Boards

Instead of focusing on who’s “ahead,” focus on who’s actually best-suited to the top job.

Hitting the hiring bull’s-eye is one of an executive’s most important—and most difficult—responsibilities. Ten common mistakes can get in the way, but a pointed and systematic approach can virtually guarantee success.

They keep things fresh and fair.

Tim Cook is on track to be the next Steve Ballmer.

Bonuses and other forms of incentive compensation are an effective motivator of executives to achieve ever higher earnings per share. The drive to produce short-term results, however, often influences management to forgo investment in capital equipment and R&D that would benefit the corporation several years hence even more than improved earnings next year would. The […]

Diagnosing and dealing with difficult directors.

But CEOs increasingly do.

A much-quoted study from a few years back shows that companies with high numbers of female directors on their boards perform substantially better on three metrics—return on equity, return on sales, and return on invested capital—than companies with very few or no female directors. A group of researchers led by Harvard sociologist Frank Dobbin is […]

The country’s recent reforms don’t go nearly far enough.

Two ways Cisco does it.

Last spring Brett Favre pulled the plug on his pro football career, saying that he didn’t have the heart to play any longer. This July he’s had a change of heart. This is not the first time Favre has changed his mind about retirement. But what’s different this time is that his team, the Green […]

What could be more difficult than finding a new CEO? Many companies say it’s finding someone who’s willing to sign up for the number two job: COO. The problem often lies with a firm’s uncertainty about whether it’s looking for a “pure” COO or for a successor to the CEO. The board should be clear […]

Outsiders are overrated.

No more excuses.

Cyrus Maher, CEO of Waterway Industries, thinks he may be facing a human resources problem. Lee Carter is a relatively new employee whose high-powered...

Be problem-finding, not problem-solving.

Larry Ellison may know a few things that the governance watchdogs don't.

Research reveals four commonly cited obstacles and how to overcome them.

With the battle for the best and brightest people heating up again, you're most likely out there looking for first-rate talent in the ranks of your competitors....

An analysis of 15 years of data from the S&P 1500.

Phumlaphi Rita Zwane, founder of Busy Corner, a thriving Shisanyama (African barbeque) business in Thembisa, South Africa, faced a pivotal decision amid...

The case is set in 2023. The protagonist is Elon Musk, CEO and Technoking of Tesla, Inc. The vertically-integrated clean technology company designs, develops,...

The case is set in 2023; the protagonist is Chris Kempczinski, CEO of McDonald's Corporation. McDonald's is the world's largest hamburger fast-food restaurant...

Two members of Nike's executive team must decide what sustainability targets to propose to Nike's CEO and to the corporate responsibility committee of...

Scanteak Corporation was a furniture retailer founded in Singapore in the 1970s. By 2010, it had established more than 100 stores around the world. It...

This case series deals with an executive education institution and its entrepreneurial-minded leader on the 25th anniversary of the institution. Central...

In November 2014, The Dow Chemical Company was faced with the prospect of a proxy battle with prominent hedge fund and activist investor Third Point Management....

This is the fourth of a four-case series. At first glance, Hewlett Packard (HP) doesn't seem to be a family firm, but when push comes to shove - as it...

The Black Iris Systems vignette describes a brief scenario where the CEO of Black Iris Systems, Malcolm Briggs, receives opposing emails from two of his...

The series of Janet Ames cases follow a fictional alumna of Harvard Business School into her consulting career in Boston. Over the series of cases, Ames...

The competing narratives of the founders of Alantec, Inc. and the venture capitalists who funded the company are explored in the context of Kalashian...

Reckitt Benckiser plc has developed an executive compensation system. This case outlines the structure of the system, its emphasis on performance-based...

Level 3's unique compensation plan rewarded managers for the firm's performance only if the firm's stock price movement exceeded that of the market. This...

In mid-2019, the owner of Ireland Renovations was contemplating the future of his renovation and construction company that operated in London and Middlesex...

Sekar Group (Sekar), based in Surabaya, Indonesia, started in 1966 as a small business purchasing fish and shrimp. Led by its founder Harry Susilo, Sekar...

The case is an example of how a family can control a large conglomerate - TECO Electric & Machinery, a Taiwanese engineering business - yet with almost...

This exercise provides an opportunity to gain insight about designing, negotiating, and responding to incentives. The setting is investment management....

A professional turnaround manager attempts to implement a massive global downsizing program at the world's largest producer of consumer tissue products....

Presents a condensation of the audit committee's recommendations for organizational and policy changes to help prevent a recurrence of improper income...

Management is struggling to meet consensus quarterly earnings-per-share numbers. Discusses a number of accounting decisions. A report indicating internal...

Instead of focusing on who’s “ahead,” focus on who’s actually best-suited to the top job.

Phumlaphi Rita Zwane, founder of Busy Corner, a thriving Shisanyama (African barbeque) business in Thembisa, South Africa, faced a pivotal decision amid...

Hitting the hiring bull’s-eye is one of an executive’s most important—and most difficult—responsibilities. Ten common mistakes can get in the way, but a pointed and systematic approach can virtually guarantee success.

They keep things fresh and fair.

Tim Cook is on track to be the next Steve Ballmer.

Bonuses and other forms of incentive compensation are an effective motivator of executives to achieve ever higher earnings per share. The drive to produce short-term results, however, often influences management to forgo investment in capital equipment and R&D that would benefit the corporation several years hence even more than improved earnings next year would. The […]

Diagnosing and dealing with difficult directors.

The case is set in 2023. The protagonist is Elon Musk, CEO and Technoking of Tesla, Inc. The vertically-integrated clean technology company designs, develops,...

But CEOs increasingly do.

A much-quoted study from a few years back shows that companies with high numbers of female directors on their boards perform substantially better on three metrics—return on equity, return on sales, and return on invested capital—than companies with very few or no female directors. A group of researchers led by Harvard sociologist Frank Dobbin is […]