Publications

10 Mar 2008
Research & Ideas

Encouraging Entrepreneurs: Lessons for Government Policy

matter where and at what price the money to fund an entrepreneurial venture comes from? The answer, it turns out, is that it does matter—a fact that policymakers may benefit from understanding as they look at ways to generate more... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

January 2007 (Revised December 2008)
Case

Mercy Corps: Positioning the Organization to Reach New Heights

By: Allen S. Grossman and Caroline Joan King

Mercy Corps, the world's 5th largest international relief and development agency, is at a turning point. The nonprofit's opportunities to grow and serve a larger number of beneficiaries are unprecedented. By looking at the unique relationship between headquarters and... View Details

Keywords: Business Offices; Business Headquarters; Globalized Firms and Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Structure; Nonprofit Organizations

March 2001
Case

Sime Darby Berhad (C): Responding to the Asian Crisis

By: Tarun Khanna and Danielle Melito Wu

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Business Conglomerates; Economy; Capital Markets; Emerging Markets; Business and Government Relations; Corporate Strategy; Value Creation; Financial Services Industry; Malaysia

17 Feb 2003
Research & Ideas

Building Communities as Well as Companies

offering nationwide negotiation and representation services to professional athletes. "I didn't have a lifelong desire to be an entrepreneur," said Paula E. Groves (HBS MBA '91), founding partner of Axxon Capital, a venture... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

18 Sep 2000
Research & Ideas

Getting It Done: Improving Nonprofit Performance

distinct competitive disadvantage for nonprofits." A small number of attempts are under way to begin to alleviate some of these problems, Grossman notes, including some eight "venture-capital-type philanthropic funds" that provide the wherewithal for what is commonly... View Details

Keywords: by James E. Aisner

17 Jan 2017
Blog Post

2017 Harvard Startup Fair

For-profit Ventures – $100; Non-Profit Organizations – $50 Register Now. (Previous Startup Career Fairs have all sold out, so reserve your table today). For more information contact: Faculty of Arts and Sciences Office of Career Services,... View Details

Keywords: All Industries

01 Oct 1999
News

Running on empty

Does an invention that would guarantee motorists they'd never run out of gas sound like a good investment? Hundreds of venture capital firms didn't think so, but that didn't stop Maryland retiree William Hubbard (MBA '49), a former... View Details

01 Dec 2012
News

Kaplan Named Senior Associate Dean

Kaplan Foundation, a global venture philanthropy firm. He is the author of several case studies, articles, and the book What to Ask the Person in the Mirror: Critical Questions for Becoming a More Effective Leader and Reaching Your... View Details

Keywords: Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Educational Services

August 2019 (Revised April 2020)
Case

BlueVine Capital: Growth Factors

By: Marco Di Maggio and Nathaniel Schwalb

The start-up, BlueVine Capital Inc. (BlueVine), used data and technology to help finance small businesses via factoring and lines of credit. The case explains the small business financing market in mid-2010s, how CEO Eyal Lifshitz identified the opportunity for... View Details

Keywords: Fintech; Business Startups; Small Business; Financing and Loans; Innovation Leadership; Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Technology Industry

February 2008
Case

SPECIALISTERNE: Sense & Details

Three-quarters of Specialisterne's expert software testing staff are diagnosed with some form of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Usually a handicap, ASD conveys talents especially suited to software testing and other highly repetitive tasks that require very high... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Health Disorders; Employees; Performance Evaluation; Quality; Software; Information Technology Industry

March 2007 (Revised November 2012)
Case

Parmalat Uruguay (A)

By: Paul Marshall and Gustavo Herrero

Three young MBAs create a partnership to acquire the assets of Parmalat in Uruguay. Focuses on their analysis prior to submitting a bid and their plan for improving the operations once their bid is accepted. In addition to improving operations, they must negotiate with... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Restructuring; Entrepreneurship; Borrowing and Debt; Negotiation; Performance Improvement; Uruguay

June 2005 (Revised November 2005)
Case

The Harrison and HIA

By: Jay O. Light

A large East Coast insurance company is thinking of selling its investment management subsidiary. Several Eurobanks are thinking of acquiring this subsidiary. View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Business Subsidiaries; Investment; Bids and Bidding; Negotiation; Valuation; Insurance Industry

Find at Harvard

September 1998 (Revised February 1999)
Case

Interactive Insurance Services: Redefining Insurance Distribution

By: Lynda M. Applegate and Marla Malcom-Nagler

Founded in July 1995, Interactive Insurance Services provided personal lines of insurance over the World Wide Web. In June 1996, the company was acquired by Intuit for $7.5 million. The case details the competitive and organizational issues faced by this rapidly... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Restructuring; Growth and Development; Distribution; Business Processes; Competitive Strategy; Web; Insurance Industry