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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,334)
- People (5)
- News (343)
- Research (736)
- Events (1)
- Multimedia (1)
- Faculty Publications (267)
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- 2023
- Working Paper
Competition and Speculation in Cryptocurrencies
By: Alex A. Wu and Justin Katz
We examine how mutual fund managers' performance incentives generated speculative demand during the 2020-2022 cryptocurrency boom and bust. Managers with strong relative performance incentives began investing in crypto after their competitors began investing in it,... View Details
Wu, Alex A., and Justin Katz. "Competition and Speculation in Cryptocurrencies." Working Paper, April 2023.
- September 2021
- Case
Worldreader: Helping Readers Build a Better World
By: Marco Bertini, Elie Ofek and Julia Kelley
Founded in 2010, Worldreader was an international nonprofit organization that promoted reading to children around the world. For many years, Worldreader distributed e-readers to under-resourced communities and funded its operations primarily through philanthropic... View Details
Keywords: Subscription Model; Price; Financial Strategy; Education; Early Childhood Education; Learning; Geography; Geographic Scope; Global Range; Goals and Objectives; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Markets; Organizations; Mission and Purpose; Social Enterprise; Non-Governmental Organizations; Nonprofit Organizations; Society; Social Issues; Strategy; Commercialization; Expansion; Segmentation; Education Industry; Africa; Asia; Latin America; Europe; North and Central America; South America
Bertini, Marco, Elie Ofek, and Julia Kelley. "Worldreader: Helping Readers Build a Better World." Harvard Business School Case 522-003, September 2021.
- June 2020 (Revised August 2020)
- Supplement
Vanguard Retail Operations (B)
By: Willy C. Shih and Antonio Moreno
The first two cases in this series are set in the financial services industry, and explore whether it is better for back-office workers to be generalists who provide the flexibility of being able to handle the complete range of transactions that the company faces or... View Details
Keywords: Pooling; Generalist Model; Specialist Model; Service Operations; Management; Financial Services Industry; United States
Shih, Willy C., and Antonio Moreno. "Vanguard Retail Operations (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 620-105, June 2020. (Revised August 2020.)
- October 2021 (Revised May 2023)
- Case
Engine No.1: An Impact Investing Firm Engages with ExxonMobil
By: Mark Kramer, Shawn Cole, Vikram S. Gandhi and T. Robert Zochowski
ExxonMobil, the world's fifth largest source of carbon emissions, remained committed to aggressively expanding its oil & gas business despite global warming. During the COVID pandemic this strategy resulted in massive losses as the price and demand for oil declined. ... View Details
Keywords: Carbon Emissions; Global Warming; Impact Investment Funds; Hedge Fund Activism; Leadership Development; Business Model; Renewable Energy; Resource Allocation; Decision Choices and Conditions; Governing and Advisory Boards
Kramer, Mark, Shawn Cole, Vikram S. Gandhi, and T. Robert Zochowski. "Engine No. 1: An Impact Investing Firm Engages with ExxonMobil." Harvard Business School Case 222-028, October 2021. (Revised May 2023.)
- Article
The Cost of Capital for Alternative Investments
By: Jakub W. Jurek and Erik Stafford
Traditional risk factor models indicate that hedge funds capture pre-fee alphas of 6% to 10% per annum over the period from 1996 to 2012. At the same time, the hedge fund return series is not reliably distinguishable from the returns of mechanical S&P 500 put-writing... View Details
Keywords: Hedge Funds; Required Returns; Downside Risk; Index Options; Investment Funds; Cost of Capital; Investment Return; Risk and Uncertainty; Financial Services Industry
Jurek, Jakub W., and Erik Stafford. "The Cost of Capital for Alternative Investments." Journal of Finance 70, no. 5 (October 2015): 2185–2226.
- February 2015
- Case
Longbow Capital Partners
By: Malcolm Baker, Samuel G. Hanson and James Weber
Longbow Capital Partners is a value-oriented long/short hedge fund focused on stocks in the energy sector. In January 2011, Longbow had invested in NiSource, a Fortune 500 company that owns a diverse portfolio of regulated energy businesses. In late 2014, Longbow was... View Details
Keywords: Value Investing; Investment Strategy; Dividend Yield; Intrinsic Value; Dividend Discount Model; Master Limited Partnership; Hedge Fund; Energy Industry; Regulation; Utilities; Finance; Financial Services Industry; United States
Baker, Malcolm, Samuel G. Hanson, and James Weber. "Longbow Capital Partners." Harvard Business School Case 215-026, February 2015.
