- 04 Oct 2017
- Book
Five Leaders Forged in Crisis, and What We Can Learn From Them
Business historian Nancy Koehn details the leadership skills of five people forged in crisis: Abraham Lincoln, Ernest Shackleton, Frederick Douglass, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Rachel Carson. Includes book excerpt. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 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; Comment(s) posted.
- 20 Jan 2017
- Research & Ideas
Here’s How Businessman Trump Is Likely to Approach the Presidency
Harvard Business School professors weigh in on how Donald Trump’s nearly 50 years of experience in building a global corporate empire (and zero years of political experience) might shape his approach to leading a nation. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 20 Dec 2016
- Research & Ideas
The 10 Most Popular 'Cold Call' Podcasts
As the year comes to a close, we revisit the Cold Call podcasts that attracted the most listeners in 2016. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 17 Feb 2016
- Cold Call Podcast
The Amazing Life of One of America’s Earliest Black, Female Entrepreneurs
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; Comment(s) posted.
- 25 Aug 2014
- HBS Case
Starbucks Reinvented
Nancy Koehn's new case on the rebirth of Starbucks under Howard Schultz "distills 20 years of my thinking about the most important lessons of strategy, leadership, and managing in turbulence." Closed for comment; 21 Comment(s) posted.
- 20 Jun 2011
- Lessons from the Classroom
Fame, Faith, and Social Activism: Business Lessons from Bono
Many executives struggle to balance work, family, and community, but for rock star Bono the effort is spread across the globe. In the HBS case "Bono and U2," professor Nancy F. Koehn discusses key business lessons to be learned from the famous band. Key concepts include: Take stock of how you are using your funds, your authority, and your people. A leader's mission and purpose isn't static; it evolves. The mission of the CEO should be related to the organization's performance. Who you are and what you stand for as an organization have great relevance to the people who buy your product. Closed for comment; 20 Comment(s) posted.
- 16 Nov 2009
- Research & Ideas
The Times Captures History of American Business
"We are not the first to face what seem like overwhelming challenges," says HBS professor and business historian Nancy F. Koehn. A new volume edited and narrated by Koehn, The Story of American Business: From the Pages of The New York Times, presents more than a hundred timely articles from the 1850s to today. Q&A and book excerpt. Key concepts include: If business leaders are to make sense of the financial crisis and its larger significance, they must have access to both depth and breadth in what they read. Big themes of The Story of American Business include Wall Street, leadership, consumption, the workplace, communications, and transportation. Koehn's narrations distill biography and social, economic, cultural, and business history from the 1850s to today. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 15 Jun 2009
- Research & Ideas
GM: What Went Wrong and What’s Next
For decades, General Motors reigned as the king of automakers. What went wrong? We asked HBS faculty to reflect on the wrong turns and missed opportunities of the former industry leader, and to suggest ideas for recovery. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 20 Aug 2008
- Op-Ed
The Time is Right for Creative Capitalism
Bill Gates has it right. Business is the most powerful force for change in the world right now and gives the idea of creative capitalism real power, writes Harvard Business School Professor Nancy F. Koehn. Open for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 25 Jun 2007
- Research & Ideas
HBS Cases: Beauty Entrepreneur Madam Walker
She may have been the first self-made African American millionaire. Born of emancipated slaves, Madam C.J. Walker traveled from the cotton fields to business fame as a purveyor of hair-care products that offered beauty and dignity. Harvard Business School's Nancy F. Koehn and Katherine Miller explain what motivated her triumph. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 20 Feb 2006
- HBS Case
Oprah: A Case Study Comes Alive
Writing a business case on the icon of daytime television and chief executive of a major media empire was challenge enough for HBS professor Nancy Koehn and colleagues. Oprah Winfrey's visit to campus to talk with graduating students made it ample reward. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 18 Apr 2005
- Research & Ideas
Selling Luxury to Everyone
Few retailing segments have been as hot in the past several years as luxury goods. Even as middle-priced stores have struggled, luxury goods and luxury brands have, in many cases, outperformed the rest of retail. How? Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 16 Aug 2004
- Research & Ideas
Luxury Isn’t What It Used to Be
The $60 billion global luxury goods market’s most recognizable brands—Thomas Pink, Steuben, Godiva, among them—are refreshing products and creating lower-priced lines. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 04 Aug 2003
- Research & Ideas
Shackleton: An Entrepreneur of Survival
Polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton is the subject of a new HBS case study. Professor Nancy F. Koehn discusses lessons for leaders from the voyage of the Endurance. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 23 Jun 2003
- Research & Ideas
Historically Speaking: A Roundtable at HBS
Harvard Business School faculty Richard S. Tedlow, Alfred D. Chandler, Nancy F. Koehn, and Debora L. Spar discuss the different research paths they took leading to their most recent publications. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 20 Jan 2003
- Research & Ideas
Fixing Corporate Governance: A Roundtable Discussion at Harvard Business School
Bad business practices on a huge scale have made corporate governance Topic A of late. In a roundtable discussion, Harvard Business School professors Krishna Palepu, Jay Lorsch, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Nancy Koehn, Brian Hall, and Paul Healy explore guidelines for change. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 18 Nov 2002
- Research & Ideas
Enterprising Women—a History
In conjunction with the major exhibit "Enterprising Women: 250 Years of American Business," the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study recently presented a two-day program entitled Women, Money and Power. Harvard Business School professor Nancy F. Koehn participated in the conference's opening panel—an informal discussion and reflection on the exhibit and its major themes. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 11 Feb 2002
- Research & Ideas
Secrets of the Successful Businesswoman
What are the secrets of successful women in business? In separate keynote talks, Gail McGovern, a recent pick as one of Fortune magazine's fifty most powerful women in corporate America, and HBS professor Nancy F. Koehn laid out the facts. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
The Delicious History of Hershey's Chocolate
Milton Hershey, the candy king, pioneered chocolate treats for the masses. But he also built a controversial company town and what today is one of the richest schools in America. Nancy Koehn discusses Hershey's innovative life and vision. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.