Working Knowledge
Business Research for Business Leaders
Filter Results: (131) Arrow Down

EthicsRemove Ethics →

New research on ethics and principles from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including white-collar crime, activist CEOs, and group loyalty.
Page 1 of 131 Results →

Firing McDonald’s Easterbrook: What Could the Board Have Done Differently?

by James Heskett

Letting a senior leader go is one of the biggest—and most fraught—decisions for a corporate board. Consider the recent CEO scandal and legal wrangling at McDonald's, says James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Truth Be Told: Unpacking the Risks of Whistleblowing

by April White

The stakes are high for employees who report potential malfeasance at their companies. Aiyesha Dey and Jonas Heese discuss how companies benefit from whistleblowers and steps regulators could take to empower them. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Is the Business World Finally Ready for the Wisdom of Shibusawa?

by Geoffrey Jones and Rei Morimoto

Legendary financier Eiichi Shibusawa advocated for business prosperity that would also benefit society. One hundred years after his death, his message is resonating with a new generation of leaders, say Geoffrey Jones and Rei Morimoto. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

How Newspaper Closures Open the Door to Corporate Crime

by Avery Forman

A study of misbehavior among publicly traded companies illustrates the critical watchdog role that newspapers play, and the problems that arise when publications go out of business. Research by Jonas Heese. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

The Trial of Elizabeth Holmes: Visionary, Criminal, or Both?

by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette

Eugene Soltes explains why the fraud case against the Theranos cofounder isn't as simple as it seems, and why a conviction probably wouldn't deter unethical behavior from others. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Good News for Disgraced Companies: You Can Regain Trust

by Lane Lambert

Companies skilled at building trust focus on four key elements, say Sandra Sucher and Shalene Gupta in their book, The Power of Trust. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Employee Performance vs. Company Values: A Manager’s Dilemma

Re: Nitin Nohria

The Cold Call podcast celebrate its five-year anniversary with a classic case study. Harvard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria discusses the dilemma of how to treat a brilliant individual performer who can't work with colleagues. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Older People Are Less Pessimistic about the Health Risks of COVID-19

by Pedro Bordalo, Katherine B. Coffman, Nicola Gennaioli, and Andrei Shleifer

The pandemic presents a unique opportunity to investigate formation of beliefs about an unprecedented, widespread, and life-threatening event. One finding: COVID-19 makes the prospect of disease and death particularly salient for the young.

Spreading the Health: Americans' Estimated and Ideal Distributions of Death and Health(care)

by Sorapop Kiatpongsan and Michael I. Norton

Across varying political ideologies and income levels, Americans both underestimate the current extent of inequality of mortality and healthcare, and prefer each to be more equally distributed.

Stereotypes and Politics

by Pedro Bordalo, Marco Tabellini, and David Yang

Stereotypes exaggerate true differences across groups. This study identifies factors that shape and distort individuals’ beliefs about others’ political and social attitudes.

When to Apply?

by Katherine Coffman, Manuela Collis, and Leena Kulkarni

Using a series of experiments, the authors studied gender differences in how job-seekers perceive their own qualifications for different opportunities and how this affects their decision to apply. Results suggest that soft touch employer interventions can improve the diversity of applicant pools even if candidate beliefs about their own ability are unchanged.

Activist CEOs Are Rising Up—and Their Customers Are Listening

by Michael Blanding

Are product sales affected by the CEO's stance on political and social issues? Michael Toffel and Aaron Chatterji study how consumers react to vocal chief executives. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Ethics Bots and Other Ways to Move Your Code of Business Conduct Beyond Puffery

by Michael Blanding

Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics allow companies to create more effective codes of business conduct, says Eugene Soltes. But technology isn't the only solution. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Managers, Are You Prepared to Handle Religion in the Workplace?

Re: Derek C. M. van Bever

Managers face growing challenges related to religion in the workplace as religious discrimination claims and monetary settlements increase. Derek van Bever discusses two examples that made their way to the US Supreme Court. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Rehabilitating Corporate Purpose

by Malcolm S. Salter

Shareholder value maximization has become the de facto expression of the institutional purpose guiding many managers’ decision making. The author proposes an alternative, justice-based guideline for corporate purpose based on established moral and organizational principles.

What Should the Leadership of YouTube Do?

by James Heskett

SUMMING UP Readers comment on how YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki should solve its “sustainability” versus "respectability" problem. What should YouTube do? asks James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Can Mark Zuckerberg Rebuild Trust in Facebook?

Re: Josefin Meyer

Bill George discusses his case study, "Facebook Confronts a Crisis of Trust," including why Zuckerberg handled the crisis as he did, the role of companies in protecting privacy, and the pros and cons of regulation. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

What’s the Antidote to Surveillance Capitalism?

by James Heskett

SUMMING UP: As companies increasingly build business models around our personal data, what can be done to fight back? James Heskett's readers suggest there are no easy answers. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

These 4 CEOs Created a New Standard of Leadership

by Bill George

At the height of the 2008 financial crisis, these four corporate leaders stepped forward—and changed how we think of leadership forever, says Bill George. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Women Receive Harsher Punishment at Work Than Men

by Michael Blanding

Women caught in misconduct were 20 percent more likely to be fired and 30 percent less likely to find new employment in the financial services industry, reports new research by Mark Egan and colleagues. Open for comment; 0 Comments.