Publications

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June 2012 (Revised October 2018)
Case

Home Nursing of North Carolina

By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff

Ari Medoff's (HBS '11) goal was to control his own professional destiny by owning his own company. His search identified a suitable acquisition in Home Nursing of North Carolina, and he had negotiated a purchase price of $3.5 million, or 4.2x trailing EBITDA. Medoff... View Details

Keywords: Search Funds; Small Companies; Acquisitions; Negotiation; Medical Services; Negotiation Process; Valuation; Investment; Acquisition; Health Industry

March 1998
Case

Bumper Acquisition (A2), A: Confidential Information for Medallion Capital, Inc.

By: James K. Sebenius and David T. Kotchen

Located in Mundelein, IL, Thermo-Impact, Inc. is a rapidly growing, private firm that manufactures automotive bumpers. In 1995, a number of large automotive supply companies and a private equity investment firm offer to buy Thermo-Impact. The cases in this series focus... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Valuation; Negotiation Participants; Decision Making; Negotiation Process; Entrepreneurship; Negotiation Offer; Acquisition; Manufacturing Industry; Auto Industry; Illinois

23 Nov 2009
Research & Ideas

Management’s Role in Reforming Health Care

implicit, sometimes explicit, belief that business and health care do not mix. I think what people mean when they express this belief is that the profit motive in health care... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Health

April 2002
Background Note

Note on Minority Interest

This case provides a brief introduction to the concept of minority interest and the issues that it gives rise to in valuation of firms. View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Investment; Business and Shareholder Relations

January 2023
Case

Rentokil: The Terminix Acquisition

By: Ted Berk, Emily R. McComb and Julia Kelley

When announcing their agreement to merge in December 2021, creating a clear leader in global pest control, UK-based Rentokil and Tennessee-based Terminix described extensive benefits of the cross-border combination. The companies touted the advantages of their combined... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Valuation; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Business and Shareholder Relations

February 2007 (Revised February 2009)
Case

A Differentiation Strategy at ASDA

By: David E. Bell and Nitin Sanghavi

The Wal-Mart CEO has challenged his company to do more to help mankind. The British subsidiary, ASDA, is reviewing its activities in the environment/social arena. View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Trends; Values and Beliefs; Leadership Style; Growth and Development Strategy; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

December 2007
Article

Fair (and Not So Fair) Division

By: John W. Pratt

Drawbacks of existing procedures are illustrated and a method of efficient fair division is proposed that avoids them. Given additive participants' utilities, each item is priced at the geometric mean (or some other function) of its two highest valuations. The... View Details

Keywords: Price; Management Practices and Processes; Valuation

10 Jan 2005
Research & Ideas

How to Put Meaning Back into Leading

enactment of values and a purpose to which the organization subscribes. Barnard came to define the role of the organizational leader as the creator and steward of the purpose... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

22 Apr 2002
Research & Ideas

Work, Family, Private Life: Why Not All Three?

what he called a "platinum standard"—values and goals that endure. "Some values change," he said. "The things I valued at twenty are not what I View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

29 Sep 2003
Research & Ideas

Why Managing Innovation is Like Theater

next attempt. In appropriate conditions—only in appropriate conditions—you can gain more value from experience than from up-front analysis. In certain kinds of work, even if you can figure out where you're going View Details

Keywords: by Rob Austin & Lee Devin

18 Dec 2012
First Look

First Look: December 18

valuation. We demonstrate that the feelings of competence that arise from assembling products mediate their increased value (Experiment 1), that affirming consumers' sense of self decreases the value they... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

January 2001
Case

Accrue Software, Inc.

In 2000, Accrue is one of three survivors of the initial consolidation of the Web traffic analysis software industry. However, entry from CRM software providers and consultants, as well as ASPs offering Web analysis services, has introduced new threats to Accrue. Newly... View Details

Keywords: Customer Value and Value Chain; Competitive Advantage; Software; Web Services Industry

August 1998 (Revised October 2002)
Case

Harbus Foundation, The

By: James E. Austin and Linda Carrigan

Describes the challenges faced by a group of HBS students as they create a foundation. Given surplus funds generated by the student-run newspaper, The Harbus leadership decides to find a meaningful use for the excess cash. Profiles both the entrepreneurial process used... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Decision Choices and Conditions; Asset Management; Financial Institutions; Investment Portfolio; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Problems and Challenges; Social Enterprise; Valuation; Financial Services Industry

23 Aug 2016
First Look

August 23, 2016

companies has become available in the past 10 years. Myth Number 5: ESG adds value almost entirely by limiting risks. Reality: Along with lower risk and a lower cost of capital, companies with high ESG... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

28 Mar 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research, March 28

BATNAs in Negotiation: Common Errors and Three Kinds of 'No' By: Sebenius, James K. Abstract—The best alternative to a negotiated agreement (“BATNA”) concept in negotiation has proven to be immensely useful. In tandem with its View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

June 2024
Case

Building Innovation at VINCI

By: Dennis Campbell, Aluna Wang and Carlota Moniz

This case study explores how the VINCI Group, a French multinational operating in concessions, energy, and construction, bolstered awareness and adoption rates of new technologies within the organization. Through its separate innovation hub, Leonard, VINCI aimed to... View Details

March 2000 (Revised April 2000)
Case

Martin Smith: May 2000

By: G. Felda Hardymon and Josh Lerner

A new associate at a venture capital firm must choose which of three potential investments to recommend to the firm's partners. Each potential investment has strengths and drawbacks. View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Investment; Valuation

May 1997 (Revised July 1997)
Case

Vermeer Technologies (D): Making Transitions

By: Ashish Nanda

Microsoft has acquired Vermeer, and Vermeer executives are both excited and concerned as they prepare to move to Redmond. Even though the acquisition has been financially rewarding, the Vermeer engineers worry how well they will adapt to their new home. Meanwhile,... View Details

Keywords: Horizontal Integration; Value Creation; Applications and Software; Acquisition; Product Development; Information Technology Industry