Publications

17 Sep 2008
Working Paper Summaries

Secrets of the Academy: The Drivers of University Endowment Success

Keywords: by Josh Lerner, Antoinette Schoar & Jialan Wang; Education

March 2020
Case

Cafe Kenya

By: Lynda M. Applegate and James T. Kindley

This case describes Café Kenya (CK), a Kenyan-based chain of casual quick-food restaurants. The chain was started in 2011 in Nairobi by Nekesa Kuria. Kuria started Café Kenya and grew it by reinvesting profits into company stores and through franchising. She also... View Details

Keywords: Restaurants; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Kenya

January 2023
Case

The Ford Motor Company Green Bond

By: Vikram S Gandhi and James Barnett

In November 2021, Ford Motor Company offered a $2.5 billion green bond to finance investments in electrification. Issuance of green bonds significantly increased into the 2020s, and to date, the Ford Motor Company green bond was the largest such bond offered by a... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Bonds; Green Technology; Financial Services Industry; Auto Industry; United States

June 2009 (Revised August 2010)
Background Note

How Institutional Investors Think About Real Estate

By: Arthur I Segel

Real estate is an increasingly important component in the portfolios of institutional investors. This note discusses the issues these investors must consider when investing in real estate from the legal forms of ownership, to separate or commingled funds, to property... View Details

Keywords: Investment; Investment Funds; Investment Portfolio; Property; Financial Services Industry

September 2004
Case

Valhalla Partners Due Diligence

By: William A. Sahlman and Dan Heath

The Valhalla Partners venture capitial firm introduced a new approach to the due-diligence process. An internal due-diligence report analyzes Telco Exchange, a startup company in the IT software space. An extended excerpt examines the trade-offs involved in the new... View Details

Keywords: Communication Technology; Risk Management; Venture Capital; Business Plan; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Investment; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Corporate Finance; Financial Services Industry; Telecommunications Industry

July 2002 (Revised November 2002)
Case

Crucial Conversations

By: Thomas J. DeLong and Vineeta Vijayraghavan

Todd McKenna, a third-year associate at an investment banking firm, confronts his boss. His boss had told him he would be the top paid associate at the firm, and McKenna finds out that this isn't true. He approaches his boss to find out why he was lied to. View Details

Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Investment Banking; Executive Compensation; Employee Relationship Management; Rank and Position; Banking Industry

03 Nov 2020
Working Paper Summaries

The Stock Market Value of Human Capital Creation

Keywords: by Matthias Regier and Ethan Rouen

January 2003 (Revised January 2005)
Case

Peter Isenberg at Fischer Stevens (A)

By: Linda A. Hill and Maria Farkas

Having made managing director at an elite investment bank, Peter Isenberg struggles to understand his new role in the firm. He feels as though little has changed, although it is clear to him that those around him have new expectations. View Details

Keywords: Managerial Roles; Jobs and Positions; Management Teams; Banking Industry

January 1999 (Revised March 1999)
Background Note

Note on Rules

By: Debora L. Spar

A central document for the Managing International Trade and Investment (MITI) course and its cases. Provides a conceptual framework for the course and a systematic way of analyzing the political circumstances that confront firms engaged in international trade and... View Details

Keywords: Trade; Government and Politics

03 Oct 2019
News

At Harvard B-School, lessons for impact investors

Video

Sanjay Lalbhai

Sanjay Lalbhai, Chairman of India-based Arvind, a large textile manufacturer and the flagship company of the Lalbhai Group based in Ahmedabad, discusses how the technological disruption caused by power looms... View Details

January 2008
Background Note

Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs)

By: Joshua Coval and Erik Stafford

This lesson integrated Merton's (1974) contingent claims model of debt and equity claims with the CAPM, which allows us to examine the risks and pricing of credit portfolios and the derivative claims issued against them. In particular, this model is used to make... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Borrowing and Debt; Credit Derivatives and Swaps; Investment Portfolio; Risk Management

June 2007 (Revised January 2008)
Background Note

The U.S. Retirement Savings Market and the Pension Protection Act of 2006

By: Luis M. Viceira and Helen Tung

Provides an overview of the evolution of the private retirement savings market in the U.S. since 1990; the management and administration of defined-contribution (DC) plans; the existing evidence about the investment and savings decisions of participants in DC plans;... View Details

Keywords: Investment; Personal Finance; Saving; Government Legislation; Retirement; Business and Government Relations; Financial Services Industry; United States

10 Jan 2005
What Do You Think?

Public Pension Reform: Does Mexico Have the Answer?

certainly fail for lack of adequate education and reflection. Responses ranged from those suggesting that the reform should be labeled a tax and approached head-on, to those proposing that it be regarded as an investment program. Typical... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Financial Services

11 Oct 2016
Blog Post

Why We Recruit: HelloFresh

genuine passion for food and a very customer-centric mindset. What recruiting tactics have you found most successful in engaging with students and/or alumni at HBS?On-campus interviews is what we find most successful. We love investing... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products / Retail

February 2022
Case

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

By: Linda A. Hill and Emily Tedards

In 2006, the Cleveland Clinic and Mubadala Investment Company partnered with a bold ambition to deliver world class healthcare in the United Arab Emirates. In 2015, after nearly a decade of planning and construction, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi opened its doors. By... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Behavior; Culture; Alignment; Organizational Effectiveness; Purpose; Impact; Leadership Development; Diversity; Collaboration; Co-creation; Learning Organizations; Empowerment; Teams; Team Dynamics; Teamwork; Team Effectiveness; Trust; Talent; Talent Development And Retention; Psychological Safety; Organizational Evolution; Coaching; Board; Analytics; Innovation; Data; Data Visualization; Digital Technology; Digital; Customer Experience; Experimentation; Change Management; Data-driven Decision-making; Debates; Ecosystem; Partnership; Telemedicine; Sustainability; Global Organizations; Local; Hospital; Healthcare; United Arab Emirates; Health Care and Treatment; Partners and Partnerships; Globalization; Quality; Organizational Culture; Mission and Purpose; Innovation and Management; Information Technology; Joint Ventures; Leadership; Performance Effectiveness; Abu Dhabi; United Arab Emirates

October 2012
Case

Hill Country Snack Foods Co.

By: W. Carl Kester and Craig Stephenson

Hill Country Snack Foods, located in Austin, Texas, manufactures, markets, and distributes snack foods and frozen treats. The CEO is passionate about maximizing shareholder value and believes in keeping tight control over costs and operating the business as efficiently... View Details

Keywords: United States; Financial Strategy; Debt Management; Retail Trade; Risk Management; Food; Capital Structure; Corporate Finance; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Texas

Program

Family Office Wealth Management—Virtual

mid-career professionals who face new investments or major life decisions. In this virtual program, you will gain an in-depth understanding of best practices in family wealth management; explore the governance, structure, and View Details

December 2004 (Revised January 2006)
Case

Simon's Hostile Tender for Taubman (A)

Simon Property Group launched a hostile tender offer for upscale Taubman Centers. This case discusses issues of Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) valuation, financial policy, and corporate governance, as Robert Taubman and his company's independent directors must... View Details

Keywords: Capital Structure; Valuation; Investment; Acquisition; Corporate Governance; Real Estate Industry