Publications

June 2019
Case

ClearLife: From Prospect to Platform

By: Alexander Braun, Lauren Cohen, Mauro Elvedi and Jiahua Xu

ClearLife’s first product was a trading and analytics platform for participants in the U.S. life settlement market, the secondary market for life insurance. ClearLife played a key role in facilitating transactions and devising a common language for expressing value and... View Details

Keywords: Digital Platforms; Insurance; Entrepreneurship; Expansion; Diversification; Strategy

December 1992 (Revised March 1993)
Case

Mark Miller (A)

Describes the career of Mark Miller, who went into his family's motel business as a young man, took over active management, and grew the enterprise to the point where it is a $25 million in revenue, $30 million equity value business. Focuses on a growth acquisition... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Family Business; Decisions; Entrepreneurship; Revenue; Leadership Style; Goals and Objectives; Personal Development and Career

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October 1989 (Revised May 1990)
Case

Jaguar plc--1984

By: Timothy A. Luehrman and William Schiano

A vehicle for analyzing the exposure of operating cash flows to exchange rate changes. Considers the value of Jaguar plc at the time of its privatization and share offering in 1984. Jaguar is a major exporter from the United Kingdom and the United States is therefore... View Details

Keywords: Change; Cash Flow; Currency Exchange Rate; Risk Management; Privatization; Valuation; Auto Industry; United Kingdom; United States

November 2024
Case

Meghna Modi at Revlon India: Leading with a Bold Purpose

By: Aiyesha Dey, Sarah Mehta and Sarah Sasso

This case is about Meghna Modi, the head of struggling cosmetics company Revlon India, as she tries to both turn the company around and implement her personal purpose at work. Influenced by her own life struggles, Modi feels compelled to empower her frontline... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Business or Company Management; Performance; Personal Development and Career; Gender; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Power and Influence; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Asia; India; Delhi

25 Jul 2019
News

Are New Graduates Happier Making More Money or Having More Time?

Research Summary

Fixed NAVs and Costly Puts: US Money Market Mutual Funds (with Peter Tufano)

US money market mutual fund investors have been granted an implicit put option that allows them to sell or redeem their shares at a fixed price of $1.00, regardless of the market value of the portfolio. We describe the institutional features that give rise... View Details

May 2018
Teaching Note

Mubadala and EBX: To X or to X It?

By: Nori Gerardo Lietz and Sayiddah Fatima McCree

On April 3, 2013, Hani Barhoush and Oscar Fahlgren of Mubadala Capital (“Mubadala”) considered how to salvage Mubadala’s $2 billion preferred equity investment of a 5.63% stake in the EBX Group. At the time, EBX was the holding company of a myriad of subsidiaries and... View Details

Keywords: Bankruptcy; Cross Border; Negotiations; UAE; Oil And Gas; Finance; Strategy; Negotiation; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Private Equity; Restructuring; Energy Industry; Real Estate Industry; Shipping Industry; Financial Services Industry; Banking Industry; Brazil; Middle East

June 2022 (Revised November 2023)
Case

Individual FoodService, Kelso, and Ken Sweder

By: Jo Tango and Alys Ferragamo

When and how much risk to take? In October 2020, Ken Sweder, CEO of Individual FoodService (“IFS”), contemplated this question as he evaluated a proposal to acquire Brady Industries, a distributor of janitorial and sanitation products. Sweder and his private equity... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic; Risk Management; Mergers and Acquisitions; Value Creation; Business Divisions

2021
Article

Leisure Beliefs and the Subjective Well-being of Nations

By: Lucia Macchia and A.V. Whillans

Here, we construct a data set of 79 countries (N = 220,000) and explore whether differences in the prioritization of time (leisure) vs. money (work) explain cross-country differences in happiness. Consistent with our predictions, countries whose citizens value leisure... View Details

Keywords: Leisure; Work; Subjective Well-being; Public Policy; Employment; Happiness; Governance; Policy

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August 2019
Case

ClearScore, 2018

By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

In October 2017, Experian, one of the “Big Three” consumer credit reporting agencies in the United Kingdom made an offer to acquire ClearScore for a total consideration of £293 million. Founded by Justin Basini, Dan Cobley, and Nigel Morris in 2014, ClearScore was the... View Details

"It's actually really important that you succeed at what you're succeeding at, but that isn't going to be the measure of your life."

Too often, we measure success in life against the progress we make in our careers. But how can we ensure we're not straying... View Details

13 Jul 2021
Blog Post

A View from the Horizon

Rene Jones, Chairman and CEO of M&T Bank, Harvard Business School, Summer Venture in Management (SVMP) alumnus 1985 In April, I was honored to join over 70 Black leaders from a variety of industries who signed a letter that supported our democratic View Details

12 Feb 2015
News

Asking Advice Makes a Good Impression

13 Jul 2019
News

How Do The Very Wealthy Choose To Spend Their Time?

2012
Book

Sleeping with Your Smartphone: How to Break the 24-7 Habit and Change the Way you Work

By: Leslie A. Perlow

Does it have to be this way? Can't resist checking your smartphone or mobile device? Sure, all this connectivity keeps you in touch with your team and the office—but at what cost? In "Sleeping with Your Smartphone," Leslie Perlow reveals how you can disconnect and... View Details

Keywords: Time Management; Internet and the Web; Groups and Teams; Performance Productivity; Globalized Firms and Management; Service Industry

July 2024
Article

AI, ROI, and Sales Productivity

By: Frank V. Cespedes

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now a loose term for many different things and at the peak of its hype curve. So managers hitch-their-pitch to the term in arguing for resources. But like any technology, its business value depends upon actionable use cases embraced by... View Details

Keywords: ROI; AI and Machine Learning; Sales; Investment Return

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August 1972 (Revised September 2000)
Background Note

Introduction to Accumulated Value, Present Value, and Internal Rate of Return

A simple, intuitive introduction to the usually-difficult topics of discounting and present value. While the mechanics of computing present value and internal rate of return are covered well, the emphasis is more about how to think about these concepts (for example,... View Details

Keywords: Accounting