Publications

Read Now

23 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 23

(1990) and Petersen-Rajan (1995) models of information acquisition in credit markets. Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/10-077.pdf Strategies to Fight Ad-sponsored Rivals Authors: Ramon... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

09 Dec 2019
Research & Ideas

Identify Great Customers from Their First Purchase

and which will be most responsive to email campaigns, information that firms can use to improve marketing strategy and return on investment. “Companies are leaving money on the table,” says Ascarza, because they don’t know how to use most... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Retail; Service

11 Jul 2017
First Look

First Look at New Ideas and Research, July 11

July–August 2017 Harvard Business Review Finding the Platform in Your Product: Four Strategies That Can Reveal Hidden Value By: Hagiu, Andrei, and Elizabeth J. Altman Abstract—Five of the 10 most valuable companies in the world... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

08 Feb 2011
First Look

First Look: Feb. 8

Srikant M. Datar, and Madhav Rajan Publication:14th ed. Prentice Hall, forthcoming (2012) Abstract Emphasizing the "different costs for different purposes," this text focuses on strategy and the decision-making process.... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

14 Aug 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, August 14, 2018

insight into how firms can realize the benefits of empowerment strategies while mitigating their risks. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=54820 forthcoming Journal of Experimental Psychology: General... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

18 Mar 2014
First Look

First Look: March 18

may need "hot" financial markets to get through the initial period of discovery or diffusion. Download working paper: http://www.people.hbs.edu/mrhodeskropf/FinancingRiskandInnovation.pdf Cases & Course Materials Harvard Business School Case 114-049... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 2019 (Revised January 2021)
Supplement

The Leveraged Buyout of TXU: (B) Energy Future Holdings

By: Trevor Fetter, Erik Snowberg and Rebecca M. Henderson

This case is designed to support a lively discussion about the relative merits of shareholder vs. stakeholder perspectives in the context of a company that provides a vital public service that has important environmental implications. The 2007 purchase of TXU, the... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Transformation; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Environmental Sustainability; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Energy Generation; Utilities Industry; Energy Industry; Texas

January 2021 (Revised June 2021)
Case

Eaton Corporation: Portfolio Transformation and the Cost of Capital (Abridged)

By: Benjamin C. Esty, E. Scott Mayfield and Daniel Fisher

In 2000, Eaton Corporation was a broadly diversified industrial conglomerate. But its strategy was evolving and its focus was narrowing around “power management” and more recently on “intelligent power,” the use of digitally enabled products and services designed to... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Conglomerates; Business Divisions; Cost of Capital; Corporate Finance; Value; Valuation; Industrial Products Industry; United States; Denmark; Republic of Ireland

09 Nov 2016
Op-Ed

6 Lessons from Donald Trump's Winning Marketing Manual

acquisition with customer retention. Sizzle beats steak. Clinton was always going to beat Trump on the steak of experience and policy knowledge. A new brand can't afford to get lost in the policy weeds. Hence, Trump's campaign persona and... View Details

Keywords: by John A. Quelch

03 Mar 2009
First Look

First Look: March 3, 2009

magnified in the online channel. Customer analysis suggests that opening retail stores paves the way for higher rates of customer acquisition and higher rates of repeat purchasing among existing customers in the direct channels in the... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

March 2008 (Revised May 2008)
Case

Carlyle Japan (A)

By: David B. Godes, Masako Egawa and Mayuka Yamazaki

Tamotsu Adachi, Managing Director of Carlyle Japan, wants to formulate a strategy to improve his firm's ability to source high-quality deals at competitive valuations, or prices. Buyout funds like Carlyle typically have two deal phases: sourcing and monitoring. These... View Details

Keywords: Financial Instruments; Leveraged Buyouts; Supply Chain Management; Marketing Channels; Sales; Financial Services Industry; Japan

2009
Working Paper

Virtual Team Learning: Reflecting and Acting, Alone or With Others

By: Deborah L. Soule and Lynda M. Applegate

This paper examines virtual team learning in new product development situations. New product development activities manifest novelty, uncertainty and complexity, presenting an extreme need for learning in the course of the work. We present data from an exploratory... View Details

Keywords: Competency and Skills; Learning; Knowledge Acquisition; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Product Development; Groups and Teams; Behavior

Read Now

24 Nov 2003
Research & Ideas

Boards and Corporate Governance: A Balanced Scorecard Approach

A board's most important function is approval and oversight of strategy and of major strategic decisions, such as acquisitions and large capital expenditures. Boards are responsible for selecting (or... View Details

Keywords: Re: Robert S. Kaplan & Krishna G. Palepu

April 2001 (Revised March 2002)
Case

Seagate Technology Buyout

By: Gregor M. Andrade, Stuart C. Gilson and Todd C. Pulvino

In March 2000, a group of private investors and senior managers were negotiating a deal to acquire the disk drive operations of Seagate Technology. The motivating factor for the buyout was the apparently anomalous market value of Seagate's equity: Seagate's equity... View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Leveraged Buyouts; Financial Strategy; Computer Industry

June 2024 (Revised August 2024)
Case

Cementos Argos in the U.S.: Go Big or Go Home?

By: Jorge Tamayo, Ruth Costas, Pedro Levindo and Karina Souza

In April 2011, Colombian group Cementos Argos had to decide on whether to double down its business in the U.S., amidst the U.S. cement industry’s lowest performance in 30 years. Argos— Colombia’s leading cement producer and one of the “jewels” of Grupo GEA, the... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Organization; Business Subsidiaries; Talent and Talent Management; Cost vs Benefits; Financial Crisis; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Global Strategy; Business Strategy; Construction Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Latin America; South America; North and Central America; United States; Colombia

May 2022
Case

Honeywell: Transforming a Century Old Industrial

By: William W. George, Michael Norris and John Masko

In late 2021, Darius Adamczyk, Chairman and CEO of Honeywell is considering the changes he has made to the company since he took over the top leadership position in 2017. The company he had inherited from his predecessor, David Cote, was seen by most as a... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Transformation; Technological Innovation; Leading Change; Business Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Organization; Aerospace Industry; Chemical Industry; Electronics Industry; Green Technology Industry; Industrial Products Industry; Technology Industry; North Carolina; New Jersey

06 Sep 2004
Research & Ideas

The Innovator’s Battle Plan

asymmetric battles often is the seemingly sudden end of a great firm. From the incumbent's perspective, every action it takes is rational. But the outcome is devastating. Disruption is the strategy that creates and capitalizes on... View Details

Keywords: by Clayton M. Christensen, Scott D. Anthony & Erik A. Roth

31 May 2017
What Do You Think?

Can Amazon Do What Walmart Couldn’t, Stop the 'Wheel of Retailing'?

in Shakespeare and English, became fascinated with the retailing field. In 1958, he described what was happening in the world of retail after the Second World War. He observed that new retailing concepts typically begin with low-price View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Retail

May 2016 (Revised September 2017)
Case

Canadian Pacific's Bid for Norfolk Southern

By: Benjamin C. Esty and E. Scott Mayfield

In December 2015, Canadian Pacific Railroad (CPR) has just made its third bid to acquire Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC), one of the largest railroads in the United States. Having rejected the prior offers, NSC’s CEO James Squires and the NSC board must now value... View Details

Keywords: Capital Structure; Cash Flow; Cost of Capital; Financial Strategy; Investment Activism; Bids and Bidding; Negotiation Offer; Corporate Strategy; Rail Transportation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Transformation; United States; Canada