Cold Call

Harvard Business School professor Rohit Deshpande discusses lessons for leaders from the heroic and selfless acts of the Taj Palace staff during the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. Deshpande is the author of the case study entitled “Terror at the Taj Bombay: Customer-Centric Leadership.”

In the hundred-plus years since journalist Upton Sinclair shined a light on the deplorable conditions in the U.S. meat packing industry in his groundbreaking exposé, The Jungle, per capita meat consumption for Americans has increased 63%. Can the world continue to feed its growing meat-eating population? New technologies have the potential to revolutionize the meat industry by growing tissue culture beef… but, how do you market against the “yuck” factor? Harvard Business School professor Jose Alvarez discusses his case study, “Disrupting the Meat Industry: Tissue Culture Beef.”

Today’s NFL is fast-paced and hard-hitting. Though players are well-compensated, many wonder about the long-term cost of those violent collisions on the athletes, the league, and culture at large. Harvard Business School professor Richard Hamermesh discusses those implications and his case “The National Football League and Brain Injuries.”

Are people better off as a result of your presence? Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei discusses her case “Discovering Hidden Gems: The Story of Daryl Morey, Shane Battier, and the Houston Rockets” — leadership lessons from basketball, the ultimate team sport.

There are no grade levels, no official start times, and teachers get stock options. Is AltSchool the school of the future? Harvard Business School professor John Kim discusses his case entitled “AltSchool: School Reimagined.”

Cynthia Carroll, former CEO of Anglo-American, shares her story of taking decisive action in the face of dangerous situations. The podcast explores work-related accidents in South Africa, the challenges of leadership in the mining industry, the dangerous work environment in the Rustenburg mine, and high stakes decision-making for mine safety and production.

Stella McCartney, a leader in green fashion, discusses the connection between sustainability and luxury, the environmental impact of the fashion industry, the importance of communicating sustainability initiatives to consumers, and the lessons learned on success and sustainability.

Host Brian Kenny introduces Cold Call, the official podcast of the Harvard Business School. Cold Call distills the Business School’s legendary case studies into podcast form. The podcast airs every two weeks and features HBS faculty discussing cases they’ve written and the lessons they impart.