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Spatial Agglomeration and Superstar Firms: Firm-level Patterns from Europe and US

by Laura Alfaro, Maggie X. Chen, and Harald Fadinger

Large, productive, or internationalized firms tend to co-locate geographically. This study of the United States and Eurozone shows greater agglomeration around high performance plants, particularly multinationals. For policymakers, then, policies aimed at improving industry performance should pay attention to firm productivity distribution and not only focus on average performance.

The Manager's Guide to Leveraging Disruption

by Sean Silverthorne

Clayton M. Christensen's seminal book, The Innovator's Dilemma, helped ignite the idea of innovative disruption. His Harvard Business School colleagues have been adding to innovation research ever since. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Case Histories of Significant Medical Advances

by Amar Bhidé, Srikant M. Datar, and Katherine Stebbins

Nine working papers by Srikant M. Datar and colleagues explore technologies pioneered during the late 20th century that US internists say have greatly improved patient care.

How Scale Changes a Manager's Responsibilities

by Julia Austin

As small companies grow to around 100 employees, the skills of their managers are challenged in new ways. Julia Austin describes how leaders themselves must scale. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Varieties of Outward Chinese Capital: Domestic Politics Status and Globalization of Chinese Firms

by Meg Rithmire

Most popular and scholarly writing about China’s global push overemphasizes the power of the state. This paper explains how three types of domestic Chinese capital—state capital, private capital, and crony capital—differ in political vulnerability and pursue globalization in different ways. All prefer capital openness, but they do so for different reasons.

Big Infrastructure May Not Always Produce Big Benefits

by Martha Lagace

Government spending on bridges, roads, and other infrastructure pieces does not always ignite economic good times, say William Kerr and Ramana Nanda. The key question: Are financiers nearby? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Super Bowl Ads Sell Products, but Do They Sell Brands?

Re: Shelle M. Santana

Super Bowl advertising is increasingly about using storytelling to sell corporate brands rather than products. Shelle Santana discusses why stories win (or fumble) on game day. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Field-Level Paradox and the Co-Evolution of an Entrepreneurial Vision

by Ryan Raffaelli and Richard DeJordy

Swiss watchmaking embodies the classic strategic paradox created by the introduction of new technology: the choice between resisting and defending, or embracing and prospecting. This paper offers a model for how fields and organizational leaders experiencing similar paradoxes can adapt to environmental change while still preserving valuable aspects of their past success.

Has the Twitter Age Left the Case Method Behind?

by James Heskett

SUMMING UP: Is the business case study method outmoded? James Heskett's readers are divided on whether the case is ripe for replacement. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Distressed Employees? Try Resilience Training

by Dina Gerdeman

Depressed employees are up to five times more likely to experience work-related problems than employees with chronic physical illnesses. So why aren't employers helping them? asks Ashley Whillans. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

‘Organizing’, ‘Innovating’, and ‘Managing’ in Complexity Space

by Michael C. Moldoveanu

This paper explores organizational complexity by proposing a two-dimensional framework to help us understand organizational coping mechanisms and failure modes. The framework makes it possible to ask new questions about organizational adaptations to complexity that investigate its underlying structure and dynamics.

How Companies Benefit When Employees Work Remotely

by Kristen Senz

Letting independent workers choose their locations can boost companies, employees, and even the economy, according to research by Prithwiraj Choudhury and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Does Facebook's Business Model Threaten Our Elections?

by George Riedel

America's 2016 presidential election was the target of voter manipulation via social media, particularly on Facebook. George Riedel thinks history is about to repeat itself. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Can These Business Students Motivate Londoners to Do the Right Thing?

by Dina Gerdeman

In the Harvard Business School course Behavioral Insights, students work in the UK with psychology experts to understand what motivates consumers and workers. What they learn can help businesses of all types, says Michael Luca. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

How to Be a Digital Platform Leader

by Martha Lagace

The most valuable companies in the world have one thing in common: all are leaders in the platform economy. In a new book, David Yoffie and colleagues identify key strategies and tactics for success on digital platforms. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Why Do User Communities Matter for Strategy?

by Sonali K. Shah and Frank Nagle

Communities of users are shaping the industrial landscape and contributing to the innovations we use every day. The effects of user communities on firms, industries, and society will continue to grow. This article discusses the relationship between user communities and firms to shed light on avenues for future research in business strategy.

The Internet of Things Needs a Business Model. Here It Is

by Michael Blanding

Companies have struggled to find the right opportunities for selling the Internet of Things. Rajiv Lal says that’s all about to change. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Juul's Mission: Convince 1 Billion Smokers to Switch Habits

Mike Toffel discusses the controversial rise of Juul vaping products, which have become a cigarette alternative for adult smokers and a growing concern among parents of teens. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Many Executives Are Afraid of Finance. Here's How They Can Gain Confidence

by Dina Gerdeman

Mihir Desai explains how managers can increase their understanding of how finance works. EXCERPT: Three valuation mistakes to avoid. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Deconstructing 'Customer Experience'

by Sean Silverthorne

Providing great customer service is no longer the responsibility of just one department. Today it's called "customer experience," and everyone in the company is responsible for exceeding expectations. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.