Publications

March 2009 (Revised November 2009)
Case

WL Ross and Plascar

By: C. Fritz Foley and Linnea Meyer

How can distressed investors take advantage of the procedures governing an international bankruptcy? Wilbur L. Ross, chairman and CEO of the private equity firm WL Ross & Co., LLC, has the opportunity to bid for debt and equity claims on Plascar Industria e Comercio... View Details

Keywords: Borrowing and Debt; Private Equity; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Investment; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Globalized Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries

01 Mar 2015
News

A Boomtown's Echo

regulation of natural gas, nuclear power, and hazardous wastes. A Global Solution Professor Joe Lassiter The flame from a natural gas flare dances in the shadow of an oil pump... View Details

Keywords: Oil and Gas Extraction; Mining

09 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 9

legal event as a natural experiment to examine equity-debt conflicts in the vicinity of financial distress. A 1991 Delaware bankruptcy ruling changed the nature of corporate... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

January 2005 (Revised November 2014)
Case

Arch Wireless, Inc.

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Perry L. Fagan

The largest wireless paging company in the United States has to restructure its debt in response to the collapse of its market. The restructuring faces formidable challenges. Valuing the company is extremely difficult because Arch's public competitors are also severely... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Borrowing and Debt; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Organizational Structure; Valuation

Web

Corporate Reports Collection | Baker Library | Bloomberg Center | Harvard Business School

Introduction 1840s – 1880s General Merchants to Commodities Brokers 1880s – 1920s Investment Banking & Securities Underwriting 1920s – 1960s Investing in Emerging Industries 1850–1968 Lehman Brothers Family Partners 1960s – 2000s Leadership Transitions 2008 View Details

26 Jan 2016
First Look

January 26, 2016

case: https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/515072-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 213-046 W.R. Grace & Co.: Dealing with Asbestos Torts A manufacturer of building products and specialty chemicals, W.R. Grace & Co. filed... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

05 Feb 2009
What Do You Think?

Why Can’t We Figure Out How to Select Leaders?

2001) Note: Selecting companies for good to greatness may be just as difficult as selecting leaders. One of the 11 companies that Collins cited as going from good to great went on to bankruptcy in just seven... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

March 2011
Supplement

Countrywide plc (CW)

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah L. Abbott

One of the world's leading investors in distressed companies, Oaktree Capital Management is contemplating a "loan to own" investment in the debt f Countrywide plc, a financially troubled residential real estate agent based in the U.K. Only sixteen months earlier,... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Restructuring; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Assets; Borrowing and Debt; Private Equity; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Investment Portfolio; Crisis Management; Strategy; Valuation; Real Estate Industry; United Kingdom

Though he was part of the teams that launched the Ford Thunderbird and Mustang, Petersen's real fame is rooted in his revival of the Ford dynasty in the 1980s. Under Petersen's leadership, Ford grew out... View Details

Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace

27 May 2009
First Look

First Look: May 27, 2009

the death or bankruptcy of at least one seller, are sold at lower prices than other houses. Foreclosure discounts are particularly large, on average, at 28% of the value View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

04 Dec 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, December 4, 2018

structural adjustment followed. Today several structural issues and the threat of external risks continue to cast a shadow on its otherwise remarkable recovery. Purchase this... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

06 Mar 2007
First Look

First Look: March 6, 2007

Self-Policing in the Shadow of the Regulator Authors:Jodi L. Short and Michael W. Toffel Abstract As part of a recent trend toward more cooperative relations between regulators... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

20 Apr 2010
First Look

First Look: April 20

company's, and his, legacy will be after declaring bankruptcy despite a cultural turnaround and successful operations. Purchase this supplement:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/610061-PDF-ENG The Last DVD Format War? Andrei... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

14 Aug 2007
First Look

First Look: August 14, 2007

Working PapersHedge Fund Investor Activism and Takeovers Authors:Robin Greenwood and Michael Schor Abstract We examine long-horizon stock returns around hedge fund activism in a comprehensive sample of 13D filings by portfolio investors... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

April 2017 (Revised February 2020)
Case

Restructuring Ukraine

By: Kristin Mugford, Seema Amble and Tian Feng

In June 2015, Ukraine found itself struggling with a volatile and devalued currency, dramatically diminished foreign reserves, and a projected financing shortfall of $40 billion. Ukraine’s new government sought to return the nation to stability following political... View Details

Keywords: Exchange Rates; Politics; Macroeconomics; Financial Crisis; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Restructuring; Economy; Currency Exchange Rate; Banks and Banking; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Bonds; Sovereign Finance; Capital Markets; Credit; Debt Securities; Financial Liquidity; Financial Markets; Government and Politics; Ukraine

01 Oct 1996
News

No Bull — Nancy E. Havens-Hasty (MBA 1971)

before being asked to head the company's bankruptcy department in 1987. In 1991, she was granted responsibility for the high-yield department as well, and in 1992 became the first female employee elected to the Bear Stearns board View Details

Keywords: Linda Goodspeed

March 2004 (Revised May 2004)
Case

Governance Reform at MCI

By: Lynn S. Paine and Bridget Gurtler

Richard Breeden proposed corporate governance reforms for MCI. Breeden is a former chairman of the SEC who was a court-appointed "corporate monitor" for the troubled company (formerly WorldCom). The company must adhere to the proposals unless excused by a court order. View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Restructuring; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Business or Company Management; Management Teams

Web

Lehman Brothers Deal Books | Baker Library | Bloomberg Center | Harvard Business School

Introduction 1840s – 1880s General Merchants to Commodities Brokers 1880s – 1920s Investment Banking & Securities Underwriting 1920s – 1960s Investing in Emerging Industries 1850–1968 Lehman Brothers Family Partners 1960s – 2000s Leadership Transitions 2008 View Details

2010
Working Paper

When Do Analysts Add Value? Evidence from Corporate Spinoffs

By: Emilie Rose Feldman, Stuart Gilson and Belen Villalonga

We investigate the information content and forecast accuracy of 1,793 analyst reports written around 62 spinoffs—a setting in which analysts' ability to inform investors is potentially very high. We find that analysts pay little attention to subsidiaries about to be... View Details

Keywords: Earnings Management; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Subsidiaries; Restructuring; Forecasting and Prediction; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Initial Public Offering; Price; Reports; Research