Publications

01 Feb 2022
Book

Innovation Isn’t Just for Startups: How Big Companies Can Succeed

What if more managers at big corporations channeled some of the same magic that helped Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos lead their startups to great success? Large companies are actually fertile ground for innovation;... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

24 Apr 2017
Op-Ed

Op-Ed: Courage: The Defining Characteristic of Great Leaders

Unilever Sustainable Living Plan with well-defined metrics the following year. Polman’s efforts in his first eight years returned 214 percent to Unilever shareholders. Nevertheless, Kraft Heinz, owned by Brazilian private equity firm 3G,... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George; Auto; Food & Beverage

Research Summary

The Emergence of Charismatic Business Leadership

By: Richard S. Tedlow

Since World War II, a handful of individuals have helped transform the face of modern-day leadership, making charisma essential to the role. In The Emergence of Charismatic Business Leadership, Richard S. Tedlow examines how pioneers like Steve Jobs, Oprah... View Details

20 Feb 2019
Research & Ideas

Rocket-tunity: Can Private Firms Turn a Profit in Space?

space race have been blessed somewhat by the glamour of it all. Investors enthusiastically, maybe too much so, backed a host of startups including those headed by superstar names like Sir Richard Branson,... View Details

Keywords: by Scott Wallask; Aerospace; Tourism; Transportation

12 Jul 2020
Book

The Harvard Business School Faculty Summer Reader 2020

over to technology strategy today. Finally, I look forward to learning more about the ultimate enigma of our time in Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance. What They... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

June 1994 (Revised December 1997)
Case

Safeway, Inc.'s Leveraged Buyout (A)

After years of deteriorating financial performance and eroding market position, Safeway, Inc., the largest public grocery store chain in the United States, found itself the target of a hostile takeover offer. Management decided to take the company private in a $4.3... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Restructuring; Retail Industry; United States

05 Jul 2017
What Do You Think?

Can Innovation Save Us From Ourselves?

Summing Up Do We Need to Give More Attention to the Dark Side of Innovation? Innovation may be able to help us deal with problems such as famine, pollution, and even global warming. But unless it can prove to be just as effective in combating destructive human traits... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Technology

22 Feb 2000
Research & Ideas

Social Capital Markets: Creating Value in the Nonprofit World

of the Roberts Enterprise Development Fund (REDF) in SanFrancisco. Created by George Roberts, one of the founders of the New Yorkinvestment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., REDF has been a pioneer... View Details

Keywords: by Anne Kavanagh

25 Aug 2017
Op-Ed

Op-Ed: After Charlottesville, Where Does a CEO's Responsibility Lie?

President Trump’s recent pullout from the Paris climate accord drew the ire of many high-visibility CEOs including Richard Branson, Lloyd Blankfein, Elon Musk, Tim Cook, and Jeffrey Immelt. But the president’s statements around... View Details

Keywords: by Gautam Mukunda

November 2016 (Revised May 2017)
Case

Hyperloop One

By: William A. Sahlman, Ramana Nanda, Robert White, Allison Ciechanover and Jeff Huizinga

This case explores the attempt of Shervin Pishevar, a prominent Silicon Valley investor, to shepherd hyperloop, a futuristic pod-in-tube transportation technology, from concept to transformative reality via Hyperloop One and Sherpa Capital, both companies he... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurial Finance; Startup; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Finance; Transportation; Product Development; Innovation and Invention; Transportation Industry

December 2017 (Revised November 2018)
Case

Tesla Motors (A): Financing Growth

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah L. Abbott

The case analyzes the equity market value of Tesla Motors, the electric car company founded and led by Elon Musk. Wall Street analysts are wildly divided on the future growth prospects for this company, and analysts’ one year share price targets range from $160 to... View Details

Keywords: Valuation Methodologies; Investing; Equities; Public Equity; Finance; Valuation; Equity; Auto Industry; Energy Industry; United States

27 Aug 2018
Sharpening Your Skills

Guts, Gall, and Good Luck: What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur

become staples of our modern country and economy: beauty products, national sales forces, and corporate social responsibility. Who Owns Space? Entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are tapping into their vast personal wealth to make... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

17 Jul 2017
Op-Ed

Op-Ed: As America Recedes from Global Leadership, Its CEOs are Stepping Up

action by any president, Democrat or Republican. CEOs speaking out against Trump’s climate decision ranged from energy executives like Exxon’s Darren Woods, Dow’s Andrew Liveris, and Tesla’s Elon Musk to... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

May 2021 (Revised September 2021)
Case

Accounting for Bitcoin at Tesla

By: Charles C.Y. Wang and Siyu Zhang

On February 8, 2021, Tesla revealed, through its 10-K filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), that it had purchased $1.5 billion of Bitcoin, totaling 7.5% of the company’s cash, and that it planned to accept payments in the cryptocurrency soon. These... View Details

Keywords: Bitcoin; Accounting; Currency; Communication Intention and Meaning; Strategy; Investment Portfolio; Emerging Markets; Risk and Uncertainty; Value Creation

2021
Book

The Emergence of Charismatic Business Leadership

By: Richard S. Tedlow

In The Emergence of Charismatic Business Leadership is an examination of how the role of the business leader in the U.S. has changed from World War II to the present. A small number of high-profile individuals have transformed the face of modern-day leadership,... View Details

Keywords: Charisma; Leadership; Management Skills; Leadership Style; Personal Characteristics; Success

Find at Harvard

30 Jan 2019
What Do You Think?

Who Will Measure up to These Two Remarkable Leaders?

(the) future going to come from? Which schools, if any, business or otherwise, are teaching these skills?” One way to respond to his questions is to look into the educational backgrounds of those cited as potential candidates by other... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Air Transportation; Financial Services

31 Jul 2015
Research & Ideas

The Faculty Reader: Who is Reading What This Summer?

carry over to technology strategy today. Finally, I look forward to learning more about the ultimate enigma of our time in Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance. This... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Information; Publishing

01 Nov 2011
First Look

First Look: Nov. 1

repatriated earnings from foreign affiliates exceeded net capital investments by $1.1 trillion in 2010 dollars; and from 1950 to 2010, repatriated earnings and net interest from foreign affiliates exceeded net equity investments and loans... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Forthcoming
Article

Redemption Mechanisms in Poison Pills: Evidence on Pill Design and Law Firm Effects

By: Olivier Baum and Guhan Subramanian

We present the first evidence on the incidence of “trip wire” versus “last look” poison pills. Using a hand-collected data set of 130 poison pills implemented and/or amended between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2023, we find that pills are almost evenly divided... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Negotiation Tactics; Contracts