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    • COVID-19 Business Impact Center
      COVID-19 Business Impact Center
      Cold Call
      A podcast featuring faculty discussing cases they've written and the lessons they impart.
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      • 02 Mar 2021
      • Cold Call Podcast

      Can Historic Social Injustices be Addressed Through Reparations?

      Survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre and their descendants believe historic social injustices should be addressed through reparations. Professor Mihir Desai discusses the arguments for and against reparations in response to the Tulsa Massacre and, more broadly, to the effects of slavery and racist government policies in the US in his case, “The Tulsa Massacre and the Call for Reparations.”  Open for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.

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      Social EnterpriseRemove Social Enterprise →

      New research on social enterprise and other nonprofit organizations from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including management strategies, demonstrating effectiveness, and employee motivation.
      Page 1 of 125 Results →
      • 02 Feb 2021
      • Working Paper Summaries

      Nonprofits in Good Times and Bad Times

      by Christine L. Exley, Nils H. Lehr, and Stephen J. Terry

      Tax returns from millions of US nonprofits reveal that charities do not expand during bad times, when need is the greatest. Although they are able to smooth the swings of their activities more than for-profit organizations, nonprofits exhibit substantial sensitivity to economic cycles.

      • 11 Jan 2021
      • Working Paper Summaries

      Accounting for Product Impact in the Airlines Industry

      by George Serafeim and Katie Trinh

      A systematic methodology for measuring product impact can be applied across a range of industries. Examining two competitor companies in the airlines industry, this study finds that analyzing each dimension of product impact allows for deeper understanding of each company’s business strategies.

      • 05 Jan 2021
      • Cold Call Podcast

      Using Behavioral Science to Improve Well-Being for Social Workers

      For child and family social workers, coping with the hardships of children and parents is part of the job. But that can cause a lot of stress. Is it possible for financially constrained organizations to improve social workers’ well-being using non-cash rewards, recognition, and other strategies from behavioral science? Assistant Professor Ashley Whillans describes the experience of Chief Executive Michael Sanders’ at the UK’s What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care, as he led a research program aimed at improving the morale of social workers in her case, “The What Works Centre: Using Behavioral Science to Improve Social Worker Well-being.” Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

      • 14 Dec 2020
      • Working Paper Summaries

      Nonprofit Boards: It is Time to Lift Your Gaze and See the System

      by Shamal Dass, Kristy Muir, and V. Kasturi Rangan

      Not every organization should attempt to solve problems at a system level, but can become more aware of systemic issues, ensuring that solutions dovetail into the macrosystem for best collective impact.

      • 26 May 2020
      • Cold Call Podcast

      Can the ‘Cummings Way’ Live On after the Founder Retires?

      After 50 years at the helm of Cummings Properties, billionaire and philanthropist Bill Cummings is contemplating retirement. Christina R. Wing and Cummings discuss what's next for both the family business and foundation that he built. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

      • 08 May 2020
      • In Practice

      Nonprofits Hurt by COVID-19 Must Hoard Cash to Hold On

      by Danielle Kost

      Experts from Harvard Business School's Social Enterprise Initiative offer advice to nonprofits struggling to survive the coronavirus pandemic. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

      • 26 Sep 2019
      • Research & Ideas

      What Can the World’s Largest Refugee Camp Teach Us About the Meaning of Work?

      by Danielle Kost

      Almost 1 million Rohingya refugees are sinking deeper into despair while sitting idle in a camp they can’t easily leave. But the opportunity to work might provide a resource more scarce than cash: hope. Research by Reshmaan N. Hussam.

      • 18 Sep 2018
      • Working Paper Summaries

      After the Carnival: Key Factors to Enhance Olympic Legacy and Prevent Olympic Sites from Becoming White Elephants

      by Isao Okada and Stephen A. Greyser

      After the Games end, Olympic venues must be used effectively and earn enough revenue to cover large ongoing costs or their owners—local governments and taxpayers—will face deficits. This fieldwork-based research and analysis of stadium use at 10 of the last 12 Summer Olympics sites highlights eight factors for better sustainability.

