Publications

October 1999
Case

ZEFER: Building a Business at Hyperspeed

By: John T. Gourville and Joseph B. Lassiter III

In the past 18 months, ZEFER has gone from a several-person Internet consulting firm to a major player in the information-technology services industry. In particular, in the past six months, it has grown from 40 to 400 professionals, has hired a seasoned management... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development; Recruitment; Venture Capital; Acquisition; Organizational Culture; Managerial Roles; Growth Management; Information Technology Industry

September 1997 (Revised May 1999)
Case

Automated Intelligence Corporation

By: James K. Sebenius and David T. Kotchen

Precision Controls is a Minnesota-based manufacturer of electronic control devices. To enhance its product line, Precision would like to establish an artificial intelligence research group, either through internal development or, preferably, by merging with or... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Valuation; Research and Development; Stock Shares; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Tactics; Mergers and Acquisitions; Manufacturing Industry; Electronics Industry; Minnesota

18 Jul 2006
First Look

First Look: July 18, 2006

than $100 million. These transactions are large enough to require the help of a financial adviser and attract both strategic and financial bidders. The sale process described is that of a private auction, including a confidential View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Mar 2007
News

Courting the Poor

the questions posed by the case is the classic conundrum of where and how Magazine Luiza should expand while preserving its identity and culture. The case describes a large acquisition of another Brazilian retailer with a very different... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; department stores; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management; Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Retail Trade

01 Mar 2014
News

Innovation: Crowdfunding College Costs

model has evolved since its launch. "We used to charge a transaction fee, but moved away from that for strategic reasons," Cordero says. "Now it's simply about customer acquisition and building a community." (Still, GradSave is currently... View Details

Keywords: Hanna, Julia; Gradsave; crowdfunding; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Finance

28 Oct 2014
First Look

First Look: October 28

against reports from third parties is critical for modern tax enforcement and the growth of state capacity. However, there may be limits to the effectiveness of third-party information if taxpayers can make offsetting adjustments on less... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

May 2019
Teaching Note

SeatGeek

By: Robert F. Higgins and Sarah Mehta

Teaching Note for HBS No. 819-013. View Details

Keywords: Event Ticketing; Sports Ticketing; Business Ventures; Acquisition; Business Model; Decision Making; Digital Platforms; Sports; Strategy; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Information Technology; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Sports Industry; New York (city, NY)

01 Dec 2015
News

How Do I Get Your Job?

of it is having a gut instinct. If you don’t have that, you can get into trouble trying to repeat past success by measuring every potential acquisition against a comparable film from the past. A film like Winter’s Bone would be a great... View Details

01 Feb 2001
News

Drilling Down

The news last October of Chevron's proposed acquisition of Texaco for $36 billion in stock was hardly surprising to industry analysts. The planned merger — which would streamline projects and save some $1.2 billion annually — was... View Details

Keywords: Hanna, Julia; Matthew R. Simmons; Oil and Gas Extraction; Mining; Natural Gas Distribution; Utilities

01 Oct 1998
News

Beyond the Numbers

tell a tale, the unassuming Robinson is a kind of John Grisham of the corporate financial world. For the past 25 years, he has been teasing out the narrative thread behind companies' financial data and helping them use the information to... View Details

Keywords: Eileen K. McCluskey

06 Jun 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas: June 6, 2017

highlight the pros and cons of each knowledge production model, help identify the scope of the empirical generalization of prior studies comparing the information quality of the two production models, and offer implications for... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Dec 2001
News

BOOK: Creating Value through Corporate Restructuring

proceeded when faced with multiple options. Those options — from mergers and acquisitions to leveraged buyouts and asset divestitures to "vulture" investing and tracking stock — are also explored. Gilson reminds readers that the devil is... View Details

Keywords: Margie Kelley

January 2013
Case

Zappos.com 2009: Clothing, Customer Service, and Company Culture (MM)

By: Frances X. Frei and Robin J. Ely

On July 17, 2009, Zappos.com, a privately-held online retailer of shoes, clothing, and other soft-line retail categories, learned that Amazon.com, a $19 billion multinational online retailer, had won its Board of Directors' approval to offer to merge the two companies.... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Internet and the Web; Mergers and Acquisitions; Organizational Culture; Growth and Development Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Retail Industry

September 2009
Teaching Note

iZumi (TN)

By: Robert F. Higgins

Teaching Note for [809105]. View Details

Keywords: Perspective; Intellectual Property; Venture Capital; Innovation and Invention; Investment; Financing and Loans; Information Technology; Mergers and Acquisitions; Commercialization; Biotechnology Industry