Publications

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January 1997
Case

Dr. Sergio Ceccuzzi and SMI: Negotiating Cross-Border Acquisitions in Europe (B)

By: James K. Sebenius

Since the 1960s, SMI has quietly executed a series of brilliantly negotiated takeovers throughout Europe, often acquiring companies much larger than itself. Despite formidable obstacles, SMI has managed to acquire state-owned competitors in Italy and France, as well as... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Corporate Governance; International Relations; Negotiation Tactics; Consolidation; Mining Industry; Europe

14 Aug 2019
Sharpening Your Skills

The Manager's Guide to Leveraging Disruption

one of the forces that threatens established companies can also be a source of salvation: disruptive change. How to Be a Digital Platform Leader The most valuable companies in the world have one thing in common: all are leaders in the platform economy. Hereare key... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

October 2008 (Revised September 2011)
Supplement

PepsiCo's Bid for Quaker Oats (C)

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin

Third in a series of PepsiCo's bid for Quaker Oats. Describes the auction for Quaker Oats including terms of the bids. After winning the auction, Coke's stock price fell dramatically. Coke's Board then refused to approve the deal and withdrew. Quaker then approached... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Stocks; Governing and Advisory Boards; Auctions; Bids and Bidding; Negotiation Tactics; Valuation; Food and Beverage Industry

23 May 2016
Research & Ideas

A Little Understanding Motivates Copyright Abusers to Pay Up

they approached was already trying a kinder-and-gentler tactic by waiving the fee to recoup enforcement costs ($400 per image) and just asking for the actual cost of licensing the image that averages between $380 and $825 per image.... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Media & Broadcasting; Publishing

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Building Bridges: New Dimensions in Negotiation

mainly of "interpersonal process and tactical actions at the bargaining table" (whether literally, on the phone, or via some other connection). This can involve setting a positive atmosphere, displaying cultural sensitivity,... View Details

Keywords: by Anita M. Harris

09 Jun 2015
Sharpening Your Skills

Sharpening Your Skills: Social Media

Deighton, is that participants enhance their personal capital in performance of a good deed. Secrets to a Successful Social Media Strategy Misiek Piskorski explores the secrets of successful social media tactics in his book, A Social... View Details

Keywords: Re: Multiple Faculty; Advertising

14 Sep 2007
Research & Ideas

How to Profit from Scarcity

of scarcity can be a smart marketing strategy. And even if you're in the unfortunate position of experiencing very real scarcity, there are tactics you can employ to minimize the brand damage and even profit from the error. What's your... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Consumer Products; Advertising

30 Jul 2014
Lessons from the Classroom

Teaching The Deal

a reasonable request and deliver it with a smile, hopefully you can keep the other person in the room and see what happens next." Mohan—former managing director and now senior advisor of $15 billion VC and private equity firm Summit Partners—teaches this... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Education

06 Nov 2007
First Look

First Look: November 6, 2007

Marquee Prospect Plays Hardball (A) Harvard Business School Case 908-010 Describes the hardball tactics facing Peter Welz, who seeks to negotiate a make-or-break contract with a vastly larger potential client. Welz's counterpart team is... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 2008
Case

The Hong Kong & China Gas Company Ltd.: Negotiating Joint Ventures in China

By: James K. Sebenius, Michael Shih-ta Chen and Medha Samant

To deliver 5-6 major new Chinese joint ventures annually, Hong Kong China Gas executives began extracting cross-border negotiating lessons from their 80 existing Chinese JVs. Chairman Alfred Chan and CEO Peter Wong knew that HKGC's growth strategy required significant... View Details

Keywords: Joint Ventures; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Negotiation Tactics; Interests; Cooperation; Expansion; Utilities Industry; Hong Kong

November 1995 (Revised February 2017)
Supplement

Luna Pen (B)

By: Kathleen McGinn and Michael Wheeler

Presents a series of multiple choice options to be distributed and discussed in class. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Strategy; Negotiation Tactics; Performance Evaluation; Gender; Culture; Power and Influence; Germany; Taiwan

March 1999 (Revised November 2001)
Case

Honda-Rover (D): The Changing Tide of the BMW-Rover Alliance

By: Ashish Nanda, James K. Sebenius and Ron Fortgang

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Business Exit or Shutdown; Joint Ventures; Alliances; Knowledge Sharing; Strategy; Contracts; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Tactics; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Auto Industry; United Kingdom

02 Jul 2015
Op-Ed

The Future of the Greek Economy

out of the brinkmanship of the past weeks, but not after payments to the International Monetary Fund have been missed, and European funding has ended. These tactics have created high and unnecessary uncertainty that has brought the Greek... View Details

Keywords: by Laura Alfaro, Dante Roscini & George Serafeim; Banking

29 Sep 2009
First Look

First Look: September 29

Strategies to Fight Ad-sponsored Rivals Authors:Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Feng Zhu Abstract We analyze the optimal strategy of a high-quality incumbent that faces a low-quality ad-sponsored competitor. In addition to competing through adjustments of View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

November 1999
Case

Doyle's Dealmaking Dilemma: Negotiating the Job Search

By: James K. Sebenius

MBA student Doyle Williams searches for his ideal job in a private equity group and uses his negotiation skills to try to attain the best possible compensation package. View Details

Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Job Interviews; Job Search; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Tactics

Find at Harvard

March 2009 (Revised September 2010)
Case

HOYA Corporation (A)

By: W. Carl Kester and Masako Egawa

In 2007, HOYA of Japan must decide whether to change its friendly exchange offer for Pentax into a hostile cash tender offer. A surprising sequence of events had caused a friendly merger agreement to fall apart, resulting in a boardroom coup at Pentax and the... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Investment Activism; Corporate Governance; Governance Controls; Governing and Advisory Boards; Negotiation Tactics; Business and Shareholder Relations; Valuation; Japan

March 1999 (Revised November 2001)
Case

Honda-Rover (A): Crafting an Alliance

By: Ashish Nanda, James K. Sebenius and Ron Fortgang

Faced with vexing financial challenges in 1993, British Aerospace (BAe) is determined to shed its loss-making automaker, Rover. It offers to sell its stake in Rover to Honda, Rover's partner since 1979, but Honda is reluctant to raise its stake in Rover. Meanwhile, BMW... View Details

Keywords: Business Exit or Shutdown; Joint Ventures; Alliances; Knowledge Sharing; Strategy; Contracts; Negotiation Process; Change Management; Negotiation Tactics; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Auto Industry; United Kingdom