Publications

February 2019 (Revised January 2020)
Case

Pierre Foods Acquisition of Advance Foods (A)

By: Guhan Subramanian and Mike Harmon

This case (A), and its related cases (B-E), establish a setting to discuss an M&A transaction and some of the key legal contracts that are associated with it. In 2010, private equity backed food manufacturer Pierre Foods is contemplating the acquisition of a key... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Contracts; Agreements and Arrangements; Negotiation; Complexity

20 Dec 2010
Research & Ideas

Panama Canal: Troubled History, Astounding Turnaround

the rule of law doesn't function. My first book projects—The Power and the Money and The Politics of Property Rights—looked at how businesses solved that problem in revolutionary Mexico. Firms in Mexico, both foreign and domestic, dealt... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Transportation

10 Oct 2023
Blog Post

Policy Drivers for Environmental Justice: What Businesses Need to Know

Disadvantaged Communities (DACs): communities “marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.”[1] Environmental Racism: “racial discrimination in environmental policy making, corporate decision making, and/or practice which... View Details

22 Apr 2010
Working Paper Summaries

Audit Quality and Auditor Reputation: Evidence from Japan

Keywords: by Douglas J. Skinner & Suraj Srinivasan

08 Mar 2019
Research & Ideas

Seven Negotiation Lessons from Amazon's HQ Disaster in Queens

and other Queens organizers already had names, addresses, phone numbers, and social media accounts ready to launch against this new corporate Goliath in the name of ordinary people. Even though polls suggested that a strong majority of... View Details

Keywords: by James K. Sebenius; Real Estate; Construction

28 Jun 2022
Book

The Moral Enterprise: How Two Companies Profit with Purpose

How can government and business work together in this fractious political moment, when finding solutions to pressing problems like inequality and climate change are more urgent than ever? Rebecca Henderson, Harvard University’s John and Natty McArthur University... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

18 Feb 2015
First Look

First Look: February 18

Freezeout Structure and Outcomes: Evidence on the Unified Approach By: Subramanian, Guhan, and Fernan Restrepo Abstract—Historically, Delaware corporate law provided different standards of judicial review... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

15 Jul 2019
Book

Many Executives Are Afraid of Finance. Here's How They Can Gain Confidence

researches tax policy, international finance, and corporate finance. The book grew out of his efforts to make finance more accessible through executive education teaching and his online course Leading with Finance. His previous book, The... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

Web

Research - Behavioral Finance & Financial Stability

#007 In this paper, Gordon Liao studies the joint determination of two economically large and persistent violations of the Law Of One Price (LOOP) in the global corporate credit market and the foreign... View Details

February 2024
Case

Compass Pathways: Pioneering Psychedelic Treatment

By: Tiona Zuzul, Kisha Lashley and Gamze Yucaoglu

This case follows Compass Pathways, a pioneering company developing treatment for depression based on psilocybin, the compound found in ‘magic mushrooms.’ Psilocybin was a federally illegal substance in the U.S., and a “Schedule I” drug, defined as a drug “with no... View Details

Keywords: Commercialization; Corporate Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Product Launch; Health Testing and Trials; Research and Development; Laws and Statutes; Pharmaceutical Industry; Europe; United States; United Kingdom

28 Jan 2020
Book

Advanced Leadership Requires More Than Outside-The-Box Thinking

change that seems perfectly benign. I tell the story of Carol Hallquist, a talented corporate executive with an interest in accelerating improvement in public education so that every school is great. She came to see principals or heads of... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

Web

Modern Capitalism: Mergers and Syndicates - Railroads and the Transformation of Capitalism | Harvard Business School

railroad network fanned out across the United States and connected with lines in Canada and Mexico, smaller railroad companies consolidated as a way to ensure the regular flow of traffic, reduce competition, and avoid price wars. Interstate and transcontinental lines... View Details

17 Sep 2021
Research & Ideas

The Trial of Elizabeth Holmes: Visionary, Criminal, or Both?

Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, is an expert in corporate integrity and risk management. He interviewed dozens of business executives convicted of crimes, including Bernie Madoff, for his 2016 book, “Why... View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette; Biotechnology; Technology; Medical Devices & Supplies

24 May 2017
News

David G. Bradley, MBA 1977

Counsel while earning a law degree at Georgetown, “so I was comfortable with research.” As he pitched his services to companies in need of legal advice, he refined and expanded his business plan to focus on research in the financial... View Details

Keywords: Susan Young

23 Oct 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, October 23, 2018

resource constraints (potentially affecting unfairness concerns) can impact outcomes under the plan. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=55144 Summer 2018 Antitrust Chronicle An Introduction to the Competition View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

October 2016
Case

The Quiet Ascension of LA Fitness

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

In 2016, LA Fitness was the largest chain of non-franchised fitness clubs in North America, operating 676 clubs, serving 4.9 million members, and generating revenues of over $1.9 billion. Founded by Chinyol Yi, Louis Welch, and Paul Norris in 1984, the privately held... View Details

Keywords: LA Fitness; Health Clubs; Fitness; Gyms; Chain; Exercise; Personal Training; Retention; Bally Total Fitness; 24 Hour Fitness; Planet Fitness; Buildings and Facilities; Acquisition; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Customers; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Demographics; Age; Gender; Income; Residency; Borrowing and Debt; Capital; Capital Structure; Cash; Cash Flow; Cost; Private Equity; Financial Condition; Financial Liquidity; Financing and Loans; Investment Return; Price; Profit; Revenue; Geographic Location; Geographic Scope; Multinational Firms and Management; Business History; Employees; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Human Capital; Contracts; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Operations; Service Operations; Leasing; Private Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Sales; Salesforce Management; Situation or Environment; Opportunities; Sports; Strategy; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Segmentation; Information Technology; Mobile Technology; Technology Platform; Health Industry; United States; California; Los Angeles