- 2020
- Working Paper
Cutting the Gordian Knot of Employee Health Care Benefits and Costs: A Corporate Model Built on Employee Choice
By: Regina E. Herzlinger and Barak D. Richman
The U.S. employer-based health insurance tax exclusion created a system of employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) with limited insurance choices and transparency that may lock employed households into health plans that are costlier or different from those they prefer to... View Details
Keywords: After-tax Income; Consumer-driven Health Care; Health Care Costs; Health Insurance; Income Inequality; Tax Policy; Health Care and Treatment; Cost; Insurance; Employees; Income; Taxation; Policy; United States
Herzlinger, Regina E., and Barak D. Richman. "Cutting the Gordian Knot of Employee Health Care Benefits and Costs: A Corporate Model Built on Employee Choice." Duke Law School Public Law & Legal Theory Series, No. 2020-4, December 2019. (Revised January 2021.)
- November 2022 (Revised March 2024)
- Case
Replika AI: Monetizing a Chatbot
By: Julian De Freitas and Nicole Tempest Keller
In early 2018, Eugenia Kuyda, co-founder and CEO of San Francisco-based chatbot Replika AI, was deciding how to monetize the app she had built. Launched in 2017, Replika was a consumer AI “companion app” developed by a team of AI software engineers originally based in... View Details
Keywords: Mental Health; Subscriber Models; TAM; Monetization Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; AI and Machine Learning; Applications and Software; Product Positioning; Health Disorders; Technology Industry
De Freitas, Julian, and Nicole Tempest Keller. "Replika AI: Monetizing a Chatbot." Harvard Business School Case 523-016, November 2022. (Revised March 2024.)
- October 2017 (Revised October 2022)
- Case
Jumia Nigeria: from Retail to Marketplace (A)
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Namrata Arora
Founded in 2012, Jumia Nigeria, a startup effort by Germany-based Rocket Internet, aimed to become an African Amazon. The company entered the nascent market and immediately enjoyed an uptick in consumer spending fueled by the strength of Nigeria’s oil-based economy. By... View Details
Keywords: Retail; Marketplace; Inventory; Ecommerce; Funding; Business Ecosystem; Business Ecosystems; Competition; Business Model; Globalization; Emerging Markets; Expansion; Logistics; Competitive Strategy; E-commerce; Retail Industry; India; Nigeria; Africa
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and Namrata Arora. "Jumia Nigeria: from Retail to Marketplace (A)." Harvard Business School Case 718-401, October 2017. (Revised October 2022.)
- 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
Shipley, N. Louis, and William R. Kerr. "Katie Couric Media: Landing the First Client." Harvard Business School Case 822-011, September 2021. (Revised March 2022.)
- April 2022 (Revised August 2022)
- Case
Conflicts of Interest at Uptown Bank
By: Jonas Heese
In 2013, two employees debated whether to blow the whistle on their employer, Bell Bank, after completing an internal review that revealed undisclosed conflicts of interest. Bell Bank’s Asset Management business disproportionately invested clients’ money in Bell Bank’s... View Details
Keywords: Whistleblower; Whistleblowing; Mutual Funds; Conflicts Of Interest; Decision Making; Decisions; Judgments; Ethics; Moral Sensibility; Values and Beliefs; Finance; Financial Institutions; Banks and Banking; Financial Management; Investment; Investment Funds; Governance; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Disclosure; Corporate Governance; Governance Compliance; Governance Controls; Policy; Law; Legal Liability; Social Psychology; Motivation and Incentives; Perception; Perspective; Trust; Financial Services Industry; North and Central America; United States
Heese, Jonas. "Conflicts of Interest at Uptown Bank." Harvard Business School Case 122-022, April 2022. (Revised August 2022.)
- January 2018 (Revised March 2019)
- Teaching Note
Jumia Nigeria: from Retail to Marketplace (A) and (B)
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Karen Elterman
Founded in 2012, Jumia Nigeria, a startup effort by Germany-based Rocket Internet, aimed to become an African Amazon. The company entered the nascent market and immediately enjoyed an uptick in consumer spending fueled by the strength of Nigeria’s oil-based economy. By... View Details
- March 2017 (Revised November 2021)
- Case
Floodgate: On the Hunt for Thunder Lizards
By: Rory McDonald, Alix Burke, Emma Franking and Nicole Tempest
Founded in 2008, Floodgate pioneered the “micro-VC” category, a new type of investment firm that raised smaller funds and made earlier, smaller investments in technology startups than traditional venture-capital firms. By 2015, Floodgate had raised three funds totaling... View Details
Keywords: Innovation; Business Models; Angel Investors; Crowdfunding; Incubators; Accelerators; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Business Startups; Information Technology; Business Model; Innovation and Invention; Competitive Strategy
McDonald, Rory, Alix Burke, Emma Franking, and Nicole Tempest. "Floodgate: On the Hunt for Thunder Lizards." Harvard Business School Case 617-044, March 2017. (Revised November 2021.)
