Publications

Educators

September 2006
Teaching Note

OfficeTiger (TN)

By: Joseph B. Lassiter III

Teaching Note to (804-109). View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Invention; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Service Delivery; Mergers and Acquisitions; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; India; Europe; United States; Asia

October 2011
Case

CNBM: Rolling Up China's Cement Industry

By: Joseph L. Bower and G.A. Donovan

The Chinese government has charged Song Zhiping with the job of rationalizing China's cement industry. He has acquired 200 plus companies, but the industry is still fractured. Can he succeed? View Details

Keywords: Industry Growth; Mergers and Acquisitions; Policy; Government and Politics; Construction Industry; Industrial Products Industry; China

September 1997 (Revised October 1997)
Case

Bayer AG (A)

By: John A. Quelch

Bayer's senior executives convene in Germany to consider submitting a $1 billion bid that would recover the Bayer brand name and trademark cross in North America, both of which were confiscated by the U.S. government after World War I. The group also sets out to assess... View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Brands and Branding; War; Communication; Trademarks; Acquisition; Government and Politics; Biotechnology Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; Germany; North America; United States

May 1992 (Revised May 1993)
Supplement

Jan Carlzon: CEO at SAS (B)

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Summarizes Carlzon's new focus externally on building alliances and acquiring travel service companies. Describes the financial problems resulting from the recession and the Gulf War crisis. Designed as an in-class handout to highlight the long-term management... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Financial Crisis; Problems and Challenges; Planning; Leadership; Alliances; Strategy; Air Transportation Industry

18 Jul 2018
Research & Ideas

No More General Tso's? A Threat to 'Knowledge Recombination'

Cohly was skilled in Ayurveda, the ancient Indian practice of herbal medicine, and suggested they try using turmeric to heal the wound instead. The spice worked, and Das and... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health; Food & Beverage; Accounting

March 1988 (Revised January 1993)
Case

Richardson-Vicks--1985 (A)

Considers the predicament of Richardson-Vicks in 1985. After 80 years of growth and independence, the company is the object of takeover rumors. The objective is to determine why these difficulties have arisen and what, if anything, Richardson-Vicks can do about them. View Details

Keywords: Crisis Management; Acquisition

Educators

June 2001 (Revised May 2002)
Case

Spir-It, Inc. (A): Building the Business

Early in February 1934, two and a half months after the end of prohibition, Jack Sindler sat with a friend in Boston's Ritz Hotel bar enjoying a drink. Sindler worked for the Converse Rubber Co., and he was always inventing something. He held several patents for rubber... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Production; Market Entry and Exit; Management Succession; Entrepreneurship; Product Launch; Acquisition; Growth and Development; Product Development; Manufacturing Industry; Boston

29 Jul 2014
First Look

First Look: July 29

data security, implementation challenges, and the limits of education technology's impact in the classroom. Purchase this case: http://hbr.org/product/technology-innovations-in-k-12-education/an/314123-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 2019
Article

Pay Now or Pay Later? The Economics within the Private Equity Partnership

By: Victoria Ivashina and Josh Lerner

The economics of partnerships have been of enduring interest to economists, but many issues regarding intergenerational conflicts and their impact on the continuity of these organizations remain unclear. We examine 717 private equity partnerships and show that (a) the... View Details

Keywords: Partnerships; Leveraged Buyout; Partners and Partnerships; Private Equity; Venture Capital; Leveraged Buyouts

SSRN

October 2019 (Revised January 2020)
Supplement

Dulcie Madden (C)—A Final Chance?

By: Shikhar Ghosh and Shweta Bagai

This is part of a three-case series that follows Dulcie Madden's journey as a founder over five years. Case (A) is about managing growth and cash flow; Case (B) is about the exit decision and conditions on a sale; Case (C) shows Madden dealing with adversity and the... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Growth Management; Cash Flow; Success; Failure; Acquisition; Business Model; Technology

10 Jul 2000
Research & Ideas

The State of the Markets

Worldwide financial markets are in a period of extraordinary change, as they gear up for more and more volume, work out an assortment of mergers and consolidations, contemplate... View Details

Keywords: by James E. Aisner

21 Nov 2005
Research & Ideas

The Geography of Corporate Giving

will illustrate the need to geographically diversify social spending. I want to point out also that this may have social implications that have not yet been systematically explored. Given the continuing trends in large-scale mergers View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

October 1996 (Revised April 2004)
Case

Eric Wood (B)

By: Myra M. Hart

Describes Eric's purchase of the much larger Shaw Co. Describes the operating and financial problems that ensue, leaving Eric considering the option of bankruptcy. Issues include the overlap of business and personal finances, as well as the mechanics and implications... View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Operations; Entrepreneurship; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Problems and Challenges; Acquisition

Educators

23 Feb 2011
First Look

First Look: Feb. 23

the owner of a French chain of fast food outlets is concerned about the impact on his company's balance sheets. Purchase this case:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/111063-PDF-ENG The Dow Acquisition of Rohm View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

27 Sep 2004
Research & Ideas

How Leaders Build Winning Streaks

Self-confidence is not the real secret of leadership. The more essential ingredient is confidence in other people. Leadership involves motivating others to their finest efforts and channeling those efforts in a coherent direction. Leaders... View Details

Keywords: by Rosabeth Moss Kanter

18 Apr 2017
Blog Post

Why We Recruit: CRC Companies LLC

for MBAs to see all parts of our business—from acquisitions through execution. Our intern MBAs work within multiple business units to help determine where their real estate interests lie and gain broad... View Details

Keywords: Real Estate

07 Sep 2017
Blog Post

How One Organization Increased Their Internship Yield

In their reciprocal pursuits of internships and interns, HBS MBA candidates and participating employers invest a considerable amount of interest, time and, in many cases, money. With so much at stake, both... View Details

Keywords: Manufacturing

November 2017
Teaching Note

Tencent

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

Teaching Note for HBS No. 718-426. Tencent had undergone many transformations since it was founded in 1998 as a simple messaging service. In 2017, it was the largest online games provider in China with a wide range of game types, China’s largest social networking... View Details