- 12 Dec 2023
- Cold Call Podcast
Can Sustainability Drive Innovation at Ferrari?
When Ferrari, the Italian luxury sports car manufacturer, committed to achieving carbon neutrality and to electrifying a large part of its car fleet, investors and employees applauded the new strategy. But among the company’s suppliers, the reaction was mixed. Many were nervous about how this shift would affect their bottom lines. Professor Raffaella Sadun and Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna discuss how Ferrari collaborated with suppliers to work toward achieving the company’s goal. They also explore how sustainability can be a catalyst for innovation in the case, “Ferrari: Shifting to Carbon Neutrality.” This episode was recorded live December 4, 2023 in front of a remote studio audience in the Live Online Classroom at Harvard Business School.
- 12 Dec 2023
- Research & Ideas
COVID Tested Global Supply Chains. Here’s How They’ve Adapted
A global supply chain reshuffling is underway as companies seek to diversify their distribution networks in response to pandemic-related shocks, says research by Laura Alfaro. What do these shifts mean for American businesses and buyers?
- 11 Dec 2023
- The Parlor Room
Nien-hê Hsieh on Ethical AI, Decision-Making, and Investing
Harvard Business School Professor Nien-hê Hsieh joins host Chris Linnane in The Parlor Room to discuss the proliferation of AI in the workplace and how Theranos' story imparts vital ethical lessons.
- 11 Dec 2023
- Deep Purpose
How Anne Mulcahy Turned Xerox Around – and What Came After
During the 2000s, Anne Mulcahy was faced with the seemingly unsurmountable challenge of saving Xerox, rising to the position of CEO after her predecessor had been unsuccessful. In this retrospective, Mulcahy discusses the leadership lessons she learned, the role she believes CEOs should play in today’s society, and how she’s defining her life post-Xerox.
- 11 Dec 2023
- Research & Ideas
Doing Well by Doing Good? One Industry’s Struggle to Balance Values and Profits
Few companies wrestle with their moral mission and financial goals like those in journalism. Research by Lakshmi Ramarajan explores how a disrupted industry upholds its values even as the bottom line is at stake.
- 06 Dec 2023
- Climate Rising
How Green Hydrogen can Decarbonize Hard-to-Abate Sectors
The third in our series on hard-to-abate sectors, this episode features Jacob Susman, CEO and co-founder of Ambient Fuels, a developer of green hydrogen projects. He describes how green hydrogen can help decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors and which applications are especially promising for green hydrogen solutions. Jacob also describes Ambient’s role in green hydrogen project and infrastructure development, provides career advice, and shares tips to attract early-stage financing. For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org Climate Rising Host: Professor Mike Toffel, Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative Guest: Jacob Susman, CEO and Co-founder at Ambient Fuels
- 05 Dec 2023
- Cold Call Podcast
What Founders Get Wrong about Sales and Marketing
Which sales candidate is a startup’s ideal first hire? What marketing channels are best to invest in? How aggressively should an executive team align sales with customer success? Senior Lecturer Mark Roberge discusses how early-stage founders, sales leaders, and marketing executives can address these challenges as they grow their ventures in the case, “Entrepreneurial Sales and Marketing Vignettes.”
- 05 Dec 2023
- Cold Call Podcast
Tommy Hilfiger’s Adaptive Clothing Line: Making Fashion Inclusive
In 2017, Tommy Hilfiger launched its adaptive fashion line to provide fashion apparel that aims to make dressing easier. By 2020, it was still a relatively unknown line in the U.S. and the Tommy Hilfiger team was continuing to learn more about how to serve these new customers. Should the team make adaptive clothing available beyond the U.S., or is a global expansion premature? Assistant Professor Elizabeth Keenan discusses the opportunities and challenges that accompanied the introduction of a new product line that effectively serves an entirely new customer while simultaneously starting a movement to provide fashion for all in the case, “Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive: Fashion for All.”
- 05 Dec 2023
- Research & Ideas
Are Virtual Tours Still Worth It in Real Estate? Evidence from 75,000 Home Sales
Many real estate listings still feature videos and interactive tools that simulate the experience of walking through properties. But do they help homes sell faster? Research by Isamar Troncoso probes the post-pandemic value of virtual home tours.
