Publications

November 2005 (Revised October 2012)
Case

The MCI Takeover Battle: Verizon versus Qwest

By: Malcolm P. Baker and James Quinn

MCI's board of directors is considering competing bids from Verizon and Qwest. Qwest, a smaller company with a weaker balance sheet, is offering almost a billion dollars more. But Verizon, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world, has a history of... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Decision Choices and Conditions; Capital Markets; Financial Strategy; Governing and Advisory Boards; Valuation; Telecommunications Industry; United States

October 2000 (Revised January 2002)
Case

Individual and the Corporation, The: Kathy Levinson and E*TRADE (B)

By: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr. and Susan Harmeling

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Conflict of Interests; Leadership; Managerial Roles; Values and Beliefs; Decision Choices and Conditions; Gender; Diversity; Financial Services Industry

September 1997 (Revised May 1999)
Case

Precision Controls, Inc.

By: James K. Sebenius and David T. Kotchen

Precision Controls is a Minnesota-based manufacturer of electronic control devices. To enhance its product line, Precision would like to establish an artificial intelligence research group, either through internal development or, preferably, by merging with or... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Valuation; Research and Development; Negotiation Process; Stock Shares; Negotiation Tactics; Mergers and Acquisitions; Manufacturing Industry; Electronics Industry; Minnesota

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09 Dec 2008
First Look

First Look: December 9, 2008

opportunity to see both sides of the issue. When Hrad enters into a contract to create a new accounts payable system for Welsh toy distributor Tegan, the outsourcing firm from the Czech Republic views the project as another step in its progression towards delivering... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

February 2006
Case

Millions of Customers and the Search for a Business: the Challenge of IRC-Hispano

Like many online services, IRC-Hispano, the world's largest Spanish-language chat organization, has many customers but sees few revenues. As an association, its structure presents many limitations and hurdles to overcome involving investing in technology platform... View Details

Keywords: Customer Value and Value Chain; Decision Choices and Conditions; Digital Platforms; Technology Adoption; Internet and the Web; Organizational Structure; Technological Innovation; Revenue; Web Services Industry; Technology Industry; Spain

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October 2024 (Revised March 2025)
Teaching Note

BWX Technologies

By: Suraj Srinivasan and Yuan Zou

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 124-071. View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Communication Intention and Meaning; Business and Shareholder Relations; Valuation; Diversification; United States; Canada

November 2009
Background Note

Business Valuation and the Cost of Capital

By: Timothy A. Luehrman

This note is an introduction to the cost of capital as used in discounted cash flow valuation analyses. The note covers basic financial economic principles and practical problems encountered in calculating the cost of capital, especially WACC. It concludes with... View Details

Keywords: Economics; Capital Budgeting; Cash Flow; Cost of Capital; Valuation

October 2006 (Revised April 2008)
Case

Ben Walter

By: Andre F. Perold and David S. Scharfstein

Ben Walter is thinking of purchasing Butler Lumber and needs to decide how he would run the business and how much to pay for it. View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Decision Choices and Conditions; Investment; Valuation

April 2002
Supplement

Grey Warner, Merck Latin America

By: Michael Beer

Grey Warner, the vice president of Merck's Latin America region, discusses the challenges raised in the case and the lessons learned. View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Values and Beliefs; Change Management; Problems and Challenges; Management Teams; Pharmaceutical Industry; Latin America

Mar 2012
Article

The Looming Challenge to U.S. Competitiveness

such as lower wages or a cheaper dollar, do not boost U.S. competitiveness by our definition. Whether a nation is competitive hinges on its long-run productivity—that is, the value of goods and services produced per unit of human,... View Details

Mar 2012
Article

How to Make Finance Work

of the U.S. economy by increasing capital and liquidity requirements, reorienting the discussion around housing finance reform from keeping mortgage credit cheap to ensuring financial stability, and instituting measures that compel asset managers to compete on the true... View Details

Portrait Project

Kate Aitken

too many, and polarized our national politics. My dream is to engage in the work of repairing American democracy by bridging the chasm in our political discourse. I will strive to restore faith in our governing institutions so that more young people see View Details

02 Jun 2021
News

The NBA's African Expansion

on the board alongside NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Mark Tatum (MBA 1998). NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a press conference that the enterprise value for NBA Africa is nearly $1 billion. READ MORE View Details

Keywords: Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Arts, Entertainment

01 Dec 2000
News

A Plastic Fantastic Friendship

avant-garde artists of the 20th century, a man who clipped coupons for restaurant specials while giving away an art collection valued in the millions." Morse and his wife, Eleanor, bought their first Dalí, Daddy Longlegs of the... View Details

Keywords: Salvador Dali; Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions; Arts, Entertainment; Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing; Manufacturing

01 Apr 2001
News

HBS Press Books in Brief

Inside Chinese Business: A Guide for Managers Worldwide reveals the social and cultural values that underpin Chinese business practices and influence day-to-day corporate decisions. Written by Ming-Jer Chen, an expert on business strategy... View Details

Keywords: Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information; Telecommunications; Information; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management

September 2010 (Revised August 2013)
Case

Liza Davis and the Bargain Hunting Customer

By: Francisco de Asis Martinez-Jerez and Lisa Brem

Liza Davis, an upscale women's fashion retailer, is reeling from worldwide recession and lower demand. Should the company target the fast-growing bargain hunter segment or hold the line on price discounts to preserve their brand image? Customer profitability... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Price; Product Positioning; Customer Value and Value Chain; Business Cycles; Financial Crisis; Profit; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Fashion Industry; Retail Industry

February 2011 (Revised May 2012)
Teaching Note

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (TN)

By: William E. Fruhan

Teaching Note for 211-067. View Details

Keywords: Information Infrastructure; Business and Shareholder Relations; Value Creation; Opportunities; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Governance; Executive Compensation; Balance and Stability; Manufacturing Industry