Publications

October 2013 (Revised January 2016)
Case

J.C. Penney's 'Fair and Square' Strategy (Abridged)

By: Elie Ofek and Jill Avery

As he gets ready to release 2nd quarter 2012 results, Ron Johnson, the new CEO of department store J.C. Penney, is reconsidering the dramatic changes he initiated for the business model and brand image of his company. A new pricing scheme he put in place in February,... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Change Management; Marketing Strategy; Price; Consumer Behavior; Decision Making; Management Teams; Brands and Branding; Retail Industry; United States

2021
Working Paper

Studying the U.S.-Based Portfolio Companies of U.S. Impact Investors

By: M. Diane Burton, Gurveen Chadha, Shawn A. Cole, Abhishek Dev, Christina Jarymowycz, Leslie Jeng, Laura Kelley, Josh Lerner, Jaime R. Diaz Palacios, Yue (Cynthia) Xu and T. Robert Zochowski

Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in the reliance on market-based solutions to social and environmental problems around the world (Barman 2016; Horvath and Powell 2020). The growth of impact investing is a vivid example of this trend and, although there have... View Details

Keywords: Impact Investing; Impact Portfolio Companies; Investment; Social Issues; Environmental Sustainability; Investment Portfolio; Business Ventures; Analytics and Data Science; Performance; United States

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September 2021 (Revised March 2024)
Case

Bühler: Mobilizing Industry around a Common Purpose

By: Ranjay Gulati, Franz Wohlgezogen and Malini Sen

Bühler Group, a Swiss multinational processing technology provider, started by selling machines for processing grains and later transitioned into selling food processing solutions. A family-owned business in the fifth generation, Bühler’s high-end milling, grinding,... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Customer Focus and Relationships; Machinery and Machining; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mission and Purpose; Innovation Leadership; Switzerland

15 Dec 2015
First Look

December 15, 2015

Acquisition (B) Supplements the (A) case. Purchase this case: https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/615034-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 816-020 GovDelivery Is government the biggest, worst customer in the world? And is that a... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

24 Mar 2015
First Look

First Look: March 24

Committing to Africa In 2012, Syngenta, one of the world's largest agricultural input companies, committed to build a $1 billion business in Africa over the next 10 years. In mid-2014, CEO Michael Mack and Africa View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

03 Mar 2011
Research & Ideas

HBS Faculty on Revolution in the Middle East and North Africa

board as part of a business venture before the revolution, it's doubly important now. Libya looks like a classic revolution, with barricades and battles. Gaddafi has lost control of the east. A prolonged... View Details

Keywords: Re: Deepak Malhotra; Energy; Utilities

22 Nov 2011
First Look

First Look: November 22

case:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/511137-PDF-ENG The K-Dow Petrochemicals Joint Venture Guhan Subramanian, James K. Sebenius, Phillip Andrews, and Rhea GhoshHarvard Business School Case 912-002 In... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

19 Aug 2008
First Look

First Look: August 19, 2008

paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/07-036.pdf PublicationsIl leader interno che guarda all’esterno. (The Leader which Looks Outside) Author:Joseph L. Bower Periodical:Harvard Business Review-Italia, no. 12 (December 2007) Abstract... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

12 Apr 2016
First Look

April 12, 2016

Andrei Hagiu of Harvard Business School and venture capitalist Simon Rothman of Greylock Partners. Most entrepreneurs and investors attribute this to the challenge of quickly attracting a critical mass of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

31 Jul 2012
First Look

First Look: July 31

MaterialsGoldwind USA: Chinese Wind in the Americas Regina M. Abrami, and Iacob Koch-WeserHarvard Business School Case 912-416 Many Chinese firms have struggled in the United States. Renewable energy is a fledgling, high-risk market. Can... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

March 2009 (Revised May 2011)
Case

The Credit Suisse/Gerson Lehrman Group Alliance

By: Robert G. Eccles and Laura Winig

The equity research department of Credit Suisse and the expert network firm of Gerson Lehrman Group, historically competitors, have established a strategic alliance which both believe will give them a competitive advantage. Under the leadership of its head of equity... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Financial Crisis; Investment Banking; Innovation and Invention; Alliances; Social and Collaborative Networks; Competitive Advantage; Banking Industry

May 2024 (Revised February 2025)
Case

Choosing the Course of Passion: Brooke Boyarsky Pratt at knownwell

By: Jon M. Jachimowicz and Alexis Lefort

Brooke Boyarsky Pratt (HBS ’13) enjoyed considerable success in her early career, quickly climbing the ranks to associate partner at McKinsey, and later becoming an executive vice president at Berkadia, a Berkshire Hathaway portfolio company. Throughout these years,... View Details

Keywords: Passion; Career; Career Planning; Purpose; Personal Development and Career; Mission and Purpose; Identity; Business Startups; Health Care and Treatment; Health Disorders; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Health Industry; United States