Business and society

Twelve lessons on analyzing data, communicating information, and protecting your employees.

The widely held notion of “Japan, Inc.” is exaggerated; there is no monolithic business-government link. Even so, the cooperation (without incorporation) between the large corporate combines and the government bureaucracy is impressive in its strength and focus on the common economic good—especially in view of its achievements worldwide. As the economic power of the United […]

By pooling the resources of the poor and by sharing information, religious and financial institutions can work together to change inner-city economies.

Standardization has been a powerful strategy in consumer markets, but it's reached the point of diminishing returns. And diversity is not the only chink...

Just because leadership feedback is positive doesn't mean it's helpful.

The best change agents almost never realize when it’s time to stop. That’s what makes them so good.

Some countries have solutions in place, but too many don’t.

Even in engineering, competence alone isn't enough.

I was just a year out of college, and interviewing for a sales assistant position at PaineWebber. One of my prospective bosses offered me $24,000. I countered...

Network groups for black and Hispanic employees had been an unqualified success. Now a Christian group was forming—and Bill Thompson didn’t know what to think about it.

A framework to help you understand the backlash and stay true to your values.

Why should that be a surprise?

Comments for this Make Your Case installment are now closed. Thanks to all who participated. This week’s guest commentator, Marshall Goldsmith, has posted his response to your comments and shared some thoughts of his own below. The opening to your cube is darkened by the familiar figure of a longtime colleague. Though you’re his immediate […]

A senior manager at Cisco once suggested to me that there are two types of challenges in organizations - capacity problems and complexity problems. Capacity...

Most experienced negotiators are comfortable working out the terms of an economic contract--they bargain for the best price, haggle over equity splits,...

Lessons from a health care system in Texas.

The federal government can and should play a much bigger role in helping American companies regain the lead in manufacturing. We need to invest a commensurate amount of federal R&D dollars in advanced manufacturing technologies as we do in other areas of science, technology, and engineering. The last administration created an assistant secretary for manufacturing […]

Three mindsets that lead to "nondisruptive creation."

A new feature on LinkedIn represents a cultural shift. But it’s just the start.

Addresses the controversy that surrounds highly promotional retail pricing referred to as "high-low pricing" by the trade. High-low pricing involves setting...

This case addresses the issues of leadership and change management in the process of transforming an industry through an innovative public-private partnership...

On April 12, 2013, Corey Rennell, the founder and CEO of CORE Foods (CF), was faced with the decision of whether or not to withdraw $100,000 worth of...

Xerox Production Manager Jim Deese has to address the concerns of an employee who is uncomfortable with the company's "vision quests," or creative and...

A stock analyst is preparing a recommendation on what his firm, a large U.S. investment house, should do with its stake in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Wal-Mart,...

Provides the court's decision in the May D&F case, and updates the controversy surrounding high-low retail pricing.

The hospital is reviewing its obstetrical services and trying to decide on future strategy relative to communications, pricing and service characteristics....

Gokhan Hotamisligil is a star researcher at Harvard School of Public Health who has made groundbreaking discoveries linking fat cells, inflammation, and...

This case asks students to consider how to prioritize goals when placed in a new leadership role. In August 2014, Meredith "Max" Hodges became the youngest...

Marc Buoniconti is the co-founder of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a nonprofit medical research organization. The project was founded in 1985 by...

In 2023, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV leadership faced a developing crisis in the United States after conservative backlash to a Bud Light promotional campaign...

After years of vigorous denials, on January 14, 2013 Lance Armstrong admitted in a television interview with Oprah Winfrey that he "doped" in each of...

In late 2013, Rajeev Kulkarni needed to decide how best to facilitate the emergence of a broad base of users and content to promote the sale of 3D Systems's...

In August 2019, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, was surrounded by controversy. The first major storm of protest followed the surprise election...

You are the CEO of an e-cigarette company that has just been acquired by a major tobacco company. Your company operates in the European market. The July...

This note seeks to provide an overview of farmland investing; the investment thesis behind investing in agriculture, how and why investors would choose...

Shantanu Bhattacharya, Professor of Operations Management at Singapore Management University (SMU), observed how waste in Singapore was incinerated before...

According to her managers, Laura is an "ideal female employee." Depicts her life and provides a log of how she spends her time. This is a rewritten version...

Flying J was a family-owned company that operated travel plazas, oil refineries, a bank for trucking companies, and other related businesses. In early...

Twelve lessons on analyzing data, communicating information, and protecting your employees.

Addresses the controversy that surrounds highly promotional retail pricing referred to as "high-low pricing" by the trade. High-low pricing involves setting...

The widely held notion of “Japan, Inc.” is exaggerated; there is no monolithic business-government link. Even so, the cooperation (without incorporation) between the large corporate combines and the government bureaucracy is impressive in its strength and focus on the common economic good—especially in view of its achievements worldwide. As the economic power of the United […]

By pooling the resources of the poor and by sharing information, religious and financial institutions can work together to change inner-city economies.

Standardization has been a powerful strategy in consumer markets, but it's reached the point of diminishing returns. And diversity is not the only chink...

This case addresses the issues of leadership and change management in the process of transforming an industry through an innovative public-private partnership...

Just because leadership feedback is positive doesn't mean it's helpful.

The best change agents almost never realize when it’s time to stop. That’s what makes them so good.

On April 12, 2013, Corey Rennell, the founder and CEO of CORE Foods (CF), was faced with the decision of whether or not to withdraw $100,000 worth of...

Some countries have solutions in place, but too many don’t.