Business law and ethics

Late next week, you’re going to notice some changes around here. We’re about to unveil a new design and structure for Harvard Business Publishing’s Web properties. You’re probably familiar with two of our Web sites- one (HBR.org) focused primarily on content from the print Harvard Business Review, and the second (HarvardBusiness.org) showcasing mostly Web-native content […]

For the first 40-plus years of their existence, the federal securities laws did not require or prohibit specific managerial practices in the operation of business, other than a business in one of a handful of closely regulated industries. But with the passage of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, the SEC is equipped to […]

Sex in the workplace doesn’t just hurt those parties involved. Sure, Mark Hurd’s recent scandal produced three obvious casualties: Mark Hurd, Hewlett Packard and its shareholders, and even, to an extent, Jodie Fisher. But in the barrage of press attention since the news broke, little mention has been made of a large group of other […]

Jim Whitehurst, CEO of Red Hat, explains how to inspire, motivate, and empower people at all levels to act with accountability.

Should companies control all the ways people experience art?

As American companies and unions mobilize to organize Political Action Committees (PACs) with an eye to the upcoming mid-term elections, it is worth taking a step back to ask: Does it pay to donate to political candidates? Such a question might seem touchingly naïve, but in reality, the empirical evidence on this issue is much […]

It’s up to the league to lay down the law.

Most executives think they’re security conscious—they change their passwords and shred important documents and so forth. But what rarely crosses their minds, says espionage expert H. Keith Melton, is that cloak-and-dagger types really are after their valuables. Just because you’re not paranoid, he observes, doesn’t mean they’re not following you. Melton, the author of Ultimate […]

Think of a searchable database, not a set of files.

You are an up and coming leader and have just found the perfect stretch job opportunity. How much can you "dress up" your resume to make yourself as strong...

Since September I have been watching uneasily as Kraft has upped the stakes in its takeover bid for Cadbury, Britain’s favourite confectioner. After repeated rebuffals, Cadbury this week dismissed the US food conglomerate’s $16bn offer as “derisory” and set out higher profit targets in an effort to persuade investors that the company would be better […]

From Volkswagen's emissions fiasco to Wells Fargo's deceptive sales practices to Uber's privacy intrusions, corporate scandals are a recurring reality...

Language reveals how we frame our beliefs and decisions.

Inside companies and beyond them, business and ethics still demand managers to make tough decisions. Concerns about doing business in South Africa, how...

New technologies can be unsettling for industry incumbents, regulators, and consumers, because norms and institutions for dealing with them don't yet...

Senior leaders face a range of ethical and reputational risks in implementing blockchain projects. This article looks at four risks - the lack of third-party...

Look hard at the economics, but don't stop there.

A new study reveals that people who start companies pray more often and are more likely to believe that God takes a personal interest in them.

Americans are outraged at the greediness of Wall Street analysts, dot-com entrepreneurs and, most of all, chief executive officers. How could Tyco's Dennis...

They restrict employee mobility.