Publications

March 2005 (Revised August 2007)
Case

Aguas Argentinas: Settling a Dispute

By: Louis T. Wells Jr. and Alexandra de Royere

The French-owned Aguas Argentinas faces a demand from the Argentine government that it renegotiate its concession to operate the Buenos Aires water and sewage services. The company must decide whether to continue with efforts to settle on a new contract or to exercise... View Details

Keywords: Foreign Direct Investment; Contracts; Infrastructure; Privatization; Business and Government Relations; Conflict and Resolution; Business Strategy; Utilities Industry; France; Buenos Aires

March 2003 (Revised January 2004)
Case

CDC Capital Partners: December 2002

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

Paul Fletcher, CEO of CDC Capital Partners, a private equity group investing in the world's poorest countries, is wrestling with questions raised by the imminent reorganization of the firm. Previously an arm of the United Kingdom's international aid agency, CDC is... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Investment Portfolio; Privatization; Venture Capital; Business and Government Relations; Emerging Markets; Infrastructure; Financial Services Industry; Banking Industry; United Kingdom

April 1995 (Revised December 1997)
Case

Silicon Graphics, Inc. (A)

By: Marco Iansiti and Ellen Stein

Based on a Silicon Valley company that has developed the capability to compete in a rapidly growing, highly turbulent environment. This capability hinges on its flexible and rapid development process, which the case characterizes in detail. Focuses on the development... View Details

Keywords: Product Development; Information Infrastructure; Product Launch; Managerial Roles; Expansion; Design; Applications and Software; Computer Industry; Electronics Industry; California

Find at Harvard

19 Aug 2019
Blog Post

Investing in Breakthrough Technologies to Lead the Energy Transition

the global population still lacks access to electricity. Developing new technologies and investing in infrastructure are imperative to reduce CO2 emissions, increase access to electricity, and enable economic prosperity. My previous... View Details

Keywords: Manufacturing; Technology

19 Aug 2013
News

Bees Make a Sweet Deal for African Farmers

with a growing middle class in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi. We hope to become the world's newest 'tiger states.' Bureaucracy and lack of appropriate infrastructure are challenges, but most African countries are now... View Details

Keywords: Agriculture; Finance; Health, Social Assistance; Management

March 2015 (Revised April 2015)
Case

The Heat Is On: Emerging Ecosystems in the Thermostat Industry

By: David Collis and Ashley Hartman

Beth Wozniak, President of Honeywell Environmental and Combustion Controls (ECC) at Honeywell International Inc., spun around in her office chair, reflecting about how the classic, mature thermostat industry was rapidly evolving. In February 2014, Google paid $3.2... View Details

08 Nov 2024
Op-Ed

How Private Investors Can Help Solve Africa's Climate Crisis

than infrastructure development and climate adaptation, according to the Associated Press. Finding the necessary capital What does this mean? Essentially, this lack of capital means governments and DFIs will not be able to ride to the... View Details

Keywords: by John Macomber; Green Technology; Energy

19 May 2023
Blog Post

Choosing To Be Optimistic about Climate Change

geopolitical tensions around resources, technologies, and standards, which could undermine the economies of the developing world. Speakers in nearly every session mentioned the critical role of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan View Details

15 Jul 2015
Research & Ideas

Amazon Prime Day: The Logic Behind a Retailer’s Made-up Holiday

challenges. Gupta said Amazon will have to carefully plan for a huge surge in demand, and the supply chain logistics that come along with that, though he believes they are well-equipped to do so given their robust technological View Details

Keywords: Re: Sunil Gupta; Retail

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Throwing Your Opponent: Strategies for the Internet Age

the dynamic introduced by companies like Netscape that have helped build the information infrastructure of the Internet age. Yoffie and Cusumano point out, for example, that one of Netscape's pioneering achievements was reducing the... View Details

Keywords: by Daniel Penrice

22 Feb 2022
News

Vision: Learning Curve

leveraging existing technology and infrastructure to enhance the quality of early childhood education for disadvantaged kids. And while the state-run preschools and primary schools that serve this population may suffer in comparison with... View Details

Keywords: Alexander Gelfand; education; entrepreneurship; startup; India; Educational Services

08 Mar 2012
Research & Ideas

Unplugged: What Happened to the Smart Grid?

Replacing the antiquated electrical system in the United States with a super-efficient smart grid always seemed a surefire way to strengthen the economy, improve society, and provide endless opportunities for entrepreneurs. Big opportunities. But modernization of the... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Energy; Utilities

23 Sep 2024
Blog Post

2024 Summer Internships in Business & Environment

Intern, Segue Sustainable Infrastructure Segue Sustainable Infrastructure is a principal investment firm providing development capital to renewable energy projects and the View Details

March 2004 (Revised June 2004)
Case

Blackout: August 14, 2003

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Ryland Matthew Willis

On August 14, 2003, an electricity blackout cascaded throughout the northeastern United States and Canada. Describes the structure, technology, and economics of the electric utility industry and how gradual deregulation beginning in the 1970s placed unprecedented, and... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Performance Improvement; Infrastructure; Energy Sources; Business and Government Relations; Networks; Emerging Markets; Failure; Economics; Utilities Industry; Canada; Northeastern United States

December 1999 (Revised April 2002)
Case

International Business Machines Corporation (A)

By: David F. Hawkins

Perform financial ratio analysis to identify changes in IBM's business mix and profitability. Teaching purpose: Ratio analysis. View Details

Keywords: Information Infrastructure; Capital Structure; Performance Efficiency; Business Earnings; Business Model; Private Sector; Commercialization; Computer Industry; Accounting Industry