- 03 Jul 2019
- Managing the Future of Work
Expanding access and conveying competencies: How Western Governors University is rethinking higher education
Western Governors University was founded in 1997 to expand access to affordable higher education and to offer instruction grounded in the requirements of the job market. WGU President and HBS alum Scott Pulsipher tells Bill about the school’s innovative online model, which delivers a proficiency-based curriculum to working adults and members of underserved groups. With over 115,000 full-time students, WGU plans to reach an even wider audience. Is this a model for the future?
- 03 Jul 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
The Controversial History of United Fruit
Geoffrey Jones discusses the overthrow of President Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala in 1954 in a US-backed coup supporting United Fruit Company and a key landmark in the history of globalization. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 02 Jul 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Risk-Mitigating Technologies: The Case of Radiation Diagnostic Devices
Changes in risk perception, driven by extensive media coverage of accidents, for example, can be an important driver of innovation and shape the direction of technological progress. Large firms may play an important role in the development and commercialization of risk-mitigating technologies, with important implications for the dynamics of competitive advantage and market structure.
- 01 Jul 2019
- What Do You Think?
Are Super Stretch Goals Only for the Very Young?
SUMMING UP: Super stretch goals can produce audacious results, but they are best left to companies agile enough to execute then, readers say. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 01 Jul 2019
- Research & Ideas
The Airbnb Lesson for Startups? Success Takes More Than Technology
As investors speculate about the timing of an Airbnb IPO, Thales S. Teixeira discusses the analog tactics and economic conditions that helped catapult the company. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 30 Jun 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
The Comprehensive Effects of Sales Force Management: A Dynamic Structural Analysis of Selection, Compensation, and Training
When sales forces are well managed, firms can induce greater performance from them. For this study, the authors collaborated with a major multinational firm to develop and estimate a dynamic structural model of sales employee responses to various management instruments like compensation, training, and recruiting/termination policies.
- 29 Jun 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Infrastructure and Finance: Evidence from India's GQ Highway Network
In India, the Golden Quadrilateral highway network connects four major cities. This study of the relationship between the infrastructure project and development of the local financial sector finds that, in districts along and near the GQ, initial levels of financial development shaped how, and where, infrastructure investment could jumpstart real economic activity.
- 27 Jun 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
The Effect of Payment Choices on Online Retail: Evidence from the 2016 Indian Demonetization
Online sellers in many emerging markets are in the early stages of a shift from cash-based payments to digital payments. Findings from this study of a leading Indian online retailer show that firms may enjoy gains from consumer demand on top of operational gains resulting from payment digitization.
- 27 Jun 2019
- Research & Ideas
Rituals Strengthen Couples. Here’s Why They’re Good for Business, Too
Couples with deliberate rituals feel more satisfied with their relationships, says research by Michael I. Norton and Ximena Garcia-Rada. Can businesses benefit? Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 26 Jun 2019
- Research & Ideas
Why the US-China Tariff Standoff Hurts American Companies More
US exporters have been slashing the prices of goods they sell to China to offset higher trade costs, but Chinese exporters are passing those costs to American companies, research by Alberto F. Cavallo says. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 25 Jun 2019
- Research & Ideas
The Powerful Strategic Tool Companies Should Not Try to Control
3QUESTIONS More executives are tapping user communities for strategic guidance, but productive relationships with fan groups require a nuanced approach, Frank Nagle says. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 25 Jun 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
In the Platform Economy, Upwork Searches for Better Matches in the Cloud
Welcome to the Platform Economy, where business strategists must learn a new form of competition. David Yoffie and Michael Cusumano explain choices facing Upwork, which matches jobs with job hunters in the cloud. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 19 Jun 2019
- Managing the Future of Work
Fried chicken and fresh starts: fair chance hiring as a talent strategy
More people in the US have criminal records than have graduated from college. Joe DeLoss, founder of restaurant chain Hot Chicken Takeover, argues that people with a range of life experiences that previously kept them out of the workforce, like the formerly incarcerated, homeless, and addicted, defy easy categorization. With appropriate management, including clear expectations, relevant benefits, and frequent feedback, he says they can help create productive, stable, and profitable businesses.
- 19 Jun 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Migrant Inventors and the Technological Advantage of Nations
This study provides robust econometric evidence for how immigrant inventors shape the innovation dynamics of their receiving countries. Countries receiving inventors from other nations that specialize in patenting particular technologies are more likely to have a significant increase in patent applications of the same technology.
- 18 Jun 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
Can Khan Academy Scale to Educate Anyone, Anywhere?
Khan Academy is an online global education nonprofit launched by Sal Khan with the audacious mission to “provide a free world-class education for anyone, anywhere.” Professor Bill Sahlman discusses his case study of the company. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 17 Jun 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
The Comprehensive Effects of a Digital Paywall Sales Strategy
Many print media firms are switching to a business model requiring readers to pay for online content. This study of media paywall strategies in the US finds that adopting a digital paywall can lead to positive demand substitution from digital to print channels, particularly for large-sized firms and those with unique content.
- 17 Jun 2019
- Research & Ideas
What Hospitals Must Learn to Compete
3QUESTIONS Why is it so difficult for American health care providers to compete for customers? Raffaella Sadun and Leemore Dafny discuss why health care needs a business strategy. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 12 Jun 2019
- Research & Ideas
Investors Have More Than Money to Offer Entrepreneurs
Running a startup means solving an endless list of problems, and entrepreneurs can be quickly overwhelmed. Where to turn for advice? Julia Austin says look to your investors. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 11 Jun 2019
- Book
These Aren't Beach Books, but Managers Should Read Them Anyway
As you contemplate your summer reading, consider these recent books from Harvard Business School management scholars that can boost your career and improve on-the-ground management skills. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
Walmart's Workforce of the Future
A case study by William Kerr explores Walmart's plans for future workforce makeup and training, and its search for opportunities from digital infrastructure and automation. Open for comment; 0 Comments.