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- All HBS Web (215)
- Faculty Publications (80)
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- January 2020 (Revised April 2020)
- Case
Fossil Fuel Divestment (Abridged)
By: Michael W. Toffel and Sarah Gulick
The president of Harvard University is facing growing pressure from students, alumni, and other climate change activists that are urging the university to divest its multi-billion dollar endowment from fossil fuel companies. The case summarizes the arguments for and... View Details
Keywords: Divestment; Harvard University; Higher Education; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Climate Change; Public Opinion; Ethics; Education Industry
Toffel, Michael W., and Sarah Gulick. "Fossil Fuel Divestment." Harvard Business School Case 620-093, January 2020. (Revised April 2020.)
- September 2015 (Revised February 2016)
- Supplement
Novell (B): Board of Directors Aftermath of Hedge Fund Attack
By: Richard L. Nolan
No corporation and its board of directors is immune to a disruptive shareholder activist attack. The Novell (A) and (B) cases take students through a shareholder activist attack and its aftermath—a saga that spanned 5 years. The cases outline the activist playbook in... View Details
Nolan, Richard L. "Novell (B): Board of Directors Aftermath of Hedge Fund Attack." Harvard Business School Supplement 916-405, September 2015. (Revised February 2016.)
- 2007
- Working Paper
Hedge Fund Investor Activism and Takeovers
By: Robin Greenwood and Michael Schor
We examine long-horizon stock returns around hedge fund activism in a comprehensive sample of 13D filings by portfolio investors between 1993 and 2006. Abnormal returns surrounding investor activism are high for the subset of targets that are... View Details
Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Private Equity; Investment Return; Investment Activism; Investment Portfolio; Corporate Governance
Greenwood, Robin, and Michael Schor. "Hedge Fund Investor Activism and Takeovers." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 08-004, July 2007.
- January 2018
- Case
PrimeStone Capital and dormakaba
By: Suraj Srinivasan and Quinn Pitcher
London-based activist hedge fund PrimeStone Capital identifies a potential investment in Swiss security company Kaba. PrimeStone believes that the company is undervalued because it has been pushing back various financial targets and thinks it can help by proposing a... View Details
Srinivasan, Suraj, and Quinn Pitcher. "PrimeStone Capital and dormakaba." Harvard Business School Case 118-047, January 2018.
- 2007
- Other Unpublished Work
Hedge Fund Investor Activism and Takeovers
By: Robin Greenwood and Michael Schor
We examine long-horizon stock returns around hedge fund activism in a comprehensive sample of 13D filings by portfolio investors between 1993 and 2006. Abnormal returns surrounding investor activism are high for the subset of targets that are acquired ex-post, but not... View Details
Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Private Equity; Investment Return; Investment Activism; Investment Portfolio; Corporate Governance
Greenwood, Robin, and Michael Schor. "Hedge Fund Investor Activism and Takeovers." 2007.
- Article
Investor Activism and Takeovers
By: Robin Greenwood and Michael Schor
Recent work documents large positive abnormal returns around the time that a hedge fund announces its activist intentions with a publicly listed firm. We show that these returns are largely explained by the ability of activists to force target firms into a takeover: In... View Details
Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Private Equity; Investment Return; Investment Activism; Investment Portfolio; Public Ownership
Greenwood, Robin, and Michael Schor. "Investor Activism and Takeovers." Journal of Financial Economics 92, no. 3 (June 2009): 362–375.
- January 2018
- Case
Blue Harbour's Activism at Babcock & Wilcox
By: Suraj Srinivasan and Quinn Pitcher
The case describes Blue Harbour Group's investment in Babcock & Wilcox and its transformation into BWX Technologies. In 2004, activist hedge fund Blue Harbour Group invested in Babcock & Wilcox, an energy and construction company. Blue Harbour developed an investment... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Governance; Investment Activism; Leading Change; Energy Industry; Construction Industry; United States
Srinivasan, Suraj, and Quinn Pitcher. "Blue Harbour's Activism at Babcock & Wilcox." Harvard Business School Case 118-045, January 2018.
