Publications

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September 2013
Case

Homestrings, Inc.: Diaspora-Based Financing and the Crowd Funding of Development

By: William R. Kerr and Alexis Brownell

Homestrings is an online investment platform for overseas diasporas to link financially with their home countries. The founder believes crowd-funding can become a pillar for development, but U.S. regulatory hurdles and resources constraints are substantial. The company... View Details

Keywords: Diasporas; Investments; Regulations; Africa; Crowd-funding; Development Finance; Entrepreneurship; Business Growth and Maturation; Financial Services Industry; Africa; United States

June 2013 (Revised August 2013)
Case

AVA.ph: Growing a Filipino E-Commerce Company

By: William R. Kerr and Henry Motte-Munoz

AVA is a three-year old e-commerce company in the Philippines. From its early start mimicking the Gilt Groupe concept of online flash sales, the company has grown into a broader e-commerce platform for local fashion commerce. Oliver Segovia needs to evaluate where AVA... View Details

Keywords: Digital Platforms; Business Growth and Maturation; Internet and the Web; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Fashion Industry; Retail Industry; Philippines

September 2012 (Revised February 2013)
Case

micro Home Solutions: A Social Housing Initiative in India

By: William R. Kerr and Alexis Brownell

mHS is a social enterprise for the provision of affordable housing in India. After India's microfinance industry collapses, mHS needs to reposition itself for continued operations and long-term growth. View Details

Keywords: India; Loans; Development; Micro Finance; Entrepreneurship; Housing; Social Enterprise; Poverty; India

April – May 2010
Article

Banking Deregulations, Financing Constraints and Firm Entry Size

By: William R. Kerr and Ramana Nanda

We examine the effect of US branch banking deregulations on the entry size of new firms using micro-data from the US Census Bureau. We find that the average entry size for startups did not change following the deregulations. However, among firms that survived at least... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Financing and Loans; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Market Entry and Exit; Banking Industry; United States

2009
Working Paper

Financing Constraints and Entrepreneurship

By: William R. Kerr and Ramana Nanda

2011
Chapter

Financing Constraints and Entrepreneurship

By: William R. Kerr and Ramana Nanda

Financing constraints are one of the biggest concerns impacting potential entrepreneurs around the world. Given the important role that entrepreneurship is believed to play in the process of economic growth, alleviating financing constraints for would-be entrepreneurs... View Details

Keywords: Economic Growth; Entrepreneurship; Financing and Loans; Investment; Policy; Research

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2007
Chapter

The Rationales and Performance of Public Venturing: Survey Evidence from Belgium and Finland

By: Ant Bozkaya and William R. Kerr

Keywords: Public Sector; Public Ownership; Mission and Purpose; Performance; Belgium; Finland

Web

Digital Archival Resources - Georges F. Doriot : Educating Leaders, Building Companies, Baker Library, Harvard Business School

Students Manufacturing Reports, 1927-1966. HBS Archives, Baker Library, Harvard Business School. Metalworking Tomorrow: A Study of New Concepts and Revolutionary Innovations in Metalworking Processes , 1954 R. Lawrence Coughlin, Jr.;... View Details

Web

Digital Archival Resources - Georges F. Doriot : Educating Leaders, Building Companies, Baker Library, Harvard Business School

Students Manufacturing Reports, 1927-1966. HBS Archives, Baker Library, Harvard Business School. Metalworking Tomorrow: A Study of New Concepts and Revolutionary Innovations in Metalworking Processes , 1954 R. Lawrence Coughlin, Jr.;... View Details

01 Jun 2022
News

Empowering Entrepreneurially Minded Students

and even a required course, The Entrepreneurial Manager? William Kerr is the Dimitri V. D’Arbeloff-MBA Class of 1955 Professor of Business Administration, unit head of Entrepreneurial Management, co-director... View Details

Keywords: Jennifer Gillespie

May 2025
Teaching Note

Clay Ridge Capital

By: William R. Kerr and Martin A. Sinozich

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 823-089. Kel Jackson, with the support of his young family, has been searching for a manufacturing business to purchase. After a long process, Kel had submitted a written offer to buy Sheetfab that matched his original conversation with... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Entrepreneurship; Negotiation Offer; Manufacturing Industry

2024
White Paper

Modernizing the U.S. Exchange Visitor Skills List

By: William R. Kerr and Michael C. Clemens

Keywords: Immigration; Labor; Competency and Skills

May 2018
Teaching Note

AT&T: Managing Technological Change and the Future of Telephone Operators in the 20th Century

By: Daniel P. Gross and William R. Kerr

Teaching Note for HBS No. 718-486. View Details

Keywords: AT＆T; Bell Telephone; Phone Lines; Phone Operators; Mechanical Switching; Layoffs; Technological Change; Transition; History; Innovation and Invention; Technological Innovation; Information Technology; Disruption; Change Management; Communications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; United States

2010
Chapter

What Makes a City Entrepreneurial?

By: Edward L. Glaeser and William R. Kerr

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; City; Urban Scope; Situation or Environment

01 Dec 2019
News

From Das’s Desk

written and the insights and lessons they offer. The Disruptive Voice – A series that looks at examples of disruptive innovation being explored by academics, researchers, and practitioners who were inspired View Details

Keywords: podcasts; lifelong learning; alumni; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

September 2021 (Revised March 2022)
Case

Katie Couric Media: Landing the First Client

By: N. Louis Shipley and William R. Kerr

In May 2018, celebrated journalist Katie Couric and her husband, John Molner, had recently launched a full-service media firm called Katie Couric Media (KCM). Couric treasured the opportunity to address important social issues like gender equality, environmental... View Details

Keywords: Customer Acquisition; Subscription Model; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Media; Customers; Acquisition; Social Issues; Brands and Branding; Media and Broadcasting Industry

June 2019
Teaching Note

CEWD: Closing the Skills Gap

By: William R. Kerr and Ted Smalley Bowen

Teaching Note for HBS No. 818-081. The teaching note presents background, case details, and teaching strategies, along with board plans and supporting graphics. View Details