- 29 Sep 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Centrino and the Restructuring of Wi-Fi Supply
This study examines Intel’s launch of Centrino and interprets it as a platform leader’s attempt to restructure a supply chain.
- 20 Aug 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Can Shared Service Delivery Increase Customer Engagement? A Study of Shared Medical Appointments
Shared service delivery means that customers are served in groups rather than individually. Results from a large-scale study of glaucoma follow-up appointments at a major eye hospital indicate that shared service delivery can significantly improve patients’ verbal and non-verbal engagement.
- 02 Aug 2020
- What Do You Think?
Is the 'Experimentation Organization' Becoming the Competitive Gold Standard?
SUMMING UP: Digital experimentation is gaining momentum as an everyday habit in many organizations, especially those in high tech, say James Heskett's readers. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 28 Jul 2020
- Research & Ideas
Racism and Digital Design: How Online Platforms Can Thwart Discrimination
Poor design decisions contribute to racial discrimination on many online platforms. Michael Luca and colleagues offer tips for reducing the risk, used by Airbnb and other companies. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 19 Jul 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Open Source Software and Global Entrepreneurship
Does more activity in open source software development lead to increased entrepreneurial activity and, if so, how much, and in what direction? This study measures how participation on the GitHub open source platform affects the founding of new ventures globally.
- 14 Jul 2020
- Research & Ideas
Restarting Under Uncertainty: Managerial Experiences from Around the World
A survey of 50 companies across countries and industries reveals business leaders are hard at work adapting to the COVID threat. Research by Raffaella Sadun and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 12 Jun 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Corporate Resilience and Response During COVID-19
Investors look for evidence during a market crisis that a company is resilient. This study includes findings that challenge the notion that companies need to adopt practices that hurt their employees because investors want them to do so.
- 11 Jun 2020
- In Practice
Are Digital Organizations Better at Overcoming COVID?
Experts from Harvard Business School's Digital Initiative discuss how technology is helping leading companies gain an edge during the coronavirus pandemic. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 01 Jun 2020
- What Do You Think?
Will Challenged Amazon Tweak Its Retail Model Post-Pandemic?
James Heskett's readers have little sympathy for Amazon's loss of market share during the pandemic. Has the organization lost its ability to learn? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 29 May 2020
- Op-Ed
How Leaders Are Fighting Food Insecurity on Three Continents
The pandemic could almost double the number of people facing food crises in lower-income populations by the end of 2020. Howard Stevenson and Shirley Spence show how organizations are responding. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 25 May 2020
- Research & Ideas
Has Occupational Licensing Outlived Its Usefulness?
A recent study shows that consumers do not value occupational licensing of their contractors or the higher prices they charge. Research by Chiara Farronato. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 18 May 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
No Line Left Behind: Assortative Matching Inside the Firm
This paper studies how buyer relationships influence suppliers' internal organization of labor. The results emphasize that suppliers to the global market, when they are beholden to a small set of powerful buyers, may be driven to allocate managerial skill to service these relationships, even at the expense of productivity.
- 23 Mar 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
The Effects of Hierarchy on Learning and Performance in Business Experimentation
Do senior managers help or hurt business experiments? Analyzing a dataset of more than 6,300 experiments on the A/B/n testing platform Optimizely, this study suggests that involving senior executives in experimentation teams can have surprising consequences.
- 16 Mar 2020
- Research & Ideas
How the Coronavirus Is Already Rewriting the Future of Business
We asked Harvard Business School experts how the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to change business practice. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 17 Feb 2020
- Sharpening Your Skills
How Entrepreneurs Can Find the Right Problem to Solve
Identifying a customer's pain points is the first step for entrepreneurs in developing a new product. Julia Austin offers tips for choosing the right "job to be done." Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 21 Jan 2020
- Cold Call Podcast
China-based Fuyao Glass Considers Manufacturing in the US
Not many Chinese companies open manufacturing facilities in the US, but automotive glass maker Fuyao is considering just that. In a recent case study, Willy Shih examines factors that go into deciding where companies should locate production centers. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 21 Jan 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
The Impact of the General Data Protection Regulation on Internet Interconnection
While many countries consider implementing their own versions of privacy and data protection regulations, there are concerns about whether such regulations may negatively impact the growth of the internet and reduce technology firms’ incentives in operating and innovating. Results of this study suggest limited effects of such regulations on the internet layer.
- 04 Dec 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Intelligent Design of Inclusive Growth Strategies
How companies, working with a catalyst, can redesign supply chains to achieve economic, environmental, and social returns.
- 16 Sep 2019
- Research & Ideas
Crowdsourcing Is Helping Hollywood Reduce the Risk of Movie-Making
Hollywood insiders have created "The Black List," which helps surface good but often overlooked scripts. Does the wisdom of the crowd work at the box office? Research by Hong Luo. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
Where the Cloud Rests: The Economic Geography of Data Centers
This study quantifies how data center managers make a trade-off between the setup and operational costs of running a facility and capturing local demand.