General Management

General Management

Overview Faculty Curriculum Awards & Honors Doctoral Students

About the Unit

The General Management Unit is concerned with the leadership and management of the enterprise as a whole. This concern encompasses:

  • the personal values and qualities of effective general managers and enterprise leaders;
  • the philosophies, values, and strategies that inform successful enterprises; and
  • the relation of enterprise to the broader community and other external constituencies.

The Unit's work is conceived and carried out principally in four interest groups, each of which has its own leadership, research agenda, and teaching programs:

  • Management Policy and Process
  • Management Information Systems
  • Society and Enterprise
  • Leadership, Values, and Corporate Responsibility

Recent Publications

How to Build a Life: Feeling Burned Out? Here’s What to Do.

By: Arthur C. Brooks
  • September 21, 2023 |
  • Article |
  • The Atlantic
Related

Measuring and Managing Social Impact

By: Brian Trelstad
  • September 2023 |
  • Technical Note |
  • Faculty Research
Related

Patagonia: “Earth Is Now Our Only Shareholder”

By: Brian Trelstad, Nien-he Hsieh, Michael Norris and Susan Pinckney
  • September 2023 |
  • Teaching Note |
  • Faculty Research
Patagonia’s change of ownership from a privately held company to a perpetual purpose trust and 501(c)(4) nonprofit in order to use the company’s profit to fight the environmental crisis and be a model for future businesses.
Keywords: Trusts; Business Ventures; Business Organization; Family Business; Restructuring; Change; Disruption; Transition; Decision Making; Ethics; Values and Beliefs; Finance; Financial Management; Governance; Corporate Governance; Investment Activism; Innovation Leadership; Labor; Law; Common Law; Management; Goals and Objectives; Organizations; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Ownership; Ownership Type; Family Ownership; Private Ownership; Social Enterprise; Nonprofit Organizations; Society; Social Issues; Wealth and Poverty; Value; Value Creation; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States
Related

Twiddy & Company: Trust in a Chaotic Environment

By: Sandra J. Sucher, Shalene Gupta and Tom Quinn
  • September 2023 |
  • Case |
  • Faculty Research
Keywords: Trust; Tourism Industry; North Carolina; United States
Related

FoodCloud: Tackling Food Insecurity and Climate Change in One Bite

By: Brian Trelstad and Emer Moloney
  • September 2023 |
  • Case |
  • Faculty Research
In 2013, Aoibheann O’Brien and Iseult Ward founded FoodCloud, a non-profit social enterprise that aimed to address food waste and food insecurity issues. Through its technology platform, Foodiverse, FoodCloud connected surplus food from retailers with community groups in need. By 2022, the company had partnered with Tesco Ireland and Tesco UK, and was rolling out its solution in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. O’Brian and Ward were eager to scale their solution globally, but funding the growth of a non-profit posed a challenge. Options included spinning off Foodiverse into an investment-seeking entity or retaining non-profit status to raise a social impact bond. The founders also sought to amplify their impact in Ireland to position the country as a leader in food waste reduction. The co-founders wondered whether to focus on developing an exemplary local sustainable food system or expand their proven technology solution globally, and where to find the funds for their chosen path.
Keywords: Green Technology Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Republic of Ireland; Europe
Related

How to Build a Life: Three Myths and Four Truths About How to Get Happier

By: Arthur C. Brooks
  • September 12, 2023 |
  • Article |
  • The Atlantic
Related

How to Build a Life: A Knockout Technique for Achieving More Happiness

By: Arthur C. Brooks
  • September 7, 2023 |
  • Article |
  • The Atlantic
Related

Global Supply Chains: The Looming 'Great Reallocation'

By: Laura Alfaro and Davin Chor
  • 2023 |
  • Working Paper |
  • Faculty Research
Global supply chains have come under unprecedented stress as a result of U.S.-China trade tensions, the COVID-19 pandemic, and geopolitical shocks. We document shifts in the pattern of U.S. participation in global value chains over the last four decades, in terms of partner countries, products, and modes, with a focus on the last five years (2017–2022). The available data point to a looming “great reallocation” in supply chain activity: Direct U.S. sourcing from China has decreased, with low-wage locations (principally: Vietnam) and nearshoring/friendshoring alternatives (notably: Mexico) gaining in import share. The production line positioning of the U.S.’ imports has also become more upstream, which is indicative of some reshoring of production stages. We sound several cautionary notes over the policies that have set this reallocation in motion: It is unclear if these measures will reduce U.S. dependence on supply chains linked to China, and there are moreover already signs that prices of imports from Vietnam and Mexico are on the rise.
Keywords: Supply Chain; International Relations; Trade; Globalized Markets and Industries
Related
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Contact Information

General Management Unit
Harvard Business School
Morgan Hall
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163