Published:November 25, 2009Paper Released:November 2009Authors:Roy Y.J. Chua and Xi Zou Executive Summary: Gandhi once wrote that "a certain degree of physical harmony and comfort is necessary, but above a certain level it becomes a hindrance instead of a help." This

Loans aren't enough. In microenterprise settings as diverse as Nicaragua and Ghana, small business owners often share something in common besides grit and ingenuity: a lack of basic knowledge about accounting and control. Common mistakes—such as mis-estimating their amount of

Published:November 24, 2009Paper Released:November 2009Authors:Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Joan Enric Ricart Executive Summary: Drivers such as globalization, deregulation, or technological change, just to mention a few, are profoundly changing the competitive game. Scholars and practitioners agree that the fastest-growing firms in

Q&A with:Richard M.J. BohmerPublished:November 23, 2009Author:Martha LagaceDespite the urgency of debate on the U.S. national stage about health-care reform, an issue now before the U.S. Senate, one crucial element of change has been less visible: advances in the delivery of

Published:November 19, 2009Paper Released:October 2009Author:William A. Sahlman Executive Summary: We have spent the past year mired in a global financial crisis that few saw coming and that will plague us for years to come. Such crises are gut-wrenching. Collectively and

Published:November 18, 2009Paper Released:October 2009Authors:Laura Alfaro and Anusha Chari Executive Summary: Between 1986 and 2005, Indian growth put to rest the concern that there was something about the "nature of India" that made rapid growth difficult. Following broad-ranging reforms in

Published:November 18, 2009Author:Julia HannaHe's been called "the Salvador Dalí of the kitchen" for creations ranging from beetroot and yogurt ice-cream lollipops to a deconstructed Spanish omelet served in a parfait glass. Each year, some 2 million hopeful diners vie to

In the wake of the global financial crisis, HBS professor Bill Sahlman analyzes the fallout and suggests a new player to monitor management excess. What he envisions is a monitor that would "take an objective, hard-nosed look at major financial

Q&A with:Nancy F. KoehnPublished:November 16, 2009Author:Martha LagaceFrom the dawn of the U.S. transcontinental railroad in 1869 to the widespread embrace of consumer products like cell phones and iPods in our time, the story of American business is in constant motion,

Published:November 12, 2009Paper Released:June 2009Authors:Tsedal Neeley, Pamela J. Hinds, and Catherine Durnell Cramton Executive Summary: As organizations increasingly globalize, individuals are required to collaborate with coworkers across international borders. Many organizations are mandating English as the lingua franca, or common

Teach Workers about the Perils of Debt," in the November issue of Harvard Business Review, argues persuasively for financial education. And not a moment too soon: In a recent U.S. survey covering knowledge of basic finance, for example, 30 percent

Published:November 10, 2009Paper Released:October 2009Authors:André C. Martínez Fritscher and Aldo Musacchio Executive Summary: Do endowments matter in determining the cost of capital for a country or state? Endowments, according to Banco de México's André C. Martínez Fritscher and HBS professor

Q&A with:Anthony J. MayoPublished:November 9, 2009Author:Sarah Jane GilbertFew industries have had the competitive challenges—the literal ups and downs—experienced by the U.S. airline industry since its formation in the 1920s. Consider that its early pioneers had the unenviable task of selling

Published:November 5, 2009Author:Michel Anteby(Editor's Note: In a recent issue, tackled the controversial issue of "commodification of the body." Harvard Business School professor Michel Anteby contributed the following essay that discusses issues around establishing a market for cadavers. Anteby's current research

Published:November 5, 2009Paper Released:October 2009Authors:Diego Comin, Norman Loayza, Farooq Pasha, and Luis Serven Executive Summary: At the end of 2007, the U.S. economy entered a recession that, by the first quarter of 2009, had reduced U.S. GDP by 2.2 percent.

Published:November 4, 2009Author:Jim HeskettRecently a number of questions have been raised about capitalism and how it serves us, particularly in boom and bust cycles. But perhaps a bigger debate has arisen about the role of government in helping capitalism to

What will open the door to across-the-board economic growth in India? A range of state reforms from 1986 to 2005 increased competition and lowered barriers to trade, yet certain sectors and industries have remained stubbornly resistant to change. New research

Published:November 2, 2009Author:Julia HannaWith executive compensation soaring to unprecedented levels in recent years, the prickly issue of CEO pay has received increasing media and government attention. Now, with the perfect storm of a failing economy, government bailouts, and high unemployment,

Published:October 29, 2009Paper Released:October 2009Authors:Bo Becker, Henrik Cronqvist, and Rüdiger Fahlenbrach Executive Summary: Are large shareholders good monitors of management? A public firm's shareholders have extensive legal control rights in the corporation, but in practice much of this control is

Q&A with:Peter TufanoPublished:October 28, 2009Author:Roger ThompsonLast spring HBS became the first top-ranked U.S. business school to offer a course in consumer finance. Jointly taught by HBS professor Peter Tufano and Harvard Law School professor Howell Jackson (HBS MBA '80), the