Publications

September 2006
Case

Stedman Place: Buy or Rent?

By: Andre F. Perold and David S. Scharfstein

A couple has to decide whether to continue renting a townhouse or buy the one next door. Allows for a discussion of net present value, internal rate of return, and the costs and benefits of homeownership. View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Decisions; Asset Pricing; Investment Return; Housing; Family Ownership; Renting or Rental; Valuation

October 1997 (Revised March 1998)
Case

Komatsu Ltd.: Project G's Globalization

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

This case describes the major strategic and organizational transformation at Komatsu aimed at changing it from a Japan-based producer of construction equipment to a truly global company with the ability to leverage its groupwide portfolio of resources and capabilities... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Construction; Asset Pricing; Investment Portfolio; Global Strategy; Leadership; Resource Allocation; Risk Management; Expansion; Manufacturing Industry; Japan

June 2005
Article

Currency Returns, Intrinsic Value, and Institutional Investor Flows

By: K. A. Froot and T. Ramadorai

Keywords: Currencies; Exchange Rates; Purchasing Power Parity; Real Exchange Rate; Forecasting and Prediction; Behavioral Finance; Investment Return; Market Transactions; Performance Expectations; Personal Characteristics; Asset Pricing; Financial Services Industry

Find at Harvard

Web

Can Private Equity Reach Regular People? One Company’s Mission | Working Knowledge

a recent sign of shifting winds, Yale University’s endowment recently put $6 billion of its PE stakes up for sale after disappointing returns. While institutions and affluent investors could be more cautious, Moonfare’s potential to give more people access to the... View Details

05 Sep 2007
First Look

First Look: September 5, 2007

from consumers shopping at the more popular store. Second, the intermediary may have an incentive to degrade the quality of search even further when its design decision influences the prices charged by... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 Mar 2014
News

Case Study: Gazelle's New Predators

Illustration by Istvan Banyai Since 2006, Gazelle has offered consumers an answer to the question of what to do with their old electronic devices when they upgrade: Sell them to us. Customers can go to Gazelle's website; get a price for... View Details

Keywords: ecommerce; Kathy Korman Frey; Telecommunications; Information; News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; Information; Retail Trade

March 2007 (Revised March 2007)
Case

Burt's Bees: Leaving the Hive

Rapid growth is pushing Burt's Bees' natural personal care products into mass distribution channels, with products and brand elements that are less quirky, more commercial than they used to be. Indeed, CEO John Replogle believes that by focusing on efficacious,... View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Consumer Behavior; Asset Pricing; Entrepreneurship; Distribution Channels; Product Development; Brands and Branding; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States

22 Jul 2014
First Look

First Look: July 22

traditional banks have a comparative advantage at holding fixed-income assets that have only modest fundamental risk but are relatively illiquid and have substantial transitory price volatility. Download... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

June 2000 (Revised September 2000)
Case

Amazon.com: Exploiting the Value of Digital Business Infrastructure

By: Lynda M. Applegate and Meredith Collura

Enables a thorough analysis of Amazon.com and the company's value proposition, in terms of its business concept, digital business capabilities, and community and shareholder value. Examines the company's complex set of business models and web of business relationships,... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Asset Pricing; Capital; Financial Management; Technological Innovation; Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Relationships; Competitive Strategy; Information Technology Industry; Web Services Industry

05 Feb 2009
Research & Ideas

In Praise of Marketing

latent or explicit. It involves branding these products and services, communicating their benefits to intermediaries and end consumers, and distributing them. All of these activities involve value creation. In return, producers extract... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Advertising

19 Mar 2008
Research & Ideas

Finding Success in the Middle of the Market

provider of premium-priced products tailored to a particular customer segment, or you have to shoot for scale, using low prices and volume purchasing to attract a mass market and drive down your cost structure. Midfield has been... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Auto; Retail

01 Dec 2005
News

Trillion-Dollar Fixer-Upper

knowledge that the industry today bears little resemblance to the industry of the late 1980s. In fact, real estate now is widely viewed as a new asset class that competes with stocks and bonds for investment capital. It earned that... View Details

Keywords: Roger Thompson; Real Estate

November 2016 (Revised March 2018)
Case

Deutsche Bank: Structured Retail Products

By: Boris Vallée and Jérôme Lenhardt

Describes how Deutsche Bank, a leading European bank, is deciding whether or not to launch a new structured retail product in Germany: an autocallable note. Will this product find a market and how does it fit into the bank’s product portfolio? The case investigates how... View Details

07 Sep 2019
Op-Ed

Even for Non-Believers, These Are the Next Steps on Climate Change

emergency room. This solution can’t afford to fail. However, owners of high-value assets in lower-risk areas probably should consider investing in less expensive interventions that help them live with water in the event of inundation; the... View Details

Keywords: by John Macomber

July 1991 (Revised August 2000)
Case

California PERS (A)

By: Jay O. Light, Jay W. Lorsch and James O. Sailer

Examines California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), the world's fourth largest pension fund. Dale Hanson, CEO of CalPERS, has a problem; how does he use CalPERS' influence as the holder of a small percentage of 1,300 American companies to put pressure on... View Details

Keywords: Employees; Retirement; System; Asset Pricing; Performance Improvement; Corporate Governance; Investment Funds; Investment Return; California

26 Oct 2009
Lessons from the Classroom

The New Deal: Negotiauctions

asset that it was willing to buy, and then the banks that held that class of asset would bid the price down in an effort to sell their toxic View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

25 Aug 2003
Research & Ideas

Should You Sell Your Digital Privacy?

property with a market price and opportunity cost. Rights are matters for regulation, assets are matters safely and usually better left to markets. Framed in these terms, here is the problem with regulation.... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls & Sean Silverthorne; Advertising

December 2001
Case

Qwest Communications International Inc.

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Christopher Hackett

Describes the evolution of Qwest from a small fiber-optic construction firm in 1996 to a global telecommunications giant in 2001. Focuses on Qwest's pivotal acquisition of "Baby Bell" US West, a regional Bell operating company many times Qwest's size. Discusses the... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Asset Pricing; Business History; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Organizational Culture; Partners and Partnerships; Vertical Integration; Telecommunications Industry