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New research on business and management strategy from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including strategy development, execution, and gauging effectiveness.
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What Football Firings Teach Managers About Staying Relevant

by Boris Groysberg, Sarah Abbott, and Katherine Connolly Baden

Many executives are confident they can retain their skills over time. Experience shows they are wrong. Just look at the National Football League's "Black Monday" for proof, says Boris Groysberg. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Everyone Knows Innovation is Essential to Business Success—Except Board Directors

by Michael Blanding

In a recent survey of 5,000 board members, innovation was not ranked high on their list of priorities. What are they not seeing? ask Boris Groysberg and Yo-Jud Cheng. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Using Fintech to Disrupt Eastern Bank from Within

Re: Karen Mills

When Eastern Bank decided to battle a threat from new competitors, it hired a fintech executive to set up Eastern Labs and start innovating. Karen Mills discusses her case study on what happened next. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

On Target: Rethinking the Retail Website

by Dina Gerdeman

Target is one big-brand retailer that seems to have survived and even thrived in the apocalyptic retail landscape. What's its secret? Srikant Datar discusses the company's relentless focus on online data. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

E-Santa: Is Retail Ready for Digital Christmas?

by Sean Silverthorne

The retail industry is in such a spin over multichannel strategy, mall closings, and big brand shutterings, to name a few pressures, that even Santa can't keep track of it all. Here is recent Harvard Business School research on digital trends shaping how we shop and sell. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Product Quality and Entering Through Tying: Experimental Evidence

by Hyunjin Kim and Michael Luca

This study empirically explores Google’s decision to tie its new reviews product to the top of its search results, excluding competitors. Results suggest that such "tying" can facilitate dominant platforms’ entry into adjacent markets, even when the tied product is of worse quality compared to existing options.

Opportunistic Returns and Dynamic Pricing: Empirical Evidence from Online Retailing in Emerging Markets

by Chaithanya Bandi, Antonio Moreno, Donald Ngwe, and Zhiji Xu

Dynamic pricing is widely applied in industries like airline ticketing, ride-sharing, and online retailing. This paper identifies two downsides of dynamic pricing: opportunistic returns and strategic choice of payment method. The impact can be significant and has implications for managers and researchers.

Baseball’s Billy Beane Shows Companies the Power of Data

Re: Srikant M. Datar

With a relatively small payroll, the Oakland A's baseball team remains competitive by being smarter about data. Srikant Datar discusses the "Moneyball" strategy and how it can be applied in business. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Towards a New Approach for Upgrading Europe’s Competitiveness

by Christian Ketels and Michael E. Porter

Is the EU’s model of European integration a driver or a barrier towards higher European prosperity? This paper analyzes why the integration model that was successful in the past has lost effectiveness, and sets out strategic principles to guide a new approach. Integration remains key for upgrading European competitiveness, but needs to move towards a new form.

UK Competitiveness after Brexit

by Christian Ketels and Michael E. Porter

This paper discusses the UK’s economic performance and policy approach in the run-up to the June 2016 Brexit referendum, analyzes the impact of European Union membership and loss of membership on UK competitiveness, and sets forth a new strategic agenda to enhance UK competitiveness in the post-Brexit era.

Developing a Strategy for the Digital World

by Sean Silverthorne

A new book by Sunil Gupta, "Driving Digital Strategy," explores how traditional businesses can make the leap into the digital age. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Bargain Hunters Beware: A Store's 'Original Price' Might Not Be After All

by Michael Blanding

Retailers often compare a "sale" price to the original price. Donald Ngwe says consumers should be skeptical of those original prices — and so should regulators. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Supersmart Manufacturing Tools are Lowering Prices on TVs, Bulbs, and Solar Panels

by Sean Silverthorne

Electronics manufacturers are finding it increasingly difficult to stay ahead of low-cost competitors, says Willy Shih. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Henry Kissinger's Lessons for Business Negotiators

by Sean Silverthorne

Much has been written about Henry Kissinger the diplomat and United States secretary of state, but surprisingly little about Kissinger the dealmaker. A trio of Harvard scholars remedies that with Kissinger the Negotiator: Lessons from Dealmaking at the Highest Level. Co-author James Sebenius discusses what business negotiators can learn. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

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

Re: Rohit Deshpande

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.

In America, Immigrants Really Do Get the Job Done

by Michael Blanding

Far from being a drain on the US economy, William Kerr’s research finds immigrants are a driver of innovation and entrepreneurship. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Complex Disclosure

by Ginger Zhe Jin, Michael Luca, and Daniel Martin

This study shows that companies looking to hide unfavorable information might strategically be making contract terms unnecessarily complex, harming consumers and undermining the effectiveness of disclosure. These results highlight a role for regulation that would encourage simpler forms of disclosure.

Should Intellectual Property be Protected in International Trade?

by James Heskett

SUMMING UP To do business in China, American firms often lose some of their intellectual property. James Heskett's readers think that price is too high. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Should Retailers Match Their Own Prices Online and in Stores?

by Dina Gerdeman

For multichannel retailers, pricing strategy can be difficult to execute and confusing to shoppers. Research by Elie Ofek and colleagues offers alternative approaches to getting the price right. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

How a Coal Polluter Became a Renewable Energy Leader

Re: Mark R. Kramer

Enel, Italy’s state-owned power company, was one of Europe’s largest coal users and polluters. Now it is recognized as a leader in renewable energy services. Mark Kramer discusses how CEO Francesco Starace drove the huge strategy shift. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.