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Memo to Detroit’s CEOs: Less Head, More Heart
Recessions Digital ArticleToday, The Washington Post debuts a new Web-based discussion series called “On Leadership,” and I am pleased to be part of a panel of thinkers who will weigh in every Tuesday on a timely question or challenge. This morning’s question: What should Detroit’s CEOs have done differently to make their case in Washington about a […] -
Detroit’s PR Lessons and the Right Way to Ask for Help
Recessions Digital ArticleEdward Bernays, the “father of public relations,” once defined PR as “a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.” If that is the case today, the CEOs of the Big 3 automakers remain challenged on both aspects. Having taken private jets to their first round of testimony, they came off as both unprepared […] -
Crime and Management: An Interview with New York City Police Commissioner Lee P. Brown
Government Magazine ArticleAs commissioner of the New York City Police Department, Lee P. Brown faces two enormous challenges. The first is crime. In 1989 in New York City, 712,419 crimes were reported, including 1,905 murders, 93,377 robberies, and 3,254 rapes. As Brown is quick to point out, the situation has grown so severe that people in cities […] -
When Your Brand Is Racist (HBR Case Study)
Communication Magazine ArticleA national brewing and distilling company grapples with its most profitable brand's racist history. This fictional case study by Joseph C. Miller, Michael... -
When an Employee or Spokesperson Criticizes Your Company
Public relations Digital ArticleAdvice for navigating a contentious climate. -
Who Should Take the Fall? (HBR Case Study)
Strategy & Execution Magazine ArticleWhen a mobile-payment company is hacked, business slips. The board believes that having someone publicly take the fall will stabilize the situation, but... -
When Should a Leader Apologize—and When Not?
Business communication Magazine ArticleFor a leader, a public apology is always a high-risk move. Understanding what apologies can and cannot do will help you avoid both foolhardy stonewalling and unnecessary contrition. -
When Your Brand Is Racist (Commentary for HBR Case Study)
Communication Magazine ArticleA national brewing and distilling company grapples with its most profitable brand's racist history. This fictional case study by Joseph C. Miller, Michael... -
The Success of Your M&A Deal Hinges on How You Announce It
Communication Digital ArticleThree questions to guide your communication strategy. -
The New Tools of Trade
Labor Magazine ArticleToday, most multinationals have a conspicuous social conscience. They publicize their internal codes of conduct, monitor labor conditions in their global supply chains, and require suppliers to meet basic labor practice standards. But despite efforts to be better global citizens, companies by themselves are unable to eliminate abuses in their supply chains. In fact, so […] -
Authenticity, Openness, and Competitive Advantage
Communication Digital ArticleDave Balter, founder and CEO of a Boston-based company called BzzAgent, is one of my favorite young entrepreneurs. His fast-growing firm (pronounced "Buzz... -
Do Business and Politics Mix? (HBR Case Study)
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleNatural Foods, a midsize chain of organic grocery stores, has chosen to donate to a super PAC that plans to fund ads promoting political candidates with... -
The New Old-Fashioned Banking
Economics Magazine ArticleFifteen minutes south of Chicago’s Loop, the inner-city neighborhood of South Shore has an old-fashioned bank with a radical twist. For those of us at South Shore Bank, banking means knowing the borrower, the neighborhood, property values, and the economic environment. It means tough credit standards, cautious qualification of borrowers, and close monitoring of the […] -
There Are Better Ways to Pitch Your Book
Public relations Digital ArticleThey say that the books business is beleaguered, bordering on broken. Over-production, under-consumption and the looming threat of digital perdition are concentrating minds as never before. Will publishing, as many fear, follow music and movies into an illegal download free-for-all? Or will J.K. Rowling ride to the rescue with a clutch of Harry Potters, as […] -
When No News Is Good News
Business communication Magazine ArticleA celebrity’s baby is severely injured when her stroller tips over. Was it user error or a faulty product? The media go wild—and BestBaby faces a PR disaster. -
Swapping Business Skills for Oil
Emerging markets Magazine ArticleTransnationals can give as well as take. They have in abundance precisely what developing nations need. -
How to Separate the Personal and Professional on Social Media
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleFour strategies. -
Megamarketing
Public relations Magazine ArticleSuccessful marketing is increasingly becoming a political exercise, as two recent episodes—one international and the other domestic—illustrate: Pepsi-Cola outwitted its arch rival, Coca-Cola, by striking a deal to gain entry into India’s huge consumer market of 730 million people. Coca-Cola had dominated the Indian soft drink market until it abruptly withdrew from India in 1978 […] -
Whatever Happened to Corporate Stewardship?
Global Business Digital ArticleWhen corporations dodge taxes, it's an ethical issue. -
The Hyatt Housekeeper Outrage: Is Business the New Enemy?
