Publications

09 Jan 2013
Sharpening Your Skills

Sharpening Your Skills: Understanding Customers

Crisis It was the Valentine's Day from hell for JetBlue employees and more than 130,000 customers. Under bad weather, JetBlue fliers were trapped on the runway at JFK for hours, many ultimately delayed by days. How did the airline make it... View Details

Keywords: Re: Multiple Faculty

January 2002 (Revised January 2003)
Case

Publishing Group of America (B)

By: Jay O. Light, Michael J. Roberts and Taslim Pirmohamed

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Financing and Loans; Publishing Industry

February 2015
Supplement

WebTracker, Spreadsheet for Instructors (Brief Case)

By: William A. Sahlman and Michael J. Roberts DBA

February 2015
Teaching Note

WebTracker (Brief Case)

By: William A. Sahlman and Michael J. Roberts DBA

30 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 30

Read the preview: http://hbr.org/2010/04/fixing-health-care-on-the-front-lines/ar/1 Happiness Adaptation to Income beyond "Basic Needs" Authors:Rafael Di Tella and Robert MacCulloch Publication:Chap. 8 in International... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 1999 (Revised February 2001)
Case

Davis Boatworks

By: Howard H. Stevenson, Michael J. Roberts and Matthew C. Lieb

A successful entrepreneur is considering his need for growth financing and his desire to achieve some personal liquidity. He has arguably the most successful sportfishing boat made, but sees the need both to grow further and to reduce his personal exposure to a... View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Business Growth and Maturation; Personal Finance; Entrepreneurship; Manufacturing Industry

March 1998 (Revised July 2000)
Case

InPart

By: Joseph B. Lassiter III, Michael J. Roberts and Jon Biotti

Stacey Lawson, HBS 1996, started a CAD parts representations database company to help designers and engineers with the design process. The company has completed its product and is starting to sell it. The case examines issues involving the organization of the sales... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Price; Salesforce Management

July 2012 (Revised April 2013)
Case

Peter Jepsen

By: Howard H. Stevenson, Michael J. Roberts and James M. Sharpe

About to break bank covenants, Peter Jepsen has to deal with a contentious prior owner, improve profitability and staff appropriately all while maintaining credibility with his investors, in the furniture hardware company he has owned for less than a year. View Details

January 2005 (Revised August 2005)
Background Note

A Note on Managing the Growing Venture

By: Richard G. Hamermesh, James L. Heskett and Michael J. Roberts

Focuses on the strategic and organizational challenges that confront growing enterprises and the entrepreneurs who lead them. Provides an overview of how a new venture needs to change as it passes from the initial start-up to the growth phase. Explores how a venture's... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Leading Change

August 1998
Case

Record Masters

By: William A. Sahlman, Michael J. Roberts and Laurence E. Katz

Kent Dauten, a former general partner at the Chicago private equity firm of Madison Dearborn Partners, has engaged in a search to personally sponsor a buyout in which he can play an active management role. He has received a selling memorandum for Record Masters, a... View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Leveraged Buyouts; Valuation; Negotiation Deal; Investment

April 2011
Teaching Note

U.S. Department of Energy & Recovery Act Funding: Bridging the "Valley of Death" (TN)

By: Ramana Nanda, Joseph B. Lassiter III and Michael J. Roberts

Teaching Note for 810144. View Details

Keywords: Energy; Financing and Loans; Risk and Uncertainty; Commercialization; Programs; Innovation and Invention; Capital; Government and Politics; United States

November 1983 (Revised May 1984)
Case

SSS (Scientific Systems Services)

By: Howard H. Stevenson and Michael J. Roberts

Keywords: Science-Based Business

Find at Harvard

June 2020
Case

Jill Draeger

By: Howard H. Stevenson and Michael J. Roberts

The Jill Draeger case is designed as an introduction to a general course on entrepreneurship. It is appropriate for many levels of students. It attempts to portray the archetype of opportunity-focused, resource-constrained behavior that is the hallmark of... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Personal Development and Career; Opportunities; Negotiation; Agreements and Arrangements; Risk Management

November 2013
Teaching Note

Martin Blair (Brief Case)

By: Howard H. Stevenson and Michael J. Roberts

May 2006 (Revised February 2007)
Background Note

Innocent Drinks (TN)

By: Michael J. Roberts and William A. Sahlman

Teaching Note to (805-031). View Details

Keywords: Food and Beverage Industry

November 2005
Background Note

Deal Structure and Deal Terms

By: Michael J. Roberts and Howard H. Stevenson

Describes the general principles of crafting financial deals around the provision of capital to entrepreneurial ventures. Discusses in more detail some of the specific aspects of venture capital term sheets. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Governance Compliance; Negotiation Deal

June 2004
Teaching Note

Pre-Money / Post-Money Tutorial (Instructor Guide)

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Michael J. Roberts

Teaching Note to (9-803-703). View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Valuation; Finance; Online Technology