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Publications
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- Faculty Publications (448)
- January 2007 (Revised October 2008)
- Case
H&R Block 2006
By: Peter Tufano
Mark Ernst, the Chairman, CEO and President of H&R Block, has to decide how to respond to a competitive threat posed by a competitor's refund-lending product. Block is the largest U.S. tax preparation firm, which competes not only on its tax preparation services, but... View Details
- December 2006 (Revised January 2007)
- Case
Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola and Nigeria's Manufacturing Sector
By: Nitin Nohria, Anthony Mayo, Foluke Otudeko and Mark Benson
Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola was an important contributor to Nigeria's manufacturing sector, creating a multimillion-dollar conglomerate including three factories, a retail franchise, a cattle ranch, a 5,000-acre plantation, a sawmill, and an exporting business before... View Details
- October 2006 (Revised January 2008)
- Case
Allianz AG: Becoming a European Company
By: Jay W. Lorsch and Alexis Chernak
Focuses on the decision made by leadership at Allianz AG, the German insurance and financial services company, to complete a cross-border merger with the Italian insurance and financial services company, RAS. Allianz, however, could not complete the cross-border merger... View Details
- September 2006 (Revised December 2006)
- Case
Arizona Department of Public Health: The Challenges of Preparing for a Public Health Emergency
By: Lynda M. Applegate, Ajay Vinze, T. S. Raghu and Minu Ipe
In the post-9/11 era information technology enablement for emergency preparedness and response have taken on increased significance. Public health organizations like ADHS play a critical role in any statewide preparation for large scale emergencies. With issues like... View Details
- May 2006 (Revised November 2006)
- Case
China: To Float or Not To Float? (F)- Alcatel and Strong Chinese Competition
By: Laura Alfaro, Rafael M. Di Tella and Ingrid Vogel
The Chinese operations of Alcatel, a global communications solution provider based in France, were faced with strong local competition and a difficult market. It remained unclear how Alcatel would be able to recover growth in the Chinese market. Initiatives were... View Details
- April 2006 (Revised October 2006)
- Case
Chrysanthemum and Dragon: JAFCO Asia in China
By: Rawi E. Abdelal and David Lane
In the autumn of 2002, JAFCO Asia, a subsidiary of JAFCO Co., Ltd., became the first foreign private equity firm to open an office in Beijing's Haidian Science Park. JAFCO was the only Japanese private equity firm operating in China. As such, Managing Director Vincent... View Details
- March 2006
- Background Note
Influencing Customer Behavior in Service Operations
By: Frances X. Frei and Amy C. Edmondson
Explores ways in which service firms can influence the behavior of their customers. Drawing from research on employee motivation and applying it to customer motivation, the note describes two levels of managerial control: instrumental control, which shapes behavior... View Details
- February 2006 (Revised October 2006)
- Case
Veridian: Putting a Value on Values
By: Rakesh Khurana, Joel Podolny and Jaan Margus Elias
David Langstaff, the CEO of Veridian, a defense company, struggles with the decision of selling the company. Langstaff has concerned himself with inculcalating his organization with the values necessary for superior achievement over the long term. But as a fiduciary,... View Details
- January 2006 (Revised February 2006)
- Case
Deutsche Borse and the European Markets
By: Dwight B. Crane and Monika Stachowiak
In December 2004, Deutsche Borse proposed an offer for the London Stock Exchange. Some shareholders opposed the acquisition, leading to the offer's withdrawal and replacement of management, including the CEO and board members. Written from the viewpoint of Deutsche... View Details
- September 2005 (Revised January 2006)
- Case
Restating Revenues and Earnings at INVESTools, Inc. (A)
By: Michael D. Kimbrough and F. Warren McFarlan
Relates the events leading up to the announcement in February 2005 that INVESTools, a Utah-based provider of investor education services, would be restating prior-year financial statements due to inappropriate revenue recognition. View Details
- August 2005 (Revised March 2007)
- Case
Politics and Prudential Supervision: ABN Amro's Bid for Antonveneta (A)
By: Rawi E. Abdelal and Christopher Bruner
Involves the March 2005 takeover bid launched by ABN Amro, the Dutch bank, for Padua-based Banca Antoniana Popolare Veneta S.p.A. (Antonveneta)--a bid that many would view as a test of Italy's commitment to the creation of a single European market for financial... View Details
- August 2005 (Revised January 2007)
- Supplement
The Board of Directors at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter (B)
By: Jay W. Lorsch and Alexis Chernak
- April 2005 (Revised March 2007)
- Case
eAccess, Ltd.
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann, Masako Egawa and Ariko Ota
The managers of eAccess, Japan's third largest provider of digital subscriber line (DSL) service, must decide whether to enter the mobile communications business. Japan's mobile services are among the world's most expensive, and incumbent carriers' profits are high. To... View Details
- March 2005 (Revised June 2006)
- Case
Sun Microsystems, Inc.: Web Services Strategy
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Fernando Suarez
Microsoft and IBM have excluded Sun Microsystems from the board of the Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I), an industry consortium that will shape the evolution of Web services standards. Sun managers must decide whether to join WS-I as a contributing... View Details
- February 2005
- Case
Nomura Holdings
By: Tarun Khanna, Masako Egawa and Atsuko Nakajima
Nomura Holdings, Japan's largest investment bank, faced with intensifying competition in the global financial markets, was trying to decide how global its operations should be despite its Japan-centered business. Was the question of how global Nomura should be related... View Details
- January 2005 (Revised October 2005)
- Case
Private Capital and Public Policy: Standard & Poor's Sovereign Credit Ratings
By: Rawi E. Abdelal and Christopher Bruner
Describes Standard & Poor's sovereign credit ratings business. Provides background on the history of credit ratings agencies, the meaning of credit ratings, the expansion of the sovereign ratings business over recent decades, and the market for credit ratings. Also,... View Details
- January 2005 (Revised October 2005)
- Background Note
Standard & Poor's Sovereign Credit Ratings: Scales and Process
By: Rawi E. Abdelal and Christopher Bruner
Describes Standard & Poor's sovereign credit ratings scales and the credit rating process. In particular, describes the role and function of the rating committee and the analytical categories considered in arriving at a final sovereign credit rating. View Details
- January 2005 (Revised June 2005)
- Case
Zipcar: Influencing Customer Behavior
By: Frances X. Frei and Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar
At Zipcar, customers share the use of cars and, as a result, rely on each other for their service experience. Customers are required to keep the car clean and the gas tank full and to return the car on time. Told from the perspective of two customers: Sal Fishman, who... View Details
- October 2004 (Revised May 2006)
- Case
Transforming Singapore's Public Libraries (Abridged)
By: Lynda M. Applegate and Roger H. Hallowell
The Singapore Public Library system was transformed from being mediocre at best to world class using information technology, progressive human-resources management, and marketing approaches unusual for government agencies. View Details
- July 2004 (Revised January 2007)
- Case
H&R Block and "Everyday Financial Services"
By: Peter Tufano and Daniel Schneider
H&R Block, the U.S. market leader in tax preparation services, must decide whether to offer financial services to its low-income clients. H&R Block is facing increased competition from branded and nonbranded tax preparers, and the number of returns prepared by the... View Details