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  • November 2012
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Occupy Wall Street

By: Rakesh Khurana and Eric Baldwin
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:20
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Abstract

This case examines the Occupy Wall Street movement, which emerged in late 2011 in response to the fallout from the global financial crisis of 2008 and the economic downturn that followed. Occupy Wall Street was born out of a sense of frustration with both a global economic system that seemed hostile to the interests of ordinary people and a political system that that seemed to favor the rich. The case provides a timeline of the movement, explores the attitudes, motivations, and goals of the participants, and examines the movement's organizational culture and decision-making processes. It closes by addressing the challenges the movement faced in clarifying its goals and in effecting real and genuine change, particularly as it came under increasing pressure from local authorities.

Keywords

Occupy Wall Street; Organizational Behavior; Income Inequality; Democracy; Financial Crisis; Campaign Finance; Globalization; Globalized Economies and Regions; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Culture

Citation

Khurana, Rakesh, and Eric Baldwin. "Occupy Wall Street." Harvard Business School Case 413-084, November 2012.
  • Educators

About The Author

Rakesh Khurana

Organizational Behavior
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  • Apple Inc. in 2018 By: David B. Yoffie and Eric Baldwin
  • Still Leading Series—Issues in Transitioning to New Forms of Service Later in Life By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Rakesh Khurana, James Honan and Ai-Ling Jamila Malone
  • The Social Trajectory of a Finance Professor and the Common Sense of Capital By: Marion Fourcade and Rakesh Khurana
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