Publications

Educators

April 2009 (Revised May 2017)
Case

Skyhook Wireless

By: Shikhar Ghosh and Thomas R. Eisenmann

Ted Morgan, the founder of Skyhook Wireless just received a call from Steve Jobs of Apple asking for a meeting. Ted must decide how to prepare for a meeting that could finally give Skyhook an anchor customer. Ted and his team have worked for three years to build a new... View Details

Keywords: Mobile and Wireless Technology; Information Technology; Business Ventures; Business Startups; Technology Industry

Educators

01 Jun 2015
News

Fever Pitch

This year’s New Venture Competition saw heavy alumni participation on both sides of the judging. More than 160 graduates critiqued student startups during April’s on-campus event, weighing everything from team chemistry to financials. The... View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell; Nonstore Retailers; Retail Trade; Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles; Finance; Personal Services

February 2001
Case

Bang Networks, Inc.

By: Paul A. Gompers and Sergio Rattner

Bob Rosin, president and CEO of Bang Networks, must decide how much debt financing to take on. The company is a raw start-up and is considering taking on $10 million in debt. The firm has six offers and needs to identify the best one. View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Restructuring; Decisions; Borrowing and Debt; Venture Capital

April 2000
Supplement

BRL Hardy: Globalizing an Australian Wine Company

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Interviews alternating the country subsidiary and corporate headquarters views of Christopher Carson, marketing director of BRL Hardy Europe and Steve Millar, marketing director and CEO of BRL Hardy Ltd. In four segments focusing on the source of... View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Business Headquarters; Management Teams; Conflict and Resolution; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

April 1998 (Revised November 1999)
Case

CitySoft, Inc.

By: Myra M. Hart, Marco Iansiti, Andrea H. Chermayeff and Diana S. Gardner

Two entrepreneurs are discussing how to scale-up their new company. They face a variety of issues, ranging from hiring and training to strategy and focus. View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Business Strategy; Business Growth and Maturation; Selection and Staffing; Internet; Web Services Industry

September 2000
Background Note

Professional Services Module Two: External Strategy for Sustained Competitive Advantage

By: Thomas J. DeLong, Ashish Nanda and Scot H. Landry

Concerns itself with the strategic dynamics which influence organizations externally. View Details

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Business Plan; Service Operations; For-Profit Firms; Power and Influence; Measurement and Metrics; Business Processes; Management Practices and Processes; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques

01 Dec 2000
News

Taiwan Club President Thrives on Region's Entrepreneurial Energy

high-tech-driven economy and his role as president of the Harvard Business School Club of Taiwan. "If you have a good idea, there is venture money available," he continued. "You don't have to come from a... View Details

01 Jun 2008
News

The Prophet of Start-Ups

development during World War II, spearheaded the construction of an HBS-like business school in France (INSEAD), and, perhaps most notably, launched the modern venture capital industry. His remarkable life... View Details

Keywords: Spencer E. Ante; George Doriot; Charles F. Kettering; Lawrence Lowell; F. Warren Hellman; Finance; Securities, Commodities, and Other Financial Investments; Finance

March 2007
Article

Authority, Risk, and Performance Incentives: Evidence from Division Manager Positions inside Firms

By: Julie Wulf

I show that performance incentives vary by decision-making authority of division managers. For division managers with broader authority, i.e., those designated as corporate officers, both the sensitivity of pay to global performance measures and the relative importance... View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Performance; Risk and Uncertainty; Business Model; Globalization; Measurement and Metrics; Status and Position; Forecasting and Prediction; Business Divisions

Read Now

April 1999
Case

Steve Perlman and WebTV (B)

By: James K. Sebenius and Ron Fortgang

The dynamics of a linked series of internal and external negotiations involved in launching, growing, and selling a high-tech, Internet start-up are explored. Steve Perlman unfurled an impressive new technology, recruited a top technical and management team, secured... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Agreements and Arrangements; Negotiation Process; Value Creation; Alliances; Technological Innovation; Business Exit or Shutdown; Television Entertainment; Media and Broadcasting Industry

Educators

May 1982
Article

Assessing Competition in the Market for Corporate Acquisitions

By: R. S. Ruback

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Competition; Markets

summer 1991
Article

Managing Default: Some Evidence on How Firms Choose between Workouts and Chapter 11

By: S. C. Gilson

Keywords: Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Management; Business Ventures

May 2017
Supplement

Battle for the Soul of Capitalism: Unilever and the Kraft Heinz Takeover Bid (B)

By: William W. George and Amram Migdal

This (B) case describes the aftermath of Unilever’s February 2017 rejection of Kraft Heinz Company’s (KHC)/3G Capital’s (3G) unsolicited $143 billion takeover offer. In an effort to defend itself against future attempts by KHC/3G or other suitors, Unilever announced on... View Details

Keywords: Value Creation; Restructuring; Performance Improvement

winter 1988
Article

Management Buyouts and Managerial Efforts

By: Robert F. Bruner and Lynn S. Paine

Management buyouts, which have played an important role in the recent wave of corporate restructurings, have been criticized from several directions. This article addresses the problems created by management's conflict of interest. As members of the buyout team,... View Details

Keywords: Buyout; Ethical Decision Making; Management; Leveraged Buyouts; Ethics; Decision Making

October 2013
Module Note

Note on LBO Capital Structure

By: Victoria Ivashina, Paul A. Gompers, Paul A. Gompers, Victoria Ivashina, Joris Van Gool and Joris Van Gool

This note discusses the capital structure often found in LBO transactions. Although the specifics of each capital structure vary case by case, in any given year, there is a great deal of similarity in the capital structure of these buyouts. These similarities exist... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Capital Structure

September 2009
Supplement

Mercury Athletic: Valuing the Opportunity Teaching Note Exhibits, Faculty Spreadsheet Supplement (Brief Case)

By: Timothy A. Luehrman and Joel L. Heilprin

Keywords: Mergers ＆ Acquisitions; Sensitivity Analysis; Analysis; Valuation; Mergers and Acquisitions

May 2010 (Revised July 2010)
Supplement

Bank of America Acquires Merrill Lynch (B)

By: Robert C. Pozen and Charles E. Beresford

Supplements to HBS no. 310-092. View Details

Keywords: Banks and Banking; Acquisition; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry

May 1988
Article

Management Dilemmas in Securities Firms

By: Robert G. Eccles Jr. and Dwight B. Crane

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Management; Business Ventures; Financial Instruments; Financial Services Industry

February 2004
Case

Succession Capital Corporation

In 2003, a small buyout company in Canada was deciding which company to purchase next. This case explores the challenges facing a young entrepreneur in the process of selecting a new acquisition when financial and human resources are constrained. View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Entrepreneurship; Corporate Finance; Canada