Publications

September 2024
Case

Myeloma Investment Fund

By: Kyle Myers and Scott Sawaya

This case explores a critical decision facing the Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF) as it evaluates two investment opportunities aimed at accelerating a cure for multiple myeloma.

The MIF, a venture philanthropy fund, must choose between two distinct paths. One... View Details

Keywords: Venture Philanthropy; Biomedical Research; Investing For Impact; Innovation ＆ Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Science-Based Business; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Decision Making; Health Care and Treatment; Biotechnology Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry

November 1998 (Revised April 1999)
Case

Wireless Telecom Negotiation

By: Jay O. Light

A venture capital/private equity fund is preparing to negotiate with the two parties in a prospective PCS joint venture: the entrepreneur and AT&T Wireless. The negotiation will decide how equity and control are shared in the venture. View Details

Keywords: Joint Ventures; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Private Equity; Governance Controls; Negotiation Deal; Wireless Technology; Telecommunications Industry

July 1997 (Revised September 1997)
Case

USAA: Catastrophe Risk Financing

By: Kenneth A. Froot and Mark Seasholes

Describes the first major risk financing using catastrophe bonds. Provides a basis for discussing the securitization of insurance risks. View Details

Keywords: Financial Management; Insurance; Capital Markets; Natural Disasters; Risk Management; Bonds; Insurance Industry; Financial Services Industry; United States

September 1998 (Revised August 1999)
Case

Walnut Venture Associates (B): RBS Due Diligence--Customers

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Business Plan; Research; Entrepreneurship; Applications and Software; Business Startups; Information Technology Industry

Web

Robert Higgins | Baker Library

Robert Higgins MBA 1970, Highland Capital Play Video duration: 1:37:12 Robert “Bob” Higgins, HBS 1970. Interview conducted in July 2001 Robert “Bob” Higgins, HBS 1970, began his career in the admissions office first at Harvard and then at... View Details

October 2011 (Revised March 2013)
Case

Yale University Investments Office: February 2011

By: Josh Lerner and Ann Leamon

David Swensen and the Investments Office staff must decide whether to continue to allocate the bulk of the university's endowment to illiquid investments—hedge funds, private equity, real estate—given the impact of the recent market turmoil. The case explores the risks... View Details

Keywords: Asset Management; Resource Allocation; Investment; Venture Capital; Investment Funds; Property; Private Equity

July 2009
Teaching Note

TH!NK: The Norwegian Electric Car Company (TN)

By: Joseph B. Lassiter III

Teaching Note for [808070]. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Market Entry and Exit; Brands and Branding; Environmental Sustainability; Product Launch; Auto Industry; Norway

January 2001 (Revised May 2001)
Case

Return Logic, Inc. (B)

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Michele Lutz

Highlights how multiple rounds of financing work in practice and illustrates how terms agreed to in early-stage financing deals have an impact in later financing rounds. Also illustrates ethical issues that entrepreneurs confront as they build "dot-com" ventures. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Investment Funds; Private Equity; Internet and the Web; Negotiation Deal; Entrepreneurship; Ethics

March 1990 (Revised November 2004)
Case

O.M. Scott & Sons Co. Leveraged Buyout

By: George P. Baker III and Karen Wruck

Documents the organizational changes that took place at O.M. Scott & Sons Co. in response to their leveraged buyout. Provides the opportunity for students to discuss the effects of high leverage on management decision making, and the differences between operating as a... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Capital Structure; Borrowing and Debt; Organizational Structure; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Management; Business Conglomerates; Cost of Capital; Financial Services Industry

22–23 Sep 2020
Virtual Programming

Driving Impact: A Dialogue on Capitalism, Climate, and Social Change

Join Professor Rebecca Henderson and Sir Ronald Cohen (MBA 1969) as they debate the theories of change. The conversation will compare and contrast the authors groundbreaking approaches to rethinking the role of business in driving impactone through the lens of... View Details

2023
Working Paper

The Effects of Inconsistent Work Schedules on Employee Lateness and Absenteeism

By: Caleb Kwon and Ananth Raman

Problem Definition: Employee lateness and absenteeism pose challenges for businesses, particularly in the retail industry, where punctuality is vital for optimal store operations and customer service. This paper relates employee lateness and absenteeism with... View Details

Keywords: Behavior; Employees; Human Capital; Retail Industry

SSRN

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27 Sep 2015
News

Vivian Wu: Making A Difference

24 Apr 2014
News

Teaching entrepreneurs to tackle society's toughest challenges

Professor William A. Sahlman (MBA 1975, PhDBE 1982) reflects on the impact of entrepreneurial management on today's social challenges and business opportunities. (Published April 2014) View Details

Web

Statement of Activity & Cash Flows | Annual Report 2024

Available from Capital Activities $ 81 $ 107 $ 107 Net Capital Expenses (37) (31) (43) Change in Capital Project-Prefunding (29) 2 10 Use of Gifts for View Details

01 Jun 2012
News

Jump-Start

using the Lean Startup methodology, for the 19 cash awards given out this year. There were also 12 venture capital firms (listed below) that stepped up to help fund the program run by HBS’s Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship. All the... View Details

Keywords: contests; Finance

Andrew W. Mellon

Mellon took over his family’s small private bank and turned it into one of the largest sources of venture capital in American history. Mellon played a substantial role in supplying capital for expanding... View Details

Keywords: Finance

October 2019 (Revised February 2025)
Case

A Conversation with Ellen J. Kullman, Chairman & CEO of DuPont, 2009-2015

By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz

Ellen J. Kullman, the retired Chairman and CEO of DuPont, describes how she guided the storied science and technology company through a contentious proxy battle with activist investor Trian Partners, which acquired DuPont shares in 2013 and sought to break up the... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Capital Structure; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Institutional Investing; Leadership; Leadership Style; Management; Transformation; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Chemical Industry; United States

January 2011 (Revised July 2019)
Case

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah L. Abbott

One of the leading publishers of textbooks and other educational materials for the U.S. K-12 educational instruction market has suffered a dramatic decline in sales and profits in the wake of the 2008-2009 financial market crisis and economic recession, and is now... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Capital Structure; Financial Crisis; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Publishing Industry; Massachusetts

January 2000 (Revised April 2000)
Case

AsiaMail.com: What's in a Name?

By: Myra M. Hart and Sharon Peyus

Three founders of an international Internet company (e-mail-based marketing) struggle with naming the company. As they prepare to invest more than $10 million of first-round venture funding in advertising and marketing, they search for a name that will have power and... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Venture Capital; Brands and Branding; Internet and the Web; Entrepreneurship; Advertising; Marketing; Information Technology Industry; Service Industry; Asia