- 31 May 2017
- Sharpening Your Skills
10 Harvard Business School Research Stories That Will Make Your Mouth Water
The food industry is under intense study at Harvard Business School. This story sampler looks at issues including restaurant marketing, chefs as CEOs, and the business of food science. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 28 Mar 2017
- First Look
First Look at New Research, March 28
Countering misperceptions about negotiation 'BATNAs' ... A dairy cooperative’s battle with big brands ... 'Hub-and-spoke' flying versus 'out-and-back.'
- 03 Jan 2017
- Research & Ideas
5 New Year's Resolutions You Can Keep (With the Help of Behavioral Science Research)
As 2017 begins, we share some well-researched tips—based on the findings of behavioral economists at Harvard Business School—to help our readers keep some common New Year’s resolutions. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 05 Dec 2016
- Research & Ideas
How To Deceive Others With Truthful Statements (It's Called 'Paltering,' And It's Risky)
Presidential candidates do it. Business leaders do it. You probably do it, too. Paltering is a gentle form of lying, but is reviled by negotiators on the receiving end. Research by Francesca Gino, Michael Norton, and colleagues. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 19 Sep 2016
- Research & Ideas
Why Isn't Business Research More Relevant to Business Practitioners?
There’s a pervasive paradox in academia: Research conducted at business schools often offers no obvious value to people who work in the world of business. Professors and practitioners weigh in on how to enhance the relevance of research. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 30 Aug 2016
- First Look
August 30, 2016
Using time and money to maximize happiness ... Documenting progress vs. process in cancer care ... Tackling the global water crisis.
- 02 Aug 2016
- First Look
August 2, 2016
Can rituals decrease performance anxiety? ... How to attract attention on the internet ... The risk of eliminating what you are known for.
- 20 Jul 2016
- Research & Ideas
Airplane Design Brings Out the Class Warfare in Us All
Air rage is often blamed on overcrowded flights and postage stamp-size seats, but researchers Michael Norton and Katherine A. DeCelles find another culprit: resentment toward passengers in first class. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 10 Feb 2016
- Sharpening Your Skills
Sharpening Your Skills: New Insights into Career Development
When is a job promotion a bad thing? Does networking leave an oily substance on your clothing? From our archives we look at career change in the twenty-first century, where researchers are offering fresh insights into our dynamic workplaces.
- 10 Aug 2015
- Research & Ideas
Why a Federal Rule on CEO Pay Disclosure May Get You In Trouble With Customers
The SEC is expected to adopt a rule requiring every public firm to disclose the ratio of the CEO's salary to the median salary of the firm's employees. And it turns out that customers prefer shopping from retailers with low pay ratios, according to new research by Bhavya Mohan, Michael Norton, and Rohit Deshpandé. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 31 Jul 2015
- Research & Ideas
The Faculty Reader: Who is Reading What This Summer?
What titles made the Harvard Business Faculty short list for summer reading? Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 13 Jul 2015
- Research & Ideas
‘Humblebragging’ is a Bad Strategy, Especially in a Job Interview
While humblebragging runs rampant on Twitter, it's a lousy self-promotion tactic that usually backfires according to recent research by Ovul Sezer, Francesca Gino, and Michael Norton. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 16 Jun 2015
- Working Paper Summaries
Paying Up for Fair Pay: Consumers Prefer Firms with Lower CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratios
The pay ratio of CEOs to average workers has long been a question of interest to both employees and investors. It also matters to consumers, as shown by new research conducted by the authors of this paper. A firm with a high (1000 to 1) ratio needs to offer a 50 percent discount in order to garner as favorable consumer impressions as a firm with a low (5 to 1) pay ratio. Even if pay ratio disclosure does not become legally mandated, these results suggest that firms with low pay ratios relative to competitors may wish to begin to disclose this information voluntarily. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 14 May 2015
- Working Paper Summaries
Humblebragging: A Distinct-and Ineffective-Self-Presentation Strategy
To humblebrag is to make a boast sound like a complaint, as in the example, "It annoys me when people mistake me for a celebrity." Humblebragging is so common in social media and everyday life that one could assume it is an effective self-promotional tactic. Yet five studies show this tactic tends to backfire because it makes other people doubt the sincerity of the humblebragger. Indeed, straightforwardly bragging is the better way to go. The authors of this paper also examine the psychology underlying humblebragging as an impression management tactic and highlight the role of perceived sincerity in impression management. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 10 Nov 2014
- HBS Case
How Restaurants in Lima and Copenhagen Became Best in the World
Harvard Business School professors Anat Keinan, Mukti Khaire, and Michael I. Norton deconstruct ground grasshoppers, upscale Peruvian cuisine, and other surprising elements that create the perfect culinary experience. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 24 Oct 2014
- Working Paper Summaries
Individual Experience of Positive and Negative Growth Is Asymmetric: Global Evidence from Subjective Well-being Data
Are individuals more sensitive to losses than gains in macroeconomic growth? The authors analyze subjective well-being data drawn from three large data sets to investigate whether economic downturns are associated with decreases in individual well-being that are significantly larger than increases in well-being from equivalent upswings. The authors argue that public policy discussions focusing on the benefits of economic growth often overlook and should consider the psychological toll that recessions may create. Key concepts include: Individuals experience losses more acutely than gains in a macroeconomic setting. Recession years are significantly associated with losses in well-being. The question whether people are more sensitive to losses than equivalent gains in economic growth relates to the famous behavioral finding on individual loss aversion that underpins prospect theory (Kahneman and Tversky, 1979). Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 17 Sep 2014
- Sharpening Your Skills
Sharpen Your Negotiation Skills
Everyone negotiates, but few negotiate well. Here is a collection of Working Knowledge articles and faculty working papers that detail some of the the skills needed to negotiate successfully. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 11 Aug 2014
- HBS Case
The Business of Behavioral Economics
Leslie John and Michael Norton explore how behavioral economics can help people overcome bad habits and change for the better. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 14 Jul 2014
- Research & Ideas
Pay Attention To Your ‘Extreme Consumers’
Jill Avery and Michael Norton explain what marketers can learn from consumers whose preferences lie outside of the mainstream. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
People Have an Irrational Need to Complete 'Sets' of Things
People are irrationally motivated to complete arbitrary sets of tasks, donations, or purchases—and organizations can take advantage of that, according to new research by Kate Barasz, Leslie John, Elizabeth Keenan, and Michael Norton. Open for comment; 0 Comments.