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The Delicious History of Hershey's Chocolate

Re: Nancy F. Koehn

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; 0 Comments.

Five Leaders Forged in Crisis, and What We Can Learn From Them

by Dina Gerdeman

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; 0 Comments.

10 Harvard Business School Research Stories That Will Make Your Mouth Water

by Sean Silverthorne

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.

Here’s How Businessman Trump Is Likely to Approach the Presidency

by Christina Pazzanese

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; 0 Comments.

The 10 Most Popular 'Cold Call' Podcasts

Re: Multiple Faculty

As the year comes to a close, we revisit the Cold Call podcasts that attracted the most listeners in 2016. 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.

Starbucks Reinvented

by Julia Hanna

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; 0 Comments.

Fame, Faith, and Social Activism: Business Lessons from Bono

by Kim Girard

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; 0 Comments.

The Times Captures History of American Business

by Martha Lagace

"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 Comments.

GM: What Went Wrong and What’s Next

by Staff

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 Comments.

The Time is Right for Creative Capitalism

by Nancy Koehn

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 Comments.

HBS Cases: Beauty Entrepreneur Madam Walker

by Martha Lagace

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 Comments.

Oprah: A Case Study Comes Alive

by Martha Lagace

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 Comments.

Selling Luxury to Everyone

by Julie Jette

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 Comments.

Luxury Isn’t What It Used to Be

by Julia Hanna

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 Comments.

Shackleton: An Entrepreneur of Survival

by Martha Lagace

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 Comments.

Historically Speaking: A Roundtable at HBS

by Jim Aisner

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 Comments.

Fixing Corporate Governance: A Roundtable Discussion at Harvard Business School

by Garry Emmons

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 Comments.

Enterprising Women—a History

by Laura Linard

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 Comments.

Secrets of the Successful Businesswoman

by Martha Lagace

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 Comments.