- 06 Apr 2021
- Working Paper Summaries
Currency Hedging in Emerging Markets: Managing Cash Flow Exposure
Economies with less liquid foreign exchange derivative markets offer firms fewer options to hedge their currency risk. Given the limitations of natural hedging, these firms are more exposed to systemic risk.
- 06 Apr 2021
- Cold Call Podcast
Disrupting the Waste Industry with Technology
Rubicon began with a bold idea: create a cloud-based, full-service waste management platform, providing efficient service anywhere in the US. Their mobile app did for waste management what Uber had done for taxi service. Five years after the case’s publication, Harvard Business School Associate Professor Shai Bernstein and Rubicon founder and CEO Nate Morris discuss how the software startup leveraged technology to disrupt the waste industry and other enduring lessons of professor Bill Sahlman’s case about Rubicon. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 05 Apr 2021
- What Do You Think?
Why Can’t More Leaders Teach?
If the best leaders tend to be great teachers, why do some successful executives struggle to share their knowledge? What does this shortcoming say about their leadership? asks James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 02 Apr 2021
- Research & Ideas
Salary Negotiations: A Catch-22 for Women
Too assertive or too nice? New research from Julian Zlatev probes the lose-lose dynamics that penalize women in negotiations and perpetuate gender inequity. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 01 Apr 2021
- Climate Rising
Investing in No-Sacrifice Models for Climate: Nancy Pfund, DBL Partners
Nancy Pfund is founder and managing partner of DBL Partners, one of the first and largest impact investing venture capital firms in the world. DBL seeks to achieve “Double Bottom Line” results for its investors: top tier financial returns as well as meaningful social and environmental impact. It currently holds over $400 million in assets under management. Through her early stage investments in Tesla and support for companies in sectors from fashion to agriculture, Nancy has shaped the field of impact investing and demonstrated the power of venture capital to address climate change. In this episode, she describes the how she identifies double-bottom-line opportunities and some of the companies she's excited to be investing in now.
- 30 Mar 2021
- Working Paper Summaries
Kidney Exchange: An Operations Perspective
Kidney exchange has become a standard form of transplantation in the United States and a few other countries in part because of exchange process improvements. However, much more needs to be done: There are still many more patients in need of transplants than can be saved.
- 30 Mar 2021
- Working Paper Summaries
Whose Job Is It Anyway? Co-Ethnic Hiring in New US Ventures
The impact of immigration has been particularly sharp in entrepreneurship, yet there is remarkably little evidence about how immigration in the workplace connects to the creation and scaling of new firms. The economic consequences of greater workplace and entrepreneurial diversity deserve closer attention.
- 30 Mar 2021
- Research & Ideas
Commuting Hurts Productivity and Your Best Talent Suffers Most
Companies that prize innovation should keep employees out of soul-crushing transit, even after the COVID-19 pandemic, suggests new research by Andy Wu. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 25 Mar 2021
- Research & Ideas
Steer Clear of the Blind Spots That Derail Experiments
Companies are testing everything from website features to compensation strategies, but five common mistakes can undermine their efforts, says Michael Luca. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 24 Mar 2021
- Managing the Future of Work
Spotify’s talent play: distributed, flexible, and diverse
Going into the pandemic, Spotify was well positioned for the increase in demand for streaming music and podcasts. To accommodate the surge and expand its podcast presence, the 15-year-old Swedish company with offices in more than 70 countries increased its staff by a third in 2020. How do you manage such rapid growth in the midst of a pandemic, and what does the post-Covid workplace look like? What does it mean to be a purpose-driven, diverse, and inclusive firm? CHRO Katarina Berg explains.
- 23 Mar 2021
- Book
Succeeding in the New Work-from-Anywhere World
Remote work is here to stay. Tsedal Neeley's Remote Work Revolution offers business leaders a blueprint for navigating the virtual workplace. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 23 Mar 2021
- Cold Call Podcast
Managing Future Growth at an Innovative Workforce Education Startup
Guild Education is an education marketplace that connects employers and universities to provide employees with “education as a benefit.” Now CEO and co-founder Rachel Carlson must decide how to manage the company’s future growth. Professor Bill Sahlman discusses this unique startup and Carlson’s plans for its growth in his case, “Guild Education: Unlocking Opportunity for America's Workforce.” Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 22 Mar 2021
- Research & Ideas
How to Learn from the Big Mistake You Almost Make
A brush with disaster can lead to important innovations, but only if employees have the psychological safety to reflect on these close calls, says research by Amy C. Edmondson, Olivia Jung, and colleagues. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 19 Mar 2021
- Working Paper Summaries
Assessing the Strength of Network Effects in Social Network Platforms
Network-specific traits, such as the degree of clustering and the prevalence of multihoming, influence the strength and competitive impact of network effects. However, network size alone is often misleading, and network effects should be examined on a case-by-case basis.
- 17 Mar 2021
- Research & Ideas
Beyond Pajamas: Sizing Up the Pandemic Shopper
COVID-19 forced many shoppers to make their first online purchases. But will these customers stick around? Research by Ayelet Israeli, Eva Ascarza, and colleague. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 17 Mar 2021
- Working Paper Summaries
Consuming Contests: Outcome Uncertainty and Spectator Demand for Contest-based Entertainment
Analysis of Australian Football League data shows that the uncertainty of game outcomes has a large, positive causal effect on stadium attendance. These findings show how competitive balance is important for contest designers in general and sports leagues in particular.
- 15 Mar 2021
- Working Paper Summaries
Fairness or Control: What Determines Elected Local Leaders’ Support for Hosting Refugees in Their Community?
Local politicians are not adamantly opposed to setting up host sites for refugees in their municipalities. However, they want a fair process to ensure that interaction between refugees and residents is limited, gradual, and mediated. Most importantly, local politicians want to control those interactions.
- 15 Mar 2021
- Working Paper Summaries
The Health Costs of Cost-Sharing
Small increases in cost cause patients to reduce their use of drugs with major benefits, ultimately causing their death. Since patient cost-sharing introduces large and deadly distortions into the cost-benefit calculus, payers should evaluate the merits of policies in light of their impact on health, not just on health care costs.
- 15 Mar 2021
- Office Hours
Readers Ask: What's the Next 'Big Thing' in Finance?
Lauren Cohen tackles questions about bitcoin, podcasts, and weightlifting on Working Knowledge’s “Office Hours” series. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
The World Management Survey at 18: Lessons and the Way Forward
With a dataset of 13,000 firms and 4,000 schools and hospitals spanning more than 35 countries, the World Management Survey provides a systematic measure of management practices used in organizations. This paper gives an overview of lessons learned and a management policy toolkit for policymakers.