Publications
- May-June 2015
- Human Resource Management
Back to the Future: Implications for the Field of HRM of the Multi-stakeholder Perspective Proposed 30 Years Ago
Abstract—Thirty years on from the seminal work Managing Human Assets (MHA) by Beer et al., we examine how the subject has developed. We offer a normative review, based on that model, and we critique the assumption that the business of HRM is solely to improve returns to owners and shareholders. We identify the importance of a wider view of stakeholders to practitioners and how academic studies on the periphery of HRM are beginning to adopt such a view. We argue that the HRM studies so far have given us much valuable learning but that the subject has now reached a point where we need to take a wider, more contextual, more multilayered approach founded on the long-term needs of all relevant stakeholders. The original Beer et al. model remains a valuable guide to the next 30 years of HRM.
Publisher's link: http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=49360
- Forthcoming
- Innovation Policy and the Economy
Innovation Experiments: Researching Technical Advance, Knowledge Production and the Design of Supporting Institutions
Abstract—No abstract available.
Publisher's link: http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=49361
Abstract—Google Flu Trends article of November 2008 heralded a new age for big data where it is possible to leverage the vast amount of data to speak for itself, without theory or expert knowledge of the subject matter. However, in a short span, the pendulum swung from big data being a big deal to becoming a big hype. As is usually the case, the truth is somewhere between these two extremes. This article highlights the potential impact of big data on business practices in three broad areas: applications, methods, and infrastructure.
Publisher's link: http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=49346
- In press
- Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
Hormones and Ethics: Understanding the Biological Basis of Unethical Conduct
Abstract—Globally, fraud has been rising sharply over the last decade, with current estimates placing financial losses at greater than $3.7 trillion dollars annually. Unfortunately, fraud prevention has been stymied by lack of a clear and comprehensive understanding of its underlying causes and mechanisms. In this paper, we focus on an important but neglected topic-the biological antecedents and consequences of unethical conduct-using salivary collection of hormones (testosterone and cortisol). We hypothesized that pre-performance cortisol would interact with pre-performance levels of testosterone to regulate cheating behavior in two studies. Further, based on the previously untested cheating-as-stress-reduction hypothesis, we predicted a dose-response relationship between cheating and reductions in cortisol and negative affect. Taken together, this research marks the first foray into the possibility that endocrine system activity plays an important role in the regulation of unethical behavior.
Publisher's link: http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=49337
- May-June 2015
- NACD Directorship
Higher-Ambition CEOs Need Higher-Ambition Boards
Abstract—The authors opine that ambitious chief executives (CEOs) of corporations need corporate boards that are also ambitious and accommodative of them. According to the authors, good corporate governance and financial performance are the main requirements for good board-CEO relations. Topics including CEO recruitment and succession are discussed.
Publisher's link: http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=49358
- 2014
- Research in Organizational Behavior
Morality Rebooted: Exploring Simple Fixes to Our Moral Bugs
Abstract—Ethics research developed partly in response to calls from organizations to understand and solve unethical behavior. Departing from prior work that focused mainly on examining the antecedents and consequences of dishonesty, we examine two approaches to mitigating unethical behavior: (1) values-oriented approaches that broadly appeal to individuals' preferences to be more moral and (2) structure-oriented approaches that redesign specific incentives, tasks, and decisions to reduce temptations to cheat in the environment. This paper explores how these approaches can change behavior. We argue that integrating both approaches while avoiding incompatible strategies can mitigate the risk of adverse effects that arise from taking a single approach.
Publisher's link: http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=49334
Working Papers
Selling to a Moving Target: Dynamic Marketing Effects in U.S. Presidential Elections
Abstract—We examine the effects of various political campaign activities on voter preferences in the domain of U.S. Presidential elections. We construct a comprehensive data set that covers the three most recent elections, with detailed records of voter preferences at the state-week level over an election period. We include various types of the most frequently utilized marketing instruments: two forms of advertising-candidate's own and outside advertising, and two forms of personal selling-retail campaigning and field operations. Although effectiveness varies by instrument and party, among the significant effects we find that a candidate's own advertising is more effective than outside advertising, and that advertising and retail campaigning work more favorably towards Republican candidates. In contrast, we find field operations to be more effective for Democratic candidates, primarily through get-out-the-vote efforts. We do not find any between-party differences in the effectiveness of outside advertising. Lastly, we also find a moderate but statistically significant carryover effect of campaign activities, indicating the presence of dynamics of marketing efforts over time.
Download working paper: http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=49339
Cases & Course Materials
- Harvard Business School Case 715-016
The Sino-Russian Rapprochement: Energy Relations in a New Era
The United States could enhance or threaten China's energy security, but China was unsure of the U.S. intentions. China and the United States were both friends and potential foes. In the meantime, Russia's own ambivalent relationship with the United States and its Western allies has worsened. In this context, China and Russia have grown closer. Bilateral ties in the energy trade quickly improved: Russian oil exports expanded, while disagreements on the terms of natural gas supplies have been resolved. The case describes the impact of the interplay of great power politics, domestic political considerations, and economic factors on the efforts of the Chinese and Russian energy companies to expand business ties.
Purchase this case:
https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/715016-PDF-ENG
- Harvard Business School Case 915-417
Key Elements for Excellence in Classroom Cases and Teaching Notes
No abstract available.
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https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/915417-PDF-ENG
- Harvard Business School Case 315-109
Pearson Affordable Learning Fund
An in-house venture capital fund for affordable private schools at the base of the pyramid established by Pearson, the world's largest education company, PALF sought to invest in business models providing superior educational outcomes in emerging markets on a profitable and scalable basis. With Pearson's overall strategy shifting from the developed to the developing world and from a supplier of books to a host of other learning products and services, the company thought PALF's lessons might be applicable to Pearson's core businesses. By 2014, Katelyn Donnelly, the managing director of PALF, and her team had made seven investments in Africa and Asia and were close to fully committing the $15 million earmarked for the initiative. In the upcoming meeting of PALF's Investment Committee, Donnelly must present a recommendation: should Pearson allocate more internal money to the fund, or should they open it up to third party investors?
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https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/315109-PDF-ENG
- Harvard Business School Case 215-038
The Complexity of Vanguard's Entry Decision into ETFs (A)
No abstract available
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https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/215038-PDF-ENG
- Harvard Business School Case 615-052
Transforming Care at UnityPoint Health-Fort Dodge
This case details the transformation of a health care delivery system, UnityPoint Health-Fort Dodge, into a Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) after the passage of health reform in the United States. The case explores in detail how the hospital CEO and staff designed and implemented new models of care delivery and built relationships across health care delivery settings in an effort to better coordinate patient care and lower health care costs. Using patient stories, care delivery prior to the formation of the ACO is compared to care delivery after the formation of the ACO. Three novel programs that were cornerstones to transformation efforts are highlighted: 1) reducing readmissions, 2) creating advanced medical teams, and 3) creating a palliative care program.
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https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/615052-PDF-ENG
- Harvard Business School Case PEL-073
Between Compliance and Support: The Role of the Commonwealth in District Takeovers
No abstract available
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https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/PEL073-PDF-ENG
- Harvard Business School Case 515-102
AIP Healthcare Japan: Investing in Japan's Retirement Home Market
The CEO of a health-care based REIT is considering alternative nursing home investment strategies. Students must consider macro-industry trends, scale and scope issues, and consumer segmentation data in making their recommendations.
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https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/515102-PDF-ENG