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Cold Call
A podcast featuring faculty discussing cases they've written and the lessons they impart.
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Walmart: Changing the World for Better or Worse?

Can big companies fix big problems? Are they responsible for doing so? As the third-largest employer in the world, any move Wal-mart makes reverberates around the globe. Yet despite its many successes and innovations, particularly in terms of sustainability, the company often faces criticism for its business practices. Professor Rebecca Henderson discusses what she calls the paradigmatic case: how Wal-mart takes huge risks, makes great strides, and demonstrates how companies are one of the few instruments humanity has for changing the world at scale, for better or for worse. 

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Walmart: Changing the World for Better or Worse?

Re: Rebecca M. Henderson

Can big companies fix big problems? Are they responsible for doing so? As the third-largest employer in the world, any move Wal-mart makes reverberates around the globe. Yet despite its many successes and innovations, particularly in terms of sustainability, the company often faces criticism for its business practices. Professor Rebecca Henderson discusses what she calls the paradigmatic case: how Wal-mart takes huge risks, makes great strides, and demonstrates how companies are one of the few instruments humanity has for changing the world at scale, for better or for worse. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

The Key to Keeping Resolutions? Betting Against Yourself

Re: Leslie K. John

It’s been a few months since many of us made New Year’s resolutions. Have you stuck with yours? Professor Leslie John studies how to help people change bad habits (and reinforce good ones) by looking at what makes them tick. Here, she discusses stickK, an application that motivates people by forcing them to put skin in the game of self-improvement. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

A Map for Economic Renewal Begins in Maine

Re: Karen Mills

Maine has had one of the worst state economies in the country the last few years. But something special is happening there of late that could change the face of job creation in the future. Senior fellow Karen Mills, the former administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration under President Obama, explains her new case on the Maine Food Cluster Project, including the role catalytic philanthropy and cluster initiatives can play in reenergizing struggling business sectors. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

The Team Sport of Scaling a Business

Re: Lynda M. Applegate

For entrepreneurs, size and scale don’t have to come at the cost of agility. Fabricio Bloisi, a 21-year-old Brazilian college graduate, proved that with his company Movile. Professor Lynda Applegate discusses how with the right blend of talent, ambition, and teamwork, a company can become an international powerhouse and still remain nimble and true to its roots. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

For Today’s Travel Businesses, Is It TripAdvisor or Bust?

Research says that 85 percent of people will make a purchase after reading online reviews about a product or service. This has had huge implications for the hotel industry and helps explain why TripAdvisor, a massive repository of user-generated reviews, was the most-visited travel website in the world in 2013. Associate Professor Thales Teixeira discusses TripAdvisor’s staggering success, how the company has forced an entire industry to change the way it considers (and purposefully influences) the online review process, and how consumers navigate that sea of reviews. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

The Amazing Life of One of America’s Earliest Black, Female Entrepreneurs

Re: Nancy F. Koehn

Though not everyone may know her name, Madam C.J. Walker helped invent what have become staples of our modern country and economy: entrepreneurship, national sales forces, and corporate social responsibility, says Nancy Koehn. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

The Space Shuttle Columbia’s Final Mission

Re: Amy C. Edmondson

No organization wants to fail. But even for the best and the brightest, failure is inevitable, and occasionally that failure can be catastrophic. Professor Amy Edmondson describes her experience writing and teaching a case on the Columbia space shuttle’s final mission, including the organizational challenges within NASA that contributed to it, and the lessons that can be taken from the tragedy. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

The Power of Presence at the Podium

Running for office requires a lot of public speaking. But often, it’s what candidates aren’t saying that can make or break their campaigns. Take the case of Dan Silver, an experienced congressional candidate that leaves voters cold despite his eminent qualifications. With the help of KNP Communications, Silver is forced to watch himself at the podium and makes some profound discoveries. Professor Amy Cuddy delves into this fascinating case and the importance of body language, believing in your own story, and how to put your best self forward. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

A Microchip in Your Medicine

Re: Richard G. Hamermesh

Digitally-enabled prescription medication may sound futuristic. Thanks to Proteus, the future is now. The company has developed the technology to place microchips inside prescription pills, allowing doctors to retrieve real-time updates on everything from dosing, to vital signs, to the efficacy of different medications. However, regulating and marketing such ground-breaking technology is almost as complicated as the medical conditions it can help cure. Professor Richard Hamermesh unpacks the challenges of changing the world of medicine. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Designing a Great Community

Re: Karim R. Lakhani

Threadless has built its sizeable t-shirt retailing business by enabling its users to both design and purchase its products. But its greatest strength once presented its biggest challenge: how do you manage an online community that is 500,000-strong? Professor Karim Lakhani discusses the difficulty of hosting a city’s worth of virtual users and designers, the importance of transparency, and the lessons the Threadless case has to offer on enabling (and funding) innovation. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Planning Change: Lessons from the World of Retail

Re: Das Narayandas

Ron Johnson’s career path has featured stops at some of the world’s largest and most innovative retailers, including Target, Apple, and J.C. Penney. At each stop, Johnson learned invaluable lessons like how to build on success, how to keep growing as an individual, and how to embrace missteps. Professor Das Narayandas examines Johnson’s career trajectory and discusses the importance of personal accountability and creative planning in the rapidly-changing world of retail. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Leadership from Below

Re: Rohit Deshpande

Lessons for leaders from the heroic and selfless acts of the Taj Palace staff during the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

A Hard Sell: Bringing Cultured Beef to Market

Tissue culture beef could revolutionize the meat industry. But how do you market against the “yuck factor?" Open for comment; 0 Comments.

The Long Run: the Impact of Brain Injuries on the NFL

Re: Richard G. Hamermesh

Today’s NFL is fast-paced and hard-hitting. Though players are well-compensated, many wonder about the long-term cost of those violent collisions on the athletes, the league, and culture at large. Harvard Business School Professor Richard Hamermesh discusses those implications and his case “The National Football League and Brain Injuries” on the latest episode of Cold Call. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Bringing "Moneyball" to the NBA

Re: Frances X. Frei

Are people better off as a result of your presence? Leadership lessons from basketball, the ultimate team sport. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Making the Case for a New Kind of Classroom

Re: John Jong-Hyun Kim

There are no grade levels, no official start time, and teachers get stock options. Is AltSchool the school of the future? Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Dangerous Mines: Saving Lives through Leadership

Cynthia Carroll’s breathtaking story about taking decisive action in the face of a complex and dangerous situation. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Cold Calling Stella McCartney

With her unique leadership style and innovative approach to green fashion, Stella McCartney shows that a luxury brand can be sustainable. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Innovating in the Feminine Care Market

Re: Rembrand M. Koning

Founded in 2014, Thinx, Inc. makes absorbent underwear that can be worn during menstruation. But the feminine care market had seen virtually no innovation in half a century because of the taboo against discussing the topic of menstruation. As a result, the startup was competing against large incumbents like Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson. Can CEO Maria Molland (MBA 2002) lead a marketing strategy that confronts those taboos in order to bring innovation to the feminine care market? Assistant Professor Rembrand Koning examines these strategic marketing challenges and discusses the importance of removing taboos and biases in order to bring innovation to the feminine care market in his case, “Thinx, Inc.—Breaking Barriers in Feminine Care.” Open for comment; 0 Comments.