Publications

May 2008 (Revised September 2009)
Case

Radiohead: Music at Your Own Price (A)

By: Anita Elberse and Jason Bergsman

In October 2007, the British band Radiohead caused a stir when it announced it would allow customers to decide how much to pay for its new album, released exclusively as a digital download and available only from the band's own website. The pricing plan represented a... View Details

Keywords: Music Entertainment; Price; Marketing Strategy; Distribution; Problems and Challenges; Online Technology; Music Industry

September 2002 (Revised March 2003)
Technical Note

Technical Note on Equity-Linked Consideration, Part 3: Cash-and-Stock Deals

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin

The consideration paid by an acquiring company to a target can be a combination of cash and stock. During the 1980s and 1990s, for example, approximately 12% to 13% of all deals between public companies involved both cash and stock. This case series describes the basic... View Details

Keywords: Price; Acquisition; Business and Shareholder Relations

March 2002
Case

Unified Energy System at Russia

On April 4, 2000, at a board of directors' meeting, CEO Anatoly Chubais, Russia's legendary reformer, announced his plan to break up the Russian joint stock company Unified Energy System (UES). The plan envisioned breaking up the giant energy monopoly along two lines... View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Energy Industry; Russia

December 1999 (Revised October 2001)
Case

Introducing New Coke

On April 23, 1985, the Coca-Cola Co. announced a decision that would rock the world. The old Coke formula would be taken off the market and replaced with a smoother, sweeter taste. The reaction of the American people was immediate and violent, causing three months of... View Details

Keywords: Failure; Product Development; Brands and Branding; Manufacturing Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

January 2017 (Revised August 2017)
Case

Mexico's Energy Reform

By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Haviland Sheldahl-Thomason

Energy—both petroleum and electricity—had been terribly managed for decades in Mexico. The two national monopolies—PEMEX and CFE—were inefficient, overstaffed, corrupt, rife with subsidies, and losing money. Finally, in 2012, President Enrique Peña Nieto announced his... View Details

Keywords: Energy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Performance Improvement; Energy Industry; Mexico

September 2014 (Revised May 2017)
Case

Fresno's Social Impact Bond for Asthma

By: John A. Quelch and Margaret L. Rodriguez

In 2014, Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) were quickly gaining popularity as an investment vehicle which joined together private investors and nonprofits to tackle social issues. Although numerous SIB projects and proposals had cropped up across the U.S. following the launch... View Details

Keywords: Social Enterprise; Health Care; Marketing; Bonds; Financing; Asthma; Air Pollution; Air Quality; Chronic Disease; Public Health; Health; Health Care and Treatment; Finance; Health Industry; Financial Services Industry; United States

October 2013
Case

Pearle Vision: Clearly Different?

By: Rajiv Lal and Natalie Kindred

Ohio-based optical retailer Pearle Vision, part of the vertically integrated Italian eyewear group Luxottica, sold glasses and offered in-store eye exams. Once the largest U.S. optical retailer, Pearle Vision, with 266 corporate stores and 356 franchised stores in... View Details

Keywords: Eye Care; Competitive Advantage; Market Participation; Retail Industry; Health Industry; United States

August 2002 (Revised June 2003)
Case

New Wachovia (A), The

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin and Jeremy Swinson

In April 2001, First Union Corp. announced an agreement to merge with Wachovia Corp., a fellow North Carolina-based commercial bank. While the banks were preparing to consummate the merger, SunTrust Banks, Inc. of Atlanta, made a hostile offer for Wachovia, setting in... View Details

Keywords: Voting; Mergers and Acquisitions; Conflict and Resolution; Banks and Banking; Banking Industry; Atlanta; North Carolina

01 Apr 2014
News

FDA Moves to Regulate E-Cigarettes

April 2016
Teaching Note

Flipkart: Transitioning to a Marketplace Model

By: Sunil Gupta and Das Narayandas

In 2015, Sachin and Binny Bansal, co-founders of India's largest e-tailer, Flipkart, announced that the company would switch to a marketplace model and move its logistics arm into a separate company. At the time of the announcement, Snapdeal already claimed to be... View Details

Keywords: India; Marketplaces; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Market Entry and Exit; E-commerce; Retail Industry; India

22 Jul 2021
News

Three Keys to Unlock Lasting DEI Change in Organizations

Video

Krishna Mahesh (MBA 2005) - HBS Alumni Business Plan Contest Winner

12 Feb 2025
Video

Fawn Weaver’s Use of Storytelling to Build Her Brand in the Spirits Industry

July 2005 (Revised September 2020)
Case

The U.S. Current Account Deficit

By: Laura Alfaro, Rafael Di Tella, Ingrid Vogel, Renee Kim, Sarah Jeong, Matthew Johnson and Jonathan Schlefer

Investors and policymakers throughout the world were confronted with the risk of painful economic consequences arising from the large U.S. current account deficit. In 2007, the U.S. current account deficit was $731 billion, equivalent to 5.3% of GDP. The implications... View Details

Keywords: World Economy; Macroeconomics; Borrowing and Debt; Currency; Foreign Direct Investment; Business and Government Relations; United States

February 2016
Case

Hon Hai's Investment in Sharp

By: Mihir A. Desai, Keith Chi-ho Wong and Zachary Markovich

In March 2012, Hon Hai Precision Industry Company, Ltd. (Hon Hai) announced its investment in the Sharp Corporation (Sharp). The deal was structured in two parts: the first had Hon Hai investing in Sharp, and the second involved Hon Hai founder, chairman, and CEO Terry... View Details

Keywords: Hon Hai; Sharp; LCD-TFT; East Asia; Net Present Value; Acquisitions; Valuation; Negotiation Deal; Acquisition; East Asia