Publications

September 1989
Background Note

Performance Curves: Costs, Prices, and Value

By: Robert J. Dolan and Benson P. Shapiro

Explains the concept of a family of performance curves. The most well known is the price/performance curve relating the prices of items in a product line to their performance. Also discusses the cost/performance curve and its impact on product positioning, product line... View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Price; Product Positioning; Performance; Competition; Value

13 Sep 2012
Research & Ideas

Why Public Companies Underinvest in the Future

Sageworks, a financial information company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. When Sageworks decided to open up its nearly 250,000 private-firm database of detailed accounting information to academic researchers, Ljungqvist was one of the fortunate few the company... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish

Forthcoming
Article

Public Perception and Autonomous Vehicle Liability

By: Julian De Freitas, Xilin Zhou, Margherita Atzei, Shoshana Boardman and Luigi Di Lillo

The deployment of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and the accompanying societal and economic benefits will greatly depend on how much liability AV firms will have to carry for accidents involving these vehicles, which in turn impacts their insurability and associated... View Details

Keywords: Moral Sensibility; Judgments; Legal Liability; Insurance; Perception

Read Now

01 Jun 2020
News

Vital Signs

impact from this global pandemic and have an opportunity to use their investment decisions to support companies that make positive change. What about long-term negative impacts to the health care venture landscape that could arise from... View Details

Keywords: Jen Mele; COVID-19; Ambulatory Health Care Services; Health, Social Assistance

2010
Other Unpublished Work

Share Issuance and Factor Timing

By: Robin Greenwood and Samuel Hanson

We show that characteristics of stock issuers can be used to forecast important common factors in stocks returns such as those associated with book-to-market, size, and industry. Specifically, we use differences between the attributes of stock issuers and repurchasers... View Details

Keywords: Forecasting and Prediction; Equity; Stocks; Stock Shares; Investment Return; Investment Portfolio; Price; Performance Evaluation

SSRN

July 2001
Technical Note

Technical Note on LBO Valuation (A): LBO Structure and the Target IRR Method of Valuation

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin

Explains the equity cash flow method of valuation as it applies to leveraged buyouts. Also explains: 1) earnings and cash flow forecasts, 2) debt structure and the cash sweep, 3) the cashing out horizon and terminal valuation, and 4) the target IRR method of valuation. View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Leveraged Buyouts; Capital Budgeting; Borrowing and Debt; Cash Flow; Equity; Profit; Price; Forecasting and Prediction

Web

Field Course: Venture Capital Journey - Course Catalog

in the course will be intentionally diverse and include both students who came from the field as well as those who are keenly interested in the field, having had some exposure during their time at HBS through RC courses like TEM and View Details

Web

Systems for Scaling Ventures (SSV) - Course Catalog

organizations prioritizing innovation and employee empowerment, rather than standardization and tight monitoring of rote processes. This is not a course about launching a startup or financing it, nor a course about highly stable,... View Details

01 Jun 2017
News

Better Hiring Through Brain Science

the difference between consulting and finance and marketing and entrepreneurship,” says Polli. Career paths in accounting or consulting, for example, usually correlated to attention to detail and a lack of impulsive behavior, she says;... View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell

19 May 2020
News

Exploring the Economics of a Pandemic; Alumni Forums Draw Closer Online

virtual conversation with 50 HBSAAA members. The hour-long session focused on ways black business owners can shore up their finances in anticipation of a long period of economic uncertainty, and included advice on how to apply for loan... View Details

Keywords: Margie Kelley

February 2022 (Revised May 2025)
Case

Resident 2020

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Thomas O. Jones

Launched in 2016, Resident was a leading player in the direct-to-consumer bed-in-a-box mattress market, where it was one of at least 175 venture-backed companies competing in the space. By late 2020, it had realized over $500 million in revenue, profitability in the... View Details

Keywords: Digital Marketing; Business Growth and Maturation; Operations; Entrepreneurship; Competitive Strategy; Initial Public Offering; Decisions; Marketing Strategy; Cash Flow; Demand and Consumers

December 2010
Article

Altruistic Dynamic Pricing with Customer Regret

By: Julio J. Rotemberg

A model is considered where firms internalize the regret costs that consumers experience when they see an unexpected price change. Regret costs are assumed to be increasing in the size of price changes and this can explain why the size of price increases is less... View Details

Keywords: Cost; Price; Change; Inflation and Deflation; Cost Management; Customers; Practice; Announcements; Forecasting and Prediction

Find at Harvard

November 1982 (Revised February 1985)
Case

Ruth M. Owades

By: Howard H. Stevenson, Richard O. von Werssowetz and Robert W. Kent

Ruth Owades developed a concept for a new mail order venture offering gardening products. Her current employer turned down the idea, so with permission to try it independently, she has begun the process of raising funds and preparing for a separate operation. She still... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Decisions; Entrepreneurship; Borrowing and Debt; Resignation and Termination; Operations; Risk and Uncertainty

January 1998
Case

Meinhard v. Salmon: Court of Appeals of New York (1928)

By: Henry B. Reiling

Meinhard and Salmon were joint venturers who had a 20-year lease on the Hotel Bristol in New York City. Salmon was the managing party. Four months before the lease was to end, the owner approached Salmon and offered to lease all the property, of which the Bristol was... View Details

Keywords: Lawsuits and Litigation; Joint Ventures; Partners and Partnerships; Decisions; Asset Pricing; Leasing; New York (city, NY)

Find at Harvard

June 2018 (Revised October 2018)
Teaching Note

Valuing Snap After the IPO Quiet Period (A), (B), and (C)

By: Marco Di Maggio and Benjamin C. Esty

Teaching Note for HBS Nos. 218-095, 218-096, and 218-116. View Details

09 Apr 2021
Blog Post

Reflections on Student Conferences in 2020

year the winner of the competition was Boston Meats, a new startup based in Boston whose mission is to make delicious, nutritious, and affordable alternative meats. A key takeaway from the day was the importance of advancing technology and View Details

10 Mar 2021
News

Dream Job: Higher Ed’s New Hire

is a much higher-profile position that will put a spotlight on decisions in a way that didn’t exist to the same degree at Carnegie. As an investor, you’re held to the quality of your returns. It’s my job to ensure that everyone... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; investing; leadership; diversity; career experience; higher education; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

24 Jul 2012
First Look

First Look: July 24

PublicationsThe Need for Sector-Specific Materiality and Sustainability Reporting Standards Authors:Robert G. Eccles, Jr., Michael P. Krzus, Jean Rogers, and George Serafeim Publication:Journal of Applied Corporate Finance (forthcoming)... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 2013 (Revised January 2015)
Case

Restructuring JAL

By: Malcolm Baker, Adi Sunderam, Nobuo Sato and Akiko Kanno

Hideo Seto, the recently appointed chairman of the investment committee of the Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation, must decide whether to push JAL group, Japan's largest airline, into bankruptcy or to act as a sponsor in an out-of-court restructuring. The... View Details

Keywords: Bankruptcy; Costs Of Financial Distress; Cost vs Benefits; Air Transportation; Restructuring; Capital Structure; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Air Transportation Industry; Japan; United States