- July 2016
- Case
'Golden Leash' Pay for Directors at The Dow Chemical Company
By: Ian Gow, Suraj Srinivasan and Neeraj Goyal
In November 2014, The Dow Chemical Company was faced with the prospect of a proxy battle with prominent hedge fund and activist investor Third Point Management. The activist had criticized Dow’s recent performance and advocated that the company split itself to maximize... View Details
Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Governing and Advisory Boards; Executive Compensation; Investment Activism; Chemical Industry
Gow, Ian, Suraj Srinivasan, and Neeraj Goyal. "'Golden Leash' Pay for Directors at The Dow Chemical Company." Harvard Business School Case 117-029, July 2016.
- December 2011 (Revised September 2015)
- Case
Carl Icahn and Clorox
By: Jay W. Lorsch and Kathleen Durante
This case outlines the takeover attempt by activist investor, Carl Icahn, for the Clorox Company. The board of the company repeatedly rejected Icahn's offers as inadequate. He made three bids over the course of three months. View Details
Lorsch, Jay W., and Kathleen Durante. "Carl Icahn and Clorox." Harvard Business School Case 412-078, December 2011. (Revised September 2015.)
- 2016
- Working Paper
Consequences to Directors of Shareholder Activism
By: Ian D. Gow, Sa-Pyung Sean Shin and Suraj Srinivasan
Using a comprehensive sample for 2004–2012, we examine the impact of shareholder activist campaigns on the careers of directors of targeted firms. We find that activism is associated with directors being almost twice as likely to leave—and performance-sensitivity of... View Details
Keywords: Shareholder Activism; Hedge Funds; Independent Directors; Director Reputation; Accountability; Shareholder Voting; Voting; Retention; Investment Funds; Management Teams; Investment Activism
Gow, Ian D., Sa-Pyung Sean Shin, and Suraj Srinivasan. "Consequences to Directors of Shareholder Activism." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 14-071, February 2014. (Revised May 2016.)
- November 2013 (Revised May 2023)
- Case
Valuing Yahoo! in 2013
By: Luis M. Viceira and Atul Khosla
In late July 2013, Danielle Engle, Managing Director of Clairemont Capital, was contemplating what to do about a large investment her fund had in the stock of Yahoo! Inc. In mid-2012, Clairemont had invested nearly $75M in Yahoo! after the tech company settled a highly... View Details
Keywords: Investment; Decision Making; Investment Activism; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Valuation
Viceira, Luis M., and Atul Khosla. "Valuing Yahoo! in 2013." Harvard Business School Case 214-048, November 2013. (Revised May 2023.)
- June 2015 (Revised August 2016)
- Case
Qualcomm Inc., 2009-2015
By: David B. Yoffie
In the years after 2009, Qualcomm navigated the wireless industry's transition from 3G to 4G, retaining its technological leadership and experiencing dramatic growth in revenue and profit. In March 2014, Qualcomm appointed a new CEO, Steve Mollenkopf, who had to... View Details
Keywords: Communication Technologies; Technology; Wireless Technologies; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Strategy; Communication Technology; Competitive Strategy; Change Management; Electronics Industry; Telecommunications Industry; California
Yoffie, David B. "Qualcomm Inc., 2009-2015." Harvard Business School Case 715-467, June 2015. (Revised August 2016.)
- March 2020 (Revised March 2024)
- Case
CIAM: Home-Grown Shareholder Activism in France
By: Charles C.Y. Wang, Tonia Labruyere and Vincent Dessain
The case discusses the strategy of CIAM, a French activist investment firm, involved in a case of a buy-out of minority shareholders in the telecommunications sector. Altice NV, an international telecommunications company based in the Netherlands that owned more than... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Governance; Private Equity; Strategy; Valuation; Investment Activism; Financial Services Industry; France
Wang, Charles C.Y., Tonia Labruyere, and Vincent Dessain. "CIAM: Home-Grown Shareholder Activism in France." Harvard Business School Case 120-072, March 2020. (Revised March 2024.)