- October 2017 (Revised September 2018)
- Supplement
Jumia Nigeria: from Retail to Marketplace (B)
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Namrata Arora
This follow up case study explores the ramifications of Jumia's decision to move from a retail-led to a markplace business model for its e-commerce platform. The case visits the company's successes as well as its many failures when adopting this vendor-led strategy. ... View Details
Keywords: Retail; Marketplace; Inventory; Funding; Business Ecosystems; Business Ecosystem; Competition; Business Model; Globalization; Emerging Markets; Expansion; Logistics; Retail Industry; India; Nigeria; Africa
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and Namrata Arora. "Jumia Nigeria: from Retail to Marketplace (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 718-432, October 2017. (Revised September 2018.)
- July 2018 (Revised January 2021)
- Case
RunKeeper
By: Shikhar Ghosh and Shweta Bagai
The case examines the focus of an early stage company and how venture capital can distort a founder’s view. It encompasses issues such as financing, understanding the founders’ definition of success/failure, defining and pivoting a business model, and determining the... View Details
Keywords: Early Stage Funding; Pivot; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Business Model; Health Industry
Ghosh, Shikhar, and Shweta Bagai. "RunKeeper." Harvard Business School Case 819-020, July 2018. (Revised January 2021.)
- December 2002 (Revised February 2015)
- Case
Jim Sharpe: Extrusion Technology, Inc. (Abridged)
By: H. Kent Bowen and Barbara Feinberg
Jim Sharpe, 10 years after receiving his MBA from Harvard and working for others, has finally become his own boss and 100% owner of manufacturer of aluminum extrusions. After 10 months of an unfunded search, he acquires the business in an LBO and prepares to face his... View Details
Keywords: Search Funds; Search; Entrepreneurial Management; Operations Strategy; Acquisitions; Work/family Balance; Unions; Union; Turnarounds; Funding Model; LBO; Bank Debt; Bank Loans; Equity Investment; Career Management; Small Business; Work-Life Balance; Negotiation; Operations; Labor Unions; Investment; Entrepreneurship; Financing and Loans; Borrowing and Debt; Business Strategy; Manufacturing Industry
Bowen, H. Kent, and Barbara Feinberg. "Jim Sharpe: Extrusion Technology, Inc. (Abridged) ." Harvard Business School Case 603-084, December 2002. (Revised February 2015.)
- 2023
- Working Paper
Avoiding Idiosyncratic Volatility: Flow Sensitivity to Individual Stock Returns
By: Marco Di Maggio, Francesco Franzoni, Shimon Kogan and Ran Xing
Despite positive and significant earnings announcement premia, we find that institutional investors reduce their exposure to stocks before earnings announcements. A novel result on the sensitivity of flows to individual stock returns provides a potential explanation.... View Details
Keywords: New Trading; Mutual Funds; Fund Flows; Limits To Arbitrage; Financial Constraints; Earnings Announcements; Institutional Investing; Stocks
Di Maggio, Marco, Francesco Franzoni, Shimon Kogan, and Ran Xing. "Avoiding Idiosyncratic Volatility: Flow Sensitivity to Individual Stock Returns." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 23-072, March 2023. (Revise and Resubmit to The Journal of Finance.)
- Teaching Interest
Managing Service Operations - MBA Elective Curriculum
By: Ryan W. Buell
World-class service organizations deeply understand the needs and behaviors of their customers, and design, manage, and improve their operating models accordingly. This course investigates the distinct challenges inherent in leading service operations, which make up... View Details
- January 2018
- Supplement
Jumia Nigeria PowerPoint Supplement
Founded in 2012, Jumia Nigeria, a startup effort by Germany-based Rocket Internet, aimed to become an African Amazon. The company entered the nascent market and immediately enjoyed an uptick in consumer spending fueled by the strength of Nigeria’s oil-based economy. By... View Details
- January 2016 (Revised January 2019)
- Supplement
The Allergan Board Under Fire (B)
By: Lynn S. Paine, Suraj Srinivasan, John C. Coates and David Lane
In 2014, the Allergan Inc. board of directors received a surprise takeover offer from Valeant Pharmaceuticals in alliance with hedge fund activist Bill Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management. In the unprecedented arrangement between an acquirer and a hedge fund... View Details
Keywords: Allergan, Inc.; Valeant; Ackman; Pershing Square; Tender Offer; Activist Investors; Business Models; R&D; Board Of Directors; Securities Litigation; Acquisition Strategy; Takeover Defenses; Hedge Funds; Shareholder Rights; Proxy Contest; Shareholder Special Meetings; Legal Issues In Contested Takeovers; Corporate Governance; Investment Activism; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Business Model; Business and Shareholder Relations; Valuation; Pharmaceutical Industry
Paine, Lynn S., Suraj Srinivasan, John C. Coates, and David Lane. "The Allergan Board Under Fire (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 316-029, January 2016. (Revised January 2019.)