Publications

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April 1995 (Revised July 1996)
Case

Governance at Metallgesellschaft (A)

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Samanta Graff

MG Corp., a U.S. subsidiary of Germany's international conglomerate, Metallgesellschaft, engaged in a disastrous hedging strategy that nearly dragged the entire enterprise into bankruptcy. This case explores issues of responsibility and accountability among the... View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Corporate Accountability; Business Conglomerates; Governing and Advisory Boards; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Corporate Governance; Mining Industry; Mining Industry; Germany; United States

January 2021
Case

Rio Tinto Aluminum: Can Purpose Lead to Profit?

By: David Fubini and Agastya Muthanna

This case describes the tradeoffs Rio Tinto faces as it considers investments to ensure environmentally friendly, sustainability produced aluminum with the potential risks of competitive pricing and profit loses. View Details

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Investment; Price; Competition; Profit; Cost vs Benefits; Mining Industry

February 2017 (Revised May 2018)
Case

The Flint, Michigan Sit-Down Strike

By: Tom Nicholas, Christopher T. Stanton and Matthew Preble

For roughly six weeks between late December 1936 and February 1937, a major strike at several critical General Motors (GM) plants in Flint, Michigan, essentially halted the corporation’s U.S. production and resulted in significant gains for the nascent United... View Details

September 1992 (Revised September 1993)
Case

Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc.

By: Jay O. Light

A New York-based money manager owns a sizable percentage of the common shares of Cleveland-Cliffs, a U.S. iron ore producer. The money manager would prefer that Cliffs pay out or otherwise return $100 million of "excess cash" to the shareholders. The management resists... View Details

Keywords: Asset Management; Financial Strategy; Mining; Business and Shareholder Relations; Financial Services Industry

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July 1987 (Revised October 1995)
Case

Phillips 66: Controlling a Company Through Crisis

By: Lynda M. Applegate

The downstream operations subsidiary of a major U.S. petroleum company is faced with major restructuring decisions and responds by developing an Executive Information System (EIS) which allows for increased responsiveness, wider span of control, and higher levels of... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Information Management; Governance Controls; Organizational Design; Crisis Management; Communication; Management Teams; Growth Management; Mining Industry; Mining Industry; United States

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18 Feb 2014
First Look

First Look: February 18

many were watching her closely. Should she go so far as to make the unprecedented move of shutting down the mines? What message would that send to the company and to the mining industry? The lives of others,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

August 2014 (Revised March 2015)
Case

Molycorp: Morgan Brothers' Reverse Convertible Notes (C)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and E. Scott Mayfield

In August 2011, Morgan Brothers Bank was issuing a $2.5 million reverse convertible note with payoffs linked to the price of Molycorp's common stock. These financially engineered securities were just one of many kinds of structured notes available in the retail market.... View Details

Keywords: Structured Products; Reverse Convertible Notes; Replication; Option Pricing; Bond Pricing; Financial Engineering; Valuation; Metals and Minerals; Debt Securities; Finance; Investment; Mining Industry; Mining Industry; Canada; California

23 Sep 2014
First Look

First Look: September 23

http://hbr.org/product/Opening-the-Valve--From-S/an/415016-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 415-023 Belk: Towards Exceptional Scheduling With 24,000 staff and over 300 stores, Belk Inc. sought to replace... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Teaching Interest

Overview

Globalization and Emerging Markets (Elective Course) The world order has changed significantly in the last two decades. The influence of western-style varieties of capitalism has been challenged by new forms of capitalism that rely less on private enterprise and on the... View Details

16 Jul 2013
First Look

First Look: July 16

for those three resources. Many corporations and investors assume that fixing cities is the purview of government. But governments around the world are stuck-financially, politically, or both. Implementing solutions to the problems of... View Details

Keywords: Anna Secino

January 2011 (Revised July 2011)
Supplement

Caterpillar, Inc. (B)

By: David F. Hawkins

Analyst must identify role of management and actuarial judgment in measuring corporate post employment benefit obligations and assets. View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Compensation and Benefits; Resignation and Termination; Mining Industry; Mining Industry; Mining Industry

31 Jan 2017
Research & Ideas

Why These Business School Professors Oppose Trump's Executive Order on Immigration

different planet, and the negative consequences to many forms of innovation and entrepreneurial investment may be shattering. Without trust in the future, many talented workers may look elsewhere. But isn’t... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

02 Sep 2014
First Look

First Look: September 2

overview of project-financed investments over the years from 2009 to 2013. Examples of project-financed investments include the Kashagan oil field development in Kazakhstan (1997), the $1 billion Port of Miami Tunnel (2007), the $54... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

30 Jan 2018
First Look

January 30, 2018

Flying J. Flying J owned and operated hundreds of truck stops—which it called Travel Plazas—nationwide and was a growing multi-billion dollar business, but broader problems in the View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

17 May 2016
First Look

May 17, 2016

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/consumers-corporations-and-public-health-9780190235123?facet_narrowbytype_facet=Books%20for%20Courses&lang=3n&cc=us# 2016 Palgrave Studies in the History of Finance Antonio Serra and the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 2012
Case

CSIRO: The Light Metals Flagship Decision

By: Willy Shih, Margaret P. Pierson and Dawn Lau

This case explores the challenge of investing in basic research as a public good. CSIRO was Australia's leading science and research agency, and it was chartered to enhance national prosperity through R&D. Its Flagships program was designed to align research interests... View Details

13 May 2014
Other Presentation

Creating Shared Value: Becoming a Movement

By: Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer

CSV presentation from the 2014 Shared Value Leadership Summit held by FSG. Topics include: shared value momentum, shared value in extractives, and shared value and investors. View Details

Keywords: Extractive Industries; Investing; Investment; Creating Shared Value; Society; Mining Industry; Mining Industry; New York (city, NY)

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March 2024 (Revised April 2024)
Supplement

From "BIG" Ideas to Sustainable Impact at ICL Group (B)

By: Linda A. Hill and Lydia Begag

In August 2023, Raviv Zoller, CEO of ICL Group, discussed his upcoming business trip to St. Louis with Eduard Croitoru, VP of ICL Corporate Initiatives, to commemorate the construction of ICL's new $400 million advanced manufacturing facility. In preparation for the... View Details