News & Highlights

  • September-October 2024
  • Harvard Business Review

Boards Need a New Approach to Technology

In an insightful article by HBS Professor Tarun Khanna, published in the September–October 2024 issue of Harvard Business Review, with research support from the ERC, the authors highlight how many corporate boards are too focused on security and digitization, missing out on exciting opportunities in emerging fields like genomics, space science, and advanced materials. They make a compelling case for creating board-level technology committees to help companies like AES, Johnson & Johnson, Altria, and Dassault Systèmes harness these scientific advancements. As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, having a tech-savvy board is becoming essential for driving innovation and long-term success.
  • June 2024
  • Cold Call Podcast

How Natural Winemaker Frank Cornelissen Innovated While Staying True to His Brand

In this Cold Call podcast episode, HBS Professor Tiona Zuzul hosts a discussion on how Frank Cornelissen, founder of an esteemed artisanal Italian vineyard, faced a critical decision in 2018 when adverse weather conditions threatened his grape harvest. The episode explores how Cornelissen balanced his commitment to natural winemaking with the need for flexibility in “Frank Cornelissen: The Great Sulfite Debate.”
  • June 2024
  • Alumni Stories

HBS Alumni Mobilize to Rebuild Greece: The Power of the Diaspora

In the wake of Greece’s economic recovery, HBS alumni like Afroditi Xydi (MBA 2022) are mobilizing the Greek diaspora to help rebuild the country and bring back its talented citizens. The nonpartisan Deon Policy Institute, co-founded by Xydi, focuses on increasing entrepreneurial opportunities, advancing renewable energy production, and reforming the educational system. With support from the HBS network, Deon aims to foster economic growth and make Greece competitive with its European neighbors. Discover their innovative approach in this insightful article by Jen McFarland Flint.

New Research on the Region

  • December 2024
  • Article
  • Energy Policy

Coordinating the Energy Transition: Electrifying Transportation in California and Germany

By: Nicholas Goedeking and Jonas Meckling

California and Germany share ambitious emission reduction targets. Yet California is ahead of Germany in electrifying transportation by several metrics, including the number of public charging stations. We show that variation in the politics of coordination in California and Germany explains the different outcomes. Transforming energy systems requires coordination across various complementary technologies and infrastructures—here between the supply of electric vehicles and the buildout of charging stations. In California, a strong electrification coalition emerged across automakers selling electric vehicles as well as utilities and third-party firms providing charging infrastructure. Power market rules made capital investments for charging infrastructure instantly profitable for California monopoly utilities. By contrast, in Germany's liberalized power market, investing in capital-intensive charging infrastructure was not profitable for electric utilities. As a result, utilities did not emerge as a political force in the electrification coalition. Instead, utilities and automakers were in gridlock, failing to coordinate electric vehicle rollout and public charging station buildout. Our findings highlight the limits of business-led coordination, raising the question which institutions help address coordination failures in clean energy transitions.

  • November 2024
  • Case

Fire at Notre Dame de Paris

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Jerome Barthelemy

In early 2019, the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral was severely damaged by a fire. Though many people still believe that the fire was due to errors made at the “sharp end”, the case suggests that it resulted from the combination of various types of errors that could have been avoided.

  • October 2024
  • Case

Kering Eyewear

By: Rohit Deshpandé, Dante Roscini and Elena Corsi

In June 2024, Roberto Vedovotto, CEO of Kering Eyewear, prepared to discuss the future of the recently acquired brands LINDBERG, a Danish optical eyewear brand, and Maui Jim, an American sunglasses brand. Vedovotto founded Kering Eyewear in 2014, convincing François-Henri Pinault to internalize eyewear production for Kering’s luxury brands like Gucci and Saint Laurent. Kering could in this way control design, quality, and distribution of its eyewear products. In the following years, following an agreement with the luxury group Richemont, which became a co-owner, Kering Eyewear also included four Richemont eyewear brands, among which the high-end one Cartier. By 2024, Kering Eyewear was the second-largest eyewear manufacturer, generating 1.5 billion in revenue. However, slowing growth in China’s luxury market was expected to impact sunglasses sales, which accounted for 70% of its business. Vedovotto now faced the challenge of managing and growing a portfolio of brands, which included house brands and eyewear-only brands.

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