Publications

April 2016
Supplement

Canadian Pacific's Bid for Norfolk Southern Spreadsheet Supplement

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Scott Mayfield

In December 2015, Canadian Pacific Railroad (CPR) has just made its third bid to acquire Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC), one of the largest railroads in the United States. Having rejected the prior offers, NSC’s CEO James Squires and the NSC board must now value... View Details

Keywords: Capital Structure; Cash Flow; Cost of Capital; Financial Strategy; Investment Activism; Bids and Bidding; Negotiation Offer; Corporate Strategy; Rail Transportation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Transformation; United States; Canada

July 2009
Teaching Note

Targanta Therapeutics: Hitting a Moving Target (TN)

By: Arthur A. Daemmrich

Teaching Note for [709002]. View Details

Keywords: Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Product Development; Business Strategy; Initial Public Offering; Mergers and Acquisitions; Policy; Selection and Staffing; Health Testing and Trials; Resource Allocation; Biotechnology Industry

September 2004 (Revised May 2006)
Case

Bohemian Crowns: Ceskoslovenska Obchodni Banka (A)

By: Rawi E. Abdelal, Vincent Dessain and Monika Stachowiak

Tells the story of the Czech transition from a centrally planned to a free market economy, describing the first economic reforms, the fixed-exchange rate regime, and the voucher privatization. Also explains why, in the middle of the 1990s, the Czech Republic... View Details

Keywords: History; Currency Exchange Rate; Credit; Government Administration; Decisions; Economic Systems; Expansion; Mergers and Acquisitions; Developing Countries and Economies; Banks and Banking; Banking Industry; Czech Republic

06 Oct 2003
What Do You Think?

Is “the Innovator’s Solution” to Sustained Corporate Growth an Unnatural Act?

profitability. There are at least two antidotes to this scenario. One involves serial acquisitions. But research has suggested that most acquisitions destroy value. This helps explain why the stock of acquiring firms is often discounted... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

16 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Making the Most of Government Upheaval

related businesses in the local market or even in other countries. Stage III: Acquisition of New Capabilities. Becoming increasingly sophisticated as they competed with larger foreign rivals, the firms developed new capabilities in areas... View Details

Keywords: by Nancy O. Perry

01 Jun 2017
News

Case Study: Something New

the largest player in this industry is still pretty small,” says Malkina. “The biggest thing to figure out is how we can grow at or below our optimal customer acquisition cost at a much greater scale. We have the cash to invest in... View Details

Keywords: April White

2019
Working Paper

Government Technology Policy, Social Value, and National Competitiveness

By: Frank Nagle

This study seeks to better understand the impact that government technology procurement regulations have on social value and national competitiveness. To do this, it examines the impact of a change in France’s technology procurement policy that required government... View Details

Keywords: Social Value; Competitiveness; Government Administration; Information Technology; Acquisition; Policy; Value

SSRN

Read Now

January 1994 (Revised March 1995)
Case

NovaCare, Inc.: Living the Vision

By: Lynn S. Paine

NovaCare's CEO is considering how further to institutionalize the company's espoused values and beliefs. One challenge is integrating two newly acquired businesses; another is better aligning the values of the company's managers with those of its front-line... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Health Care and Treatment; Labor and Management Relations; Management Teams; Values and Beliefs; Mergers and Acquisitions; Mission and Purpose; Health Industry

21 Jul 2015
First Look

First Look: July 21, 2015

acquisitions of companies that were important providers of transaction software in the retail and hospitality industries. Now, in late November 2013, Nuti and his team were considering a third potential major acquisition: Digital Insight,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

06 Feb 2006
Research & Ideas

The Trouble Behind Livedoor

making that, too, an essentially stock-financed transaction. Many of Livedoor's acquisitions were great companies, and continued to perform well under the Livedoor brand. This probably explains why the pyramid scheme did not come tumbling... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Financial Services; Technology

November 2000 (Revised December 2001)
Case

iSteelAsia (A)

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Pamela A. Yatsko

The chairman of a Hong Kong-based steel distributor starts an online Asian steel trading portal and contemplates different paths to profitability and growth. Barriers include industrial culture, weakened markets in the spring of 2000, and vulnerability to takeover by... View Details

Keywords: Commercialization; Distribution Channels; Business Growth and Maturation; Horizontal Integration; Transformation; Corporate Strategy; Business Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Steel Industry; Hong Kong

Find at Harvard

01 Jun 2009
News

Alumni Books

multinationals as Bharat Forge, Hindalco, Mahindra, and Suzlon will increasingly be making acquisitions and building their brands in Western markets. This book profiles India’s pioneering multinationals, describing their transformation... View Details

Keywords: Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information

01 Dec 2015
News

Ink

something well, you’re not just looking at a Kuwaiti investor or a regional investor—it’s a global scene.” —Faisal Al-Hamad (MBA 2005), discussing the $170 million acquisition of Kuwaiti online food delivery service Talabat by Germany’s... View Details

October 1987 (Revised January 1989)
Background Note

Purchasing a Business: The Search Process

Describes the steps necessary to purchase a small to medium size company. Provides an eight-part analytical framework. Issues covered in the framework include the following: the self-assessment, deal criteria, deal sources, resources necessary to purchase a business,... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Framework; Resource Allocation; Negotiation Deal; Business Processes; Valuation

12 Feb 2018
Working Paper Summaries

Private Equity, Jobs, and Productivity: Reply to Ayash and Rastad

Keywords: by Steven J. Davis, John Haltiwanger, Kyle Handley, Ron S. Jarmin, Josh Lerner, and Javier Miranda

December 2014
Article

Private Equity, Jobs, and Productivity

By: Steven J. Davis, John Haltiwanger, Kyle Handley, Ron Jarmin, Josh Lerner and Javier Miranda

Private equity critics claim that leveraged buyouts bring huge job losses. To investigate this claim, we construct and analyze a new dataset that covers U.S. private equity transactions from 1980 to 2005. We track 3,200 target firms and their 150,000 establishments... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Leveraged Buyouts; Performance Productivity; Jobs and Positions; United States

Find at Harvard

March 2005 (Revised March 2007)
Supplement

Pacific Salmon Company, Inc. (CW)

By: Nabil N. El-Hage and Kenneth A. Froot

RRR, a $1 billion private equity fund, is trying to decide how much to bid for Pacific Salmon Inc. and how to finance the acquisition. View Details

Keywords: Food; Bids; Private Equity; Financing and Loans; Bids and Bidding; Acquisition; Food and Beverage Industry

February 1994 (Revised April 1995)
Case

Asahi Glass Co.: Diversification Strategy

By: David J. Collis

Describes the history and diversification strategy of the Japanese manufacturer Asahi Glass Co. The company has diversified through internal growth, acquisition, and joint ventures from its origin in flat glass to a broad glass-materials, chemical, and electronics... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Joint Ventures; Diversification; Expansion; Vertical Integration; Manufacturing Industry; Japan