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Management in Practice

  • What was Polaroid thinking?

    Polaroid went from ubiquity to obsolescence as digital photography replaced the print. But as early as the 1960s, Polaroid had been doing research into digital imaging. Did mistaken assumptions keep the company from making the transition to the digital world?

  • Is risk rational?

    Misunderstanding of risk was a major factor in the subprime crisis and ensuing recession. Andrew Lo argues that one has to look at both logical and emotional parts of the brain to grasp how people respond to financial risk.

  • Do you need a nudge?

    Richard Thaler outlines how principles from behavioral economics can help policymakers and managers achieve better outcomes.

  • Does money change your thinking?

    You encounter it every day. You might count it or spend it or wish you had more of it. But can just thinking about money affect your behavior?

  • What are your customers thinking?

    The question has always been critical to marketers. However, with rapid innovations in technology—social networks, mobile technology, new ways of delivering content—and the following shifts in behavior, it might be harder to answer than ever. Rishad Tobaccowala, the CEO of Denuo, a company that helps clients grapple with these trends, gives his take on the pulse of marketing today.

  • How important is the illicit economy?

    Moises Naim, editor of Foreign Policy, has spent more than a decade studying the illicit economy that moves everything from drugs and guns to pirated movies and human body parts around the world. In the book, Illicit, he outlines what amount to a shadow system of global business and trade.

  • Can the business of food impact climate change?

    It is hard to image that a healthy, home-cooked meal is contributing to climate change, but the food consumed annually by a family of four in the U.S. requires 970 gallons of gasoline to fertilize, produce, and transport. That's only slightly less than the 1070 gallons the average family uses in their cars. Helene York '88 talks about one food service company's goal of reducing its carbon footprint while still maintaining a successful bottom line.

  • What is the for-profit social enterprise?

    In a traditional model, for-profit companies strive to maximize returns for investors, while nonprofit organizations serve the public good. In recent years, a new model of for-profit social enterprise has emerged. Jon Carson '84, CEO of BiddingForGood, and Scott Griffith, CEO of Zipcar, bring their experience in the field to a discussion of the for-profit social enterprise ecosystem.

  • What's next for globalization?

    As the companies that were once the suppliers to multinationals have grown into multinationals themselves, competitors can suddenly come from anywhere, according to Hal Sirkin, senior partner and managing director at the Boston Consulting Group and co-author of the book Globality. He describes how to compete in the new era of globalization.

  • What do we owe the bottom billion?

    Princeton philosopher Peter Singer has been a prominent, often controversial, figure. His utilitarian approach, focused on reducing suffering, has led him to argue for animal liberation and euthanasia. His most recent book, The Life You Can Save, looks at the responsibilities of individuals for addressing global poverty.