Publications

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July 2005 (Revised December 2005)
Case

General Motors U.S. Pension Funds

By: Luis M. Viceira and Helen Tung

In June 2003, General Motors Corp. (GM) successfully marketed the largest corporate debt offering in U.S. history, worth $17.6 billion. The offering included $13.6 billion worth of debt denominated in dollars, euros, and pounds and $4 billion dollars denominated in... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Bonds; Investment Return; Policy; Borrowing and Debt; Corporate Finance; Auto Industry; United States

August 2023 (Revised September 2023)
Case

T.G.S. Transportation: Battery Electric or Hydrogen?

By: Willy C. Shih

Peter Schneider, the President of T.G.S. Transportation, Inc., faced a choice. His company operated drayage trucks that moved containerized cargo between the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland to customers across the State of California, with a focus on the... View Details

Keywords: Decarbonization; Clean Technology; Energy; Energy Policy; Renewable Energy; Environmental Sustainability; Truck Transportation; Transportation Industry; United States; California

05 Sep 2012
First Look

First Look: September 5

governments rely on honest reporting. Proof of honest intent is typically provided through signature at the end of the document, e.g., tax returns or insurance policy forms. Still, people sometimes cheat to... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

21 Feb 2007
Op-Ed

What a U.N. Partnership with Big Business Could Accomplish

poverty line. And yet, more than a trillion dollars has been spent by bilateral and multilateral organizations since World War II to try to alleviate this problem. The funds that were supposed to help improve people's lives have often been lost to View Details

Keywords: by George C. Lodge & Craig Wilson

03 Dec 2018
Research & Ideas

How Companies Can Increase Market Rewards for Sustainability Efforts

that believe their sustainability efforts are not being fully rewarded by the market. In particular, the research shows companies with overall good performance in their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) programs can increase... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

September 2023
Technical Note

Note on Family Constitutions

By: Christina R. Wing

Less than half of family businesses will survive generational transfer. While sometimes this is due to operating company issues, in many cases it is because of conflict within the family. Many families create and adopt a family constitution to proactively mitigate... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Policy; Organizational Structure; Family Ownership; Conflict Management; Agreements and Arrangements

17 Nov 2022
News

Alumni Leaders on Decarbonization Strategies for Combating Climate Change

Schenk, director of the HBS Business and Environment Initiative, asked some of our alumni how they view this moment and how they are looking to capitalize on it. Julia Trotman Brady (MBA 1997) Partner, Valo Ventures This is the most consequential View Details

November 2023 (Revised July 2024)
Background Note

Corporate Climate Targets

By: Willy C. Shih, Michael W. Toffel and Kelsey Carter

Companies that are addressing climate change by mitigating their greenhouse gas emissions often set reduction targets. This note describes several types of widely used carbon reduction targets, including carbon neutral, science based, net zero, real zero, and carbon... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Sustainability; Environmental Strategy; Climate Risk; Target-setting; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Corporate Accountability; Policy; Measurement and Metrics; Strategic Planning; Social Issues; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact

15 Dec 2015
First Look

December 15, 2015

Competition Policy International Whither Uber? Competitive Dynamics in Transportation Networks By: Edelman, Benjamin G. Abstract—Transportation Network Companies offer notable service advances—but do they comply with the law? And if not,... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

06 Nov 2012
First Look

First Look: November 6

http://www.amazon.com/Architecture-Innovation-Economics-Creative-Organizations/dp/1422143635/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351005820&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Architecture+of+Innovation The Founders and Finance: How Hamilton, Gallatin, and Other Immigrants... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Person Page

Media

This lists media reports covering my firm dollarDEX Investments or me (or my colleagues), or columns written by me (or my colleagues). There are all... View Details

28 May 2007
Research & Ideas

How Property Ownership Changes Your World View

a home, and achieve some level of success, security, and happiness. But how does this vision change in parts of the world where property rights, if they are present at all, are threatened by weak law enforcement, corruption, crime, and arbitrary View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

15 Sep 2016
Research & Ideas

Political Dysfunction Makes America Less Competitive

including working- and middle-class Americans, are struggling, as are many small businesses. The single biggest thorn in the economy’s side: our dysfunctional political system. While many political leaders individually agree with the federal View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

February 1992 (Revised April 1995)
Case

Pfizer: Global Protection of Intellectual Property

By: Lynn S. Paine and Michael Santoro

Top officials at Pfizer are assessing their strategy for improving protection of Pfizer's patents around the world. The outcome of the Uruguay Round of the GATT negotiations is uncertain, and it is not clear whether an acceptable intellectual property protection... View Details

Keywords: Patents; Trade; Policy; Government and Politics; Business Strategy; Agreements and Arrangements; Alliances; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States; Japan; Europe