retail Employees Pays Off

Ton says the key is making the right operating decisions. "You can invest in your people and offer low prices," she says. "And guess what? You'll have a service advantage too." For QuikTrip, that advantage is evident... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

February 2023 (Revised March 2025)
Module Note

LCA Module Overview: Employees

By: Nien-hê Hsieh

This note provides an overview of key questions, themes, and concepts to be covered in the module and provides a brief description of each case and how it relates to these questions, themes, and concepts. View Details

30 Aug 2010
Research & Ideas

Turning Employees Into Problem Solvers

research has focused on the underuse of incident-reporting systems. After all, the thinking went, a system used to collect and report incidents will only help an organization learn from its mistakes and lead to better safety results—to the extent that View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Health

July 2013
Case

Slicing Pie with a Razor: Ockham Technologies' Founding Agreement

By: Noam Wasserman and Yael Braid

Ockham Technologies' three founders are about to craft their founding agreement and split the equity among themselves. Uncertainty lingers over each member's future contributions, though—how is the team to devise a durable and effective split? Jim Triandiflou and Ken... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Conflict Management; Governing and Advisory Boards; Employees; Management Teams; Product Development; Technology Industry

13 Oct 2010
Working Paper Summaries

Employee Selection as a Control System

Keywords: by Dennis Campbell; Banking

December 2010 (Revised September 2014)
Background Note

Layoffs: Effects on Key Stakeholders

By: Sandra J. Sucher, Elana Sara Green, David Alberto Rosales and Susan J. Winterberg

From 2004-2009, almost 40,000 mass layoffs occurred in the US, representing over 7 million workers. This note describes the effects of layoffs on employees, firms, and communities. View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Decisions; Employees; Resignation and Termination; Business and Stakeholder Relations; United States

July 2007 (Revised September 2007)
Background Note

Compensating Family Employees in a Family Business

By: John A. Davis

Explores the core issues involved in compensating family employees in a family business. Explains family interests and other factors that shape family employee compensation practices. Distinguishes between achieving effective compensation practices, which help to... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Employees; Compensation and Benefits

23 Jan 2024
Research & Ideas

How to Keep Employees Productive: Support Caregivers

to service representatives, who can answer questions about benefits and support services. Caregiving benefits that directly connect employees with care resources, Fuller says, are the key to reducing... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin

December 2014
Case

Henry A. Kissinger as Negotiator: Background and Key Accomplishments

By: James K. Sebenius and Laurence A. Green

Following a brief summary of Henry A. Kissinger's career, this case describes three of his most pivotal negotiations: the historic establishment of U.S. diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, the easing of geopolitical tension with the Soviet Union,... View Details

06 Jan 2015
Working Paper Summaries

Henry A. Kissinger as Negotiator: Background and Key Accomplishments

Keywords: by James Sebenius & Laurence A. Green

04 Oct 2010
Research & Ideas

Introverts: The Best Leaders for Proactive Employees

study with professors Adam M. Grant of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and David A. Hofmann of UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Their article, "Reversing the Extraverted Leadership Advantage: The Role of Employee... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

29 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

Do Employees Work Harder for Higher Pay?

Harvard Business School Professor Deepak Malhotra set out to answer a basic question: "Do employees work harder when they are paid more?" As Malhotra, the Eli Goldston Professor of Business Administration, said in an interview, "Previous... View Details

Keywords: by Chuck Leddy & Harvard Gazette

August 2019 (Revised April 2021)
Case

Unifying Divisions: Joro's Mission to Preserve the Planet

By: Shikhar Ghosh and Marilyn Morgan Westner

The case focuses on the initial startup team and Founders’ agreements. In March 2018, Sanchali Pal proposed renegotiating the informal founders’ agreement and equity split she and her co-founders had drafted the previous spring. They had been working together for over... View Details

Keywords: Founders' Agreements; Business Startups; Climate Change; Agreements and Arrangements; Conflict Management