Publications

Research Summary

Other research activities

Apart from my dissertation research on the EU ETS, I am interested in topics such as foreign direct investment, global strategy, institutions and sustainability. I am currently working with several faculty members at Harvard Business School on issues ranging from... View Details

December 2017 (Revised November 2018)
Case

Tesla Motors (B): Merging with SolarCity

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah L. Abbott

In 2016, electric car manufacturer Tesla announced that it was making an offer to acquire solar panel manufacturer SolarCity in an all-stock offer worth $2.6 billion in Tesla stock. Tesla’s co-founder and CEO, Elon Musk, believed that the merger would generate... View Details

Keywords: M＆A; M＆A Valuation; Investing; Equities; Equity; Valuation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Auto Industry; Energy Industry; United States

October 2006 (Revised August 2007)
Case

RKS Guitars

By: Elie Ofek, Thomas J. Steenburgh, Michael I. Norton and Kerry Herman

RKS has designed a revolutionary electric guitar and needs to decide how to best market their innovation. The iconic status of existing electric guitars, and the lack of any recent radical innovations in the category, pose challenges in securing consumer adoption. If... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Invention; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Consumer Behavior; Product Design; Adoption

October 2009 (Revised November 2009)
Case

Acciona and the Battle for Control of Endesa

Acciona, S.A. is a global infrastructure and renewable energy conglomerate that is publicly traded in Spain and controlled by the Entrecanales family. In 2006, the company joined the highly politicized cross-border takeover battle for Spain's largest electric utility,... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Conglomerates; Renewable Energy; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Ownership Stake; Business and Government Relations; Business Strategy; Energy Industry; Utilities Industry; Spain

May 2003
Supplement

Jim Sharpe: Extrusion Technology, Inc.

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Paul W. Marshall

Jim Sharpe discusses his early career at General Electric to his decision to purchase and run a small company. The discussion includes a detailed acquisition financing proposal, which resulted in Sharpe being able to raise virtually all of the financing from some... View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Mergers and Acquisitions; Financing and Loans

October 1991 (Revised August 1993)
Case

Acid Rain: Burlington Northern, Inc. (A)

By: Forest L. Reinhardt

Burlington Northern (BN) hauls low-sulfur coal from the northern Great Plains to electric utilities in the Midwest. Acid rain legislation may affect the geographic scope of BN's markets. Railroad managers need to assess the economic effects of acid rain controls and... View Details

Keywords: Rail Transportation; Environmental Sustainability; Development Economics; Government Legislation; Natural Environment; Policy; Metals and Minerals; Industry Growth; Industry Structures; Rail Industry; United States

23 Mar 2021
Blog Post

A Lifelong Friendship: From Classmates in Cameroon to Roommates at HBS

dormitories. When we graduated, we set our sights on studying in the US and - as your typical nerds - we both went into engineering. I studied Electrical Engineering at Georgia Tech, and Kevin went into Chemical Engineering at the... View Details

January 2024 (Revised January 2025)
Case

Colbún and Chile’s Energy Transition

By: Forest Reinhardt, Jenyfeer Martinez Buitrago and Mariana Cal

In May 2023, Colbún, Chile’s second-largest electricity generator, plans capacity expansions using renewable energy and storage. This strategy supports Chile’s commitment to carbon neutrality (also known as net zero emissions) by 2050. The case delves into the... View Details

Keywords: Transition; Energy Generation; Renewable Energy; Climate Change; Investment; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Infrastructure; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Expansion; Business Strategy; Energy Industry; Utilities Industry; Latin America; South America; Chile

April 1992 (Revised February 1996)
Case

CFM International, Inc.

In April 1987 the management team of CFM International, Inc. (CFMI) was considering developing a new jet engine for the Airbus A340. The withdrawal of a competitor's engine had created an unforeseen opportunity for CFMI to re-enter a competition it had apparently lost... View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Partners and Partnerships; Investment; Globalized Markets and Industries; Manufacturing Industry; Air Transportation Industry

Climate change is one of the most complicated and challenging problems that the world has ever faced. As part of this video collection produced by the Harvard University Center for the Environment, Lassiter talks about *new* nuclear technologies as... View Details

November 2019 (Revised May 2021)
Case

DeepGreen - the Metals Company and Polymetallic Nodules

By: Richard H.K. Vietor

The world has begun a “green transition”—a move to reduce carbon emissions. Part of this will entail a growing shift to electric vehicles. Huge amounts of metals—cobalt, nickel, and copper—will be needed to supply electric vehicles. Mining these on land, however, is... View Details

Keywords: Polymetallic Nodules; Seabed Mining; Entrepreneurial Finance; Metals and Minerals; Mining; Entrepreneurship; Finance; Problems and Challenges

March 1992 (Revised November 1993)
Background Note

Trading the Right to Pollute: Developing the Market for Pollution Allowances

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin

Examines the issues underlying the formation of the market for tradeable pollution allowances, following the requirement of Title IV of the 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act. Examines the implications that these trade the allowances hold for the U.S. electric... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Pollutants; Trade; Utilities Industry

Find at Harvard

February 2024
Supplement

ReNew (B): A New Direction

By: Gunnar Trumbull and Malini Sen

The global renewables sector was in a slump, but the Indian market was booming. India’s largest renewable electricity generator, ReNew, faced a dilemma: it traded on the Nasdaq in New York, but saw huge opportunity in the Indian market. In response, CEO Sumant Sinha... View Details

Keywords: Energy Generation; Renewable Energy; Entrepreneurship; Forecasting and Prediction; Trends; Transformation; Private Ownership; Environmental Sustainability; Mission and Purpose; Expansion; Market Entry and Exit; Energy Industry; Asia; India

February 2012 (Revised April 2017)
Case

Schneider Electric: Becoming the Global Specialist in Energy Management

By: John D. Macomber and Rachna Tahilyani

Global electrical products company assesses growth and market demands in India. Company must decide between a products acquisition or developing a service business. Students need to be aware of different country conditions, demands on implementation of different... View Details

Keywords: Globalization; Energy; Management; Energy Industry

August 1989 (Revised October 1989)
Case

Avon Co.

Avon engineers developed a new type of electric adjustable speed drive. Executives began to make long-range plans for production and marketing. Members of the sales department wondered what pricing recommendations they should make to management on the basis of... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Price; Product Development; Technology Industry