Harvard Business School to Convene More Than 400 Business Leaders in San Francisco to Discuss Paths Forward for Improving U.S. Competitiveness

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Sep 10, 2012, 12:24 ET

HBS faculty to join Mary Meeker, Kevin Sharer and Shantanu Sinha in a discussion of innovation, entrepreneurship and U.S. competitiveness

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Monday, September 10, Harvard Business School (HBS) will convene Paths Forward, an event that is part of the school's U.S. Competitiveness Project. The Paths Forward event series brings together leaders in economic centers throughout the country to discuss actionable steps to improve U.S. competitiveness, or the ability of firms operating in the U.S. to compete globally while supporting high and rising living standards for Americans.

Panelists include Mary Meeker, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers; Kevin Sharer, former CEO of Amgen; and Shantanu Sinha, president and COO of Khan Academy.

The event will also feature several of the HBS faculty who contributed to the Harvard Business Review issue on U.S. competitiveness and/or the U.S. Competitiveness Project, including: Jan W. Rivkin, William A. Sahlman, and Willy C. Shih.

"America faces a deepening competitiveness crisis that threatens the ability of firms in the U.S. to compete globally while raising living standards for Americans. As the San Francisco business community demonstrates, the United States still has great strengths in areas such as entrepreneurship, innovation, and universities. The country needs a long-term strategy to take greater advantage of these strengths while addressing key weaknesses in areas such as the tax code, K-12 education, and fiscal policy," said Professor Jan Rivkin, co-chair of the U.S. Competitiveness Project. "We look forward to speaking with a diverse group of Bay Area leaders about tangible ways that business and government can improve U.S. competitiveness."

For members of the media interested in attending this invitation-only event or receiving more information about Harvard Business School's U.S. Competitiveness Project, please contact Calley Means at 202-350-6672 or [email protected].

About the HBS U.S. Competitiveness Project
The U.S. Competitiveness Project is a research-led effort by Harvard Business School to understand and improve the competitiveness of the United States - that is, the ability of firms operating in the U.S. to compete successfully in the global economy while supporting high and rising living standards for Americans. The Project focuses especially on the roles that business leaders do and can play in promoting U.S. competitiveness. The Project approaches current challenges to U.S. competitiveness as a matter of global concern, not just as an American issue.

SOURCE Harvard Business School