Publications

July 2008 (Revised July 2019)
Case

Amazon: The Brink of Bankruptcy

By: Lynda M. Applegate

Enables a thorough analysis of the Amazon.com business model and its evolution from 1994 to 2001. The case ends with the company poised on the brink of bankruptcy and enables discussion of how to turnaround the company and leverage proprietary assets. View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Restructuring; Entrepreneurship; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Business History; Leading Change; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Strategy

19 Oct 2020
Working Paper Summaries

Bankruptcy and the COVID-19 Crisis

Keywords: by Jialan Wang, Jeyul Yang, Benjamin Iverson, and Ray Kluender; Legal Services

10 Jun 2022
News

Consumer Responses to Corporate Bankruptcy

June 2004 (Revised April 2005)
Background Note

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Law in Real Estate

By: Arthur I Segel, Jeff Mandelbaum and Armen Panossian

Begins with a brief overview of the bankruptcy process, discussing key debtor protections and the administration of claims against the estate. Discusses the treatment of bankruptcies filed by property owners. Also summarizes the tenant's bankruptcy protections and... View Details

Keywords: Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Real Estate Industry

Fast Answer

Bankruptcy asset sales

Where can I find information on bankruptcy asset sales? Capital IQ: Select Screening, then Transactions. In the section, M&A Details, select Features. Select Bankruptcy Sale, click... View Details

01 Jun 2007
News

Delta’s Flight from Bankruptcy

on Tuesday and did not go home until Friday, September 14,” said Whitehurst, who is now Delta’s COO. Invited to HBS in March by the Hospitality and Travel Industry Club, Whitehurst discussed lessons learned from what he sees as the biggest turnaround in airline... View Details

Keywords: Air Transportation; Transportation

14 Jul 2015
News

Clawbacks, Buybacks and Bankruptcy

16 Apr 2025
News

Best Bankruptcy Credit Cards

September 1997 (Revised August 2007)
Case

Bankruptcy and Restructuring at Marvel Entertainment Group

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Jason Auerbach

Marvel Entertainment Group is the leading comic book publisher in the United States, with superheros like Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, and Captain America. It is also one of the leading manufacturers of sports and entertainment trading cards under the... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Decision Choices and Conditions; Borrowing and Debt; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Governance Controls; Courts and Trials; Planning; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

13 Jan 2012
News

Inspiration for 'Jerry Maguire' Files for Bankruptcy

28 Aug 2019
News

Sanders’s flawed statistic: 500,000 medical bankruptcies a year

School Specialty Inc. (HBS Case #214084)

(With Kristin Mugford) Set in 2013, School Specialty was a financially troubled supplier of educational products to primary and secondary schools in the United States. The company planned to file Chapter 11 in order to address its excessive debt load, but needed to... View Details

July 1984
Case

Braniff International: The Ethics of Bankruptcy (A)

Intended to advance understanding of corporate responsibility in the context of a bankruptcy decision. The case documents the implementation of a turnaround plan for financially ailing Braniff International. This includes a new marketing and operations strategy,... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Corporate Accountability; Ethics; Insolvency and Bankruptcy

January 2005
Case

Managing Failure: American Bankruptcy Law at a Crossroads

By: David A. Moss, Mary Oey and Jonathan Lackow

Introduces the core principles and challenges of bankruptcy law (both individual and corporate) against the backdrop of the early 1970s, when the U.S. bankruptcy system appeared to be failing. With personal bankruptcy filings at record levels and successful corporate... View Details

Keywords: Change; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Policy; Government Legislation; United States

December 2024
Article

Are Bankruptcy Professional Fees Excessively High?

By: Samuel Antill

Chapter 7 is the most popular bankruptcy system for U.S. firms and individuals. Chapter 7 professional fees are substantial. Theoretically, high fees might be an unavoidable cost of incentivizing professionals. I test this empirically. I study trustees, the most... View Details

Keywords: Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Motivation and Incentives; Policy

March 2012
Article

Subprime Foreclosures and the 2005 Bankruptcy Reform

By: Donald Morgan, Benjamin Iverson and Matthew Botsch

This article presents arguments and evidence suggesting that the bankruptcy abuse reform (BAR) of 2005 may have been one contributor to the destabilizing surge in subprime foreclosures. Before BAR took effect, overly indebted borrowers could file bankruptcy to free up... View Details

Keywords: Mortgages; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Borrowing and Debt; United States