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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,703)
- News (278)
- Research (1,260)
- Events (2)
- Multimedia (14)
- Faculty Publications (811)
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- September 2015 (Revised February 2016)
- Case
Novell (A): When an Activist Hedge Fund Came Calling on the Board
By: Richard L. Nolan
No corporation and its board of directors is immune to a disruptive shareholder activist attack. The Novell (A) and (B) cases take students through a shareholder activist attack and its aftermath—a saga that spanned 5 years. The cases outline the activist playbook in... View Details
Keywords: Investment Activism
Nolan, Richard L. "Novell (A): When an Activist Hedge Fund Came Calling on the Board." Harvard Business School Case 916-404, September 2015. (Revised February 2016.)
- Research Summary
Current Research: Issues in Corporate Governance
Effectiveness of shareholder voting
Reform of shareholder voting is a key component of legislation arising from the financial crisis of 2008. Professor Gow examines the effect of shareholder voting on corporate actions, particularly on... View Details
- Research Summary
The Corporate Governance Role of Taxes
Dyck introduces evidence that private benefits of control are higher in countries with poor tax enforcement and in ongoing work explores further this correlation using both theory and empirical work from the United States and Russia. This work illustrates that the... View Details
- Research Summary
Revitalizing Businesses
William E. Fruhan, Jr. is exploring how firms act to enhance shareholder value when competitive pressures or takeovers threaten their operations. The approach most frequently taken involves fixing businesses that can be fixed and advantageously divesting those that... View Details
- September 2018
- Case
Advent International: Kroton Investment
By: Victoria Ivashina, Ruth Kostas and Priscilla Zogbi
Keywords: Private Equity; Acquisition; IPO; Valuation; Education; Distance Learning; Turnaround; Growth; Exit; PE; Buyer; Middle-class; Low Income; K-12; Entrepreneur; Family Business; University; College; Consolidation; Fragmentation; Penetration; Value; Shares; Control; Negotiation; Equity; Transaction; Board; Majority; Minority; Post-secondary; Leverage; Campus; Deal; Shareholder; Tag Along; Brazil; Latin America
Ivashina, Victoria, Ruth Kostas, and Priscilla Zogbi. "Advent International: Kroton Investment." Harvard Business School Case 219-035, September 2018.
- September 2020
- Case
Keeping It in the Family at the Hayden Saw Company
By: V.G. Narayanan and John Masko
In 2019, Board Chair and third-generation shareholder Helen Fullerton was preparing for a meeting to discuss Ohio-based Hayden Saw Company’s (Hayden) future as a family business. As the company entered its fifth decade, the Hayden family was dealing with three distinct... View Details
Keywords: Family Business; Corporate Governance; Family Ownership; Business and Shareholder Relations; Family and Family Relationships; Governing and Advisory Boards; Construction Industry; Ohio; United States
Narayanan, V.G., and John Masko. "Keeping It in the Family at the Hayden Saw Company." Harvard Business School Case 121-026, September 2020.
- October 2023 (Revised January 2024)
- Case
McDonald's Board of Directors (A)
By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz
In October 2019, the McDonald’s Corporation board of directors, chaired by Enrique Hernandez, Jr., gathered to learn the results of their outside counsel’s investigation into the conduct of the CEO. On the surface, the iconic fast-food chain was thriving as growing... View Details
Keywords: Board Of Directors; Board Chair; Board Decisions; Business Ethics; Corporate Boards; Fast Food; Franchising; Legal Aspects Of Business; Legal Battle; Legal Settlement; Misconduct; Regulation; Reorganization; Restaurant Industry; Sexual Harassment; Shareholders; Stakeholder Management; Strategy And Execution; Turnaround; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Culture; Executive Compensation; Leadership; Management; Ethics; Governing and Advisory Boards; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Food and Beverage Industry; Illinois; United States
Paine, Lynn S., and Will Hurwitz. "McDonald's Board of Directors (A)." Harvard Business School Case 324-044, October 2023. (Revised January 2024.)
- November 29, 2011
- Article
The Role of The Board in Creating a Sustainable Strategy
By: Robert G. Eccles, Ioannis Ioannou and George Serafeim
While conceptually elegant, the belief that a corporation's role is to maximize value for shareholders is under increasing challenge as society's expectations for companies change. An equally elegant new concept that takes account of these dual pressures has yet to... View Details
Keywords: Value Creation; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Corporate Strategy; Business and Shareholder Relations; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Performance Expectations; Governing and Advisory Boards; Management Practices and Processes; Decisions; Risk and Uncertainty; Cost vs Benefits; Information
Eccles, Robert G., Ioannis Ioannou, and George Serafeim. "The Role of The Board in Creating a Sustainable Strategy." TrustLaw (November 29, 2011).
- October 2021
- Supplement
Engine No. 1: An Activist Hedge Fund Pursues Stakeholder Capitalism (B)
By: Mark Kramer
Engine Number 1's proxy fight succeeded in part because Exxon shareholders had lost money in the preceding years and because climate change was a high-profile issue. The B case raises the question of whether Engine No. 1's next target should be Facebook, where social... View Details
Keywords: Proxy Fight; Hedge Fund Activism; Social Impact; Business and Shareholder Relations; Climate Change; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Goals and Objectives
Kramer, Mark. "Engine No. 1: An Activist Hedge Fund Pursues Stakeholder Capitalism (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 222-038, October 2021.
