Risk and Uncertainty - Publications - Faculty & Research

13 May 2013
Blog Post

Leveraging the HBS platform to enter social enterprise

a few uncertainties heading into this journey. I’d be lying if I said I knew exactly what to expect at HBS, precisely what I want out of the experience, or where I’d like to wind up afterwards. But I’m heading into this with an open mind,... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit / Government

13 Apr 2010
First Look

First Look: April 13

volatility. This paper presents evidence that movements in both the short-term nominal interest rate and the yield spread are positively related to changes in subsequent realized bond risk View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

January 2013 (Revised April 2017)
Supplement

Maxum Petroleum, Inc.

By: W. Carl Kester

Maxum seeks an oil-price hedging strategy that yields substantial cash during oil price spikes, is affordable under ordinary circumstances, and is easily managed. It is striving to avoid a repeat of the challenging situation encountered in 2008 when spiking oil prices... View Details

Keywords: Hedging; Options; Commodities; Credit Derivatives and Swaps; Risk Management; Futures and Commodity Futures; Financial Strategy; Volatility

Citation

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September 1996 (Revised August 1999)
Case

Massachusetts Automobile Insurance 1999

By: Richard F. Meyer

The data and background are provided to enable students to determine what deductible insurance they wish to have in Massachusetts. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Risk Management; Insurance Industry

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29 Jan 2021
Blog Post

My HBS Student Loan Story: John Cortines (MBA 2015)

variable rate loan. In 2020, my wife and I had finally built a bit of an emergency fund, even as our family had grown. With the economic uncertainty of a wild year and the... View Details

April 2011
Case

Hermitage's Russian Quandary (A)

By: Eric Werker, Ray Fisman and Lauren Weber

In June 2007, the offices of Russian hedge fund Hermitage Capital were raided by Moscow police; in the months that followed, Hermitage founder Bill Browder found himself banned from Russia and fending off efforts to expropriate the fund's Russian assets. This case... View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Private Equity; Investment; Law Enforcement; Laws and Statutes; Crisis Management; Risk Management; Business and Government Relations; Financial Services Industry; Moscow

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02 Sep 2014
Research & Ideas

Food Stamp Entrepreneurs: How Public Assistance Enables Business Bootstrapping

startup funds—and what allowed them to take the risk of launching a company." Curiosity eventually led to his doctoral dissertation: a series of studies showing a definitive link between the social safety net View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Health

19 Jun 2007
First Look

First Look: June 19, 2007

launched the highly successful Go Red For Women campaign to help women understand their risk for heart disease. But Go Red became more than a fundraising vehicle. It energized the AHA and its 22 million... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

January 2025
Teaching Note

Vytal: Packaging-as-a-Service

By: George Serafeim, Michael W. Toffel and Stacy Straaberg

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 124-007. The Germany-based startup Vytal operated the largest digital-native reusable packaging-as-a-service network globally, having raised nearly €15 million, established a large network of restaurant partners, and prevented the use of... View Details

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13 Mar 2012
First Look

First Look: March 13

create an audience for independent cinema. Purchase this case:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/812051-PDF-ENG Enterprise Risk Management at Hydro One (B): How Risky Are Smart Meters? Anette Mikes and... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

11 Dec 2007
First Look

First Look: December 11, 2007

primary goals are to (a) develop and validate an interdisciplinary multidimensional model, which focuses on the complex interrelationships among requirements workflow related risk factors, individual, team... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

March 2012 (Revised October 2012)
Case

Against the Grain: Jim Teague in Tanzania (A)

By: Karthik Ramanna

Loan officer Jim Teague discovers his agro-processor client has a serious health-code violation just days before a disbursement is due. Proceeding with the loan could jeopardize the health of thousands of customers and put his employer at serious risk. But withholding... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Financing and Loans; Health; Risk Management; Developing Countries and Economies; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Tanzania

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22 Feb 2010
Op-Ed

Tragedy at Toyota: How Not to Lead in Crisis

inquiry this week.) Meanwhile, he let serious product quality issues spiral out of control by understating safety risks and product problems. This left the media, politicians, View Details

Keywords: by William George; Auto

09 May 2018
Research & Ideas

A Simple Way for Restaurant Inspectors to Improve Food Safety

stores, schools, and other food-handling establishments, checking whether they adhere to public health regulations. The rules are strict. Food businesses where serious violations are found must clean up their acts quickly or View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Food & Beverage; Service

December 2006 (Revised November 2008)
Case

West Wacker Drive: To Build or Not to Build?

In 1980, Thomas J. Klutznick, president of a Chicago-based development company, was considering whether he should build a Class A building on a second-rate site outside the Central Loop or not. He had a promising design, but the economic conditions, concurrent... View Details

Keywords: Development Economics; Interest Rates; Geographic Location; Risk Management; Urban Development; Construction Industry; Real Estate Industry; Chicago

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01 May 2006
Research & Ideas

What Companies Lose from Forced Disclosure

the one hand, more measures provide more dials to turn to get the manager to take actions consistent with the firm's best interests. On the other hand, more public information imposes more risk on the manager (more chances for things... View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen; Financial Services

30 Jun 2016
Blog Post

4 Ways I've Changed at HBS

fosters an environment conducive to helping you take risks and failing in a productive fashion. I discovered it really is ok to fail. A fear of failure often means we avoid taking risks, learning new things,... View Details

08 Nov 2016
First Look

November 8, 2016

volatility. Using our model we quantify how capital injections impact the risk of financial institutions and estimate firm-specific precautionary capital needs. In addition, the longstanding observation that... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 2010
Article

Global Currency Hedging

By: John Y. Campbell, Karine Serfaty-de Medeiros and Luis M. Viceira

Over the period 1975 to 2005, the US dollar (particularly in relation to the Canadian dollar) and the euro and Swiss franc (particularly in the second half of the period) have moved against world equity markets. Thus these currencies should be attractive to... View Details

Keywords: Currency; Equity; Financial Markets; International Finance; Investment Return; Globalized Markets and Industries; Risk Management

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Read Now

October 1997 (Revised March 1998)
Case

Komatsu Ltd.: Project G's Globalization

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

This case describes the major strategic and organizational transformation at Komatsu aimed at changing it from a Japan-based producer of construction equipment to a truly global company with the ability to leverage its groupwide portfolio of resources and capabilities... View Details