Business Summit: The Coming World Oil Crisis
| Published: | July 10, 2009 |
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| Feature: | HBS Business Summit |
Without enormous changes the world faces an imminent oil crisis—and there are no silver bullet solutions. People must wake up to the sobering ramifications of peak oil, which may be the defining issue of this century.
Business Summit: Business and the Environment
| Published: | June 26, 2009 |
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| Feature: | HBS Business Summit |
If the causes for global climate change are not addressed, the consequences for the planet are likely to be disastrous. Governments, business, and consumers must act.
HBS Cases: The Energy Politics of Russia vs. Ukraine
| Published: | March 11, 2009 |
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| Feature: | Lessons from the Classroom |
A recent Harvard Business School case looks at Russia's decision in 2006 to cut off supply of natural gas to Ukraine's energy company—a move repeated this year. Is Russia just an energy bully? Students of professor Rawi Abdelal learn there is nothing black and white when it comes to Russia's energy politics. From HBS Alumni Bulletin.
Barriers to Acting in Time on Energy and Strategies for Overcoming Them
| Author: | Max H. Bazerman |
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| Published: | February 26, 2009 |
| Paper Release Date: | October 2008 |
| Feature: | Working Papers |
What can the new presidential administration do to address our energy problems? For the past decade, most experts have accepted climate change as a fact, making the issue difficult to ignore—yet many politicians, and the voters who elect them, have done exactly that: ignored the problem. Scientists, policymakers, and others have come up with good ideas to address climate change and other energy issues. Many people seek to identify one cause of climate change, when it is abundantly clear that there are multiple causes. Cognitive, organizational, and political barriers exist that prevent us from addressing energy problems despite clearly identified courses of action. The creation and implementation of wise policy recommendations requires us to anticipate resistance to change and develop strategies that can overcome these barriers. Enacting wise legislation to act in time to solve energy problems requires surmounting cognitive, organizational, and political barriers to change.
Published in 2008
HBS Cases: The Value of Environmental Activists
| Q&A with: | Ramon Casadesus-Masanell |
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| Published: | September 8, 2008 |
| Feature: | Lessons from the Classroom |
With decidedly non-profit goals leading them on, how do environmental protection groups such as Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund create value? Can it be measured? A Q&A with Harvard Business School professor Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and case writer Jordan Mitchell.
Innovation Corrupted: How Managers Can Avoid Another Enron
| Q&A with: | Malcolm S. Salter |
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| Published: | July 7, 2008 |
| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
The train wreck that was Enron provides key insights for improving corporate governance and financial incentives as well as organizational processes that strengthen ethical discipline, says HBS professor emeritus Malcolm S. Salter. His new book, Innovation Corrupted: The Origins and Legacy of Enron's Collapse, is a deep reflection on the present and future of business.
A Resource Belief-Curse: Oil and Individualism
| Authors: | Rafael M. Di Tella, Juan Dubra, and Robert MacCulloch |
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| Published: | January 9, 2008 |
| Paper Release Date: | November 2007 |
| Feature: | Working Papers |
Capitalism is not as widespread as economists would hope. Data from surveys of public opinion, as well as on the distribution of political parties, confirm the idea that capitalism doesn't flow to poor countries. In some countries, anti-market sentiment has increased in recent years, a period where the price of oil and other primary commodities have soared. This combination of anti-market sentiment and high oil prices has led to renegotiations of oil contracts and even nationalizations in some countries such as Bolivia and Venezuela. It is tempting for economists trained in the theory of political capture to argue that this is just another instance where special interests exploit the circumstances to make an extra dollar. Given that these nationalizations are often popular with the majority of voters, however, the researchers resist this temptation and ask if there are explanations where a positive correlation emerges between voter anti-market sentiment and dependence on oil.
Published in 2007
HBS Cases: Climate Change Puts Heat on GMs
| Published: | October 31, 2007 |
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| Feature: | Lessons from the Classroom |
Ready or not, companies are being swept up in the increasing public debate over global climate change. How should firms respond? A case study exploring how financial service giant UBS thinks through the issues has students coming down on different sides.
HBS Cases: Using Investor Relations Proactively
| Q&A with: | Gregory S. Miller, Vincent Dessain, and Daniela Beyersdorfer |
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| Published: | August 20, 2007 |
| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
Investor relations has a delicate balancing act. It communicates with stakeholders, of course, but can also help employees take a step back and analyze their firm as outsiders do. Harvard Business School's Gregory S. Miller, Vincent Dessain, and Daniela Beyersdorfer explain where IR is going, with energy giants BP and Total leading the way.
Teaching the Next Generation of Energy Executives
| Published: | June 11, 2007 |
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| Feature: | Lessons from the Classroom |
A new generation of energy industry managers will make decisions that affect the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people. At Harvard Business School, students in professor Forest Reinhardt's Energy course are learning the complexities and realities of developing and implementing strategy in such a complex environment.
Will Market Forces Stop Global Warming?
| Published: | April 6, 2007 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 59 Comments posted |
HBS professor Jim Heskett sums up many creative responses from readers on the role of business in combatting global climate change. Online forum now closed.
Risky Business? Protecting Foreign Investments
| Q&A with: | Louis T. Wells |
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| Published: | March 5, 2007 |
| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
After a string of forced nationalizations of private enterprises in the 1960s and 1970s, the pendulum swung back and companies were again encouraged by host countries to build and run major infrastructure projects such as power and water. But a set of new property protections has done little to manage the risk in many of these politically unstable environments. Professor Louis T. Wells, coauthor of a new book on making foreign investment safe, discusses the current landscape.
Published in 2006
Manly Men, Oil Platforms, and Breaking Stereotypes
| Published: | November 27, 2006 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
Men who work in dangerous places often act invulnerable to prove their merit as workers and as men—objectives that can lead to decreased safety and efficiency. Professor Robin Ely and her team helicoptered to offshore oil platforms in order to understand "manly men" and how working environments can be changed to alter men's enactments of manhood.
