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Business Finance Course Online | HBS Online

Featured Exercises Market-to-book ratios exercises Match companies to their cost of debt and industries to their betas 6-7 hrs Module 5 Valuation Determine how the future affects value today, compare various View Details

September 2011
Article

The Labor Illusion: How Operational Transparency Increases Perceived Value

By: Ryan W. Buell and Michael I. Norton

A ubiquitous feature of even the fastest self-service technology transactions is the wait. Conventional wisdom and operations theory suggests that the longer people wait, the less satisfied they become; we demonstrate that due to what we term the labor illusion, when... View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Perception; Valuation; Service Delivery; Consumer Behavior; Performance Effectiveness; Customer Satisfaction; Service Industry

October 2017
Case

The Transformation of Microsoft

By: C. Fritz Foley, E. Scott Mayfield and F. Katelynn Boland

In early 2015, Amy Hood, CFO of Microsoft, and the rest of the senior leadership team faced a set of fundamental choices. The firm had opportunities to serve customers in ways that would be associated with higher growth but lower margin. Some of these opportunities... View Details

Keywords: Growth; Corporate Finance; Valuation; Growth Management; Communication Strategy; Transformation; Information Technology Industry; Computer Industry; United States

Fast Answer

What are the best finance interview prep resources?

href="https://inside.hbs.edu/Departments/mba/prematric/default.aspx?page=prematric-wall-street-prep">Wall Street Prep on the HBS Career and Professional Development site Equity research Data and background information for stock pitching prep Basic View Details

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

Research Summary

Research

The founding and expansion of new firms is central to innovation and economic growth, but the determinants of a new idea’s success are difficult to ascertain. The decision to form a new firm and its ultimate outcome are impacted by ownership structure, financing... View Details

01 Oct 1999
News

Banking on Success

think those people also run a tremendous risk of being left behind. Goldman has a big market share in Internet stocks, and we have tried our best to understand them, but some of this defies rational analysis! We're using valuation... View Details

Keywords: Deborah E. Blagg

17 Aug 2009
Research & Ideas

Quantifying the Economic Impact of the Internet

hours a month on the Internet. A conservative valuation of this time is an estimated $680 billion. The advertising-supported Internet also helps the economy by fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and productivity, particularly among... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Advertising; Publishing

Web

Becoming an Entrepreneur - Alumni

offer--YEA!! In this webinar, Steve Kirschner describes key marketing stratagems to help ensure you maximize the M&A valuation in the private sale of your company. Incubators & Organizations + – Incubators Incubators are organizations... View Details

June 2013 (Revised July 2017)
Case

Angus Cartwright IV

By: Kenneth J. Hatten, William J. Poorvu, Howard H. Stevenson, Arthur I Segel and John H. Vogel, Jr.

Judy and John DeRight, looking to diversify their investment portfolios, have retained Angus Cartwright, Jr. to identify prospective real estate acquisitions. Mr. Cartwright has four potential properties that he feels merit an in-depth financial analysis. The case... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Cash Flow; Investment Return; Investment Portfolio; Taxation; Balanced Scorecard; Valuation

Web

Alternative Investments Course | HBS Online

Featured Exercises Identify phases of the real estate market Prepare for a real estate negotiation Conduct valuation analysis Classify real estate products based on their diversification potential 6-7 hrs Module 5 Portfolio Construction... View Details

28 Jan 2020
Book

Advanced Leadership Requires More Than Outside-The-Box Thinking

cofounded? Kanter: “Advanced leadership” gives great leaders something to aspire to. The leadership journey is not over when your venture has a high valuation or you’ve achieved a high position and title. There’s still more to do!... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

Myra M. Hart

Myra Hart's research focus is high potential entrepreneurship. She has taught MBA and executive programs, co-chaired the entrepreneurship unit, and led several HBS initiatives. As a founding memberView Details

Keywords: consumer products; e-commerce industry; education industry; real estate; retailing

December 2021 (Revised May 2025)
Case

Bed Bath & Beyond: The New Strategy to Drive Shareholder Value

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel W. Fisher

At one time, Bed Bath & Beyond was one of the most successful specialty retailers in the United States—its growth and profit margins far exceeded both peer retailers in the home goods market as well as many other discount retailers. But in 2014, its stock price peaked,... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Value Creation; Diversification; Corporate Governance; Leading Change; Performance Evaluation; Valuation; Investment Activism; Retail Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States

February 2022
Supplement

SpartanNash Company: The Amazon Warrants (A)

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

As of 12/31/21, Amazon held $22 billion of equity and warrants in related companies. In fact, it often requests a free grant of warrants when it enters into a new commercial agreement with a supplier. Over the past 20 years, Amazon has gotten warrants almost 20... View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Value Creation; Consumer Behavior; Negotiation; Distribution; Ownership; Partners and Partnerships; Business Strategy; Equity; Distribution Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

Fast Answer

VCPE Database Comparison

black; border-left:1px solid black">Great for portfolio companies, really helpful verticals and emerging spaces, detailed contact and valuation info. Intuitive... View Details

2019
Chapter

Return on Invested Capital (ROIC)

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin

Return on invested capital (ROIC) is a financial measure of the profitability of a firm or business unit. If it is greater than the business's cost of capital, then reinvestment of earnings increases shareholder VALUE. The ROIC also determines a maximum self-sustaining... View Details

Keywords: Capital Efficiency; Dupont Analysis; Financial Metrics; Schumpeterian Competition; Sustainable Growth; Competitive Advantage; Financial Strategy; Resource Allocation; Valuation; Value Creation

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