Publications

2022
White Paper

The American Opportunity Index: A Corporate Scorecard of Worker Advancement

By: Matt Sigelman, Joseph Fuller, Nik Dawson and Gad Levanon

The American Opportunity Index: A Corporate Scorecard of Worker Advancement is a new effort to give companies and other stakeholders a set of robust tools that measure how well major employers are doing in fostering economic mobility for workers and how they could do... View Details

Keywords: Upward Mobility; Career Advancement; Personal Development and Career; Compensation and Benefits; Employees; Wages; Human Capital; Recruitment

Read Now

09 May 2000
Research & Ideas

Stock Options Are Not All Created Equal

Most of the companies I've studied don't pay a whole lot of attention to the way they grant options. Their directors and executives assume that the important thing is just to have a plan in place; the... View Details

Keywords: by Brian Hall

09 Mar 2021
News

Community Colleges as Engines of Economic Opportunity

opportunity it presented. “We, as a college, felt like, ‘This gift has just been handed to our institution, our students, and our state, so let’s get after it.’” Since the introduction of Rhode Island... View Details

Keywords: Jennifer Gillespie

December 2018 (Revised October 2019)
Case

Barteca: The Challenge and Opportunity of Private Equity

By: Lena G. Goldberg and Michael S. Kaufman

Andy Pforzheimer and Sasa Mahr-Batuz, co-founders of a highly successful seven-location restaurant brand, had just opened the first location of a new brand. They had mapped out future expansion for both brands but wondered if, rather than lining up an assortment of... View Details

Keywords: Restaurants; Brands and Branding; Expansion; Private Equity; Strategy; Decision Making

April 2006
Module Note

Cross-Border Financial Opportunities

By: Mihir A. Desai and Kathleen Luchs

Describes the fifth module in the International Finance course at Harvard Business School. This module explores how segmented capital markets create financing opportunities for firms and the mechanisms that evolve to take advantage of those opportunities. The issues... View Details

Keywords: Opportunities; Capital Markets; Decisions; International Finance; Motivation and Incentives; Taxation

September 2009 (Revised June 2011)
Case

Mercury Athletic: Valuing the Opportunity

By: Timothy A. Luehrman and Joel L. Heilprin

In January 2007, West Coast Fashions, Inc., a large designer and marketer of branded apparel, announced a strategic reorganization that would result in the divestiture of their wholly owned footwear subsidiary, Mercury Athletic. John Liedtke, the head of business... View Details

Keywords: Mergers ＆ Acquisitions; Sensitivity Analysis; Cost of Capital; Restructuring; Valuation; Cash Flow; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Finance; Apparel and Accessories Industry

14 Sep 2015
Video

2015 G&WS: Don Tomaskovic-Devey Presents "What Works: Internal and External Mechanisms for Equal Opportunity”

May 2009 (Revised August 2013)
Case

The DiagnoFirst Opportunity

By: Robert C. Pozen and Rukmini Balu

John Mason, a principle at Oldwell Partners, was facing a decision of whether or not to invest in DiagnoFirst, a molecular diagnostics firm. DiagnoFirst's key product was a genetic test that identified a subset of prostate cancer patients with a high risk of clinical... View Details

Keywords: Genetic Engineering; Genetically Modified; Genomics; Venture Capital; Patents; Genetics; Decision Choices and Conditions; Laws and Statutes; Investment; Science-Based Business; Biotechnology Industry

October 2020 (Revised June 2021)
Case

Francisco Partners Private Credit Opportunity Fund

By: Luis M. Viceira, John D. Dionne, Soracha Prathanrasnikorn and Ari Sunshine

In April 2020, Scott Einsenberg, the Head of Credit at the private equity firm Francisco Partners, is deciding whether to go ahead with extending a private lending agreement to Eventbrite, Inc. (NYSE: EB), a leading global event management and online ticketing... View Details

Keywords: Private Debt; Private Credit; Industry Evolution; Private Equity; Investment; Analysis

Keywords: Silicon Valley; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises

03 Aug 2010
News

When Opportunity Knocks

23 Oct 2013

2+2 Information Session: University of Pennsylvania

The information session is an opportunity for college and master degree students to learn more about the 2+2 application process to the MBA program and ask questions to an Admissions Board Member. The session will begin at 4:00 PM EST in Levine Hall Conference Room... View Details

March 2011
Background Note

Pitching Business Opportunities

By: Lynda M. Applegate, William R. Kerr and Alexis Brownell

This note can be used to develop a business plan pitch for a new venture. View Details

Keywords: Business Plan; Business Startups; Spoken Communication; Competency and Skills; Entrepreneurship

14 Feb 2018
News

A ‘Hopeaholic’ Promotes Diversity, Inclusion, and Equality in the Workplace

demonstrate how they can be more innovative and successful by fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce. Coleman, who previously was managing director of the Nobel Peace Prize–nominated Feminist Majority Foundation, believes diversity... View Details

09 Jan 2014
News

Tapping into Opportunity

of some nebulous wish to do good, however. She's doing it because being smart about water will save these organizations a lot of money. "Providing dramatic improvements in how much water we use, and the... View Details

Keywords: Constantine von Hoffman; Business and Environment Initiative; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

March 2008
Article

Toward an Understanding of When Executives See Crisis As Opportunity

Whereas it has long been noted that crises may be sources of opportunity for organizations and their constituents, relatively little is known about the conditions under which executives come to perceive crises as opportunity. The authors delineate some factors that... View Details

Keywords: Opportunities; Attitudes; Crisis Management