Publications

June 2004 (Revised November 2005)
Case

Salem Telephone Company

By: William J. Bruns Jr. and Julie Hertenstein

A computer subsidiary appears to be unprofitable. Managers must determine whether it is actually unprofitable and consider whether changes in prices or promotion might improve profitability. Allows clear separation of variable costs from fixed costs. A rewritten... View Details

Keywords: Cost; Business Earnings; Cost vs Benefits; Cost Management; Profit; Telecommunications Industry

August 2001 (Revised October 2001)
Case

Shinsei Bank (D)

By: Michael Y. Yoshino and Perry Fagan

One year later, Yashiro and his management team can be proud of the young bank's first-year results, but face a set of difficult implementation issues. View Details

Keywords: Financial Reporting; Restructuring; Management Systems; Management Teams; Success; Banking Industry

July 2001 (Revised March 2002)
Case

Progressive Insurance: Disclosure Strategy

By: Amy P. Hutton and James Weber

Progressive Insurance had refused to play Wall Street's earning game. Progressive didn't manage reported earnings nor did management give guidance to analysts. Management then considered taking their unique disclosure strategy one step further to become the first to... View Details

Keywords: Earnings Management; Stocks; Corporate Disclosure; Insurance; Volatility; Insurance Industry; United States

August 2010 (Revised February 2012)
Case

Cosmeticos de Espana, S.A. (A)

By: David F. Hawkins

Management must decide which exchange rate to use to consolidate the company's Venezuelan subsidiary. View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Business Subsidiaries; Inflation and Deflation; Currency Exchange Rate; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Spain; Venezuela

01 Dec 1997
News

Growing Together

for example, Kanter worked with the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and the Associated Industries of Massachusetts on a forum held at HBS in April 1994, which helped stimulate the formation of the Alliance for the Commonwealth, a... View Details

Keywords: Marguerite Rigoglioso and Nancy O. Perry

Profile

Cristina Ros Blankfein

set than the giant bank usually targets. Her final project, for example, involved the city of San Francisco working with Citibank to create college savings accounts for children starting in kindergarten. Integral to the assignment was... View Details

04 Apr 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research, April 4

Industry By: Baldwin, Carliss Y. Abstract—This paper seeks to explain the technological forces that led to the rise of vertically integrated corporations in the late 19th century and the opposing forces that led to a... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

July 2011 (Revised September 2011)
Case

CEO Compensation at GE: A Decade with Jeff Immelt

By: V.G. Narayanan and Lisa Brem

When ISS, a large shareholder advisory group, recommended a "no" vote on Jeff Immelt's award of 2 million stock options in April 2011, GE's compensation committee had to decide whether to rescind or amend the award or ignore the ISS recommendation. Was Immelt's 2010... View Details

Keywords: Budgets and Budgeting; Stock Options; Stock Shares; Annual Reports; Executive Compensation; Compensation and Benefits; Business and Shareholder Relations; Performance Evaluation; Corporate Governance; Corporate Accountability; Energy Industry; Energy Industry

24 Jun 2008
First Look

First Look: June 24, 2008

Patenting on the Rate, Quality, and Direction of (Public) Research Output Authors: Pierre Azoulay, Waverly Ding, and Toby E. Stuart Periodical: Journal of Industrial Economics (forthcoming) Abstract We examine the influence of faculty... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

October 2019
Supplement

Impax Laboratories: Executing Accretive Transactions (A)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel Fisher

Impax Laboratories was a technology-based pharmaceutical company that used a “dual platform” strategy to sell both generic and branded treatments. While Impax had grown organically for most of its history, it was beginning to use major acquisitions for growth. In the... View Details

Keywords: Financial Reporting; Financial Statements; Mergers and Acquisitions; Capital Structure; Financial Strategy; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Strategy; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States

01 Jun 2004
News

Alumni Author

9/11, the corporate accounting scandals — made me question what I wanted to do with my life. During this crisis of faith, I found the personal stories and advice that my professors delivered at the end of the term to be very... View Details

Keywords: Publishing Industries (except Internet); Publishing Industries (except Internet)

01 Jun 2010
News

Rethinking the MBA

should do a better job of teaching integrative thinking and problem-solving skills, and focus more on accountability efforts and social responsibility. Why are these two areas so critical? Garvin: Business schools have historically... View Details

Keywords: Roger Thompson; Publishing Industries (except Internet); Publishing Industries (except Internet); Publishing Industries (except Internet); Publishing Industries (except Internet)

06 Aug 2001
Research & Ideas

Go Global—or No? Can You Make the Case?

Ever wanted to judge a Harvard Business Review case study? Here's your chance. In its June issue, Harvard Business Review published an account of the fictional company, DataClear, authored by Harvard Business School associate professor... View Details

Keywords: by Walter Kuemmerle

Web

“It’s like a pie-eating contest” | Social Enterprise | Harvard Business School

Accountable Care Organization.” “Doing the analysis was part of my work,” says Josh, “but the most important part of the job was getting people on board, influencing them, speaking across boundaries – getting them to understand why this... View Details

June 1977 (Revised September 1992)
Case

Sorenson Research Co. (Abridged)

By: Steven C. Wheelwright

Presents the issues facing a high volume, high margin (but lightweight) medical products business. The company is trying to improve its inventory control to reduce inventory investment and improve service. The present multi-site inventory system is described and major... View Details

Keywords: Business Earnings; Investment; Volume; Service Delivery; Supply Chain; Performance Improvement; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

December 2008
Case

Merrimack Tractors and Mowers: LIFO or FIFO?

By: William J. Bruns Jr., Sharon Bruns and Susan S. Hameling

At Merrimack Tractors and Mowers in 2008, product manufacturing costs are increasing faster than competitors' costs, and as a result earnings are likely to fall below those reported in 2007. The company president and the company controller have discussed this problem,... View Details

Keywords: International; Financial; Reporting; Standards; Inventory; Business Ethics; Assets; Valuation; Ethics; Taxation; Financial Reporting; Manufacturing Industry