Publications

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Field Course: Venture Capital Journey - Course Catalog

HBS Course Catalog Field Course: Venture Capital Journey Course Number 6728 Senior Lecturer Jeffrey Bussgang Fall; Q1Q2; 3.0 credits Paper Please see this video for more on this course. Click here for application The application is due... View Details

March 1995 (Revised March 1995)
Case

Smashing the Cube: Corporate Transformation at CIBA-GEIGY Ltd.

By: David J. Collis and Elizabeth Wynne Johnson

CIBA-GEIGY is a large, diversified multinational corporation that transforms itself in the 1990s through a massive structural and cultural change. The case describes the changes implemented and the processes used to effect change in portfolio, people, and structures.... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Change Management; Transformation; Investment Portfolio; Multinational Firms and Management; Organizational Culture; Corporate Strategy

May 2024 (Revised September 2024)
Case

Hakluyt: from Corporate Intelligence to Trusted Advisors

By: Joseph B. Fuller and Lena Duchene

"Established in 1995 by a group of ex-British intelligence officers, Hakluyt & Company (Hakluyt) was a corporate advisory firm that generated insights by leveraging a unique blend of internal expertise and a global network of well-connected individuals. Since 2019, the... View Details

October 2015
Case

Integrating Avocent Corporation into Emerson Network Power

By: Prithwiraj Choudhury and Vincent M. Servello

This case reviews Emerson Electric’s proposed acquisition of Avocent Corporation in 2009. The focus of this case is how a technology company such as Avocent, with a dramatically different business model compared to its acquirer, should be integrated into a large,... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Integration; Human Capital; Acquisition; Technology Industry

August 1991 (Revised March 1993)
Case

Tambrands, Inc.: The Femtech Soviet Joint Venture (B)

By: Willis M. Emmons III

Keywords: Joint Ventures; Corporate Strategy; Soviet Union

September – October 2011
Article

The Rise and Consequences of Corporate Sustainability Reporting

By: Ioannis Ioannou and George Serafeim

For many decades the cornerstone of corporate reporting has been financial information that is presented in a company's annual, semi-annual, and quarterly reports. These comprehensive financial reports—required by law for public companies in most countries... View Details

Keywords: Sustainability; ESG Reporting; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Annual Reports; Operations; Strategy; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Performance; Business Model; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Corporate Disclosure

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Web

Winners & Success Stories | New Venture Competition

Winners & Success Stories The New Venture Competition has been the launching pad for many ventures, and not just from the winning teams. With more than half of Harvard Business School alumni classifying themselves as entrepreneurs at some... View Details

December 1970 (Revised December 1977)
Background Note

Stages of Corporate Development (Part I)

By: Bruce R. Scott

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation

November 2011
Article

Corporate Governance When Founders Are Directors

By: Feng Li and Suraj Srinivasan

We examine CEO compensation, CEO retention policies, and M&A decisions in firms where founders serve as a director with a non-founder CEO (founder-director firms). We find that founder-director firms offer a different mix of incentives to their CEOs than other firms.... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Executive Compensation; Retention; Policy; Motivation and Incentives; Performance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Mergers and Acquisitions; Wages; United States

SSRN

April 1998 (Revised July 2005)
Case

Acquisition of Consolidated Rail Corporation (A), The

By: Benjamin C. Esty, Lori A. Flees and Mathew M Millett

On October 15, 1996, Virginia-based CSX and Pennsylvania-based Consolidated Rail (Conrail), the first and third largest railroads in the eastern United States, announced their intent to merge in a friendly deal worth $8.3 billion. This deal was part of an industry-wide... View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Decisions; Contracts; Rail Industry; United States

Web

Contemporary Corporate Archives | Baker Library

Contemporary Corporate Archives Company archival records are an essential component in fully understanding a corporation’s progression from fledgling entrepreneurial enterprise to industry giant. Special Collections & Archives’ growing... View Details

1993
Book

Men and Women of the Corporation

By: R. M. Kanter

Keywords: Gender; Business Ventures

Article

The Degradation of Reported Corporate Profits

By: Mihir A. Desai

Keywords: Business Ventures; Profit; Reports

SSRN

August 2011 (Revised October 2015)
Case

Boardroom Battle Behind Bars: Gome Electrical Appliances Holdings—A Corporate Governance Drama

By: William C. Kirby and Tracy Yuen Manty

Despite widespread news of the incarceration of Gome Electronics' CEO, Huang Guangyu, Bain Capital felt they carefully undertook due diligence before making a significant investment in the company. The venture capital firm was confident that it and the current... View Details

Keywords: China; Legal Aspects Of Business; Corruption; Risk; Corporate Governance; Crime and Corruption; Power and Influence; Risk Management; Business and Shareholder Relations; Venture Capital; Ethics; Governing and Advisory Boards; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Values and Beliefs; Private Equity; China

13 Nov 2000
Research & Ideas

Corporate Venturing: Entrepreneurship on the Inside

for those who want to help them reinvent themselves. "We think about all these great large companies that have failed," said HBS professor Michael Roberto, who moderated the discussion. "But there are lots of great examples of new business creation and... View Details

Keywords: by Kenneth Liss

April 1992
Article

Does Corporate Performance Improve after Mergers?

By: Paul M. Healy, Krishna G. Palepu and Richard S. Ruback

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Performance; Business Ventures

Apr 2010
Conference Presentation

The Globalization of Corporate Environmental Transparency

By: Michael W. Toffel

Keywords: Globalization; Business Ventures

March 2009
Article

Trade-offs in Staying Close: Corporate Decision Making and Geographic Dispersion

By: Augustin Landier, Vinay Nair and Julie Wulf

We document the role of geographic dispersion on corporate decision-making. Our findings include: (i) geographically dispersed firms are less employee friendly; (ii) dismissals of divisional employees are less common in divisions located closer to corporate... View Details

Keywords: Business Divisions; Business Headquarters; Decision Choices and Conditions; Geographic Location; Employees; Resignation and Termination; Retention

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January 1997
Exercise

Negotiating Corporate Change: Confidential Information, Jack Morris, VP, Food Division

By: James K. Sebenius

This case provides the confidential role information necessary for one person in a four-person negotiation simulation about a major corporate change. Specifically, it describes the role of Jack Morris as he attempts to negotiate a new uniform corporate information... View Details

Keywords: Business Units; Transformation; Food; Information Management; Negotiation Deal; System