Publications

21 Dec 2016
Blog Post

Why We Recruit: CPP Investment Board

at approximately $300 billion (CDN), CPPIB is a professional investment management organization that globally invests the funds of the Canada Pension Plan to help ensure its long-term sustainability. CPPIB invests in all major asset classes, including public equity,... View Details

September 2013 (Revised November 2023)
Case

Antoine Leboyer and GSX

By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff

Antoine Leboyer (HBS '92) acquired the Swiss-based software company GSX in February 2008. He managed through the recession of 2008–2009, dealt with a tumultuous separation from the founder/owner, rebuilt the management team, and upgraded the company's software... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Small Business; Finance; Private Equity; Growth and Development Strategy; France; Switzerland

15 Mar 2011
First Look

First Look: March 15

should the company adopt to protect their intellectual property? How much should the company invest in anti-piracy initiatives? Should releases be restricted only to more secure digital screens? Should the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

22 Oct 2012
Research & Ideas

Not Your Father’s State-Run Capitalism

Once upon a time, there were two kinds of businesses. On the one hand, there were public and privately owned companies such as those that existed in Western-style democracies, which had boards of directors... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

22 Apr 2024
Research & Ideas

When Does Impact Investing Make the Biggest Impact?

majority tend to invest in companies that are also able to raise capital from non-impact investors. More than half of funding rounds involving impact investors include co-investment with traditional, profit-motivated investors. The study... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

22 May 2019
Research & Ideas

Forgiving Student Loan Debt Leads to Better Jobs, Stronger Consumers

student loans cancelled. National Collegiate, which holds 800,000 private student loans totaling $12 billion, had more than $5 billion of these loans in default as of 2018, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In the... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

January 2024 (Revised May 2024)
Case

Generation Investment Management

By: Vikram S. Gandhi, Michael Norris and David Allen

In September 2021, the sustainable investment firm Generation Investment Management (Generation) considered whether to add Schneider Electric to the focus list of companies in which it was prepared to invest. Dedicated to promoting a sustainable world through its... View Details

Keywords: Sustainable Investing; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Governance; Private Equity; Public Equity; Financial Markets; Investment Return; Investment Activism; Investment Funds; Investment Portfolio; Institutional Investing; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Financial Services Industry; United Kingdom; England; London

13 Nov 2012
First Look

First Look: November 13

finds that academic commentary on the BSC often ignores its role in strategy execution. The paper discusses how the BSC can be used in public sector applications, as well as for companies that want to internalize environmental, social,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Web

Courses - Entrepreneurship

including entrepreneurial management. The Entrepreneurial Manager Entrepreneurial managers transform opportunities into companies and institutions that make a difference in the world. In their successful “pursuit of opportunity without... View Details

11 Sep 2007
First Look

First Look: September 11, 2007

which company politics should improve government, from breaking up entrenched old boys' networks to leveraging a company's existing organizational expertise. Private firms have realized efficiency and... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Web

Strategy - Faculty & Research

about offline expansion and globalization. Founded in 2015, Boutiqaat combined social commerce, localized logistics, and private label products to build a differentiated digital platform. Students must evaluate whether Boutiqaat should... View Details

March 2004 (Revised May 2005)
Case

Shurgard Self-Storage: Expansion to Europe

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Indra Reinbergs

Shurgard, a U.S.-based firm that rents storage facilities to consumers and small businesses, is considering financing options for rapid expansion of its European operations. Five years after entering Europe, Shurgard Europe has opened 17 facilities in Belgium, France,... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Valuation; Business Model; Governing and Advisory Boards; Entrepreneurship; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Service Industry; Belgium; France; Sweden; United States; Europe

October 2020 (Revised July 2023)
Case

UCK Partners: Gong Cha

By: Victoria Ivashina and Sangyun Lee

In the Spring of 2017, Soomin Kim, Founding Partner of UCK Partners, and his team were debating the potential exit of UCK Partner’s investment in Gong Cha Korea, the sole local franchisor of the premium milk tea brand that they proprietarily sourced three years ago.... View Details

Keywords: Exit; Strategic Decision Making; Private Equity; Investment; Strategy; Investment Return; Decision Making; Bids and Bidding

March 2017 (Revised February 2020)
Case

Corey Thomas and the IPO

By: Steven Rogers and Derrick Collins

Corey Thomas, the African American CEO of the company Rapid7, must decide if it is the right time to take the 15-year-old company public, as it stood poised to capitalize on what appeared to be the next frontier for digital technology markets—cybersecurity. In spite of... View Details

Keywords: Business Finance; Capital Markets; Private Equity; Internet and the Web; Initial Public Offering; Decision Making; Financial Services Industry; Technology Industry; Web Services Industry; United States