Publications

January 2019 (Revised November 2020)
Case

Ribbon Home: iBacking for Real Estate

By: Marco Di Maggio and Sarah Gulick

In November 2018, Shaival Shah, the founder and CEO of Ribbon Home had to decide on the next steps for the company. Ribbon had introduced a program that backs consumers with cash offers without creating a loan structure in order to help them compete with iBuyers, such... View Details

Keywords: Consumers; Real Estate; Property; Finance; Digital Platforms; Business Model; Decision Making; Real Estate Industry; Technology Industry

May 2017
Case

Cambridge Franchise Partners

By: Richard Ruback and Royce Yudkoff

Two partners commence a rollup in the quick-service restaurant segment. They focus on operating improvements and spinning-off real estate. View Details

Keywords: Real Estate; Mergers and Acquisitions; Operations; Performance Improvement; Property; Management

May 1997 (Revised May 2004)
Case

Riverbend Telephone Company

By: William J. Bruns Jr.

An independent telephone company needs to acquire a new truck for use in telephone line installation and maintenance and must decide whether to buy or lease the truck. The company must address the rate of return in a regulated industry and the best accounting treatment... View Details

Keywords: Cost Accounting; Analysis; Cash Flow; Investment Return; Ownership

24 Jun 2019
Blog Post

Chloe Ho, MBA 2019: Data-Driven and In Demand

larger existential implications. “As this field continues to involve, there are broader implications on data ownership and governance, notions of personal privacy and ethics, and on the evolution of man-machine interactions and... View Details

Keywords: Technology

15 Aug 2017
Blog Post

Where Work Meets Passion: A Summer In Community Development

primarily run an eight-acre urban farm called D-town Farm. They also ventured to create a brick-and-mortar store called the Detroit Food Commons, centered on creating greater access to healthy foods and spurring community ownership – and... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit / Government

01 Jun 2008
News

Where Are They Now?

the boards of GE, Chubb Corporation, Wal-Mart, and Phase Forward. Another of his abiding passions is sports. His wife, Clemmie, refers to him as a “Professional Sports Attendee” because he has season tickets to Patriots, Red Sox, and Celtics games. So when he was... View Details

Keywords: Mary Ellen Gardner; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services; Information; Management

01 Mar 2019
News

In Character: A Case Discussion Drama

wants to cash out in a few years to achieve better work-life balance. Milan, the workhorse, hopes to carry the family legacy forward. And whatever the outcome, Danijela, the unofficial family mediator, expects her ownership stake will be... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

24 Jul 2019
Blog Post

Data-Driven and in Demand

larger existential implications. “As this field continues to involve, there are broader implications on data ownership and governance, notions of personal privacy and ethics, and on the evolution of man-machine interactions and... View Details

06 Feb 2006
Research & Ideas

The Trouble Behind Livedoor

early 2003 would have 10,000 shares today. Why would a company want to cut the trading price of its stock by so much? A: In a stock split, each share of the firm is divided into more units, but the proportional ownership of each... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Financial Services; Technology

December 1980 (Revised December 1984)
Case

Hudepohl Brewing Co.

By: Malcolm S. Salter

Presents the problem of how an established regional brewer can survive the onslaught of national breweries, some of which are being cross-subsidized by diversified parent companies. Requires detailed analysis of what operations are profitable and unprofitable for... View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Profit; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Industry Growth; Private Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Competition; Diversification

January 1987 (Revised May 1989)
Case

Merck-Banyu

By: Timothy A. Luehrman

Merck acquired control of Banyu in 1983. This was the first acquisition by outsiders of a major publicly traded Japanese company. This case is focused on valuing strategic investments in an environment of global competition. The case is complex because of the... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Investment; Globalization; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Industry Structures; Negotiation Deal; Public Ownership; Competition; Valuation; Japan

Find at Harvard

June 2020
Teaching Plan

Chief

By: Katherine B. Coffman, Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Kathleen L. McGinn, Julia Kelley, Amy Klopfenstein and Katherine Chen

Teaching Plan serves as a supplement to the case for “Chief: Role for Carolyn Childers” (920-019), “Chief: Role for Lindsay Kaplan” (920-020), and “Scaling at Chief” (920-021). View Details