Financing Decisions - Publications - Faculty & Research

February 2018
Case

Robert K. Steel at Wachovia (A)

By: Gautam Mukunda, Nien-hê Hsieh and David Lane

In September 2008, Robert Steel presided over the sale of Wachovia, a top U.S. bank, less than three months after becoming its CEO. Wachovia’s exposure to risky home loans led depositors and creditors to flee the bank on Friday, September 26, after the FDIC seized and... View Details

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November 2001 (Revised August 2005)
Case

BigEast Bank (A): Credit Card Approval

By: Frances X. Frei and Dennis Campbell

BigEast is considering adopting a relationship-centric view in its credit card approval process. This would shift the bank's current practice of analyzing applications based on the merits of a single product to one where the customer's existing relationship is... View Details

Keywords: Customers; Forecasting and Prediction; Banks and Banking; Analytics and Data Science; Managerial Roles; Relationships; Adoption; Banking Industry

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May 2025
Case

'Net Zero in Action': Impact Investing at the McKnight Foundation

By: Lauren Cohen, Christina R. Wing and Sophia Pan

Elizabeth McGeveran, Vice President of Investments at the McKnight Foundation, reflected on how to effectively advance the organization’s net-zero strategy. The foundation had committed 10% of its endowment to building a portfolio of impact investments and was among... View Details

Citation

Educators

18 Oct 2011
First Look

First Look: October 18

the operating decisions of the waste-to-energy firm. Our analyses suggest that if the social planner's objective is to maximize landfill diversion, offering a subsidy as a per kilowatt-hour for electricity is more cost effective, whereas... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

March 2020
Article

Synergistic Value in Vertically Integrated Power-to-Gas Energy Systems

By: Gunther Glenk and Stefan Reichelstein

In vertically integrated energy systems, integration frequently entails operational gains that must be traded off against the requisite cost of capacity investments. In the context of the model analyzed in this study, the operational gains are subject to inherent... View Details

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January 2008
Teaching Note

Pilgrim Bank (A): Statistics Review with Data Desk

By: Frances X. Frei

Teaching Note for 602104. View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Policy; Banks and Banking; Management Teams; Motivation and Incentives; Customers; Mathematical Methods; Service Operations; Banking Industry

Citation

Purchase

October 1997 (Revised April 1998)
Case

C-Car

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Marie Bell

C-Car was the first automobile retailer in the United States to go public. Subsequently the owner, Mr. Gilliland, must decide how to invest the capital raised from the public ownership. This case describes in detail C-Car's highly profitable strategy of managing its... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Cost vs Benefits; Management Practices and Processes; Profit; Acquisition; Business Strategy; Public Ownership; Auto Industry; Retail Industry

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05 Mar 2007
Research & Ideas

Risky Business? Protecting Foreign Investments

then dominated by state owned companies. In some developing countries, officials were converted to the new beliefs. In other countries, officials were not so enthusiastic about the new ideology, but they found themselves cut off from other sources of View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Energy; Utilities

27 Feb 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, February 27, 2018

giver-receiver interactions—are resource-allocation decisions that also contribute to the social meaning of help. These findings illuminate the theoretical and practical overlap between helping and external leadership in... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

05 Sep 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, September 5, 2017

Air pollution not only corrupts people’s physical health, but can also contaminate their morality. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=53173 August 2017 Journal of Management Education Teaching Versus Living: Managerial View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

25 Aug 2022
Research & Ideas

It’s All in a Name: Reputable Investors Help Startups Shine

decisions of whether to submit a job application, comparing the actions of those observing the badges with those who didn’t. The researchers found that exposure to information that a startup is backed by top VC investors increased job... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

28 Oct 2015
Research & Ideas

A Dedication to Creation: India's Ad Man Ranjan Kapur

mindset he changed. That takes more time than one might imagine because of the entrenched culture in place. The second thing was empowerment. Every single recruiting decision (in the country) was being done by headquarters. That doesn’t... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Advertising

22 Jan 2013
First Look

First Look: Jan. 22

in Japanese corporate practices plays an important role in this phenomenon. Sometimes justified as an embodiment of Japanese culture, the opacity of Japanese corporations is credited with empowering managers to make long-term business View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Apr 2008
First Look

First Look: April 1, 2008

Working PapersMental Accounting and Small Windfalls: Evidence from an Online Grocer Authors:Katherine L. Milkman, John Beshears, Todd Rogers, and Max H. Bazerman (revised March 2008) Abstract We study the effect of small windfalls on consumer-spending View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

27 May 2014
First Look

First Look: May 27

consumers make complementary choices in purchase decisions (e.g., chips and salsa), product inter-operabilities (smartphones and networks), and dynamic decisions (current exercise and future healthcare... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

29 Apr 2014
First Look

First Look: April 29

Pvt. Ltd. (formerly SET Pvt. Ltd.), a leading television broadcaster in India. Describes Singh's decision to evaluate employees based on values as well as performance and the management committee's response. Allows for discussion of 1)... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

10 Jan 2012
First Look

First Look: January 10

predictable ways in which individuals make ethical decisions and judge the ethical decisions of others that are at odds with intuition and the benefits of the broader society. By focusing on a descriptive... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 1992 (Revised April 1993)
Case

Acid Rain: The Southern Co. (A)

By: Forest L. Reinhardt

The Southern Co., an electric utility, is planning its compliance with the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act. The Act established a system of tradeable permits for sulfur dioxide emissions. The company must decide whether to install pollution control equipment and... View Details

Keywords: Energy Generation; Business Strategy; Environmental Sustainability; Cost vs Benefits; Financial Management; Strategic Planning; Investment Return; Government Legislation; Wastes and Waste Processing; Utilities Industry; Energy Industry; United States

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08 Dec 2008
Research & Ideas

Thinking Twice About Supply-Chain Layoffs

unavoidable, research by HBS assistant professor Zeynep Ton suggests that retailers should make labor decisions thoughtfully. "Many retailers see labor more as a cost driver than a sales driver." Her advice: Consider the supply-chain foot... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

February 2013 (Revised December 2015)
Case

Groom Energy Solutions: Selling Efficiency

By: Michael W. Toffel, Kira R. Fabrizio and Stephanie van Sice

Groom Energy Solutions helps organizations reduce their energy use and costs through the implementation of energy efficiency measures, which create long-term financial and environmental benefits. With early success serving customers in the cold storage and industrial... View Details