- January 2008 (Revised July 2008)
- Case
Opportunity Partners
By: Robin Greenwood and James Quinn
Philip Goldstein, the principal in a growing hedge fund and prominent activist investor, has taken a position in a Mexico-based closed-end fund. Following a hard-fought proxy contest in which he advocated for management to eliminate the fund's substantial discount,... View Details
Keywords: Investment Activism; Investment Funds; Business and Shareholder Relations; Value; Financial Services Industry; Mexico
Greenwood, Robin, and James Quinn. "Opportunity Partners." Harvard Business School Case 208-097, January 2008. (Revised July 2008.)
- November 2019
- Supplement
United Technologies Corp.: Are the Parts Worth More Than the Whole?
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel Fisher
After spending more than 50 years creating a diversified industrial conglomerate that Fortune Magazine described as “arguably the most profitable conglomerate in America” in 2014, UTC’s CEO Greg Hayes was under pressure from activist investors (Dan Loeb and Bill... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Business Conglomerates; Financial Management; Corporate Governance; Organizational Structure; Diversification; Valuation; Investment Activism; Financial Strategy; Investment Funds; Value Creation; Aerospace Industry; Electronics Industry; Industrial Products Industry; United States
- July 2020 (Revised March 2021)
- Case
Board Diversity at Amazon (A)
By: Aiyesha Dey and Anu Atluru
The case revolves around the decisions that the board of directors of ecommerce giant Amazon would need to make in response to the controversial letter that activist shareholder CtW investment group sent to Amazon’s shareholders, urging them to vote in favor of a... View Details
Keywords: Board Of Directors; Boards; Governing and Advisory Boards; Diversity; Gender; Race; United States
Dey, Aiyesha, and Anu Atluru. "Board Diversity at Amazon (A)." Harvard Business School Case 121-012, July 2020. (Revised March 2021.)
- November 2006 (Revised July 2021)
- Case
Kerr-McGee
By: Robin Greenwood and André Perold
Activist investors Carl Icahn and Barry Rosenstein acquire a stake in Oklahoma-based company Kerr-McGee. They demand two board seats and ask the company to make several operational and financial changes, including the repurchase of equity and divestiture of their... View Details
Keywords: Investment Activism; Restructuring; Equity; Investment; Management; Governance Controls; Corporate Strategy; Chemical Industry; Energy Industry; United States
Greenwood, Robin, and André Perold. "Kerr-McGee." Harvard Business School Case 207-020, November 2006. (Revised July 2021.)
- November 2019 (Revised April 2021)
- Case
United Technologies: Are the Parts Worth More Than the Whole?
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel Fisher
After spending more than 50 years creating a diversified industrial conglomerate that Fortune magazine described as “arguably the most profitable conglomerate in America” in 2014, UTC’s CEO Greg Hayes was under pressure from activist investors (Dan Loeb and Bill... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Business Conglomerates; Financial Management; Corporate Governance; Organizational Structure; Investment Funds; Value Creation; Aerospace Industry; Electronics Industry; Industrial Products Industry; United States
Esty, Benjamin C., and Daniel Fisher. "United Technologies: Are the Parts Worth More Than the Whole?" Harvard Business School Case 220-018, November 2019. (Revised April 2021.)
- June 2016
- Supplement
FANUC Corporation: Reassessing the Firm's Governance and Financial Policies Spreadsheet Supplement
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Akiko Kanno
In February 2015, Daniel Loeb (a US-based activist investor) announced his firm had a large investment in FANUC Corporation, a leading producer of industrial robots and software for machine tools. Loeb was demanding that the Japanese firm change its financial and... View Details
- 13 Nov 2012
- First Look
First Look: November 13
ignores the implications of past successes when valuing future innovation. We show that two firms that invest the exact same in research and development (R&D) can have quite divergent, but predictably divergent, future paths. Our... View Details
Keywords: Sean Silverthorne