Publications

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Confronting the Challenges that Face Bricks-and-Mortar Stores

Raymond Burke of Indiana University took on the broader question of how to evaluate new retail technologies, uncovering insights in past technological successes and failures. Here, in an excerpt, Burke offers ten lessons retailers should learn to be better View Details

Keywords: by Raymond Burke; Retail

05 Apr 2016
First Look

April 5, 2016

start-up seem too risky? There is a radical third path open to you: you can buy a small business and run it as CEO. Purchasing a small company offers significant financial rewards—as well as personal and professional fulfillment. Leading... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthlorne

August 1996 (Revised June 2007)
Case

Nicholson File Company Takeover (A), The

By: Thomas R. Piper

The financial vice president must decide the value and form of an acquisition offer to be made to a small hand tool company. View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Preparation; Valuation; Negotiation Participants; Negotiation Offer; Acquisition; Manufacturing Industry

Herman B. ("Dutch") Leonard is Eliot I. Snider and Family Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and the George F. Baker, Jr. Professor of Public Sector Management at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. In... View Details

Keywords: education industry; federal government; health care; nonprofit industry; state government

May 1998 (Revised April 2000)
Case

City of New York, The

By: Paul M. Healy

This case examines the economics of a municipality, and then explores its financial position from the perspective of a bond rating firm. View Details

Keywords: Bonds; Financial Management; Public Sector; City; Financial Statements; Government Administration

KRISHNA G. PALEPU is the Ross Graham Walker Professor of Business Administration, and has served previously as Senior Advisor to the President of Harvard University, and Senior Associate Dean at the... View Details

Keywords: financial services; financial services; financial services; financial services; financial services; financial services

April 2009 (Revised March 2011)
Case

Dave and Millie: A Tale of Two Entrepreneurs

By: G. Felda Hardymon and Ann Leamon

Two entrepreneurs have just been told by their venture capital backer to prepare a list of possible cuts to help them weather the 2008–2009 economic downturn. The impact on each firm is very different: one is a later-stage company with revenues in excess of $100... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Decision Choices and Conditions; Financial Crisis; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Cost Management; Growth and Development Strategy

December 2021
Case

The Instant Payment Mandate: The Central Bank of Brazil and Pix

By: Lauren Cohen and Spencer C. N. Hagist

João M. P. De Mello and his team at the Central Bank of Brazil are preparing a move that would seek to tilt the scales in favor of financial inclusion for the entire country. The innovation at hand is the unprecedented nation-wide instant payment scheme: Pix. The fruit... View Details

Keywords: Fintech; Finance; Entrepreneurship; Innovation Strategy; Banking Industry; Brazil

28 Apr 2022
Blog Post

Harvard Team Wins Second Place in MIINT Impact Investing Competition

Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School joined together in teams of 5-6 students, sourced investments in high-impact startups, and conducted due diligence on the business opportunity, financial returns, and social and... View Details

November 2010 (Revised August 2011)
Case

Australian Vintage Ltd.

By: David F. Hawkins

Following International Financial Reporting Standards guidance company records a number of significant losses and a related deferred tax asset. View Details

Keywords: Accounting; International Accounting; Financial Statements; Financial Reporting; Taxation; Business or Company Management; Asset Management; Assets; Financial Management; Standards; Australia

October 2006 (Revised September 2014)
Case

Summit Partners - The FleetCor Investment (A)

By: Michael J. Roberts

Part of a 3-case series in which students get to see the unfolding of due diligence on private equity (buy out) deal. In this, the A case, the deal team has negotiated a letter of intent with FleetCor, a firm that operates a fuel payment network for vehicle fleets.... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Preparation; Private Equity; Leveraged Buyouts; Investment; Negotiation Offer; Service Industry

27 Jul 2010
First Look

First Look: July 27

PublicationsThe Squam Lake Report: Fixing the Financial System Authors include:David S. Scharfstein Publication:Princeton University Press, N.J.: 2010 Abstract In the fall of 2008, fifteen of the world's leading economists—representing... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

September 1991 (Revised April 1994)
Case

First National Bank Corp. (A)

First National Bank Corp., a major regional bank in the Northeast, must decide how large a provision for credit losses to accrue in its 1990 financial statements. The recession in New England has caused serious problems in its loan portfolio. View Details

Keywords: Financing and Loans; Financial Statements; Banks and Banking; Banking Industry; Northeastern United States

11 Oct 2006
Research & Ideas

The Success of Reverse Leveraged Buyouts

in the air, Lerner initially found the results surprising. But not for long. "When you consider why so many initial public offerings do poorly, much of the failure is due to the poor preparation of many firms prior to going public.... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Financial Services; Financial Services

15 Nov 2018
Blog Post

Valuing an MBA: Beyond Dollars and “Sense"

pursuing an MBA, common themes aren’t hard to see—not only financial and academic benefits, but also leadership development, opportunities for self-reflection and growth, and meaningful personal relationships. An MBA at HBS requires... View Details

17 Jan 2020
Blog Post

Going the Distance for Investment Excellence

Speaking to Sean Cameron (MBA 2010) is a bit like having a spirited dialogue with a tenured HBS professor. His financial vernacular spilling over into conversation like a textbook; his knowledge of and passion for macroeconomics,... View Details

27 Oct 2016
Blog Post

Meet the Management Consulting Club

Mission Statement The Management Consulting Club is one of the most popular student clubs on campus with an annual membership of over 250 students. We aim to serve as a bridge between the industry and Harvard Business School students,... View Details

Keywords: Consulting

October 2008
Case

The Talbots, Inc., and Subsidiaries: Accounting for Goodwill

By: William J. Bruns Jr.

In 2006, Talbots, Inc., a specialty women's retailer, purchased a competitor, J. Jill. The transaction created a large goodwill account along with accounts for trademarks and other intangible assets. Using prevailing accounting standards (Statement of Financial... View Details

Keywords: FASB; Intangible Assets; Standards; Financial Statements; Goodwill Accounting; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Retail Industry