Publications

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February 1999
Case

PDVSA & Citgo (B): Fully Integrated?

By: Ashish Nanda

Concerned that Citgo investments are not yielding sufficient returns, PDVSA constrains Citgo management's autonomy, leading to Citgo senior management turnover. The case closes with Citgo's new CEO reflecting on what he needs to do to align Citgo's strategy and... View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Mergers and Acquisitions; Alignment; Energy Sources; Energy Industry

17 May 2013
News

How Will You Measure Your Life?

17 Jul 2011
News

Why India can't feed her people

10 Jun 2020
News

Coronavirus May Have Huge Impact on Property Markets

October 2013 (Revised November 2013)
Case

Blackstone and the Sale of Citigroup's Loan Portfolio

By: Victoria Ivashina and David Scharfstein

The credit boom that preceded the 2007-2009 financial crisis led to several lending practices that exposed banks to large risks. In particular, when the financial crisis unraveled, there were several billion dollars' worth of leveraged buyout (LBO) loans that were... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Private Equity; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Credit Derivatives and Swaps; Financial Markets; Investment; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry

2014
Working Paper

Making the Numbers? 'Short Termism' & the Puzzle of Only Occasional Disaster

By: Hazhir Rahmandad, Nelson P. Repenning and Rebecca Henderson

Much recent work in strategy and popular discussion suggests that an excessive focus on "managing the numbers"―delivering quarterly earnings at the expense of longer term investments―makes it difficult for firms to make the investments necessary to build competitive... View Details

Keywords: Earnings Management; Competitive Advantage

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Research Summary

Entrepreneurial Finance

By: William A. Sahlman

William A. Sahlman is examining the investment and financing decisions made at all stages in the development of entrepreneurial ventures. Related lines of inquiry concern the role of financial institutions in providing risk capital, and the role of government policy in... View Details

January 2015
Case

Brentwood Associates: Exiting Zoës Kitchen

By: Joan Farre-Mensa and Stephanie Siu

The case discusses the trade-offs associated with the different exit options that private equity firm Brentwood Associates contemplated for its investment in Zoës Kitchen during the summer of 2013: an IPO, a sale to a strategic or financial acquirer, or waiting a few... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Entrepreneurship; Food and Beverage Industry; California

24 Mar 2007
News

Capital Currents

14 Feb 2017
News

The Value of a Facebook Fan: Does “Liking” Influence Consumer Behavior?

Program

Launching New Ventures

managerial skills needed to make sound investment decisions, manage rapid change, and ensure the success of your new enterprise throughout its lifecycle. Details Conceive, launch, and grow a successful new venture Analyze, prioritize, and... View Details

December 2019 (Revised March 2020)
Case

Impossible Foods

By: Jose B. Alvarez and Natalie Kindred

Impossible Foods founder and CEO Pat Brown started the company out of concern over livestock production’s impact on climate change. Impossible’s mission is to end consumption of animals by 2035, and its strategy is to develop and market plant-based foods so similar to... View Details

June 1998 (Revised August 2001)
Case

Wells Fargo Online Financial Services (A)

By: Robert S. Kaplan and Nicole Tempest

Wells Fargo, the industry leader in electronic banking, has implemented a Balanced Scorecard in its online financial services group (OFS) to track and measure performance. The OFS group develops and supports services that allow existing and future banking customers to... View Details

Keywords: Balanced Scorecard; Internet and the Web; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Corporate Strategy; Performance Evaluation; Finance; Change; Situation or Environment; Measurement and Metrics; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry

August 2024
Case

The Walt Disney Company: Management Guidance

By: Joseph Pacelli and James Weber

In November 2023, financial analyst Aurora Fee was forecasting The Walt Disney Company’s earnings and stock price, with the goal of providing an investment recommendation to her clients. Disney, one of the world’s largest media and entertainment companies, had just... View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Accounting; Investment; Communication; Forecasting and Prediction; Business Earnings; Growth and Development Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

12 PM – 1 PM EDT, 06 Apr 2016
Webinars: Career

Pitching to Venture Capitalists? Learn from an Expert

Are you pitching--or getting ready to pitch--a new business idea? Sounds easy, but it is complicated and tricky. Join Ray Rothrock (MBA 1988), Partner Emeritus at Venrock, as he shares lessons from his more than 25 years of experience in the venture capital business... View Details

August 2005 (Revised May 2008)
Case

Pawson Foundation: August 2006

By: G. Felda Hardymon, Josh Lerner and Ann Leamon

A top-tier venture capital firm has encountered challenging conditions for its recent funds, which have raised "clawback" liabilities. In response, it is charging its investors the difference between the lower budget-based fee that it used and the maximum that the... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Investment Funds; Price; Partners and Partnerships

12 PM – 1 PM EST, 19 Jan 2017
Webinars: Trending@HBS

Public Entrepreneurship: Can Startups Help Solve our Biggest Public Problems?

There is a new generation of inventors, inside government and outside of it, turning problems into opportunities. The webinar will provide a sense for how public entrepreneurship can be deployed in companies and in government, and for how to tackle its trickier... View Details

June 2003 (Revised August 2003)
Case

Pension Policy at The Boots Company PLC

By: Luis M. Viceira and Akiko M. Mitsui

In early 2000, the trustees of the pension scheme at Boots considered a proposal to move 100% of the pension assets into a bond portfolio, which would be passively managed. The Boots Co. PLC was a leading retailer of cosmetics and toiletries in the United Kingdom, and... View Details

Keywords: Performance Productivity; Employees; Asset Management; Capital Structure; Investment Portfolio; Consumer Products Industry; United Kingdom