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What History's Biggest Wars Teach Us About Leading in Peace

by Lane Lambert

Deepak Malhotra shares how critical moments in the Peloponnesian War, both World Wars, and the Cuban Missile Crisis offer lessons for business—and life.

Examining Race and Mass Incarceration in the United States

The late 20th century saw dramatic growth in incarceration rates in the United States. Of the more than 2.3 million people in US prisons, jails, and detention centers in 2020, 60 percent were Black or Latinx. Harvard Business School assistant professor Reshmaan Hussam probes the assumptions underlying the current prison system, with its huge racial disparities, and considers what could be done to address the crisis of the American criminal justice system in her case, “Race and Mass Incarceration in the United States.” Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

COVID-19 Shines New Light on Working Conditions in Supply Chains

by Danielle Kost

Michael Toffel discusses how the coronavirus pandemic has renewed concerns about how suppliers treat employees, and how a new online resource can help. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Reaching Today's Omnichannel Customer Takes a New Sales Strategy

by Kristen Senz

For salespeople working harder than ever to stay ahead of customers' evolving buying habits, Frank Cespedes offers timeless advice in his new book, Sales Management That Works. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Auditor Independence and Outsourcing: Aligning Incentives to Mitigate Shilling and Shirking

by Ashley Palmarozzo, Jodi L. Short, and Michael W. Toffel

Firms use external auditors to monitor the quality of difficult-to-observe aspects of their business partners’ performance, including the working conditions of their suppliers. Firms can improve monitoring accuracy by having their own employees conduct some audits, and by rotating across third-party auditing firms.

Private and Social Returns to R&D: Drug Development and Demographics

by Efraim Benmelech, Janice Eberly, Dimitris Papanikolaou, and Joshua Krieger

Research and development (R&D) by pharmaceutical firms focuses disproportionately on medical conditions afflicting the elderly. The proportion of R&D spending targeting older age groups is increasing over time. Even though these investments in R&D prolong life expectancy and improve quality of life, they have little effect on measured productivity and output growth.

Pandemic Self-Care for CEOs: Rituals, Running, and Cognitive Restructuring

by Gamze D. Yucaoglu, Robin Abrahams, and Boris Groysberg

Boris Groysberg and colleagues look at the tactics and techniques that business leaders are leaning on to manage stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

To Fight Climate Change, Should Green Investors Reconsider Big Oil?

by Kristen Senz

Sustainability funds eschew some of the biggest backers of green technology: oil companies. Research by Lauren Cohen offers reasons to re-evaluate the role of traditional energy companies in addressing climate change. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Fostering Authenticity and Employee Engagement at John Deere

As the first Black female factory manager to lead a John Deere plant, Rosalind Fox must figure out how to build relationships with her staff, who are mostly white men. Harvard Business School senior lecturer Tony Mayo discusses the pressure on Fox to assimilate into the dominant culture, her decision to lean into her authentic self, and the deep connection between employee engagement and authenticity in his case, “Rosalind Fox at John Deere.” Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Bollywood, Skin Color, and Sexism: The Role of the Film Industry in Emboldening and Contesting Stereotypes in India after Independence

by Sudev Sheth, Geoffrey Jones, and Morgan Spencer

Analysis of interviews with Bollywood producers and actors shows the extent of biases in the film industry during the decades after India’s independence in 1947. Gender stereotyping has remained a noteworthy feature of films, and bias towards light skin has only intensified.

Information Avoidance and Image Concerns

by Christine L. Exley and Judd B. Kessler

People avoid information that might compel them to behave more generously. While many people avoid information due to concerns about their self-image, there is a substantial role for other reasons, such as inattention and confusion.

Has #MeToo Changed How Hollywood Hires?

by Rachel Layne

Sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein united women in the film industry. But has the message of the #MeToo movement reached men? Research by Hong Luo and colleague. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Developing Resilience on the Path to Becoming a CEO

As a Black female CEO, Shellye Archambeau is no stranger to adversity. Now she faces her most critical leadership decision. The software company she leads, MetricStream, is losing customers, hemorrhaging cash, and struggling to make payroll. Harvard Business School professor Tsedal Neeley discusses Archambeau’s leadership style and the importance of developing resilience, particularly when managing through a crisis, in her case, “Shellye Archambeau: Becoming a CEO.” Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

In the Red: Overdrafts, Payday Lending, and the Underbanked

by Marco Di Maggio, Angela Ma, and Emily Williams

Low-income customers turn to payday lenders and check cashers for basic financial needs when traditional banks push them out of the system through high overdraft fees and other penalties. Reducing overdraft fees improves consumers’ overall financial health and access to cheaper credit.

How to Make the World Better, Not Perfect

by Michael Blanding

If we want to do more good for the world, we must first change how we think about our behavior, says Max Bazerman in his book Better, Not Perfect. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Inside CEOs' Pandemic Worries: Uncertainty, Employees, and Kids

by Gamze D. Yucaoglu, Robin Abrahams, and Boris Groysberg

Boris Groysberg and colleagues peer into the minds of 10 global CEOs trying to steer their businesses through the upheaval of COVID-19. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Using Empathy and Curiosity to Overcome Differences

Bill Riddick, an African-American community leader and counselor, must find a way to bridge the divide between Black and white community leaders, who are on opposing sides of school integration in Durham, North Carolina, in 1971. Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino and Jeffrey Huizinga explain how empathy and curiosity can foster understanding in divisive situations in their case, “Bill Riddick and the Durham S.O.S. Charrette.” Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

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.

Has the New Economy Finally Arrived?

by James Heskett

Economists have long tied low unemployment to inflation. James Heskett considers whether the US economic policy of the past four years has shaken those assumptions. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Hate Crime Increases with Minoritized Group Rank

by Mina Cikara, Vasiliki Fouka, and Marco Tabellini

Attitudes and behaviors toward social categories are not fixed but vary depending on perceived group size and rank. In the United States, an increase in a group’s size-based rank relative to those of other minority groups is associated with greater likelihood of being targeted with hate crimes.