Publications

October 2017
Teaching Note

Canadian Pacific's Bid for Norfolk Southern

By: Benjamin C. Esty and E. Scott Mayfield

Teaching Note for HBS No. 216-057. 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

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

08 Sep 2020
Sharpening Your Skills

Capitalism Works Better When I Can See What You're Doing

good place to start The Upside of Highlighting a Product's DownsidesResearchers discover what happens when companies embrace product transparency, accentuating the positive—and the negative. Deconstructing the Price TagExplaining what it View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

April 2009 (Revised March 2011)
Case

Dave and Millie: A Tale of Two Entrepreneurs

By: G. Felda Hardymon and Ann Leamon

Two entrepreneurs have just been told by their venture capital backer to prepare a list of possible cuts to help them weather the 2008–2009 economic downturn. The impact on each firm is very different: one is a later-stage company with revenues in excess of $100... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Decision Choices and Conditions; Financial Crisis; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Cost Management; Growth and Development Strategy

27 Sep 2024
Research & Ideas

Charting 'Cheapflation': How Budget Brands Got So Pricey

cheaper goods could be tighter than those of makers of high-priced goods from the same category, adding pressure to raise prices as supply costs increased. But when inflation decreased, “the relative prices of cheaper options remained... View Details

Keywords: by Ana Elena Azpúrua

01 Sep 2011
News

Capitalism’s False Mantra

Related Links Martin discussing his book One of the most influential papers defining the role of business, “Theory of the Firm: Managerial Behavior, Agency Costs and Ownership Structure,” was coauthored in 1976 by Michael Jensen, the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne; Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information; Management

01 Mar 2010
News

Rwanda Provides Students with Hands-On Learning

in Rwanda’s most impoverished villages. To help improve the function of the Rwanda Development Board, another team examined the cost to business of governmental bureaucracy. “I believe that people learn the most about another country and... View Details

Keywords: Margie Kelley; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

05 Aug 2002
Research & Ideas

Five questions for Regina E. Herzlinger

the sick. The resulting competition for consumers with differentiated products will control costs by increasing quality of care—e.g., integrated teams for congestive heart failure have reduced costs by... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

January 2019
Case

Data.gov (Abridged)

By: Karim R. Lakhani, Robert D. Austin and Yumi Yi

This case presents the logic and execution underlying the launch of Data.gov, an instantiation of President Obama's initiative for transparency and open government. The process used by Vivek Kundra, the federal CIO, and his team to rapidly develop the website and to... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Rights; Analytics and Data Science; Internet and the Web; Ethics; Cost vs Benefits; Innovation and Management; Information Management; Public Administration Industry; Information Industry; United States

September 2011 (Revised September 2011)
Case

Perella Weinberg Partners: New Firm, Old Values

By: Clayton S. Rose and Aman Malik

In the five years since it opened its doors, the investment banking boutique Perella Weinberg Partners had grown into a firm that advised a roster of blue-chip clients on critical transactions and had over $8 billion of client assets under management. The three... View Details

Keywords: Cost; Investment Banking; Growth and Development; Compensation and Benefits; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Going Public; Banking Industry

February 2002 (Revised May 2003)
Case

Endeca Technologies (A)

By: G. Felda Hardymon, Josh Lerner and Ann Leamon

Steve Papa, CEO of Endeca Technologies, must decide among two term sheets raising the same amount of badly needed money for his young software company. One deal is led by insiders and, is offered at a lower price. It continues a board that has worked very well and... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Cost vs Benefits; Financial Condition; Financing and Loans; Management Skills; Financial Strategy; Corporate Finance; Decision Choices and Conditions; Information Technology Industry