Publications

08 Sep 2015
Research & Ideas

Knowledge Transfer: You Can't Learn Surgery By Watching

While some lessons can be learned by watching—a parent’s reaction after touching a hot stove can be a good lesson for a youngster on dangers in the kitchen—other lessons are harder to learn through observation alone. No matter how many... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health

14 Dec 2021
Op-Ed

To Change Your Company's Culture, Don't Start by Trying to Change the Culture

insulted and angry. But Twitter hasn’t backed down from the idea and has even promoted Davis. Employee dissatisfaction, the company said, is sometimes the cost of shaking things up. "Culture gets changed by doing real work in line with... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Beer

19 Nov 2012
Research & Ideas

LEED-ing by Example

this strategy actually worked, up until now. “LEED [adoption] is not just something to pay attention to when there's a bid to rebuild city hall.” In a new paper, Public Procurement and the Private Supply of Green Buildings, authors Timothy Simcoe and View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Construction; Real Estate; Energy; Utilities

February 2017
Comment

Comments on "Parenting Strategies for Multibusiness Companies" by Michael Goold (June 1996)

By: David J. Collis

Review of earlier publication on corporate strategy that includes lessons and current research agenda. View Details

Keywords: Corporate Headquarters; Parenting Advantage; Diversification; Corporate Strategy

Read Now

March 2016 (Revised May 2021)
Case

Michael Milken: The Junk Bond King

By: Tom Nicholas and Matthew G. Preble

Michael Milken, an investment banker who dominated the junk bond market in the 1980s, was sentenced to jail in 1990 after pleading guilty to a number of securities and tax-related felonies. In the preceding decade, Milken had helped usher in a new wave of leveraged buy... View Details

Keywords: Junk Bonds; High-yield Bonds; Financial Innovation; Shareholder Value; Bonds; Capital; Capital Structure; Cost of Capital; Crime and Corruption; Entrepreneurship; Ethics; Finance; Investment Banking; Leveraged Buyouts; Mergers and Acquisitions; Ownership; Private Equity; Restructuring; United States

August 2011 (Revised November 2012)
Case

Michael Lester at Lachlan Consulting

By: Anthony J. Mayo and Joshua D. Margolis

Michael Lester, a consultant with Lachlan, was frustrated by his client's unwillingness to provide key data for an important presentation. Lester must decide how best to confront Nadine Robert, his client, knowing that his personal success and the reputation of his... View Details

Keywords: Outcome or Result; Training; Customer Focus and Relationships; Interpersonal Communication; Success; Reputation

February 1999 (Revised August 1999)
Case

Michael Brown: Negotiating Slots at Foxwoods (B)

By: James K. Sebenius

The approach taken by Michael Brown and Governor Lowell Weicker and the means by which the agreement's sustainability was enhanced in the face of attacks by other gaming operators are detailed. View Details

Keywords: Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Agreements and Arrangements; Government and Politics; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Connecticut

Book Review

Review of Understanding American Economic Decline, edited by Michael A. Bernstein and David E. Adler

By: Willis Emmons

Keywords: Economy; Economics; United States

17 Jun 2015
Research & Ideas

Michael Porter on America’s Historic Energy Opportunity

A new report from experts Michael E. Porter, David S. Gee, and Gregory J. Pope at Harvard Business School and The Boston Consulting Group outlines a strategic approach for improving United States competitiveness while reducing... View Details

Keywords: Re: Michael E. Porter; Energy; Utilities

April 2007
Book Review

Book Review of 'Economic Analysis, Moral Philosophy, and Public Policy' by Daniel Hausman and Michael McPherson

By: Nien-he Hsieh

15 Oct 2001
Research & Ideas

Four Questions for David Garvin and Michael Roberto

Harvard Business School professors David A. Garvin and Michael A. Roberto fielded questions about their article in an email interview with HBS Working Knowledge senior editor Martha Lagace. Garvin and Roberto discuss the... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

November 2005
Case

Michael Ovitz and The Walt Disney Company (A)

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Alexis Chernak

Faced with the need to hire a new president, The Walt Disney Co. pursued Michael Ovitz, a founder of the Creative Artist Agency. Although initially disinterested, Ovitz engaged in negotiations with Michael Eisner, CEO of The Walt Disney Co., in the summer of 1995... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Management Teams; Selection and Staffing; Negotiation; Organizational Culture

10 Aug 2016
Research & Ideas

Prospective Students Steer Clear of Schools Rocked by Scandal

decisions” It’s not good news in other ways. “Having fewer applicants can impact rankings and prestige but may also make it difficult to craft the ideal class, whether it be falling short in enrollment and tuition revenue or enrolling relatively less desirable... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Education

February 2010 (Revised September 2011)
Case

Local Motors: Designed by the Crowd, Built by the Customer

By: Michael I. Norton and Jeremy Dann

In the wake of the meltdown among U.S. auto manufacturers in 2009, Jay Rogers, CEO of Local Motors, has a new approach for the automotive industry: decide which models are produced through online design competitions, and then allow customers to "build their own cars"... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Customer Focus and Relationships; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Product Design; Product Development; Creativity; Social and Collaborative Networks; Customization and Personalization; Auto Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States