Publications

Web

Students on the Job Market - Doctoral

it does not have its intended effect of reducing only myopic repurchases. Efficient repurchases decline at least as much as myopic repurchases. Faculty Advisor(s): Charles C.Y. Wang (Chair), Jonas Heese , and Aiyesha Dey Curriculum Vitae | Website | Email View Details

April 2017 (Revised March 2024)
Case

Making Target the Target: Boycotts and Corporate Political Activity

By: Nien-hê Hsieh and Victor Wu

Through the challenges facing Target, the case examines ways in which corporations can become involved in political and legislative debates and processes, ranging from campaign contributions to lobbying to political activism. In 2016, Target CEO Brian Cornell must... View Details

02 Mar 2007
What Do You Think?

What Is the Government’s Role in US Health Care?

Original Article Healthcare will grab more and more headlines in the U.S. in the coming months. Any service that is on track to consume 40 percent of the gross national product of the world's largest economy by the year 2050 will be hard to ignore. View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Health

November 1972 (Revised December 2000)
Background Note

Note on Forms of Real Estate Ownership

By: Howard H. Stevenson and Thierry Liverman

Examines the legal forms of ownership of real property. Included are the corporation, partnership, limited partnership, business trust, real estate investment trust, sole proprietorship, and joint venture. Tax factors and business management considerations are... View Details

Keywords: Ownership; Property; Taxation; Business Organization

August 2015 (Revised June 2021)
Case

Amazon.com, 2021

By: John R. Wells, Benjamin Weinstock, Gabriel Ellsworth and Galen Danskin

In February 2021, Amazon announced 2020 operating profits of $22,899 million, up from $2,233 million in 2015, on sales of $386 billion, up from $107 billion five years earlier (see Exhibit 1). The shareholders expressed their satisfaction (see Exhibit 2), but not all... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Analysis; Retail; E-commerce; Amazon; Internet; Amazon.com; AmazonFresh; Jeff Bezos; Cloud Computing; Marketplaces; Streaming; E-reader Market; Digital Media; Mobile App; Online Retail; Shipping; Database; Tablet; Kindle; Kindle Fire; Smartphone; Delivery; Digital Platforms; Competition; Internet and the Web; Corporate Strategy; Digital Marketing; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Film Entertainment; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Music Entertainment; Television Entertainment; Profit; Revenue; Global Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Taxation; Business History; Human Resources; Resignation and Termination; Books; Human Capital; Working Conditions; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Management Practices and Processes; Industry Growth; Industry Structures; Media; Distribution; Distribution Channels; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Infrastructure; Logistics; Product Development; Supply Chain; Supply Chain Management; Organizational Culture; Public Ownership; Work-Life Balance; Problems and Challenges; Labor and Management Relations; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Diversification; Expansion; Integration; Horizontal Integration; Vertical Integration; Information Infrastructure; Information Technology; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Price; Applications and Software; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Working Capital; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Value and Value Chain; Retail Industry; Advertising Industry; Distribution Industry; Electronics Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Information Technology Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; Music Industry; Publishing Industry; Shipping Industry; Technology Industry; Video Game Industry; Web Services Industry; United States; Washington (state, US); Seattle

Web

Topics - HBS Working Knowledge

(93) Budgets and Budgeting (4) Buildings and Facilities (4) Business Conglomerates (1) Business Cycles (6) Business Divisions (7) Business... View Details

October 1981 (Revised August 2010)
Case

Quabbin Cablevision Company

By: Henry B. Reiling

Several entrepreneurs are considering the purchase of an existing cable TV business with the financial assistance of several investors. They must decide whether to establish the company as a partnership or a corporation, and how to capitalize the company for an optimal... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Organization; Television Entertainment; Entrepreneurship; Capital Structure; Taxation; Telecommunications Industry; Massachusetts

August 2006 (Revised October 2009)
Background Note

Acquisitive Reorganizations - Triangular Mergers

By: Henry B. Reiling and Kevin Wall

Discusses the reasons and uses of triangular or three-party mergers to complete a business acquisition or tax-free corporate reorganization. View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Taxation; Organizational Structure

Find at Harvard

22 Feb 2018
Book

The New History of American Capitalism

the rise (and fall?) of progressive taxation to the revisionary engineering of the New Deal. They consider how deeply finance has penetrated into daily life, including the ideological and political forces that made citizens into investors... View Details

Keywords: Manufacturing

02 Jul 2018
Research & Ideas

Corporate Tax Cuts Don't Increase Middle Class Incomes

that corporate tax cuts lead to greater income inequality,” says Ethan Rouen, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School and a co-author on the research. “They lead to greater investment, but our evidence suggests that investment... View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland

15 Apr 2015
Research & Ideas

Why Americans Voted for an Income Tax

benefits we gain from the activities of government required to support it. A rare document: IRS notifies a taxpayer that as aresult of an audit, the taxpayer is due a refund.Source: Whitin Machine Works Records, Baker Library, Harvard View Details

Keywords: by Matthew C. Weinzierl

March 1999 (Revised October 2009)
Background Note

Deferred Compensation

By: Henry B. Reiling and Mark Pollard

Briefly discusses two of the major tax doctrines--constructive receipt and economic benefits--which govern the structure of deferred compensation contracts. Some business context is provided and some implications are noted. View Details

Keywords: Stock Options; Taxation; Compensation and Benefits; Business and Government Relations; Public Administration Industry

Find at Harvard

11 Jan 2011
First Look

First Look: Jan. 11

PublicationsBeing the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader Authors:Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback Publication:Harvard Business Press, 2011 Abstract You never dreamed being the boss would be so hard. You're caught in a... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

18 Jul 2005
Research & Ideas

Time to Rethink the Corporate Tax System?

Corporations have traditionally considered taxes a painful but necessary cost of doing business. But this view has changed, says Harvard Business School professor Mihir A. Desai. With the advent of sophisticated tax shelters, global... View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen

12 Dec 2005
Research & Ideas

Using the Law to Strategic Advantage

to police its trademark by preventing others from using it to refer to something other than the Real Thing. Shareholder value is enhanced when a firm chooses an appropriate form of business organization, ranging from a limited liability... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Legal Services

19 Jan 2016
First Look

January 19, 2016

reducing the optimal taxation level. We find evidence consistent with these predictions and the entrepreneurial channel using data from the Longitudinal Business Database of the U.S. Census Bureau. The... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

13 May 2008
First Look

First Look: May 13, 2008

What Deep Metaphors Reveal About the Minds of Consumers Authors:Gerald Zaltman and Lindsay Zaltman Publication:Harvard Business School Press, 2008 Abstract Why do advertising campaigns and new products often fail? Why do consumers feel... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

September 1983 (Revised May 1999)
Case

Allen Lane

By: Howard H. Stevenson and Michael J. Roberts

Describes Allen Lane's search for a business to buy. The case explores several failed attempts and the ethical, business, and tax issues that surround the acquisition business. Ends with a description of a new acquisition candidate, an independent valuation report of... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Ethics; Taxation; Failure; Valuation