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Work groups are the building blocks of organizations. They are found in all areas of an organization, from research and development to customer service, and at all levels, from the executive suite to the factory floor. Some are incredibly successful, while others are dismal failures. Team work is hard work, and all too often groups do not live up to their potential. Provides a framework for analyzing work groups so that group leaders and members can identify actions that will enhance their effectiveness. Helps provide insight into the factors most profoundly shaping the development, dynamics, and effectiveness of task-performing groups and, in particular, group culture, its antecedents, and consequences. To illustrate how the framework is used, it looks at and analyzes an actual work group: the new product team of the Merit Corporation. Examines the impact of leadership style on group culture and outcomes and describes how one leader's individual style can affect the way teams operate and perform.

This note uses several reports to compare China and India, and it encourages students to analyse the long list of public policies that have restrained India's economic growth and FDI inflows, and that have acted as barriers to liberalization reforms. Presented are the historical realities that supported India's political philosophy of autarky and government intervention. Finally, the note leads students to consider the future prospects for India, and potential foreign investors there, through comparisons with China.

Reviews the principal ways in which the owners of a family business achieve their governance objectives of a suitable identity and sensible direction and the discipline to achieve these. Covers the responsibilities and rights of owners, plus governance procedures, plans, policies, statements, rules, agreements, and structure.

Reviews the ways to achieve governance of the family business. Points out the importance of plans (e.g., strategic plans), statements (e.g., mission statements), policies, rules, and agreements to the governance process. Discusses the roles of three structures in family business governance: the top management team, the family employee council, and the board of directors.

Many nations have created geographically distinct areas with special features designed to attract foreign investment. In deciding where to locate various operations, businesses today must investigate the benefits and incentives offered by a plethora of special economic zones (SEZs) throughout the world. The business location decision involves a comparison of many alternative sites, each with its own set of incentives. Many small nations have put in place minimal corporate tax rates as a way of gaining some revenue by attracting head office functions, particularly those tasks related to finance. This government revenue may be only a very small percentage of a corporation's international profit; nevertheless, it may form a significant portion of the tax haven's income. Many businesses make their international location decisions so as to accumulate their taxable profits in tax havens. Apart from these zero-tax regimes, countries impose a wide range of corporate profit tax rates. A business can often find a country with a tax rate lower than both the country where it was incorporated and the country where it wishes to invest. By funneling profits to a zero-tax or even a lower tax jurisdiction, a business is able to minimize its aggregate tax payments. Although recent international agreements have sought to limit these practices, opportunities are still available for tax minimization. Tax havens, as well as SEZs, can play an important role in business location decisions.

By 2006, Hungary had experienced more than 15 years of transition from central planning to free markets. The reform process had involved several distinct phases. The initial leap to the market, with its widespread privatizations, included a dramatic deregulation with a guillotine procedure. A more refined process of regulatory impact assessments (RIAs) followed this period. A newly empowered competition office sought to strengthen the extent of competition within markets dominated by a single firm or a small group of firms. The goal of EU membership was a consistent driver of the reforms as early as 1991, since the EU model was compulsory for EU members. These years had been turbulent, and the transition was not yet complete. In 2006, Hungary faced the challenge of a fiscal deficit that was 9.5 per cent of GDP, and responded by raising corporate tax rates from 16 per cent to 20 per cent as an attempt to close the fiscal gap. However, Hungary was in an intense competition with Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania to attract opportunities. Tax rates were an important element in this competition, but so were the regulatory impediments and distortions that still remained in the economy. How to create a rapidly growing economy was a question at the forefront of public policy debate. A 2006 Financial Times article discussed this dilemma.

Assesses the costs and benefits of pursuing diversity and pinpoints the primary barriers to creating diverse workplaces. It also proposes some options for advancing diversity in an organization.

This note describes the chi-square statistic as applied to goodness-of-fit tests. Goodness-of-fit tests check to see how closely a sample matches a particular probability distribution (e.g., normal, Poisson, binomial).

Introduces students to factors that impact global equity flows, including institutional friction, investor protection, firm visibility, firm understanding, and culture.

Discusses the reasons and uses of triangular or three-party mergers to complete a business acquisition or tax-free corporate reorganization.

Reviews the purposes and ingredients in the governance (or steering) of a family business system. Explores at a high level the governance of the family business, its owners, and the family. Focuses on how these governance structures, processes, plans, and agreements interact.

Explains the purposes, processes, standards, plans, and agreements that together help to govern (or steer) a family that owns a family business.

This technical note discusses the practice of angel investing, particularly its meaning and suitability to emerging markets. Adapted from a chapter in An Executive Briefing on Angel Investing in Latin America (Batten Institute), this note focuses on business in Latin America, but the discussion and the relationships discussed are relevant and perfectly suitable to discussions of early-stage finance and entrepreneurship in all emerging economies. Additionally, the note explores the role of angel investors and venture capitalists on entrepreneurial activity and economic development.

Examines the extent of and challenges facing female entrepreneurs in developing countries. There are higher rates of female entrepreneurship in developing countries than developed countries, but necessity is often the main driver in lower income countries. Explores the challenges facing women arising from societal inequality, including lack of educational provision, and difficulties in securing funding.

Provides a glossary of terms used in Harvard Business School's Innovating in Health Care, 2006, Course.

This note defines and discusses the measurement of corruption, describes corruption's principal effects on firms and societies, and discusses its relevance of to managers and to the efforts of firms to promote higher living standards throughout the world.

This note introduces students to the annual report of a company and ratio analysis, comparing over time and across industry.

A review of the dimensions and metrics marketers use to project and assess market and marketing performance.

A review of the dimensions and metrics marketers use to project and assess market and marketing performance.

Discusses the challenges currently facing the U.S. health care delivery system. These challenges frame the problems managers of delivery organizations are currently facing. They include a burgeoning gap between demand and supply. Demand for health care services is increasing as the population ages, chronic diseases become more common, and medical technology increases. Yet, the supply of nurses and physicians is decreasing. Moreover, as both regulators and the general public become more interested in the quality of care delivered, there is evidence of substantial quality failures. In response to these challenges, regulators have introduced new forms of payment and financial incentives for doctors and delivery organizations, and managers have experimented with several new service models and delivery organization designs. They include the use of new professionals and other assistive personnel, such as nurse practitioners and physicians' assistants, in-store clinics, focused factories and concierge care.