- 05 Dec 2023
- Research & Ideas
Lessons in Decision-Making: Confident People Aren't Always Correct (Except When They Are)
A study of 70,000 decisions by Thomas Graeber and Benjamin Enke finds that self-assurance doesn't necessarily reflect skill. Shrewd decision-making often comes down to how well a person understands the limits of their knowledge. How can managers identify and elevate their best decision-makers?
- 04 Dec 2023
- Deep Purpose
Entrepreneur Harsh Shah Debates the Exit Strategy: Is it Selling Out or Building Value?
Harsh Shah and his firm’s co-founders faced a once-in-a-lifetime quandary: should they sell the incredibly successful e-commerce venture they worked so hard to build to a big conglomerate? Reflecting on the circumstances surrounding their acquisition offer, Shah outlines the values that guided their ultimate choice.
- 29 Nov 2023
- Managing the Future of Work
Why employers need to tune in to worker preferences
Sander van’t Noordende, CEO of HR services giant Randstad, on navigating the new normal of talent scarcity, an aging workforce, and AI.
- 28 Nov 2023
- Book
Economic Growth Draws Companies to Asia. Can They Handle Its Authoritarian Regimes?
The efficiency of one-party governments might seem appealing, but leaders need a deep understanding of a country's power structure and "moral economy," says Meg Rithmire. Her book Precarious Ties: Business and the State in Authoritarian Asia explores the delicate relationship between capitalists and autocrats in the region.
- 27 Nov 2023
- The Parlor Room
Jeff Bussgang on the Rise of AI & Raising Venture Capital
HBS Senior Lecturer Jeff Bussgang joins host Chris Linnane in The Parlor Room to discuss the rise of generative AI, how to come up with good business ideas, why experimentation is vital to finding product-market fit, and how to raise venture capital successfully.
- 27 Nov 2023
- Deep Purpose
From Rags to (Shared) Riches: How James Mwangi Democratized Financial Access Across Africa
James Mwangi made a courageous decision to leave a comfortable, big-city banking job to rescue Equity Building Society, a local financial institution on which Kenyan farmers and villagers depended. Under his leadership, the struggling firm transformed into a multi-national conglomerate (Equity Group Holdings) that now serves millions of customers across six African countries. Mwangi explains how he found the fortitude to fight for the financial futures of everyday people.
- 27 Nov 2023
- Research & Ideas
Voting Democrat or Republican? The Critical Childhood Influence That's Tough to Shake
Candidates might fixate on red, blue, or swing states, but the neighborhoods where voters spend their teen years play a key role in shaping their political outlook, says research by Vincent Pons. What do the findings mean for the upcoming US elections?
- 22 Nov 2023
- Climate Rising
CarbonBuilt: Decarbonizing Concrete Blocks
The second episode of our hard-to-abate series features Rahul Shendure, CEO and Director at CarbonBuilt. The company has developed and commercialized a Carbon XPRIZE-winning technology to produce what it calls “ultra low carbon” concrete. We start with the basics of how concrete is such a high-emitting product, then describe how CarbonBuilt’s technology is reducing product costs and emissions by replacing cement with a combination of industrial waste materials and CO2 – often captured directly from industrial sources. Rahul also shares advice for those looking to build careers in climate, particularly in the start-up world. For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org Climate Rising Host: Professor Mike Toffel, Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative Guest: Rahul Shendure, CEO and Director at CarbonBuilt.
- 22 Nov 2023
- Research & Ideas
Humans vs. Machines: Untangling the Tasks AI Can (and Can't) Handle
Are you a centaur or a cyborg? A study of 750 consultants sheds new light on the strengths and limits of ChatGPT, and what it takes to operationalize generative AI. Research by Edward McFowland III, Karim Lakhani, Fabrizio Dell'Acqua, and colleagues.
- 21 Nov 2023
- Cold Call Podcast
Cold Call: Building a More Equitable Culture at Delta Air Lines
In December 2020 Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian and his leadership team were reviewing the decision to join the OneTen coalition, where he and 36 other CEOs committed to recruiting, hiring, training, and advancing one million Black Americans over the next ten years into family-sustaining jobs. But, how do you ensure everyone has equal access to opportunity within an organization? Professor Linda Hill discusses Delta’s decision and its progress in embedding a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion in her case, “OneTen at Delta Air Lines: Catalyzing Family-Sustaining Careers for Black Talent.”
HBS Faculty Books of 2023: Find Happiness, Fix Things, and Fail Well
From authoritarian regimes to social responsibility, we take a look back at some of the new books by Harvard Business School faculty members this year.