Publications

July 2008 (Revised September 2010)
Supplement

Sony Ericsson WTA Tour (B)

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Kaitlyn Simpson

Keywords: Electronics Industry

September 2007 (Revised September 2010)
Case

ValueAct: Shareholder in the Boardroom

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Alexis Chernak

ValueAct, a San Francisco investment firm, makes an investment in PerSe Technologies. The partners of ValueAct build relationships with the PerSe board and management. Eventually ValueAct is given a seat on the PerSe board and is able to influence a significant imprint... View Details

Keywords: Governing and Advisory Boards; Investment; Business and Shareholder Relations; Financial Services Industry; San Francisco

Article

Should the CEO be the Chairman?

By: Jay W. Lorsch and A. Zelleke

Keywords: Management

2002
Other Unpublished Work

Making Sure Independent Doesn't Mean Ignorant

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Colin Carter

Keywords: Knowledge Use and Leverage

Read Now

February 2014
Teaching Note

Olympus (A)

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Suraj Srinivasan

As 2012 approached the woes of the financial crisis seemed to be fading, companies were resuming business as usual and some of the scrutiny on corporate governance practices began to recede as well. That is until another major financial scandal emerged in Japan in the... View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Corporate Governance; Corporate Accountability; Electronics Industry; Japan

January 2013
Teaching Plan

The American National Red Cross (TP)

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Michael Norris

December 2012
Article

Shareholder's Value?: Reassessing Investors' Functions

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Justin Fox

This article examines the three functions shareholders are supposed to provide: money, information, and discipline. View Details

Keywords: Shareholders; Investors; Business and Shareholder Relations

July 1999 (Revised December 2005)
Case

Quickturn Design Systems, Inc. (G)

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Katharina Pick

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Patents; Governing and Advisory Boards; Behavior; Lawsuits and Litigation; Organizations; Acquisition; Corporate Governance; Service Industry

April 2011 (Revised December 2013)
Case

Boardroom Change in Norway

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Melissa Barton

In 2003, the Norwegian Parliament amended the Public Limited Companies Act in order to achieve greater representation of women on corporate boards. According to the amendment, all state-owned companies and public limited companies were required to have at least 40%... View Details

Keywords: Laws and Statutes; Gender; Corporate Governance; Norway

August 2010 (Revised March 2012)
Supplement

The Dow Acquisition of Rohm and Haas (D)

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Melissa Barton

Dow's board and management team worked on arranging appropriate financing to complete the acquisition of Rohm and Haas. Meanwhile, the board of Rohm and Haas filed suit against Dow after it delayed the completion of the acquisition. View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Financing and Loans; Governing and Advisory Boards; Lawsuits and Litigation; Management Teams; Chemical Industry

March 2009 (Revised December 2009)
Case

Relational Investors and Home Depot (A)

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Kaitlyn Simpson

In 2006, amidst shareholder upset over CEO Robert Nardelli's compensation and Home Depot's declining stock price, Relational Investors decided to further investigate the situation. As experts in turning around underperforming and undervalued companies, Relational's... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Financial Management; Investment; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Ownership Stake; Business and Shareholder Relations; Corporate Strategy

November 2008
Case

Partner Promotion and Development at DLA Piper

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Kaitlyn Simpson

Keywords: Partners and Partnerships; Personal Development and Career

September 2006 (Revised November 2007)
Case

Board of Directors of Medtronic, Inc.

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Alexis Chernak

The board of directors of Medtronic, Inc., a company known for its commitment to effective corporate governance, must prepare for the departure of Chairman and CEO Bill George and the retirement of four long-time directors. The company had experienced rapid growth in... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Management Succession; Organizational Culture

August 2005 (Revised January 2007)
Supplement

The Board of Directors at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter (B)

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Alexis Chernak

Keywords: Governing and Advisory Boards; Financial Services Industry

July 2004 (Revised April 2005)
Case

Digitas (B)

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Ashley Robertson

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

June 1999
Case

Furr's/Bishop's, Inc. (C)

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Katharina Pick

Keywords: Food; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

November 1996
Case

Del Webb Corporation (A), The

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Samanta Graff

Begins with a company history, tracing the tenures of founder Del E. Webb and his successor as chairman and CEO, Robert H. Johnson. Johnson inherited a diversified company that was involved in construction, real estate development (including the famous Sun City), and... View Details

Keywords: Management Style; Conflict Management; Governing and Advisory Boards; Management Succession; Crisis Management