Publications

Read Now

December 2004 (Revised October 2005)
Case

Innovation Corrupted: The Rise and Fall of Enron (A)

By: Malcolm S. Salter

Presents a brief historical overview of Enron's rise, its strategic successes and failures, the evolution of its business model, and the organizational processes relied upon by Enron's management to drive and monitor the business. A rewritten version of an earlier... View Details

Keywords: Adaptation; Success; Business Model; Business History; Growth Management; Governance Controls; Innovation and Management; Failure; Business Processes; Energy Industry; United States

2005
Article

The Rise in Firm-Level Volatility: Causes and Consequences

By: Diego Comin and Thomas Philippon

We document that the recent decline in aggregate volatility has been accompanied by a large increase in firm level risk. The negative relationship between firm and aggregate risk seems to be present across industries in the US, and across OECD countries. Firm... View Details

Keywords: Volatility; Risk Management; Relationships; Research and Development; Financing and Loans; Industry Growth; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Economy; Outcome or Result; United States

Find at Harvard

Read Now

June 2011
Teaching Note

Freddie Mac: Managing in Conservatorship (TN)

By: Robert Steven Kaplan

Teaching Note for 411048. View Details

Keywords: Business and Government Relations; Leadership; Operations; Housing; Price; Ownership Stake; Framework; Mortgages; Organizational Culture; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Financial Services Industry; United States

July 2001 (Revised March 2002)
Case

Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc., The

By: Andre F. Perold and Austin K Scee

NASDAQ's mission "to facilitate capital formation" is threatened by the emergence of Electronic Communication Networks, which are not as heavily regulated by the SEC. This case reviews the development of NASDAQ and its evolution from a loose network of broker-dealers... View Details

Keywords: Capital Markets; Stocks; Financial Markets; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Innovation Strategy; Performance Efficiency; Perspective

16 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 16

European economy. Firm-level investment sensitivity to cash flow is used to identify financing constraints. We find that the sensitivities are significantly positive, on average, controlling for country and industry fixed effects, as well... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

03 Oct 2006
First Look

First Look: October 3, 2006

less control over their strategy than they think while middle managers and operating managers can have a much greater role in strategy than is generally recognized by either those managers or by top management: But the complexity of the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

06 Nov 2000
Research & Ideas

The Determinants of Corporate Venture Capital Success

XTV ventures, however, could produce products for "leading-edge" users, who emphasized technological performance over careful documentation. Giving Up Control Like independent venture capitalists, XTV intended to give up View Details

Keywords: by Paul Gompers & Josh Lerner

09 Mar 2009
Research & Ideas

How to Revive Health-Care Innovation

The patient is weak, the situation is serious, but a cure is on the horizon—if we think differently about the underlying problem. Specifically, we need to innovate in health care just the way it is done in any other industry, by tackling the simplest problems first and... View Details

Keywords: by Clayton M. Christensen, Jerome H. Grossman, M.D. M.D. & Jason Hwang; Health

2022
Article

Regulatory Treatment of Changes in Fair Value and the Composition of Banks' Investment Portfolios

By: Michael Iselin, Jung Koo Kang and Joshua Madsen

In their implementation of Basel III, U.S. bank regulators are again including changes in the fair value of available-for-sale (AFS) debt securities in Tier 1 capital, but only for the largest U.S. banks. This paper investigates a potential impact of expanding this... View Details

Keywords: Fair Value Accounting; SFAS 115; Basel III; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Banks and Banking; Debt Securities; Credit; Risk and Uncertainty; Investment Portfolio; Decision Making; Banking Industry; United States

SSRN

Find at Harvard

August 2009
Teaching Note

Procter & Gamble in the 21st Century (C): Integrating Gillette (TN)

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Matthew Bird

Teaching Note for [309032]. View Details

Keywords: Integration; Mission and Purpose; Value; Problems and Challenges; Transition; Business Units; Governance Controls; Multinational Firms and Management; Consumer Products Industry

July 2007
Teaching Note

Foreign Direct Investment and South Africa (TN)

By: Eric D. Werker

Teaching Note to 707019. View Details

Keywords: Foreign Direct Investment; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Investment; Decisions; Economic Growth; Private Sector; Balance and Stability; South Africa

02 Apr 2008
Research & Ideas

Four Companies that Conquered America

retailing in the U.S. is concentrated (10 chains control 60 percent of the market) and tough to penetrate. But Dyson could not have succeeded had its products not been superior to other vacuum cleaners already in U.S. stores. A current... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

29 Aug 2006
First Look

First Look: August 29, 2006

the firm-size distribution; controlling for level of economic development, regulation, institutional constraints, and other variables that might affect the business environment; and using different empirical specifications. We further... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

20 Dec 2017
Blog Post

Meet Annie & Piper: A Student and Dog's Life at HBS

figured out how to get treats off of counters. She’s definitely good at manipulating me to get what she wants. How did you balance being a student and pet owner?In many ways, it's easier than normal working life. At HBS, I had more View Details

23 Jul 2012
Research & Ideas

Book Excerpt: ‘Talk, Inc.’

or as trained brand ambassadors. By empowering employees to communicate in that way, leaders relinquish much of the control that they formerly exerted over organizational messaging. But they gain a great deal in return. Through... View Details

Keywords: Re: Boris Groysberg

26 Mar 2012
Research & Ideas

What Neuroscience Tells Us About Consumer Desire

our conclusions." For consumers, the idea of giving advertisers additional insight into the subconscious mind might prompt privacy concerns. But Karmarkar says that the research is more about understanding brain waves, not View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Consumer Products

01 Oct 1996
News

Lasting Impressions

back even further, to his elementary school days, when he bought packages of light bulbs in bulk and sold them door-to-door in his neighborhood at slightly below retail prices. "I think I always wanted to have control over my future. We... View Details

Keywords: Deborah E. Blagg

October 2023 (Revised May 2024)
Case

JSW Steel: Balancing Growth While Decarbonizing

By: Vikram S Gandhi and Radhika Kak

Sajjan Jindal, Chairman & Managing Director of JSW Steel, India's largest steel producer by market capitalization, was facing a dilemma. Steel demand in India was expected to grow exponentially over the next decade. However, given its traditional reliance on carbon,... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Environmental Sustainability; Investment; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Growth and Development; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Pollutants; Pollution; Production; Steel Industry; India

October 2009 (Revised October 2010)
Case

Cosan: Thinking Outside the Barrel

By: Forest L. Reinhardt, Noel Maurer and Ricardo Reisen de Pinho

The Cosan case introduces students and executive education participants to political economy and business strategy in the biofuels industry. Cosan, based in Brazil, is the largest grower and processor of sugarcane in the world and the largest sugar and ethanol producer... View Details

Keywords: Renewable Energy; Global Strategy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Industry Structures; Business and Government Relations; Business Strategy; Vertical Integration; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Energy Industry; Brazil