Publications

June 2004 (Revised November 2004)
Case

Restoring Trust at WorldCom

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Ashley Robertson

Examines the changes in corporate governance at WorldCom/MCI as proposed by the company's court-appointed corporate monitor, Richard Breeden. Following the largest bankruptcy ever and the downfall of the company, Breeden wrote "Restoring Trust," a report comprised of... View Details

Keywords: Change; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Corporate Governance; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Business and Government Relations; Trust

January 2021 (Revised October 2024)
Case

Aptiv PLC Board of Directors (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz

Aptiv’s board must decide whether a joint venture with an auto maker is the right next step in the company’s efforts to develop and commercialize a production-ready autonomous driving system. While many commentators believed that Aptiv’s self-driving technologies had... View Details

01 May 2019
News

Harvard exhibit details the rise and demise of Lehman Brothers

November 2018 (Revised August 2020)
Case

The Reinvention of Kodak

By: Ryan Raffaelli and Christine Snively

The Eastman Kodak Company (Kodak) was a name familiar to most Americans. The company had dominated the film and photography industry through most of the 20th Century and was known for making affordable cameras (and the “Kodak Moment”) and supplying the movie industry... View Details

Keywords: CEO; Leadership; Asset Management; Transformation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Competitive Strategy

March 2009
Supplement

Groupe Eurotunnel S.A. (B): Restructuring Under the Procedure de Sauvegarde

By: Stuart C. Gilson, Vincent Marie Dessain and Sarah Abbott

In mid-2007 the chairman and CEO of Eurotunnel Group, having elected to file for bankruptcy under a newly-enacted French insolvency law, awaits the outcome of a vote by creditors and shareholders. At least 50% of the shareholders must approve the plan, however they... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Capital Structure; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Law; Valuation; Assets; Investment Funds; Voting; Business and Shareholder Relations; Ownership; Outcome or Result; France

January 2019 (Revised February 2020)
Case

Jay Gould, 'The Most Hated Man in America'

By: Tom Nicholas, John Masko and Matthew G. Preble

Railroad magnate Jay Gould, a controversial figure in the history of U.S. capitalism, was a disruptive influence on an industry that had previously relied on formal and informal agreements to move traffic long distances across lines operated by different companies.... View Details

Keywords: Railroads; Gould; Vanderbilt; Rail Transportation; History; Consolidation; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Competition; Strategy; Rail Industry; United States

May 2012 (Revised August 2012)
Case

Apple Inc. in 2012

By: David B. Yoffie and Penelope Rossano

On October 5, 2011, Steve Jobs tragically died of cancer. The recently retired CEO of Apple Inc. was a legend: he had changed Apple from a company near bankruptcy to one of the largest and most profitable companies in the world. Moreover, he had revolutionized several... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Market Positioning; Strategic Planning; Technology; Computer Industry; Strategy Implementation; Consumer Electronics; Telecommunications; Information Infrastructure; Innovation and Invention; Competitive Strategy; Leadership; Product Positioning; Telecommunications Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Electronics Industry

March 2010 (Revised May 2010)
Case

Chrysler's Sale to Fiat

By: C. Fritz Foley, Lena G. Goldberg and Linnea Meyer

This case provides students with an opportunity to analyze the restructuring of Chrysler in the midst of the financial crisis of 2008–2009. It describes how debtors can use section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code to sell assets quickly. It allows for discussion of who... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Restructuring; Financial Crisis; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Laws and Statutes; Business and Government Relations; Sales; Auto Industry; United States

02 Nov 2018
News

New Exhibit at HBS’s Baker Library Tells Tale of Rise and Fall of Lehman Brothers

22 Sep 2016
News

Innovation Under Constraint: Constructing a Turnaround at Lego

March 2009 (Revised March 2010)
Case

Groupe Eurotunnel S.A. (A)

By: Stuart C. Gilson, Vincent Marie Dessain and Sarah Abbott

In the summer of 2006, the chairman and CEO of Eurotunnel Group is faced with the decision whether to file for bankruptcy protection, after having failed to gain creditor approval of an ambitious out-of-court restructuring plan. The company, which has been attempting... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Capital Structure; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Laws and Statutes; Risk Management; Rail Industry; France; United Kingdom

December 2007 (Revised July 2011)
Case

Leadership in Energy: Jim Rogers at Cinergy

By: Boris Groysberg, Nitin Nohria, Colleen Kaftan and Geoff Eckman Marietta

Jim Rogers, CEO of the energy company Cinergy, has led the company from the brink of bankruptcy to one of the premier energy companies through selecting a focused strategy, aligning the organization to support it, and mobilizing all the employees to implementation. The... View Details

Keywords: Communication Strategy; Leading Change; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Alignment; Corporate Strategy; Energy Industry

September 1991
Case

Kaiser Steel Corporation, 1984

By: Timothy A. Luehrman

In 1984, Kaiser's shareholders were asked to approve a complicated leveraged buyout of the company. Students are asked to analyze the proposed transaction and make a recommendation. To do this, they must determine who gets what in the deal, whether and how any value is... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Capital; Value Creation; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Steel Industry

25 Oct 2018
News

The Rise And Fall Of A Household Name

June 2013
Supplement

Jamba Juice (B)

By: J. Bruce Harreld and Christian Karega

James White, the new CEO of Jamba Juice, has successfully averted bankruptcy and must now decide the future path for Jamba Juice, the leader in the smoothie and fresh bar industry. This two-part case presents the various strategic options White is considering. It then... View Details

Keywords: Beverage Industry; Turnarounds; Strategic Change; Strategy Execution; Turnaround; Consumer Marketing; Franchising; Food Retail Franchising; Strategy; Leadership; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

December 2010
Compilation

VCPE Strategy Vignettes II

By: Josh Lerner, G. Felda Hardymon, Matthew Rhodes-Kropf, Ann Leamon and Lisa Strope

These three vignettes present various issues around the strategy and management of venture capital and private equity firms. In one, a senior partner must decide how to manage an over-extended colleague and how to reduce the risk of the firm's portfolio; the second... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Private Equity; Cost vs Benefits; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Investment Portfolio; Ownership; Partners and Partnerships; Risk Management; Stocks; Problems and Challenges; United States

01 Sep 2016
News

Explosives Saved an American Company From Chinese Competition

01 Oct 2013
News

Lehman Brothers Plus Five: Have We Learned from Our Mistakes?

July 1990 (Revised August 1990)
Case

Kaiser Steel Corporation, 1950

By: Timothy A. Luehrman and William Schiano

Examines Kaiser Steel's initial equity offering in 1950. The first case in a sequence that will trace the history of corporate restructurings that occurred 30 to 40 years later, in the 1980s. Subsequent cases examine foreign competition and labor unrest, hostile... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Competition; Initial Public Offering; Capital Structure; Restructuring; Capital Markets; Ownership; Steel Industry; United States