Publications

06 Feb 2012
Research & Ideas

Kodak: A Parable of American Competitiveness

American company that filed for bankruptcy protection in January. The company developed the first digital camera in 1975. Yet Kodak was never able to ride the digital wave over the long haul, and the company's invention ironically served... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Manufacturing

16 May 2017
First Look

First Look at New Ideas and Research, May 16

case:https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/817114-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 216-059 Central European Distribution Corporation: Hostile Takeover, Bankruptcy Makeover In early 2013, Central European Distribution Corporation... View Details

Keywords: Re: Multiple Faculty

22 Dec 2015
First Look

December 22, 2015

Bankruptcy in the City of Detroit The June 2013 bankruptcy of Detroit, Michigan, was, at the time, the largest municipal bankruptcy in American history. Detroit had struggled... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

26 Mar 2008
First Look

First Look: March 26, 2008

of the energy company Cinergy, has led the company from the brink of bankruptcy to one of the premier energy companies through selecting a focused strategy, aligning the organization to support it, and mobilizing all the employees to... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

June 1991 (Revised July 1993)
Case

Sunbeam Oster Co., Inc.

By: Steven R. Fenster

Japonica Partners, an investment firm, is trying to determine whether there is any unseen value in Sunbeam Oster Co., Inc., a Chapter 11 debtor. If there is, Japonica must consider the means by which they can acquire control of a company in Chapter 11. View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Acquisition; Financial Services Industry

November 1984 (Revised December 1988)
Case

Gulf Oil Corp.--Takeover

Gulf Oil was pressured into liquidation while under attack by Boone Pickens of Mesa Petroleum Co. Gulf management was unsure whether to sell out or take the firm private. A suitor, Standard Oil of California, tries to decide how much, if anything, to bid for the... View Details

Keywords: Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Bids and Bidding; Acquisition; Energy Sources; Energy Industry; United States

1994
Chapter

Managing Default: Some Evidence on How Firms Choose between Workouts and Chapter 11

By: S. C. Gilson

Keywords: Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Decision Choices and Conditions

1999
Chapter

Managing Default: Some Evidence on How Firms Choose between Workouts and Chapter 11

By: S. C. Gilson

Keywords: Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Business or Company Management

January 2005 (Revised November 2014)
Case

Arch Wireless, Inc.

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Perry L. Fagan

The largest wireless paging company in the United States has to restructure its debt in response to the collapse of its market. The restructuring faces formidable challenges. Valuing the company is extremely difficult because Arch's public competitors are also severely... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Borrowing and Debt; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Organizational Structure; Valuation

2001
Book

Creating Value through Corporate Restructuring: Case Studies in Bankruptcies, Buyouts, and Breakups

By: Stuart C. Gilson

Keywords: Value; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Acquisition; Restructuring

Find at Harvard

1992
Chapter

Troubled Debt Restructurings: An Empirical Analysis of Private Reorganization of Firms in Default

By: S. C. Gilson, J. Kose and L.H.P. Kang

Keywords: Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Borrowing and Debt; Restructuring

October 1996 (Revised April 2004)
Case

Eric Wood (B)

By: Myra M. Hart

Describes Eric's purchase of the much larger Shaw Co. Describes the operating and financial problems that ensue, leaving Eric considering the option of bankruptcy. Issues include the overlap of business and personal finances, as well as the mechanics and implications... View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Operations; Entrepreneurship; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Problems and Challenges; Acquisition

October 1997 (Revised January 2008)
Case

Asda (A)

By: Michael Beer and James Weber

In the mid-1980s, Asda was one of the most successful retail companies in the United Kingdom. By 1991, the chain of 200 grocery stores had a lack of direction, a demoralized workforce, declining profits, rising debt, collapsing stock price, and was facing bankruptcy.... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Crisis Management; Management Teams; Business Strategy; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United Kingdom

09 Sep 2008
First Look

First Look: September 9, 2008

the vendors' customer management effort to customer profitability. Purchase this note: http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/ b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=503060 Delaware Worldwide Corporation Harvard Business School Case 205-047 Discusses the View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

18 Jul 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, July 18, 2017

customer value propositions. However, this proved difficult to sustain over the long run, and the business ultimately went into bankruptcy in 2001. How did Polaroid rise to a position of such preeminence, and was its downfall inevitable?... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

March 2011
Supplement

Countrywide plc (CW)

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah L. Abbott

One of the world's leading investors in distressed companies, Oaktree Capital Management is contemplating a "loan to own" investment in the debt f Countrywide plc, a financially troubled residential real estate agent based in the U.K. Only sixteen months earlier,... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Restructuring; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Assets; Borrowing and Debt; Private Equity; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Investment Portfolio; Crisis Management; Strategy; Valuation; Real Estate Industry; United Kingdom

1998
Chapter

Risk-Taking Incentives and the Cost of Insurance Company Failures

By: Brian J. Hall

Keywords: Insurance; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Risk and Uncertainty; Risk Management; Motivation and Incentives; Insurance Industry