Publications

May 2015 (Revised September 2017)
Case

Generating Higher Value at IBM (A)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and E. Scott Mayfield

This case analyzes IBM's financial performance and its capital allocation decisions over a 10-year period from 2004-2013, during which IBM returned more than $140B to shareholders through a combination of dividends and share repurchases. During this time, CEO Sam... View Details

Keywords: Dividends; Share Repurchases; Earnings Guidance; Financial Statement Analysis; Financial Ratios; Payout Policy; Earnings Per Share (EPS); Earnings Management; Change Management; Leadership; Transformation; Financial Strategy

07 Aug 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, August 8, 2018

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=53835 July–August 2018 Journal of Healthcare Management Using Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing to Model the Costs of Various Process-Improvement Strategies in... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

01 Mar 2019
News

In My Humble Opinion: Easy Rider

native knew an icon—and a challenge—when he saw one. In 2009 he stepped into the role of managing director, Harley-Davidson India. Entering the Indian market had plenty of challenges related to tariffs, accessibility, and brand... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Transportation Equipment Manufacturing; Manufacturing

October 2013 (Revised July 2025)
Teaching Note

Amazon in 2025

By: Sunil Gupta

Amazon launched its website in July 1995 to sell books online and by 2020 it has grown to become a digital giant with over $280 billion in annual sales. A large part of its growth came from expanding into a variety of businesses that some see as unrelated. Has it... View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Marketing Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Business Model; Competitive Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry

25 Jan 2011
First Look

First Look: Jan. 25

dynamic, historical account of the events that have shaped the brand over time. Using a particular type of brand biography, "the underdog," we empirically show how managers can strategically use brand biographies in brand... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

26 Jun 2012
First Look

First Look: June 26

evolution of multinational banks over time and suggest a conceptual framework in which this development can be understood. In-depth analyses of the multinational banking strategies of selected countries and institutions extend from the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 1992 (Revised April 1993)
Case

Acid Rain: The Southern Co. (A)

By: Forest L. Reinhardt

The Southern Co., an electric utility, is planning its compliance with the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act. The Act established a system of tradeable permits for sulfur dioxide emissions. The company must decide whether to install pollution control equipment and... View Details

Keywords: Energy Generation; Business Strategy; Environmental Sustainability; Cost vs Benefits; Financial Management; Strategic Planning; Investment Return; Government Legislation; Wastes and Waste Processing; Utilities Industry; Energy Industry; United States

Profile

Jeremy Lipstein

working with an up-and-coming company wrestling with the management challenges that come with growth." In fact, the internship became a field study in Jeremy's Elective Curriculum year, in which he and three other classmates are... View Details

01 Dec 2020
News

In Review

Bridges (a capstone at the end of the two years), and several entirely new Executive Education courses. In our doctoral programs, we launched PRIMO, a summer program that connects undergraduates with our faculty to learn about management... View Details

Web

“It’s like a pie-eating contest” | Social Enterprise | Harvard Business School

listing in the Career Hub for a Leadership Fellow opportunity at Boston Medical Center. Alastair Bell, MD (HBS MBA 2006), Executive VP of Strategy and COO for BMC Health System, notes, “From our standpoint, Leadership Fellows is a way of... View Details

December 2024
Supplement

Northvolt: Building Batteries to Fight Climate Change (B)

By: George Serafeim, Debora L. Spar, Peter Tufano, Hugo Etchegoyhen and Emilie Billaud

The (B) case explores Northvolt’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing on November 21, 2024, highlighting the company’s struggles to scale operations amid a global EV market slowdown and internal production challenges. While the (A) case detailed Northvolt’s ambitious... View Details

Keywords: Batteries; Electric Vehicles; Climate Change; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Energy; Green Technology; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Investment; Technological Innovation; Risk Management; Failure; Business and Government Relations; Business and Shareholder Relations; Production; Growth and Development Strategy; Green Technology Industry; Battery Industry; Europe; Sweden

February 2024 (Revised June 2024)
Case

Can Families Conquer Private Equity? Pritzker Private Capital

By: Lauren Cohen and Sophia Pan

Anthony (Tony) Pritkzer, Paul Carbone, and the Pritzker Private Capital (PPC) team wondered how to approach the firm’s next phase of growth. PPC was a private equity firm that offered a differentiated approach to the family capital market. Back in 2016, the partners... View Details

December 2006 (Revised January 2009)
Case

METRO Cash & Carry

By: Tarun Khanna, Krishna G. Palepu, Carin-Isabel Knoop and David Lane

Analyzes the globalization of Metro Case & Carry, a German wholesaler, which has flourished in many foreign markets but struggled to gain traction in India. Considers Metro's experience in Russia and China to put the company's challenges in India in comparative... View Details

Keywords: Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Global Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Emerging Markets; Market Entry and Exit; China; India; Russia; Germany

January–March 2025
Article

Transitioning from Responsible and Reactive to Deeply Responsible and Proactive International Business

By: Geoffrey G. Jones, Teresa da Silva Lopes, Pavida Pananond, Rob van Tulder, Noemi Sinkovics and Rudolf R. Sinkovics

This article aims to explore the role of multinational enterprises in addressing grand societal challenges, emphasizing the need for integrating environmental and social aspects into business models. It offers an analysis of how principles and values can guide engaged... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business Model; Multinational Firms and Management

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