      • 28 Jun 2018
      • Cold Call Podcast

      L.A. Philharmonic Shows the American Symphony Orchestra Isn’t Dead Yet

      Like many American symphony orchestras, the Los Angeles Philharmonic seemed dying on the vine, unable to attract younger audiences or new sponsors. Then new CEO Deborah Borda came aboard with a plan to revive the brand. Rohit Deshpande discusses his case study on the turnaround. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

      • 25 Jan 2018
      • Cold Call Podcast

      One Love: Managing a Movement Against Relationship Violence

      One Love Foundation is dedicated to the prevention of relationship violence through education. Professor Tom DeLong talks about the challenges CEO Katie Hood faces as the organization works to create a movement and then maintain momentum around community engagement, fundraising, and growth. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

      • 15 Nov 2017
      • Research & Ideas

      How Does a Social Startup Decide to Commercialize? It May Depend on the Founder's Gender

      by Carmen Nobel

      How does the founder of a social venture decide to create a "hybrid" business rather than a traditional nonprofit organization? The decision has a lot to do with the founder’s gender, according to new research by Stefan Dimitriadis, Matthew Lee, Lakshmi Ramarajan, and Julie Battilana. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

      • 19 Oct 2017
      • Research & Ideas

      How Charitable Organizations Can Thwart Excuses for Not Giving

      by Michael Blanding

      Charitable organizations provide all kinds of reasons for donors to give money—but sometimes their messaging does just the opposite, shows research by Christine Exley. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

      • 24 Jul 2017
      • Research & Ideas

      People Have an Irrational Need to Complete 'Sets' of Things

      by Carmen Nobel

      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; Comment(s) posted.

      • 01 Jul 2016
      • Working Paper Summaries

      Entrepreneurs and the Co-Creation of Ecotourism in Costa Rica

      by Geoffrey Jones and Andrew Spadafora

      Costa Rica has grown as a mecca for ecotourism from the late twentieth century. Although biologists and other students of ecosystems and biodiversity were vital at the start of the process, as were conservation NGOs and the national government, this paper argues that entrepreneurs were also pivotal. While showing the benefits of ecotourism, it is also shown that as the industry scaled, there were increasing challenges of greenwashing.

      • 20 May 2016
      • Op-Ed

      World Health Organization Lacks Leadership to Combat Pandemics

      by John Quelch

      When it comes to emergency preparedness for pandemics, the World Health Organization is falling short, argues John A. Quelch. A better solution: The World Bank. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

      • 18 May 2016
      • Cold Call Podcast

      A Better World Through Brewing

      Since brewing is a marketing-driven business, finding ways to differentiate a beverage from its competition is crucial. Heineken’s chief marketing officer took a novel approach: take the complicated processes of production and distribution and make them interesting and important to the consumer. Professor Forest Reinhardt explains how a big, sophisticated company used small details, from trucking routes to the color of refrigerators, to put its commitment to the environment to work on its behalf. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

      • 23 Mar 2016
      • Working Paper Summaries

      Finding Excuses to Decline the Ask

      by Christine Exley & Ragan Petrie

      An online experiment by Christine L. Exley and Ragan Petrie involving 6,000 potential donors to animal-rescue charities finds a 22 percent drop in interest in donating when individuals know “the ask” is coming and have time to develop excuses for not contributing. Results imply that nonprofits have a variety of options for better adapting how they solicit funds.

      • 15 Jan 2016
      • Working Paper Summaries

      Incentives for Prosocial Behavior: The Role of Reputations

      by Christine L. Exley

      This study documents how small monetary incentives discourage volunteering when they are public and thus introduce a “greedy” signal. The discouragement from this greedy signal, however, is less pronounced among volunteers with public reputations, or those who are likely known not to be too greedy.

      • 06 Jan 2016
      • Cold Call Podcast

      A Microchip in Your Medicine

      Digitally-enabled prescription medication may sound futuristic. Thanks to Proteus, the future is now. The company has developed the technology to place microchips inside prescription pills, allowing doctors to retrieve real-time updates on everything from dosing, to vital signs, to the efficacy of different medications. However, regulating and marketing such ground-breaking technology is almost as complicated as the medical conditions it can help cure. Professor Richard Hamermesh unpacks the challenges of changing the world of medicine. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

      • 21 Dec 2015
      • Working Paper Summaries

      Wage Elasticities in Working and Volunteering: The Role of Reference Points in a Laboratory Study

      by Christine Exley & Stephen Terry

      Nonprofit organizations often rely on reference points—explicit or implicit targets and goals—to encourage more effort from volunteers. This study finds that effort does tend to cluster around reference levels, so this may be perceived as a very effective strategy. Yet reference levels can potentially backfire: in response to higher volunteer wages or productivity, volunteers may reduce their effort so as to meet the reference level.

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