Publications

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13 Jan 2020
Research & Ideas

Do Private Equity Buyouts Get a Bad Rap?

firms often hunt for target companies they see as undervalued. By cutting costs or reorganizing, the acquirer can improve productivity and position the firm for profitable operations or a future sale. In some quarters, fears persist that... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Financial Services; Banking

Fast Answer

Companies: small or private

Where can I find information on small and/or private companies? Information on private companies in the U.S. is hard to come by, particularly financial information, and many... View Details

18 Jul 2016
Research & Ideas

Is Greed Ruining Private Equity Firms?

In a first-ever look at the internal economics driving private equity partnerships, Harvard Business School researchers have found that many of these funds can be torn apart by greed among founding partners who take home a much bigger... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Banking; Financial Services

2007
Working Paper

Testing Limits to Policy Reversal: Evidence from Indian Privatizations

By: Siddhartha G. Dastidar, Raymond Fisman and Tarun Khanna

We examine the effect of regime change on privatization using the 2004 election surprise in India. The pro-reform BJP was unexpectedly defeated by a less reformist coalition. Stock prices of government-controlled companies that had been slated for definite... View Details

Keywords: Political Elections; Privatization; State Ownership; Policy; India

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June 2017
Teaching Note

Qalaa Holdings and the Egyptian Refining Company

By: Victoria Ivashina and Jeffrey Boyar

Teaching Note for HBS No. 217-011 View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Infrastructure; Emerging Markets; Africa; Structuring And Financing Large Projects; Financial Services Industry; Egypt

Fast Answer

Private companies: fast growing

How can I find (or create) a list of fast-growing private companies? Create a list using Capital IQ: Go to Screening > Companies Under Company Details, click View Details

December 2004 (Revised May 2005)
Case

Levenger Company

By: Myra M. Hart, Kristin Lieb and Victoria Winston

The Leveens started a high-end catalog business as a small home-based venture in 1987. It grew into a nationally recognized, $60 million company, offering products that ranged from unique pens and pencils to leather briefcases and fully furnished offices. In 1999, it... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Financial Liquidity; Business Exit or Shutdown; Expansion; Business Growth and Maturation; Value; Entrepreneurship; Financing and Loans; Globalization; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry; United States

November 2007
Article

If Private Equity Sized Up Your Business

By: Robert C. Pozen

This article includes a one-page preview that quickly summarizes the key ideas and provides an overview of how the concepts work in practice along with suggestions for further reading. As the dust settles on the recent frenzy of private equity deals (including... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Capital Structure; Private Equity; Investment Return; Governing and Advisory Boards; Executive Compensation; Business and Shareholder Relations; Value Creation; Financial Services Industry

Find at Harvard

12 Feb 2014
Research & Ideas

Private Sector, Public Good

Public Sector seminar series, which runs through May, is designed to induce lively conversation, build a community of scholars, and create a research agenda exploring the possible role of the private sector in shaping the institutions of... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

July 1990 (Revised March 2000)
Case

John M. Case Company

By: Samuel L. Hayes III

The owner of a small, privately held company decides to sell out, and a group of the company's top managers structures a leveraged buyout. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Management Teams; Business Exit or Shutdown

December 2009 (Revised April 2022)
Case

Lyondell Chemical Company

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah Abbott

Hit with an industry recession and the global financial crisis of 2008, in January 2009 LyondellBasell Industries AF S.C.A., one of the world's largest internationally diversified chemical companies headquartered in The Netherlands, placed its U.S. operations and a... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Financial Crisis; Borrowing and Debt; Capital Structure; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Financing and Loans; International Finance; Crisis Management; Chemical Industry; Netherlands; United States

June 2023 (Revised January 2024)
Case

Siemens AG: A Private Equity Approach within an Industrial Corporation?

By: David J. Collis and Haisley Wert

In July 2022, Horst Kayser, Chairman of Siemens AG Portfolio Companies (POC), was reflecting on the advice he could offer Roland Busch, Chief Executive Officer of the parent company Siemens AG, about whether and how to operate a private equity-like approach inside the... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Management; Value Creation; Private Equity; Corporate Strategy

Web

Research - Private Capital Project

investment in the technology sector. The proposed transaction centered on Ping Identity Corporation (“Ping”), a fast-growing identity access management (IAM) software company that was... January 2025 Case Arsenal Capital Partners'... View Details

Web

Events - Private Capital Project

Advisors), moderated by Professors Josh Lerner (Harvard Business School) and Thillai Rajan (IIT Madras) The Engagement of Private Equity with Employees of Portfolio Companies September 14, 2022 “The... View Details

Article

What is the Equity Size of Companies Receiving Private Equity in Latin America?: Evidence from Twenty-five Countries from 2002 to 2008

By: Roberto Charvel

This article reviews the equity size or value of the firms attracting private equity investments in Latin America over time. The information is on post money valuations. View Details

Keywords: Alternative Assets; Entrepreneurial Finance; Emerging Market; Venture Capital; Private Equity; Latin America

Web

Faculty - Private Capital Project

Administration in the Finance and Entrepreneurial Management Units. She presently teaches Real Estate Private Equity and Venture Capital and Private Equity. Rory M. McDonald Assistant Professor of Business... View Details

21 Aug 2015
News

Passing on the IPO: The benefits of staying private

16 Jan 2013
News

George Says Dell Going Private `Is a Stretch'

March 2008
Case

Patel Food and Chemicals Private Limited (A)

By: Felda Hardymon and Ann Leamon

Alok Patel, the founder and chairman of a Gujarat-based, privately held edible oils processor, must decide whether to hire a CFO candidate. Previously, his company's book-keeping has been done by an uncle, who has mentioned that he may retire soon. Patel could hire his... View Details

Keywords: Selection and Staffing; Family Business; Managerial Roles; Emerging Markets; Diversity; Finance; Food and Beverage Industry; Gujarat