Publications

March 2010 (Revised June 2011)
Case

Mirae Asset: Korea's Mutual Fund Pioneer

By: Mukti Khaire, Michael Shih-ta Chen and G.A. Donovan

Park Hyeon-Joo, the founder and chairman of Korea's earliest and largest mutual fund company, plans to expand internationally. After first offering emerging market funds to its Korean customers, the company then began selling local-currency funds in India and Brazil.... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Entrepreneurship; Investment; Global Strategy; Emerging Markets; Financial Services Industry; South Korea

22 Dec 2019
News

A town’s pioneering plan to fund retreat from sea rise: have new development pitch in

September 2024
Case

Myeloma Investment Fund

By: Kyle Myers and Scott Sawaya

This case explores a critical decision facing the Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF) as it evaluates two investment opportunities aimed at accelerating a cure for multiple myeloma.

The MIF, a venture philanthropy fund, must choose between two distinct paths. One... View Details

Keywords: Venture Philanthropy; Biomedical Research; Investing For Impact; Innovation ＆ Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Science-Based Business; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Decision Making; Health Care and Treatment; Biotechnology Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry

March 2009 (Revised March 2011)
Background Note

The Rejuvenated International Monetary Fund

By: Rawi E. Abdelal and Jonathan Schlefer

The International Monetary Fund was dismissed as almost irrelevant to the global economy, but during the 2008 financial crisis, it returned to center stage, providing financial rescues for developing countries. View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Financial Crisis; Financial Management; International Finance; Globalized Economies and Regions; International Relations

June 2011 (Revised September 2011)
Case

Exchange-Traded Funds at Vanguard (A)

By: Robert C. Pozen and Steven Vickers

Vanguard Group management, led by CEO John Brennan, was considering whether to launch exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in early 2000. ETFs, first created in the early 1990s, combined aspects of traditional mutual funds and closed-end funds. The US ETF industry had reached... View Details

Keywords: Investment Funds; Managerial Roles; Growth and Development Strategy; Experience and Expertise; Market Entry and Exit; Network Effects; Profit; Business and Shareholder Relations; Product Launch; Asset Management; Distribution Channels; Ownership; Financial Services Industry; United States

August 1994
Background Note

World Pension Fund Markets

By: Jay O. Light and Jon Headley

Presents a comparative description and analysis of pension funds in different countries. There is a special focus on comparing the United States and the United Kingdom. View Details

Keywords: Retirement; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Investment Funds; United States; United Kingdom

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06 Oct 2003
Research & Ideas

The Problem with Hedge Funds

developing problem. Yet years later the quality of the information available to the government to avoid even larger crises has not improved at all, although the number of hedge funds and their significance... View Details

Keywords: by D. Quinn Mills

Article

What Do State-Owned Development Banks Do? Evidence from BNDES, 2002–09

By: Sergio G. Lazzarini, Aldo Musacchio, Rodrigo Bandeira-de-Mello and Rosilene Marcon

Defendants of state-owned development banks emphasize their role in reducing capital constraints and fostering productive investment; detractors point out that they may benefit politically connected capitalists or bail out inefficient firms. We study the effect of... View Details

Keywords: State Capitalism; Development Banks; Industrial Policy; Banking Industry; Brazil

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Read Now

17 Jun 2012
News

Reform needed in China's fund business

September 2018 (Revised June 2019)
Case

THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS: Selecting Impact Funds

By: Vikram Gandhi, Caitlin Reimers Brumme and Nathaniel Schwalb

After much internal debate, THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS of Denmark have decided to allocate a small percentage of their investment portfolio to impact investments. Cambridge Associates, one of the leading investment advisory firms in the world, has been engaged to assist... View Details

Keywords: Impact Investing; Mission-Related Investing; Foundations; Investment; Venture Capital; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Strategy; Investment Funds; Decision Making; Consulting Industry; Financial Services Industry; Denmark; Europe

November 2009 (Revised April 2010)
Case

Rose Smart Growth Investment Fund

By: Arthur I Segel and Justin Seth Ginsburgh

The Jonathan Rose Companies must decide how to design and launch an innovative new real estate fund focused on green and transit oriented properties. JRC seeks to show through the fund that smart growth and green buildings provide superior economic returns to sprawl... View Details

Keywords: Property; Buildings and Facilities; Transition; Financing and Loans; Investment Funds; Investment; Marketing; Energy Conservation; Business Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Environmental Sustainability; Finance; Real Estate Industry

July 2024
Case

Stellar Development Foundation

By: Shai Benjamin Bernstein, Scott Duke Kominers and George Gonzalez

Blockchain pioneer Stellar Development Foundation oversees one of the earliest and largest crypto networks (Stellar) and the management of its native token XLM. The foundation partnered with cross-border payments provider MoneyGram to help on and off-ramp... View Details

Keywords: Blockchain; Cryptocurrency; Payments; Business or Company Management; Networks; Partners and Partnerships; Currency; Entrepreneurship; Technology Industry

01 Mar 2019
News

The HBS Fund

Business Become More Sustainable The notion of “doing well by doing good” is gaining momentum as business leaders and investors realize that social responsibility can improve the bottom line. That’s why HBS Online introduced a course on Sustainable Business Strategy,... View Details

Editorial

Why ESG Funds Fail to Scale

By: Gabriel Karageorgiou and George Serafeim

You’ve seen the headlines about the growth in environmental, social, and governance funds. Many investment professionals might read these and believe that launching a new ESG investment firm or ESG offering will be an automatic success. Our analysis of the data shows... View Details

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02 Dec 2019
News

Championing the HBS Fund

ways to the broader alumni community. “The leverage and flexibility the School gets from the Fund is invaluable,” he adds. Fittingly, they are particularly inspired by the concept of One Harvard, as they believe that the best way to... View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

Web

HBS Fund - Alumni

Giving HBS Fund Giving HBS Fund Annual Giving Fuel HBS’s continued excellence Annual gifts to the HBS Fund provide resources that we can put to use immediately toward core... View Details

07 Sep 2021
News

Funding His Purpose

money,” Letelier says, and the grants that typically power nonprofits don’t typically offer organizations the flexibility of the financial products available to for-profit companies, which can mean everything from bootstrapping and commercial bank loans to venture... View Details

Editorial

Can Index Funds Be a Force for Sustainable Capitalism?

By: George Serafeim

Keywords: Sustainability; Sustainable Development; Sustainable Finance; Social Impact; Indexing; Finance