Publications

TeachingInterests

Making Corporate Boards More Effective

By: Guhan Subramanian

While your corporate board may have broadly defined legal duties, its role in evaluating management, providing strategic oversight, and dealing with the complexity of today's regulatory environment has never been more tested—or more... View Details

2025
Working Paper

Corporate Actions as Moral Issues

By: Zwetelina Iliewa, Elisabeth Kempf and Oliver Spalt

We examine nonpecuniary preferences across a broad set of corporate actions using a representative sample of the U.S. population. Our core findings, based on large-scale online surveys, are that (i) self-reported nonpecuniary concerns are large both for stock market... View Details

Keywords: Public Opinion; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Moral Sensibility

November 1990 (Revised September 1991)
Case

First Chicago Corp.: Corporate Strategy

Lays out the business challenges facing First Chicago Corp. in 1986: the banking industry has been deregulated, many corporations are bypassing banks in their search for capital, and foreign competition has increased. Their traditional market--corporate banking--has... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Investment Banking; Corporate Strategy; Emerging Markets; Commercial Banking; Banking Industry; United States

February 2004
Case

Succession Capital Corporation

In 2003, a small buyout company in Canada was deciding which company to purchase next. This case explores the challenges facing a young entrepreneur in the process of selecting a new acquisition when financial and human resources are constrained. View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Entrepreneurship; Corporate Finance; Canada

Find at Harvard

September 2011 (Revised February 2013)
Case

Trucost: Valuing Corporate Environmental Impacts

By: Michael W. Toffel and Stephanie van Sice

Trucost provided corporate environmental performance data and analysis to institutional investors and corporate managers, but after operating for a decade had yet to achieve profitability. Trucost was struggling to effectively differentiate its high quality products... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Distribution Channels; Investment; Measurement and Metrics; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Information; Value; Environmental Sustainability; Financial Services Industry

November 1992 (Revised August 2001)
Case

Eskimo Pie Corporation

By: Richard S. Ruback

In early 1991, Reynolds Metals, the makers of aluminum products, decided to sell its holding of Eskimo Pie, a marketer of branded frozen novelties. Reynolds had an offer from Nestle to acquire Eskimo Pie. However, Reynolds decided instead to make an initial public... View Details

Keywords: Initial Public Offering; Decisions; Mergers and Acquisitions; Performance Productivity; Leadership; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Expansion; Ownership; Food and Beverage Industry; Manufacturing Industry

Research Summary

Consumers, Corporations and Public Health

By: John A. Quelch

Professor Quelch is developing a series of case studies on the role and responsibilities of corporations in solving public health problems, both in the United States and worldwide. View Details

December 1996 (Revised December 2006)
Background Note

Introduction to Corporate Financial Engineering

By: Peter Tufano

Describes the content of the Corporate Financial Engineering (CFE) course at HBS. Used on the first day of class to let students know what the course will cover and the main ideas to be developed in CFE. View Details

Keywords: Corporate Finance

TeachingInterests

Designing and Executing Corporate Revitalization

By: Ranjay Gulati

Given today's turbulent environment, business leaders are seeking a new path to success for their companies. But while many firms talk about transforming themselves around current trends such as digitization and remote work, most struggle when it comes to... View Details

08 Nov 2011
News

Flying into heavy Corporate Fog

January 2007
Background Note

Choosing Corporate and Global Scope

By: Mikolaj Jan Piskorski

Introduces students to the study of corporate strategy, while providing an overview framework for understanding international strategy. Focuses on questions of scope and ownership. Examines both horizontal and vertical integration. Underscores the point that economies... View Details

Keywords: Economics; Investment; Framework; Global Strategy; Ownership; Corporate Strategy; Horizontal Integration; Vertical Integration

21 Mar 2014
Working Paper Summaries

Speaking of Corporate Social Responsibility

Keywords: by Hao Liang, Christopher Marquis, Luc Renneboog & Sunny Li Sun

September 2004 (Revised April 2005)
Background Note

Note on Individual and Corporate Liability

By: Lynn S. Paine

Answers some of the most common questions managers ask about potential corporate and individual liability for corporate misconduct under U.S. law. Describes a few general principles of liability that managers should be aware of. A rewritten version of an earlier note. View Details

Keywords: Corporate Accountability; Legal Liability

15 Apr 2010
News

European Corporate Governance Institute Fellow

Program

Risk Management for Corporate Leaders—Virtual

takes a more comprehensive and strategic view of risk management. It provides frameworks and tools for senior leadership and corporate boards to strengthen your company's approach to managing both internal and external risks. You will... View Details

March 2013
Supplement

HOYA Corporation (A)

By: W. Carl Kester

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Investment Activism; Corporate Governance; Governance Controls; Governing and Advisory Boards; Negotiation Tactics; Business and Shareholder Relations; Valuation; Japan

February 2024 (Revised July 2024)
Case

Korea Venture Investment Corporation

By: Paul A. Gompers and Billy Chan

Financial service sector Korea Venture Investment Corporation (KVIC) is the venture capital arm of the Korean government with a founding mission to build a domestic startup ecosystem that would be as competitive as Silicon Valley. KVIC manages a basket of... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Society; Investment; Venture Capital; Mission and Purpose; State Ownership; Financial Services Industry; Asia; South Korea

September 1994
Teaching Note

KENETECH Corporation TN

By: William E. Fruhan Jr.

Teaching Note for (9-294-111). View Details

Keywords: Energy Industry

June 2020
Supplement

Comcast Corporation (B)

By: Sunil Gupta, Henry McGee and Felix Oberholzer-Gee

The (B) case, set in the summer of 2020, highlights the concern of Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, as the streaming war intensifies. In a short period of time several new streaming services, such as Disney+, Apple TV+, Quibi, and HBO Max were launched and cable subscription... View Details

Keywords: Cable Television; Industry Evolution; Television Entertainment; Disruption; Business Model; Competitive Strategy; Media and Broadcasting Industry