Faculty Viewpoints
What Critics of Pfizer Are Getting Wrong
The activist investment firm Starboard Value has launched a proxy fight again Pfizer, questioning the company’s management under CEO Albert Bourla. Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian write that the critics are demonstrating the same impatience that has led investors to underestimate Pfizer in the past.
How to Lay People Off with Humanity
Layoffs may sometimes be necessary, writes Yale SOM’s Emma Seppälä, but they are painful, both for departing employees and those remaining in what can be a demoralized and overworked organization. She offers research-based guidance for making the process more compassionate and less disruptive.
Celebrating a Milestone in the Campaign to Eliminate a Major Cause of Blindness
More than two million people have lost their vision, in whole or in part, to trachoma—a preventable infection that is widespread in areas with poor sanitation. Dr. Howard Forman writes that the campaign to eradicate trachoma by 2030 has achieved an important victory: eliminating the disease as a public health problem in India.
Finding the Blueprint for Thriving Organizations
Professor James Baron’s research helped establish the now-commonplace understanding that the way a company organizes itself—what we now call its human-capital strategy—is key to creating a happy, equitable culture and ultimately to survival and success.
Big Companies Are Not the Inflation Villain
Blaming corporate greed for rising prices is not a winning argument, write Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, economist and former presidential advisor Laura Tyson, and co-author Stephen Henriques.
Why Polio Is Making a Comeback
In the last two years, vaccine-derived polio has been spotted in the United States and Gaza. Now the original wild-type polio is spreading in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Dr. Howard Forman explains that politics are hampering efforts to control the outbreak.
CEOs Are More Optimistic about the Economy Than the Rest of Us, and They’re Probably Right
At Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld’s Yale CEO Caucus last week, the vast majority of the business leaders in attendance said they expect a soft landing. Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian write that the economic indicators back up the CEOs.
The Avian Flu Outbreak Remains a Concern—And We Still Aren’t Ready to Respond
Thus far, the outbreak is growing slowly, says Yale SOM’s Dr. Howard Forman. But a lack of coordination and testing continues to hobble the U.S. response.
The IMF Is Returning to Russia. No One Should Be Surprised.
The International Monetary Fund’s decision to send a delegation to Russia is only the latest pro-authoritarian move from the organization under the leadership of Kristalina Georgieva, according to Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, co-author Steven Tian, and Tymofiy Mylovanov and Nataliia Shapoval of the Kyiv School of Economics.
Is the Era of Shareholder Primacy Over?
Five years ago, the Business Roundtable released a revised statement of purpose asserting companies exist to create value for all stakeholders, reversing a longstanding focus on maximizing shareholder value. The move got a lot of attention. Did it make a difference?
