Publications

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2023
Working Paper

Scoring and Funding Breakthrough Ideas: Evidence from a Global Pharmaceutical Company

By: Joshua Krieger, Ramana Nanda, Ian Hunt, Aimee Reynolds and Peter Tarsa

We study resource allocation to early-stage ideas at an internal startup program of one the largest pharmaceutical firms in the world. Our research design enables us to elicit every evaluator’s scores across five different attributes, before seeing how they would... View Details

Keywords: Project Selection; Pharmaceuticals; Financing Innovation; Resource Allocation; Innovation and Invention; Research and Development

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August 2022
Course Overview Note

Arts and Cultural Entrepreneurship

By: Rohit Deshpandé

Keywords: Cultural Entrepreneurship; Arts; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Fine Arts Industry

August 2022
Case

Atlanta Ransomware Attack (A)

By: Amit Goldenberg and Julian Zlatev

This case describes the March 2018 Ransomware attack on the information technology (IT) systems of the city of Atlanta and the response by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and her administration. The case includes a brief background on Bottoms and her young administration at... View Details

August 2022
Supplement

Atlanta Ransomware Attack (B)

By: Amit Goldenberg and Julian Zlatev

This case describes the March 2018 Ransomware attack on the information technology (IT) systems of the city of Atlanta and the response by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and her administration. The case includes a brief background on Bottoms and her young administration at... View Details

2024
Working Paper

Private Equity Fund Valuation Management during Fundraising

By: Brian K. Baik

I investigate whether and how private equity fund managers (GPs) inflate their interim fund valuations (net asset values or NAVs) during fundraising periods. Specifically, I study the extent to which the GPs inflate NAVs by managing valuation assumptions (e.g.,... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Institutional Investors; Valuation Multiples; Earnings Management; Private Firms; Valuation; Investment Funds

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August 2022
Case

Southwick Social Ventures

By: Henry McGee, Mel Martin and Amy Klopfenstein

In 2021, the HBS Impact Investment Fund student team had found a promising potential investment in Southwick Social Ventures (SSV), a worker and management-owned trouser manufacturer. With a 100% immigrant workforce, the co-operative was focused on reviving... View Details

Keywords: Impact Investing; Entrepreneurship; Social Entrepreneurship; Finance; Investment; Goods and Commodities; Manufacturing Industry; United States; Massachusetts

August 2022
Teaching Note

AppHarvest: Rebuilding the Appalachian Economy Through Agriculture

By: Joshua Lev Krieger, William R. Kerr and Bailey McAfee

Keywords: Agriculture; Entrepreneurship; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

August 2022 (Revised March 2023)
Supplement

Conjoint Partworths

By: Elie Ofek and Olivier Toubia

August 2022 (Revised June 2024)
Exercise

How Should Netflix Add an Ad-Supported Tier?

By: Elie Ofek and Olivier Toubia

In the summer of 2022, it became clear that Netflix would introduce an ad-supported tier alongside its existing subscription plans in the near future. Speculation abounded as to the details of the new tier: How many minutes of advertising would it include? What picture... View Details

Keywords: Pricing; Television Industry; Price; Marketing Strategy; Digital Platforms; Customer Value and Value Chain; Competitive Strategy; Customer Satisfaction; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

August 2022 (Revised March 2023)
Technical Note

Real Estate iBuying

By: Michael Luca, Jesse M. Shapiro and Julia Kelley

This note provides an overview of real estate iBuying, or instant buying, a business model that involves buying homes and then reselling them at a profit. Introduced in the mid-2010s, iBuying streamlined the process of selling a home by offering instant, all-cash... View Details

Keywords: iBuying; Profit; Business Model; Technological Innovation; Real Estate Industry

August 2022
Case

BRAC: Working-from-Home in Emerging Markets

By: Prithwiraj Choudhury and Tarun Khanna

2022
Other Unpublished Work

Got 'Critical Minerals'? Hooray! But Be Careful

By: Louis T. Wells

When a country has “critical minerals,” certain issues require special attention in the country’s mining legislation or while negotiating contracts with potential mining investors. As well, to obtain maximum benefit the government should prepare for negotiations with... View Details

Keywords: Critical Minerals; Foreign Direct Investment; International Relations; Mining Industry

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August 2022
Exercise

Joy4Home Brands: Pricing Matters

By: Elie Ofek, Oded Koenigsberg and Marco Bertini

Joy4Home Brands, the maker of novel houseware items, was gearing up for its launch. The company would be introducing two lines: kitchenware products and storage containers. The initial go-to-market plan called for a direct to consumer (DTC) channel strategy. While... View Details

Keywords: DTC; Pricing Decisions; B2B; Product Marketing; Product Launch; Marketing Strategy; Business Model; Opportunities; Consumer Products Industry

August 2022
Teaching Note

LooksRare: The Decentralized, Tokenized, NFT Marketplace

By: Shai Benjamin Bernstein, Scott Duke Kominers and George Gonzalez

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 822-119. View Details

August 2022 (Revised May 2023)
Case

Rooted in Roxbury: Race and Equity in the Boston Cannabis Industry

By: Joshua D. Coval, Richard S. Ruback and Christopher Diak

August 2022
Supplement

Zalora: Data-Driven Pricing Recommendations

By: Ayelet Israeli

This exercise can be used in conjunction with the main case "Zalora: Data-Driven Pricing" to facilitate class discussion without requiring data analysis from the students. Instead, the exercise presents reports that were created by the data science team to answer the... View Details

Keywords: Pricing; Pricing Algorithms; Dynamic Pricing; Ecommerce; Pricing Strategy; Pricing And Revenue Management; Apparel; Singapore; Startup; Demand Estimation; Data Analysis; Data Analytics; Exercise; Price; Internet and the Web; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Retail Industry; Fashion Industry; Singapore

August 18, 2022
Article

How to Build a Life: Honesty Is Love

By: Arthur C. Brooks

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August 2022
Case

The Spreadsheet

By: Zoë B. Cullen and Alexander J. MacKay

Compensation is the largest expenditure of almost every venture. Getting compensation packages right affects talent acquisition, retention, and profitability. In this case, and accompanying negotiation exercise, students learn strategies and tactics for setting... View Details

Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing