Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(306)
- Faculty Publications (69)
- 2008
- Chapter
A New Generation of Pension Fund Management
By: Robert C. Merton
In talking about pension plans at this point in American economic and corporate history, we need to discuss three linked issues: the defined-benefit (DB) corporate plans that worked for our parents; the defined-contribution (DC) plans we're getting today because... View Details
- 2008
- Chapter
Life-Cycle Funds
By: Luis M. Viceira
The U.S. retirement system has experienced a substantial transformation in recent years. It has evolved from a system in which employees relied mainly on Social Security and professionally managed defined benefit (DB) pension plans sponsored by their employers to... View Details
- January 2008 (Revised May 2009)
- Case
Restructuring at Delphi Corporation (A)
By: Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah L. Abbott
Delphi Corporation, operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, has filed a plan of reorganization with the court, under which a consortium of hedge funds led by Appaloosa Management will invest up to $2.6 billion in new equity. Also participating in the plan is... View Details
- June 2007 (Revised January 2008)
- Case
The Vanguard Group, Inc. in 2006 and Target Retirement Funds
By: Luis M. Viceira
The Vanguard Group is one of the largest asset managers in the U.S., with over $1 trillion in assets, ninety percent of which are mutual fund assets, and more than 12,000 employees at year-end 2006. Vanguard has built a strong reputation as the manager of reference for... View Details
- June 2007 (Revised December 2007)
- Case
AFL-CIO: Office of Investment and Home Depot
By: Rakesh Khurana and James Weber
Describes the AFL-CIO: Office of Investments activities in their campaign to improve governance at Home Depot by calling attention to Home Depot CEO Robert Nardelli's compensation package and the company's poor performance. The AFL-CIO Office of Investments advocates... View Details
- February 2006 (Revised April 2006)
- Teaching Note
General Motors U.S. Pension Funds (TN)
By: Luis M. Viceira
- July 2005 (Revised December 2005)
- Case
General Motors U.S. Pension Funds
By: Luis M. Viceira and Helen Tung
In June 2003, General Motors Corp. (GM) successfully marketed the largest corporate debt offering in U.S. history, worth $17.6 billion. The offering included $13.6 billion worth of debt denominated in dollars, euros, and pounds and $4 billion dollars denominated in... View Details
- April 2004
- Teaching Note
IBET Pension Fund, The (TN)
By: Arthur I Segel
Teaching Note to (9-800-133). View Details
- July 2003 (Revised December 2003)
- Case
Investment Policy at New England Healthcare
By: Jay O. Light, Luis M. Viceira and Akiko M. Mitsui
The Investment Committee of New England Healthcare must decide how to invest three long-term investment pools: a long-term, endowment-type fund and two pension plans. In particular, the committee is evaluating whether the two pension funds--one is a "final salary"... View Details
Keywords: Decisions; Asset Management; Investment; Investment Portfolio; Policy; Taxation; Health Industry; England
- June 2003 (Revised August 2003)
- Case
Pension Policy at The Boots Company PLC
By: Luis M. Viceira and Akiko M. Mitsui
In early 2000, the trustees of the pension scheme at Boots considered a proposal to move 100% of the pension assets into a bond portfolio, which would be passively managed. The Boots Co. PLC was a leading retailer of cosmetics and toiletries in the United Kingdom, and... View Details
- February 2003 (Revised May 2008)
- Case
AFP Provida
By: Michael E. Porter, Arturo L. Condo and Andrea Prado
Describes the evolution of AFP Provida, one of the early entrants into the Chilean pension fund system established in 1981. By 1999, AFP Provida was not only the largest pension fund administrator in Chile, but also the largest in Latin America in terms of number of... View Details
- July 2002 (Revised August 2003)
- Case
Unilever Superannuation Fund vs. Merrill Lynch, The
By: Andre F. Perold and Joshua Musher
In 2001, the Unilever Superannuation Fund sued Merrill Lynch for damages of 130 million British pounds. Over the period 1977 to 1998, the Unilever Fund had significantly underperformed the benchmark, and its trustees contended that the poor returns resulted from... View Details
- October 2001 (Revised February 2002)
- Case
Acme Investment Trust: January 2001
By: Josh Lerner
The managers of a large corporate pension fund must decide whether to invest in a private equity fund that is offering a guaranteed rate of return of 20% on part of its portfolio. The background behind and implications of the guarantee are explored. View Details
- February 2001
- Case
California PERS (B)
By: Jay O. Light, Jay W. Lorsch, James O. Sailer and Katharina Pick
The largest state pension fund continues the evolution of its approach to corporate governance contemplating "relationship investing" and other new approaches. View Details
- November 2000 (Revised May 2001)
- Case
State of South Carolina, The
This case presents the managerial dilemma faced by the treasurer of South Carolina in 1998. Until last year, the South Carolina state pension fund (with over $17 billion in assets) was barred by the state constitution from investing in equities. After the constitution... View Details
- November 1999 (Revised December 2009)
- Case
The IBET Pension Fund
By: Arthur I Segel
Marisa Caris oversees real estate investments for the IBET Pension Fund. She must value each of the existing eight properties and determine a strategy for going forward. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details
- January 1999 (Revised March 2004)
- Case
AMB Consolidation, The
By: William J. Poorvu and Daniel J. Rudd
Anne Shea, assistant vice president at the Curators' Fund (The Fund), is responsible for investing roughly $80 million in real-estate assets. Less than three years ago, Anne invested $40 million into a commingled fund run by AMB Institutional Realty Advisors, Inc., a... View Details
- May 1998 (Revised February 2007)
- Case
Morningstar, Inc.
By: Andre F. Perold and Markus Mullarkey
Morningstar, Inc., a publisher of information for mutual fund investors, is considering alternative strategies for broadening its subscriber base and increasing its revenues. Potential strategies include tailoring information for the defined contribution pension fund... View Details
- August 1997 (Revised September 1997)
- Case
GMIMCo Venture Capital: September 1996
By: Josh Lerner, Peter Wendell and Catherine M. Conneely
Kathryn Stokel must choose between three venture capital groups (if any) in which to invest the pension fund of General Motors Corp. Each has distinct strengths and weaknesses. View Details