Publications

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December 2003 (Revised February 2005)
Case

HiJinx, Inc.

HiJinx is formulating its financial policy after a failed IPO. Options include landlord financing of its expansion, though with the knowledge that its real estate strategy may be compromised. View Details

Keywords: Initial Public Offering; Expansion; Valuation; Financial Strategy

January 2007 (Revised July 2008)
Case

Capital Field: A Room with a View

By: Nicolas P. Retsinas and Joshua Wyatt

Jerzy Peters, Managing Director of Patron Capital Partners, must decide the best investment option on the development of the Odra Polish theater chain and the associated real estate. Capital Field was a company formed by U.S.-educated Polish natives involved in real... View Details

Keywords: Investment; Emerging Markets; State Ownership; Privatization; Property; Real Estate Industry; Poland

January 1998 (Revised September 2001)
Case

Genset: 1989

By: Paul A. Gompers and Amy Burroughs

Discusses the start-up strategy at Genset, a French biotech firm. Pascal Brandys, a venture capitalist, and Marc Vasseur, a leading French scientist, must decide how to proceed. Future real options are central to the strategy. View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Venture Capital; Business Startups; Biotechnology Industry; France

2014
Working Paper

Financing Risk and Innovation

By: Ramana Nanda and Matthew Rhodes-Kropf

We provide a model of investment into new ventures that demonstrates why some places, times, and industries should be associated with a greater degree of experimentation by investors. Investors respond to financing risk―a forecast of limited future funding―by modifying... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Venture Capital; Financial Markets; Financing and Loans; Investment; Price Bubble; Innovation and Invention; Technological Innovation; Risk and Uncertainty

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April 2017
Article

Financing Risk and Innovation

By: Ramana Nanda and Matthew Rhodes-Kropf

We provide a model of investment into new ventures that demonstrates why some places, times, and industries should be associated with a greater degree of experimentation by investors. Investors respond to financing risk―a forecast of limited future funding―by modifying... View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Financing and Loans; Innovation and Invention

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June 1992
Case

Arundel Partners: The Sequel Project

By: Timothy A. Luehrman and William A. Teichner

A group of investors is considering buying the sequel rights for a portfolio of feature films. They need to determine how much to offer to pay and how to structure a contract with one or more major U.S. film studios. The case contains cash flow estimates for all major... View Details

Keywords: Rights; Debt Securities; Contracts; Cash Flow; Valuation; Capital Budgeting; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; United States

26 Aug 2014
First Look

First Look: August 26

Real Rates By: Hanson, Samuel G., and Jeremy C. Stein Abstract—Changes in monetary policy have surprisingly strong effects on forward real rates in the distant future. A 100 basis point increase in the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

July 2009 (Revised September 2009)
Case

The Blackstone Group: Merlin Entertainment

The Blackstone Group had conducted a roll-up of theme parks and attractions business in Europe. It was considering how to generate liquidity for its investors. Blackstone entered the theme parks and attractions business in Europe by acquiring a majority stake in... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Cost vs Benefits; Private Equity; Financial Liquidity; Investment Return; Risk Management; Leasing; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Europe

Research Summary

Valuation Theory and Practice

Timothy A. Luehrman's primary research interest is in the application of valuation methods to companies, businesses, and individual assets. Some of his work involves applications of tools originally developed for valuing derivative securities to the valuation of other... View Details

April 2021
Case

Transforming BlackBerry: From Smartphones to Software

By: Ranjay Gulati and Nicole Tempest Keller

On the verge of failure, BlackBerry brought in John Chen as CEO in 2013 to orchestrate a bold turnaround of the company. Once an iconic leader in the smartphone market, BlackBerry was best known for its tactile QWERTY keyboard, strong security, and a focus on business... View Details

Keywords: Pivot; Managing Change; Turnaround; Smartphone; Change Management; Leading Change; Transformation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Digital Platforms; Change; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Competitive Strategy; Cybersecurity; Technology Industry; Transportation Industry; Canada

15 Oct 2001
Research & Ideas

What You Don’t Know About Making Decisions

Unfortunately, superior decision making is distressingly difficult to assess in real time. Successful outcomes—decisions of high quality, made in a timely manner and implemented effectively—can be evaluated only after the fact. But by the... View Details

Keywords: by David A. Garvin & Michael A. Roberto

04 Feb 2002
Research & Ideas

How To Do Business in Islamic Countries

"There are very few who are doing that yet," he added. "As a result, truly few Muslims who are international businesspeople are exposed to the vagaries of currency exchanges." There are religiously acceptable options... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

13 Jun 2011
HBS Case

Mobile Banking for the Unbanked

bank accounts at all—they wanted effective ways to send money home to their families. The case's key lesson is the importance of meeting the real needs of your target audience, not the needs as you perceive them, says professor V. Kasturi... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Banking; Communications; Telecommunications

October 2009
Case

Low-k Dielectrics at IBM

By: Willy C. Shih and Giovanni Carraro

Innovations at the frontiers of technology carry enormous risk of making wrong choices. This case examines a decision made by IBM in its semiconductor process technology strategy: a material to use as a dielectric insulator in its leading edge silicon chip technology.... View Details

Keywords: Competency and Skills; Decision Choices and Conditions; Technological Innovation; Product Development; Science; Creativity; Semiconductor Industry; United States

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02 Jan 2020
Op-Ed

Medicare for All or Public Option: Can Either Heal Health Care?

allow people to choose Medicare or private insurance. The Republicans, for their part, have focused on dismantling Obamacare and making hospital prices more transparent. Which, if any of these, can solve these serious problems? We think that a public View Details

Keywords: by Regina E. Herzlinger and James Wallace; Health; Public Administration

September 2005 (Revised July 2008)
Case

Rancho Cucamonga

By: Arthur I Segel and David Robert Cotterman

Mikey Jones must decide what type of senior housing to develop, whether he should operate the facility himself, and what financing option he should pursue. View Details

Keywords: Financing and Loans; Investment; Housing; Real Estate Industry