Publications

September 2006
Case

Stedman Place: Buy or Rent?

By: Andre F. Perold and David S. Scharfstein

A couple has to decide whether to continue renting a townhouse or buy the one next door. Allows for a discussion of net present value, internal rate of return, and the costs and benefits of homeownership. View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Decisions; Asset Pricing; Investment Return; Housing; Family Ownership; Renting or Rental; Valuation

19 Mar 2008
Research & Ideas

Finding Success in the Middle of the Market

provider of premium-priced products tailored to a particular customer segment, or you have to shoot for scale, using low prices and volume purchasing to attract a mass market and drive down your cost structure. Midfield has been... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Auto; Retail

01 Dec 2005
News

Trillion-Dollar Fixer-Upper

knowledge that the industry today bears little resemblance to the industry of the late 1980s. In fact, real estate now is widely viewed as a new asset class that competes with stocks and bonds for investment capital. It earned that... View Details

Keywords: Roger Thompson; Real Estate

August 2010
Teaching Note

Vereinigung Hamburger Schiffsmakler und Schiffsagenten e.V.: Valuing Ships (TN)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Albert W. Sheen

Teaching Note for 210058. View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Financial Crisis; Price; Financing and Loans; Contracts; Asset Pricing; Cash Flow; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Shipping Industry; Germany

March 2007 (Revised March 2007)
Case

Burt's Bees: Leaving the Hive

Rapid growth is pushing Burt's Bees' natural personal care products into mass distribution channels, with products and brand elements that are less quirky, more commercial than they used to be. Indeed, CEO John Replogle believes that by focusing on efficacious,... View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Consumer Behavior; Asset Pricing; Entrepreneurship; Distribution Channels; Product Development; Brands and Branding; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States

June 2000 (Revised September 2000)
Case

Amazon.com: Exploiting the Value of Digital Business Infrastructure

By: Lynda M. Applegate and Meredith Collura

Enables a thorough analysis of Amazon.com and the company's value proposition, in terms of its business concept, digital business capabilities, and community and shareholder value. Examines the company's complex set of business models and web of business relationships,... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Asset Pricing; Capital; Financial Management; Technological Innovation; Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Relationships; Competitive Strategy; Information Technology Industry; Web Services Industry

June 2007
Article

Risk Management, Capital Budgeting and Capital Structure Policy for Insurers and Reinsurers

By: K. A. Froot

Keywords: Risk Management; Capital Budgeting; Cost of Capital; Policy; Insurance; Asset Pricing; Insurance Industry

January 1998
Case

Meinhard v. Salmon: Court of Appeals of New York (1928)

By: Henry B. Reiling

Meinhard and Salmon were joint venturers who had a 20-year lease on the Hotel Bristol in New York City. Salmon was the managing party. Four months before the lease was to end, the owner approached Salmon and offered to lease all the property, of which the Bristol was... View Details

Keywords: Lawsuits and Litigation; Joint Ventures; Partners and Partnerships; Decisions; Asset Pricing; Leasing; New York (city, NY)

Article

Optimal Value and Growth Tilts in Long-Horizon Portfolios

By: Jakub W. Jurek and Luis M. Viceira

We develop an analytical solution to the dynamic portfolio choice problem of an investor with power utility defined over wealth at a finite horizon, who faces a time-varying investment opportunity set, parameterized using a flexible vector autoregression. We apply this... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Private Equity; Investment; Investment Portfolio; Asset Pricing; Value

Read Now

November 2016 (Revised March 2018)
Case

Deutsche Bank: Structured Retail Products

By: Boris Vallée and Jérôme Lenhardt

Describes how Deutsche Bank, a leading European bank, is deciding whether or not to launch a new structured retail product in Germany: an autocallable note. Will this product find a market and how does it fit into the bank’s product portfolio? The case investigates how... View Details

October 1997 (Revised March 1998)
Case

Komatsu Ltd.: Project G's Globalization

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

This case describes the major strategic and organizational transformation at Komatsu aimed at changing it from a Japan-based producer of construction equipment to a truly global company with the ability to leverage its groupwide portfolio of resources and capabilities... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Construction; Asset Pricing; Investment Portfolio; Global Strategy; Leadership; Resource Allocation; Risk Management; Expansion; Manufacturing Industry; Japan

26 Oct 2009
Lessons from the Classroom

The New Deal: Negotiauctions

asset that it was willing to buy, and then the banks that held that class of asset would bid the price down in an effort to sell their toxic View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

January 2010 (Revised October 2011)
Case

The Congressional Oversight Panel's Valuation of the TARP Warrants (A)

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin

The Congressional Oversight Panel wants to value the warrants issued to the government in connection with the TARP investments of 2008, in order to increase the transparency of options repurchases. The case describes the methodology used to value the warrants. Students... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Asset Pricing; Financial Instruments; Investment; Business and Government Relations; Mathematical Methods; Valuation; Banking Industry; Public Administration Industry; United States

March 2006
Module Note

Exchange Rates and Global Markets

By: Mihir A. Desai and Kathleen Luchs

Describes the first module of the International Finance course at Harvard Business School. This introductory module focuses on the concepts and skills that students need throughout a course on international finance: a familiarity with exchange rates and associated... View Details

Keywords: Asset Pricing; Currency Exchange Rate; Globalized Markets and Industries; International Finance; Teaching; Innovation and Invention; Education Industry

17 Jul 2023
Blog Post

From the Panelists: Toward a Decarbonized Future: Who Pays? Who Profits?

Jacobs stressed that the price tag for the transition is both known and huge. “Despite the massive capital flows into the Transition, the capital markets remain challenged when it comes to long-term oriented investments, to... View Details

September 2000 (Revised November 2002)
Case

Amazon.com: 1994-2000

By: Lynda M. Applegate and Meredith Collura

Enables a thorough analysis of Amazon.com and the company's value proposition, in terms of its business concept, digital business capabilities, and community and shareholder value. Examines the company's complex set of business models and web of business relationships,... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Asset Pricing; Capital; Financial Strategy; Technological Innovation; Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Information Technology Industry; Web Services Industry