Publications

April 2001 (Revised March 2002)
Case

Seagate Technology Buyout

By: Gregor M. Andrade, Stuart C. Gilson and Todd C. Pulvino

In March 2000, a group of private investors and senior managers were negotiating a deal to acquire the disk drive operations of Seagate Technology. The motivating factor for the buyout was the apparently anomalous market value of Seagate's equity: Seagate's equity... View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Leveraged Buyouts; Financial Strategy; Computer Industry

July 2004 (Revised June 2005)
Case

Digitas (A)

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Ashley Robertson

Raises issues about how the nature and function of a board changes as its company moves from ownership by its employees (including the founder) to ownership by a private equity firm, Hellman & Friedman, to public ownership. Teaching Purpose: To consider changes in... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Governing and Advisory Boards; Behavior; Organizations; Employee Ownership; Public Ownership

November 2019
Case

Gillette: Cutting Prices to Regain Share

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel Fisher

After losing market share to low-priced competitors such as Harry’s and Dollar Shave Club for several years, Gillette decided to fight back by launching new products and increasing advertising. When these efforts failed to stem the losses, Gillette decided to cut the... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Product Positioning; Business Strategy; Competition; Price; Public Equity; Retail Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States

Bohan is a doctoral student in Health Policy Management. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018 with a double major in Chemistry and Economics. Post-graduation, Bohan spent 4 years as a management consultant advising both payers and providers,... View Details

February 2010 (Revised March 2010)
Supplement

Leading Change at Simmons (E)

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Susan Thyne

This case updates the “Leading Change at Simmons” series by examining Simmons' increasing debt under the ownership of Thomas H. Lee, a private equity firm. Charlie Eitel, the former CEO, wonders what the company's, and his, legacy will be after declaring bankruptcy... View Details

Keywords: Borrowing and Debt; Private Equity; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Leading Change; Operations; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Ownership; Performance Improvement; Consumer Products Industry

October 2005 (Revised October 2006)
Case

Infosys (A): Strategic Human Resource Management

By: Thomas J. DeLong, Jaya Tandon and Ganesh Rengaswamy

Hema Ravichandar, head of human resources, was given a new and aggressive milestone to reach: ensure Infosys is on the Top 10 lists of both Best Performing Companies and Best Employers by 2007. No large organization had ever been able to achieve this distinction... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Transition; Cost; Human Resources; Employee Relationship Management; Problems and Challenges; Competitive Strategy; Information Technology Industry

June 2000 (Revised January 2003)
Case

Nissan Motor Company

By: Thomas R. Piper and Jeremy Cott

Senior executives of Nissan and Renault are considering a major investment in Nissan by Renault. An important consideration is whether a major restructuring of Nissan's operations will be possible, given the value placed on lifetime employment and the impact on... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Organizational Culture; Investment; Problems and Challenges; Equity

November 2006 (Revised July 2021)
Case

Kerr-McGee

By: Robin Greenwood and André Perold

Activist investors Carl Icahn and Barry Rosenstein acquire a stake in Oklahoma-based company Kerr-McGee. They demand two board seats and ask the company to make several operational and financial changes, including the repurchase of equity and divestiture of their... View Details

Keywords: Investment Activism; Restructuring; Equity; Investment; Management; Governance Controls; Corporate Strategy; Chemical Industry; Energy Industry; United States

February 2011
Article

Dividend Taxes and International Portfolio Choice

By: Mihir Desai and Dhammika Dharmapala

This paper investigates how dividend taxes influence portfolio choices, using the response to the distinctive treatment of a subset of foreign dividends in the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (JGTRRA) of 2003. An open-economy after-tax capital asset... View Details

Keywords: Dividends; Portfolio Choice; Taxes; Tax Treaties; Foreign Portfolio Investment; Taxation; Lawfulness; Economy; Price; Equity; Stocks; Investment Portfolio; Opportunities; Behavior; United States

SSRN

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November 2006 (Revised December 2011)
Case

HCA, Inc. (A)

By: Richard S. Ruback

Focuses on the buyout of HCA by three private equity firms: Bain Capital, KKR, and Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity. It provides an opportunity to discuss a variety of issues related to leveraged buyouts including the process, the role of private equity, the... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Private Equity; Investment; Business and Shareholder Relations; Conflict and Resolution; Valuation

Article

A Simple Solution to a Very Old Problem

By: Hoff Stauffer and Jurgen Weiss

The article addresses the problem of fixed cost recovery via variable electricity rates creating disincentives for utilities to engage in energy efficiency. The article provides one solution, which is to decouple fixed cost recovery from sales volumes, with the help of... View Details

Keywords: Energy Efficiency; Decoupling; Electricity; Utilities; Energy

11 Sep 2019
News

Study says solar cheaper than TVA

September 2011
Case

Anne Riley: Laid Off

By: Sandra J. Sucher and Phillip Andrews

This case describes the experience of Anne Riley, a 28 year old private equity analyst, who was laid off in 2008. The case explores the emotions she felt throughout the process and how she handled the experience. View Details

Keywords: Resignation and Termination

28 Jan 2014
First Look

First Look: January 28

heterogeneous telecommunication costs arising from different regulatory regimes) strengthens our results. Publisher's link: http://www.people.hbs.edu/rsadun/Distinct_Effects_11-023.pdf August 2013 Cambridge Handbook View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

September 2011 (Revised November 2011)
Case

Liberté, Égalité, Sororité: How Should France Achieve Boardroom Parité?

By: Boris Groysberg and Hilary Fischer-Groban

The French government is considering mandating a gender quota for corporate boards. Other countries have approached the question of gender equity in corporate governance in various ways; which model might best work for France? View Details

Keywords: Equality and Inequality; Governing and Advisory Boards; Gender; Corporate Governance; France