Publications

Find at Harvard

Read Now

April 2025
Case

#FutureFresenius: Implementing a New Strategy to Transform the Company and Advance Patient Care

By: David J. Collis, Benjamin C. Esty and Haisley Wert

In February 2024, Fresenius CEO Michael Sen reflected on the company’s transformation journey from his office in Bad Homburg, Germany. With revenues of €22 billion and a mission to advance patient care, Fresenius had built a strong reputation through decades of... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Corporate Strategy; Transformation; Finance; Leading Change; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Alignment; Health Industry; Germany; United States

June 2014 (Revised July 2014)
Background Note

An Overview of Project Finance and Infrastructure Finance—2014 Update

By: Benjamin C. Esty, Carla Chavich and Aldo Sesia

Provides an introduction to the fields of project finance and infrastructure finance, and gives a statistical overview of project-financed investments over the years from 2009 to 2013. Examples of project-financed investments include the Kashagan oil field development... View Details

Keywords: Globalization; Capital Expenditures; International Finance; Data; Financial History; Economic Development; Corporate Governance; Contracts; Industry Analysis; Banking; Capital Investments; Municipal Finance; Project Finance; Infrastructure; Investment; Projects; Trends

03 Nov 2021
Blog Post

Alumni Viewpoints: Confronting the Climate Change Challenge

Aveeram WindBeing Responsible Towards the Environment Is a Great Financial Investment+Jennifer Tisdel Schorsch (MBA 1992) President, Water.orgIntegrate Water Strategy into Business Strategy+Michael Skelly (MBA 1991) CEO, Grid UnitedRise... View Details

03 Mar 2003
Research & Ideas

The Ingredients of a Deal Disaster

to helping the combined companies compete with rivals such as Disney and Cap Cities/ABC. To get the deal done, however, Michael Ovitz, talent agent turned unorthodox corporate... View Details

Keywords: by Ron S. Fortgang, David A. Lax & James K. Sebenius

18 Oct 2004
Research & Ideas

The Bias of Wall Street Analysts

away from objective valuations and recommendations; in place of these efforts, analysts may be mechanically issuing optimistic recommendations for all firms to curry favor with managers. The dynamics of this game between managers,... View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen; Financial Services

October 2009 (Revised December 2010)
Case

GE Money Bank: The M-Budget Card Initiative

By: Michael L. Tushman, Sebastian Raisch and Christian Welling

The M-Budget Card case study is about mastering the challenges of an exploratory strategic initiative in a context marked by time pressure and frequent change. M-Budget was the first of a series of highly successful projects that established GE Money Bank as a leader... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Credit Cards; Leading Change; Product Launch; Product Development; Groups and Teams; Banking Industry; Switzerland

October 2000 (Revised February 2007)
Case

Harvard Management Company and Inflation-Protected Bonds, The

By: Luis M. Viceira

In March 2000, the board of The Harvard Management Co. (HMC) approved significant changes in the policy portfolio determining the long-run allocation policy of the Harvard University endowment. These changes included a sharp reduction of the allocation to U.S. equities... View Details

Keywords: Bonds; Investment Portfolio; Investment Funds; Asset Management; Corporate Governance; Capital Markets; Financial Services Industry; United States

October 2024
Case

Allurion: Competing in the Age of GLP-1

By: Satish Tadikonda, Rajiv Lal, David Lane and Sarah Sasso

Shantanu Gaur had built Allurion into a formidable business internationally, providing obesity patients with a less invasive option long before GLP-1 drugs became the latest craze. Selling Allurion's medical device across 60+ countries, he awaited FDA approval to bring... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Health Care and Treatment; Global Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Health Industry; United States; United Kingdom; France; India; Brazil; Middle East

08 Oct 2014
Research & Ideas

Who Is the Chief Sustainability Officer?

Since the start of the 2000s, a high-level corporate position has evolved that is still something of a mystery. As companies have engaged in more efforts around sustainability,... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Manufacturing

December 2012 (Revised August 2013)
Case

Nestlé: Agricultural Material Sourcing Within the Concept of Creating Shared Value (CSV)

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Lorin A. Fries

Corporate Head of Agriculture Hans Jöhr's mind raced in anticipation of the executive board meeting that afternoon. Jöhr recognized the meeting as a key opportunity to strategize far into the future, reexamining how his team's efforts in sustainable agricultural... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Value Creation; Quality; Supply Chain Management; Social Issues; Environmental Sustainability; Problems and Challenges; Growth and Development Strategy; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Health Industry

2010
Chapter

The Many Faces of Nonprofit Accountability

By: Alnoor Ebrahim

Calls for greater accountability are not new. Leaders of organizations, be they nonprofit, business, or government, face a constant stream of demands from various constituents demanding accountable behavior. But what does it mean to be accountable? By and large,... View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Corporate Accountability; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Taxation; Leadership; Management; Nonprofit Organizations; Behavior; Trust

April 2006 (Revised November 2021)
Case

Endesa Chile: Raising the Ralco Dam (A)

By: Kathleen L. McGinn, Paula J. Laschober and Dina Pradel

Endesa Chile, the largest electricity generation company in Chile, is building a major power plant on the Biobio River in Southern Chile. A historic conflict involving the indigenous people of the Biobio River, the Chilean government, and international conservation... View Details

Keywords: Buildings and Facilities; Energy Generation; Government and Politics; Negotiation; Business and Community Relations; Natural Environment; Conflict and Resolution; Social Issues; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Energy Industry; Chile

2020
Working Paper

Algorithm-Augmented Work and Domain Experience: The Countervailing Forces of Ability and Aversion

By: Ryan Allen and Prithwiraj Choudhury

Past research offers mixed perspectives on whether domain experience helps or hurts algorithm-augmented work performance. To reconcile these perspectives, we theorize that domain experience affects algorithm-augmented performance via two distinct countervailing... View Details

Keywords: Automation; Domain Experience; Algorithmic Aversion; Experts; Algorithms; Machine Learning; Decision-making; Future Of Work; Employees; Experience and Expertise; Decision Making; Performance

Read Now

July 1988 (Revised May 1989)
Background Note

On the Economics of a Parking Garage

By: David E. Bell

Introduces notions of cash flow, net present value, and internal rate of return by estimating the profitability of a parking garage. View Details

Keywords: Business Earnings; Corporate Finance; Auto Industry; Service Industry

Find at Harvard

2024
Working Paper

CSR Under the Pressure of Financial Shocks

By: Monica Kabutey, Syrena Shirley and Anywhere Sikochi

This study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced firms' interactions with customers and suppliers. Customer-supplier relationships are essential because the success of interconnected firms affects the sustainability of the entire supply chain. We use the... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic; Supply Chain; Customer Focus and Relationships; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Financial Crisis

Read Now

Web

The Response - The Human Factor – Baker Library | Bloomberg Center, Historical Collections

The Message The Product The Production The Worker The Audience Bibliography The... View Details

24 Sep 2001
Research & Ideas

Why the Internet Doesn’t Change Everything

Rangoon and e-mailing it to thousands of supporters around the world. There are bootleg copies of academic papers and Snoop Doggy Dogg's latest hits. In cyberspace, even solemn corporations indulge their... View Details

Keywords: by Debora L. Spar

March 1992 (Revised March 1995)
Supplement

Joline Godfrey and the Polaroid Corp. (B)

By: Linda A. Hill

Supplements Joline Godfrey and the Polaroid Corp. (A). View Details

Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Rank and Position; Leading Change; Problems and Challenges; Change; Electronics Industry; Consumer Products Industry