- 09 Jun 2010
- Working Paper Summaries
Agency Costs, Mispricing, and Ownership Structure
- June 2016
- Case
Controversy over Executive Remuneration at BP
By: V.G. Narayanan and Ashley Hartman
In March 2016, BP disclosed that its chief executive officer, Bob Dudley, would receive a $19.6 million compensation package, a 20% increase in total compensation over the previous year. BP justified the amount, emphasizing that the company delivered strong results... View Details
Keywords: Executive Compensation
Narayanan, V.G., and Ashley Hartman. "Controversy over Executive Remuneration at BP." Harvard Business School Case 116-063, June 2016.
- July 2009 (Revised May 2010)
- Case
Pfizer: Letter from the Chairman (A)
By: Robert L. Simons and Natalie Kindred
This case explores maximizing shareholder value as a goal in executive decision making. Over a period of nine years, three different Pfizer CEOs make critical decisions intended to increase shareholder value. But the results are disappointing. To allow students to... View Details
Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Annual Reports; Business and Shareholder Relations; Value Creation; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States
Simons, Robert L., and Natalie Kindred. "Pfizer: Letter from the Chairman (A)." Harvard Business School Case 110-003, July 2009. (Revised May 2010.)
- February 2009 (Revised March 2009)
- Supplement
AFSCME vs. Mozilo...and "Say on Pay" for All! (B)
By: Fabrizio Ferri and James Weber
Union seeks to protect its pension funds through shareholder activism focused on corporate governance and executive compensation. The (B) case updates the (A) case. View Details
Ferri, Fabrizio, and James Weber. AFSCME vs. Mozilo...and "Say on Pay" for All! (B). Harvard Business School Supplement 109-057, February 2009. (Revised March 2009.)
- May 2017 (Revised February 2024)
- Case
Battle for the Soul of Capitalism: Unilever and the Kraft Heinz Takeover Bid (A)
By: William W. George and Amram Migdal
This case describes Kraft Heinz Company’s (KHC) February 2017 unsolicited $143 billion takeover offer to acquire Unilever. The offer was made to Unilever CEO Paul Polman by KHC chairman Alexandre Behring, who was also co-founder and CEO of Brazilian-based 3G Capital... View Details
George, William W., and Amram Migdal. "Battle for the Soul of Capitalism: Unilever and the Kraft Heinz Takeover Bid (A)." Harvard Business School Case 317-127, May 2017. (Revised February 2024.)
- 21 Jul 2016
- Cold Call Podcast
How Small Investors Can Bet Big on Brands They Love
- 02 Aug 2004
- What Do You Think?
For Greater Transparency, Is Section 404 an Effective Response?
transparency for shareholders and other stakeholders. The primary argument is that, without high standards of personal integrity posed from within, Section 404 will be of limited value. As John Louk put it, "I personally believe that... View Details
Keywords: by James Heskett
- October 16, 2019
- Article
Where ESG Fails
By: Michael E. Porter, George Serafeim and Mark Kramer
We are entering a new stage of understanding of the linkage between investment performance and social impact. Previous approaches, such as socially responsible investing and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) screening, have obscured the opportunities for... View Details
Keywords: ESG; Sustainability; Environment; Social Impact; Impact Investing; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; ESG Reporting; Shared Value; Environmental Sustainability; Social Issues; Investment; Value; Strategy
Porter, Michael E., George Serafeim, and Mark Kramer. "Where ESG Fails." Institutional Investor (October 16, 2019).
- March 2012 (Revised September 2014)
- Case
Clarks at a Crossroads (A)
By: John A. Davis and Suzanne Stroh
Clarks at a Crossroads (A) describes how this venerable British shoe company falls behind its competition and into financial trouble. The case ends with a pivotal vote by shareholders on whether to sell this family company. View Details
Davis, John A., and Suzanne Stroh. "Clarks at a Crossroads (A)." Harvard Business School Case 812-113, March 2012. (Revised September 2014.)
- December 2019 (Revised June 2024)
- Case
The Dutch East India Company in 1612 (A)
By: Lynn S. Paine and Giuseppe Dari-Mattiacci
The Dutch East India Company’s board of directors must decide what to do about an impending legal requirement to liquidate the company’s assets and return to shareholders their capital and any profits earned during a ten-year lock-up period. The charter granted to the... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Governance; Globalized Firms and Management; Organizational Structure; Laws and Statutes; Financial Markets; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business and Government Relations; Business History; Shipping Industry; Netherlands
Paine, Lynn S., and Giuseppe Dari-Mattiacci. "The Dutch East India Company in 1612 (A)." Harvard Business School Case 320-047, December 2019. (Revised June 2024.)
- October 2011
- Article
Concentrating on Governance
By: Dalida Kadyrzhanova and Matthew Rhodes-Kropf
This paper develops a novel trade-off view of corporate governance. Using a simple model that integrates agency costs and bargaining benefits of management friendly provisions, we identify the economic determinants of the resulting trade-offs for shareholder value.... View Details
Kadyrzhanova, Dalida, and Matthew Rhodes-Kropf. "Concentrating on Governance." Journal of Finance 66, no. 5 (October 2011): 1649–1685.