Publications

August 2018 (Revised June 2019)
Case

Oaktree: Pierre Foods Investment

By: Victoria Ivashina and Mike Harmon

This case is a setting to discuss “loan to own” investment strategy that is often pursued by distressed investors. The aftermath of the 2007 financial crisis left many companies with poor liquidity and limited ability to obtain credit. One of these companies was Pierre... View Details

Keywords: Distress Investing; Investment; Debt Securities; Strategy; Restructuring

Web

Manuscript Collections - A Chronicle of the China Trade

records contain letters, accounts of ships expenses, and accounts of cargoes bought and sold from 1852 to 1855. Included are letters from partner Samuel T. Dana's brother Richard while he was in Canton as an... View Details

03 Oct 2023
HBS Case

Layoffs Can Be Bad Business: 5 Strategies to Consider Before Cutting Staff

points to study after study that show that layoffs have hidden costs that make companies less profitable, innovative, and productive. Senior leaders may be saying, “If companies I know and admire are doing this, it can’t be that bad, or... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand; Telecommunications; Technology; Financial Services; Manufacturing

September 2020 (Revised June 2021)
Case

Algramo

By: Michael Chu, Monica Silva and Mariana Cal

Founded in 2013 by José Manuel Moller in Chile, Algramo first became known for addressing the “poverty tax” (the surcharge paid by lower income families for staples sold in smaller sizes) through specially-designed dispensers in low-income neighborhood grocery stores... View Details

Keywords: Packaging-as-a-wallet; Plastic Waste; Business At The Base Of The Pyramid; Reusable Packaging; Alliances With FMCGs To Meet ESG Goals; Social Entrepreneurship; Environmental Sustainability; Strategy; Value Creation; Goals and Objectives; Business Model; Consumer Products Industry; Latin America; South America; Chile

March–April 2025
Article

Strategy in an Era of Abundant Expertise: How to Thrive When AI Makes Knowledge and Know-How Cheaper and Easier to Access

By: Bobby Yerramilli-Rao, John Corwin, Yang Li and Karim R. Lakhani

The AI era is in its early stages, and the technology is evolving extremely quickly. Providers are rapidly introducing AI "copilots," "bots," and "assistants" into applications to augment employees' workflows. Examples include GitHub Copilot for coding, ServiceNow... View Details

Keywords: AI; AI and Machine Learning; Performance Productivity; Experience and Expertise; Technology Adoption

Ted Berk is the Barry and Teri Volpert Fellow and a Senior Lecturer of Business Administration in the Finance Unit at Harvard Business School. He teaches Private Equity Finance in the elective curriculum and Finance I & II in the required curriculum.

Ted... View Details

08 Jan 2001
What Do You Think?

Have We Extended the Boundaries of the Firm Too Far?

quite high at the time, thus providing a justification for the vertical integration of large organizations) set limits on behaviors that we refer to today as partnering, the forming of alliances, and... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

23 Jun 2014
Research & Ideas

In Venture Capital, Birds of a Feather Lose Money Together

Unfortunately, that tendency turns out to be bad for business. “At the early stage of a company, you want the people around the table to challenge each other.” In the paper The Cost View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Financial Services

22 Feb 2011
Research & Ideas

The Most Important Management Trends of the (Still Young) Twenty-First Century

production. Importantly, firms are not the only entities to participate in the new ecosystems. The Internet and other social media have dramatically lowered the cost of communication and collective action,... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

2024
Working Paper

Catalysts for Climate Solutions: Corporate Responses to Venture Capital Financing of Climate-tech Startups

By: Shirley Lu, George Serafeim and Simon Xu

We study whether incumbent firms increase their product focus on climate solutions in response to venture capital (VC) financing of climate-tech startups. Using large language models to measure a firm's focus on climate solutions, we find that incumbents in similar... View Details

Keywords: Climate Finance; Climate Change; Technological Innovation; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Private Equity; Environmental Sustainability; Business Startups

SSRN

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Web

Commercialization of the Polarizer - Edwin H. Land & Polaroid | Harvard Business School

based on that theory, and it draws on manufacturing, research, engineering, quality control. And its function is to hold costs down, push quality up, help get the new products out. 22 By the end of the... View Details

September 2019 (Revised May 2021)
Case

pymetrics: Early Days

By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

In 2013, CEO Frida Polli was contemplating the next steps for her start-up business, pymetrics. After receiving her PhD in neuropsychology and MBA from HBS, she was determined to put her scientific and academic knowledge to work to build a business solving real world... View Details

August 2008 (Revised May 2009)
Case

Kmart and ESL Investments (A)

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah Abbott

A major bankrupt retailer is poised to emerge from Chapter 11. Two activist hedge funds ("vulture investors") will own over 50% of reorganized Kmart's common stock, based on prior investments in Kmart's debt claims, and an infusion of new equity financing. The Chapter... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Capital Structure; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Investment; Investment Activism; Valuation; Financial Services Industry; Retail Industry; United States

21 Oct 2002
Research & Ideas

The Parable of the Bungled Baggage And the Unhappy Customer

Sasser's presentation is part of the Faculty Seminar Series sold through Harvard Business School Publishing.One of the companies I've had chance to work with is a large global air carrier. And working for an... View Details

Keywords: by W. Earl Sasser

06 Jan 2010
What Do You Think?

Is a Stringent Climate Change Agreement a Pot of Gold?

Summing Up Do we even need a stringent climate change agreement? Judging from this month's comments, a question can be raised about the necessity of a climate change agreement, stringent or not, as a catalyst to foster innovation and the... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Energy; Utilities

13 Jul 2021
News

Conflicting, Contradictory Results in Studies of Alleged Racism, Voter Suppression in Election Laws

November 2021
Supplement

Steve Schwarzman on Dealmaking I: “Becoming a ‘Friend of the Situation’” (B)

By: James K. Sebenius and Alex Green

This case describes, largely in his own words, how Schwarzman dealt with the eight negotiation challenges in the (A) case (922-005); with respect to each challenge, a series of generalizations follows to enhance one's effectiveness in negotiation. View Details

Keywords: Dealmaking; Bargaining; Conflict Resolution; Negotiation; Private Equity; Entrepreneurship; Conflict and Resolution; Problems and Challenges