Publications

10 Nov 2009
First Look

First Look: Nov. 10

revolutionary functionality. We explore a second path to entry that does not rely on Schumpeterian innovation: platform envelopment. By leveraging shared user relationships and common components, one platform provider can move into... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Web

Winners & Runners-Up | New Venture Competition

William Berger Larry Bowden Ken Pearson Lee Avikara Business Track Runner-Up Jadoo Power Systems was founded on the belief that fuel cell technology adoption will occur through niche markets and by a... View Details

August 1989 (Revised May 1991)
Case

Grosvenor Park

By: William J. Poorvu and Katherine Sweetman

Dick Dublin believes he has designed a townhouse development which will appeal to mobile young professionals. Dublin has removed some market risk by locking in a forward commitment for low interest rate loans for future purchasers at Grosvenor Park. The pricing... View Details

Keywords: Financial Management; Projects; Financing and Loans; Property; Financial Strategy; Price; Strategic Planning; Business and Government Relations; Real Estate Industry; Maryland

June 2007 (Revised March 2008)
Case

Zoots - Financing Growth (A)

By: Michael J. Roberts, William A. Sahlman and Todd Krasnow

Traces the genesis and founding of Zoots, the largest chain of dry cleaning establishments in the U.S. Founded by some of the founders of the very successful Staples chain, the company raises a very large amount of capital without fully proving its business model, and... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Decision Choices and Conditions; Venture Capital; Financial Strategy; Investment Return; Growth and Development Strategy; Valuation; United States

Web

General Management Awards & Honors - Faculty & Research

category in 2017. Regina E. Herzlinger : Named one of the 60 Most Powerful People in Healthcare by Becker’s Hospital Review in 2017. Regina E. Herzlinger : Recognized as an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives... View Details

January 1986 (Revised March 1997)
Case

Horizon Group

By: William A. Sahlman

Contains a description of a situation confronting the co-founder of a company planning to produce software for microcomputers. The company has just completed raising money from some wealthy investors by forming an R&D Limited Partnership. Development of the program (an... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Venture Capital; Partners and Partnerships; Business Plan; Outcome or Result; Research and Development; Financial Strategy; Corporate Finance; Information Technology Industry

01 Dec 2022
News

Full Court Press

Africa would commit to building development programs in Rwanda, and the officials would work to support the establishment of those programs. “Today is a historic day,” Williams told the assembled press. For NBA Africa, scaling requires... View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell

01 Oct 1997
News

W. Hall Wendel, Jr.

economy was entering a recession. Great timing!" Leading a group of seven other Polaris managers and joined by his late father, William (MBA '40), he acquired the unit, accomplishing one of corporate... View Details

Keywords: James E. Aisner; mountain; adventure; climbing

28 Apr 2016
News

Health Care Dominates HBS Startup Comp

September 2006 (Revised July 2009)
Case

BzzAgent, Inc. - 2005

By: William A. Sahlman and Caroline Perkins

Describes a set of financing issues confronting a rapidly growing company that uses "Word-of-Mouth" marketing techniques in promoting research, new products, or services. The company proposes to set the terms for a new round of venture capital it needs and to have... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Investment; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Value

Blog

The Harvard Business School Faculty Summer Reader 2023

Healthy Minds by philosopher John Kaag. This book is a fantastic summary of the life and work of William James, the father of modern psychology, and a professor right here at Harvard. James endured intense... View Details

2020
Working Paper

Costly External Financing and Monetary Policy Transmission: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

By: Emily Williams

I provide new evidence that large and small banks have different external financing costs, which generates cross sectional variation in a deposits market pricing power channel of monetary policy transmission. I do so by exploiting a natural experiment using anti-trust... View Details

Keywords: External Financing; Monetary Policy Transmission; Experiment; Banks and Banking; Financing and Loans; Interest Rates

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July 2015
Article

Skilled Immigration and the Employment Structures of U.S. Firms

By: Sari Pekkala Kerr, William R. Kerr and William F. Lincoln

We study the impact of skilled immigrants on the employment structures of U.S. firms using matched employer-employee data. Unlike most previous work, we use the firm as the lens of analysis to account for a greater level of heterogeneity and the fact that many skilled... View Details

Keywords: Firms; Scientists; Engineers; Inventors; H-1B; Age; Employment; Immigration; United States

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November 1988 (Revised November 1996)
Case

Roy Rogers Restaurants

By: William J. Bruns Jr.

Roy Rogers Restaurants is a subsidiary of Marriott Corp. which sells franchises to own and operate standardized fast food restaurants. Many franchise owners operate more than one restaurant. One of these, presently operating 16 restaurants and committed to develop 30... View Details

Keywords: Franchise Ownership; Business Model; Cost Management; Quality; Transformation; Food and Beverage Industry