Public relations Digital ArticleIt’s been a tough fortnight for Hyatt, as the hotel chain has endured a flood of negative publicity and public outrage over its decision to fire 98 housekeepers from three Boston area hotels and replace them with contractors. Even as Hyatt has taken steps to try to remedy the situation, the damage to its brand […]
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Research: Why Companies Should Disclose Their Lack of Progress on DEI
Diversity and inclusion Digital ArticleStakeholders value transparency and accountability — even when you’re falling short. -
How Companies Should Weigh In on a Controversy
Corporate communications Magazine ArticleA better approach to stakeholder management -
Corporate Crises — and Reputational Recovery — Have Changed
Business management Digital ArticlePolitics and culture wars are driving risks that may not have a clear resolution. -
When Should Your Company Weigh In on Hot-Button Issues?
Leadership Digital ArticlePfizer’s chief corporate affairs officer, Sally Susman, shares the company’s five-point framework. -
What Companies Still Get Wrong About Layoffs
Layoffs Digital ArticleMany cling to the idea that reducing staff is the fastest, easiest way to cut costs. But there are smarter, more humane approaches. -
Case Study: Does Facial Recognition Tech Enhance Security?
Business and society Magazine ArticleThe new system in a day care center is producing biased results. -
Does Facial Recognition Tech Enhance Security? (Commentary for HBR Case Study)
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleThe new system in a day-care center is producing biased results--setting off an alarm when some dark-skinned parents enter the lobby. The director of... -
Does Facial Recognition Tech Enhance Security? (HBR Case Study)
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleThe new system in a day-care center is producing biased results--setting off an alarm when some dark-skinned parents enter the lobby. The director of... -
Moderna v. Pfizer: What the Patent Infringement Suit Means for Biotech
Business and society Digital ArticleAfter an unusual period of cooperation, drug companies are suing each other again. -
Don’t Let Your Calendar Dictate Your DEI Initiatives
Diversity and inclusion Digital ArticleIt’s good to honor Juneteenth or Pride month, but how are you showing up the rest of the year? -
3 Ways Marketers Can Earn — and Keep — Customer Trust
Marketing Digital ArticleA recent survey found that only 34% of consumers trust the brands they use. -
Research: Why CEOs Shouldn’t Take All the Credit
Corporate communications Digital ArticleIf you want the praise for good news, be prepared to take the blame for bad news. -
What To Do When the Devil Wears [Your Brand]
Public relations Digital ArticleStrategies for when your brand becomes associated with a noxious public figure. -
The Success of Your M&A Deal Hinges on How You Announce It
Public relations Digital ArticleThree questions to guide your communication strategy. -
What Is the Purpose of Your Purpose?
Leadership & Managing People Spotlight"Despite its sudden elevation in corporate life," the authors write, "purpose remains a confusing topic." They argue that a primary cause of this confusion... -
Making Purpose Real
Leadership & Managing People Digital Article"Despite its sudden elevation in corporate life, purpose remains a confusing topic," the authors write. A primary cause of this confusion, they say, is... -
How Companies Can Address Their Historical Transgressions
Corporate social responsibility Magazine ArticleLessons from the slave trade and the Holocaust -
Corporate Political Spending Is Bad Business
Strategy & Execution Magazine ArticleCorporations are facing increased scrutiny over their political spending--particularly when their stated values seem to contradict their lobbying efforts.... -
Sports and Social Justice
Strategy & Execution Magazine ArticleTwo new books--"The Game Is Not a Game" and "Football's Fearless Activists"--offer some useful context for examining the current relationship between... -
When Your Brand Is Racist (HBR Case Study)
Communication Magazine ArticleA national brewing and distilling company grapples with its most profitable brand's racist history. This fictional case study by Joseph C. Miller, Michael...
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The Wells Fargo Banking Scandal
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details On October 25, 2016, Timothy J. Sloan, the new CEO of Wells Fargo bank, apologized to 1,200 of his employees in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sloan had been... -
Coca-Cola's New Vending Machine (A): Pricing to Capture Value, or Not?
