Publications

May 2017
Article

Immigration and the Rise of American Ingenuity

By: Ufuk Akcigit, John Grigsby and Tom Nicholas

We build on the analysis in Akcigit, Grigsby, and Nicholas (2017) by using U.S. patent and census data to examine the relationship between immigration and innovation. We construct a measure of foreign born expertise and show that technology areas where immigrant... View Details

Keywords: Immigration; Innovation and Invention; Experience and Expertise; Wages; United States

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January 2023
Case

Proday: Calling the Right Play

By: Lindsay N. Hyde, Thomas R. Eisenmann and Tom Quinn

Sarah Kunst knew the elements of a successful startup from her tenure at venture capital firms. In April 2018, however, her own app – Proday, a home fitness platform featuring exercises filmed by professional sports stars – was floundering. Kunst theorized that... View Details

Keywords: Social Media; Entrepreneurship; Advertising; Digital Marketing; Product Launch; Social Marketing; Failure; Sports; Applications and Software; Business Startups; Technology Industry; United States

06 Sep 2022
Blog Post

Student Spotlight: Summer Internships in Business & Environment

is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage climate tech start-ups that reduce CO2 emissions by at least 2.5 Gt by 2050. The $110M fund focuses on early-stage companies commercializing novel... View Details

12 Mar 2021
News

My Favorite Case

should CEO Dan Case take to balance the competing demands of maintaining the firm's culture and positioning it for future growth? “Mine came after business school. I came back here with my best friend, who was the subject of a case by... View Details

Keywords: Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Educational Services

January 2025
Supplement

A Winning Strategy (B): Innovation in Olympic Speed Skating

By: Rebecca Karp, Maria Roche, Maisie Wiltshire-Gordon and Tom Quinn

This case describes the aftermath of decisions made by two innovators in the Olympic sport of speed skating: the U.S. Men’s team, which devised a new approach to the team pursuit event; and Nils van der Poel, a Swedish skater who created a new training plan that defied... View Details

Keywords: Sports; Disruptive Innovation; Innovation Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Knowledge Sharing; Performance Improvement; Sports Industry; United States; Sweden; Netherlands; Norway

January 2018
Case

PrimeStone Capital and dormakaba

By: Suraj Srinivasan and Quinn Pitcher

London-based activist hedge fund PrimeStone Capital identifies a potential investment in Swiss security company Kaba. PrimeStone believes that the company is undervalued because it has been pushing back various financial targets and thinks it can help by proposing a... View Details

Keywords: Investment Activism; Value Creation; Executive Compensation; Performance Improvement

Web

Outdoor Spaces | About

Albert H. Gordon (AB 1923, MBA 1925). Kresge Way Kresge Hall, named in honor of Sebastian S. Kresge, was built in 1953 and made possible by the Kresge Foundation. It was a beloved and familiar HBS landmark and a central gathering place... View Details

July 2003 (Revised February 2004)
Background Note

M&A Legal Context: Standards Related to the Sale or Purchase of a Company

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin, Constance E. Bagley and James Quinn

Introduces students to the legal standards affecting officers and directors when selling or purchasing a company. Provides a practical understanding of the Revlon Standard, the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, Rule 10b-5, and the legal criteria for a cause of... View Details

Keywords: Laws and Statutes; Law Enforcement; Government Legislation; Acquisition; Business Exit or Shutdown; Corporate Governance; Going Public; Courts and Trials

05 Oct 2010
First Look

First Look: October 5, 2010

accounting "reliability." Broadly, the evidence, by highlighting the influence of standard setters, can broaden our understanding of the political economy of standard setting beyond the role of corporate lobbying. Download the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

14 Feb 2019
Blog Post

LOVE At HBS

we are there to support and challenge each other. Even though we aren’t in the same city right now, I’m grateful to be able to share this journey with Tom and know that in the end we’ll end up in the same place. Ariel Yang, Class of 2020... View Details

December 2005 (Revised November 2006)
Case

Corning, 2002

By: Malcolm P. Baker and James Quinn

Corning, with large investments in fiber optic technology, was hit particularly hard by the collapse of the telecommunications industry in 2001. With over $4 billion in debt, the firm's survival appears to rest on raising additional equity capital. The protagonist is... View Details

Keywords: Financial Strategy; Financial Condition; Financial Instruments; Valuation; Capital; Public Equity; Stock Shares; Business or Company Management; Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; Industrial Products Industry

November 2018 (Revised January 2020)
Case

Tesla, Inc. in 2018

By: Siko Sikochi, Suraj Srinivasan and Quinn Pitcher

On August 7, 2018 Elon Musk, Chairman and CEO of Tesla tweeted that he was considering taking Tesla private and had secured funding. Weeks went by without details about a deal and speculation grew that Musk had misled investors. He soon abandoned the idea, but the... View Details

Keywords: Disclosure Regulation; Board Independence; Corporate Governance; Business and Shareholder Relations; Governing and Advisory Boards

Web

Timing - Christensen Center for Teaching & Learning

Teaching by the Case Method Timing Preparing to Teach Leading in the Classroom Pre-Class Arrival Diversity and Inclusion Openings Cold Calling Questioning, Listening & Responding Transitions Closings Timing Participation Engagement Board... View Details

November 2017 (Revised August 2018)
Case

Fair Value Accounting at Noble Group (A)

By: Siko Sikochi, Suraj Srinivasan and Quinn Pitcher

Noble Group was a large commodities trader based in Hong Kong and listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange. In 2012, Noble shifted its business strategy towards an asset-light model. Under this model, Noble did not own mines or farms to produce commodities but built... View Details

Keywords: Fair Value Accounting; Policy; Goods and Commodities; Contracts; Valuation

12 Oct 2017
Blog Post

Why I Spent this Summer Coding

difficult and the number of product cycles are high). It's liberating to be self-reliant and not be hamstrung by the "I need a developer" excuse. There's been a lot of debate on whether business school students are prepared for startup... View Details

02 Oct 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, October 2, 2018

forthcoming Annual Review of Economics History, Micro Data and Endogenous Growth By: Akcigit, Ufuk, and Tom Nicholas Abstract—Economic growth is concerned with long-run changes, and as a result historical data should be especially... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

01 Jan 2005
News

Joseph J. O'Donnell, MBA 1971

than quantitative analysis. Cases and business are also about human beings, and I always keep that human element in mind." ADVICE TO CURRENT STUDENTS "As you set out on your careers, take a long-term view and have a sense of direction as to where you want to end up.... View Details

March 2010
Article

The Role of Independent Invention in U.S. Technological Development, 1880-1930

By: Tom Nicholas

Why did independent inventors account for over half of US patents by 1930 and more than three times the number granted to R&D firms? Using new data on patents and historical patent citations, I show that independents supplied high quality innovations to a... View Details

Keywords: History; Technological Innovation; Patents; Urban Scope; Independent Innovation and Invention; Research and Development; United States