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Chairman and CEO M. Douglas Ivester stumbles when he tells a Brazilian newsmagazine about a new Coke vending machine that can automatically raise prices... -
Burroughs Wellcome and AZT (C)
Global Business Case Study5.00View Details Describes key developments relating to Burroughs Wellcome, AZT and other AIDS drugs, and the AIDS issue in general from late 1989 through 1992. Includes... -
Charlotte Beers at Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide (B)
Leadership & Managing People Case Study5.00View Details Updates CEO Beers' progress two years after her initiation of a massive organizational change effort. Designed as an in-class handout. -
Amanda and Kristen: Mented Cosmetics
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details The co-founders (Black HBS alumnae) of an e-commerce beauty startup explore the unmet needs within the beauty industry. This case study examines the entrepreneurial... -
Microsoft Security Response Center (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) is a key component of the security infrastructure for Microsoft--the large, internationally known software manufacturer.... -
Toyota Recalls (A): Hitting the Skids
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details In the fall of 2009, Toyota Motor Corporation, once revered for its commitment to quality and reliability, faced a highly publicized series of recalls... -
Theranos: Who Has Blood on Their Hands? (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details This case covers the rise and fall of Theranos, the company founded by Elizabeth Holmes in 2004 to revolutionize the blood testing industry by creating... -
Lululemon Athletica's Product, Employee and Public Relations Issues
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Lululemon, a successful yoga and athletic apparel company, faced a number of controversies notably those surrounding comments made by the founder and... -
Marshall & Gordon: Designing an Effective Compensation System (B)
Leadership & Managing People Case Study5.00View Details CEO Kelly Browne wrestles with the design and roll-out of a new compensation system to promote the collaboration necessary for supporting her firm's new... -
Ashland Oil, Inc.: Trouble at Floreffe (A)
Communication Case Study11.95View Details This case series involves a crisis in business ethics and management decision making, when one of the company's diesel fuel storage tanks collapses, releasing... -
Best Self or Best Company? Peloton Searches for a Voice
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Peloton had redefined many things about the boutique exercise experience, bringing it into members' homes and eliminating per-class fees of roughly $34,... -
Erox Corp.: Leverage Marketing
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Erox Corp. is a biotechnology start-up that creates products containing synthetic human pheromones. It was founded in 1989, went public in 1993, and brought... -
Gilead Sciences (A): The Gilead Access Program for HIV Drugs
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Describes the initial considerations of Gilead Sciences as it designed a strategy for delivering its AIDS drug Viread to developing nations in Africa.... -
Pallotta TeamWorks
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details Pallotta Team Works is a for-profit, privately owned company that produces multiday fundraising events for nonprofit organizations. Dan Pallotta, the... -
Aetna Inc.: Managing Inherent Enterprise Risks Through Stakeholder Management (A)
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Inherent risks or negatives are a critical element of "enterprise risk management" that must be mitigated or dramatically managed through constructive... -
Uber: Changing The Way The World Moves
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details In 2015, Uber is building what may be the largest point-to-point transportation network of its kind; it is literally changing the way the world moves.... -
"Do you really think we are so stupid?" A letter to the CEO of Deutsche Telekom (B)
Organizational Development Case Study5.00View Details This three-part case-study illustrates key concepts and lessons about leading adaptive change in organizations in the context of turning around Deutsche... -
Arthur Andersen (A): The Waste Management Crisis
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details The cases describe the demise of Arthur Andersen, a firm that had long set the industry standard for professionalism in accounting and auditing. Once...
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Memo to Detroit’s CEOs: Less Head, More Heart
Recessions Digital ArticleToday, The Washington Post debuts a new Web-based discussion series called “On Leadership,” and I am pleased to be part of a panel of thinkers who will weigh in every Tuesday on a timely question or challenge. This morning’s question: What should Detroit’s CEOs have done differently to make their case in Washington about a […] -
The Wells Fargo Banking Scandal
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details On October 25, 2016, Timothy J. Sloan, the new CEO of Wells Fargo bank, apologized to 1,200 of his employees in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sloan had been... -
Detroit’s PR Lessons and the Right Way to Ask for Help
Recessions Digital ArticleEdward Bernays, the “father of public relations,” once defined PR as “a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.” If that is the case today, the CEOs of the Big 3 automakers remain challenged on both aspects. Having taken private jets to their first round of testimony, they came off as both unprepared […] -
Crime and Management: An Interview with New York City Police Commissioner Lee P. Brown
Government Magazine ArticleAs commissioner of the New York City Police Department, Lee P. Brown faces two enormous challenges. The first is crime. In 1989 in New York City, 712,419 crimes were reported, including 1,905 murders, 93,377 robberies, and 3,254 rapes. As Brown is quick to point out, the situation has grown so severe that people in cities […] -
When Your Brand Is Racist (HBR Case Study)
Communication Magazine ArticleA national brewing and distilling company grapples with its most profitable brand's racist history. This fictional case study by Joseph C. Miller, Michael... -
Solutions For Customer Complaints About Offshoring And Outsourcing Services
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleIn order to provide the highest quality services at lower costs, global firms have shifted their customer service functions offshore. Despite the apparent... -
Coca-Cola's New Vending Machine (A): Pricing to Capture Value, or Not?
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Chairman and CEO M. Douglas Ivester stumbles when he tells a Brazilian newsmagazine about a new Coke vending machine that can automatically raise prices... -
When an Employee or Spokesperson Criticizes Your Company
Public relations Digital ArticleAdvice for navigating a contentious climate. -
Who Should Take the Fall? (HBR Case Study)
Strategy & Execution Magazine ArticleWhen a mobile-payment company is hacked, business slips. The board believes that having someone publicly take the fall will stabilize the situation, but...
