Publications

July–August 2012
Article

What Good Are Shareholders?

By: Justin Fox and Jay W. Lorsch

The article looks at the role outside shareholders play in corporate governance in the U.S., and the relationship between companies' shareholders and managers, as of 2012. It recounts the shift beginning in the 1970s toward shareholders claiming an increasing amount of... View Details

Keywords: Shareholder Activism; Business and Shareholder Relations; Investment Activism; Corporate Governance; Decision Making; Managerial Roles; United States

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June 2002 (Revised January 2010)
Case

Delphi Corporation (A)

By: Jay W. Lorsch, Rakesh Khurana and Sonya Sanchez

The Delphi Corp.'s board of directors faces a transition as lead director Thomas Wyman approaches mandatory retirement. Chairman and CEO J.T. Battenberg reflects on Delphi's history and its successful reinvention by Wyman and Battenberg when it separated from its... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Leadership; Management Succession; Management Teams; Relationships; Corporate Strategy

June 2013 (Revised September 2015)
Case

Procter & Gamble

By: Jay W. Lorsch and Kathleen Durante

On July 12, 2012, Bill Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management announced publicly that it had purchased about $2 billion of Procter and Gamble (P&G) stock. Shares in the company closed up 3.75% the day the disclosure was made public. Ackman told the New York... View Details

Keywords: Ackman; P＆G; Pershing Square Capital Managment; Disruption; Management Succession; Crisis Management; Acquisition; Consumer Products Industry; Financial Services Industry

April 2015 (Revised July 2015)
Case

Proxy Access at Whole Foods

By: Jay Lorsch and Emily McTague

Proxy access grants shareholders meeting certain ownership requirements the right to nominate directors for election to the board without going through a typical proxy contest. In August 2010 the SEC approved a rule granting proxy access for shareholders meeting... View Details

Keywords: Board Of Directors; Proxy Advisor; Shareholder Activism; Shareholder Voting; Shareholder Votes; Proxy Battle; Institutional Change; Institutional Investing; Business and Shareholder Relations; Food and Beverage Industry; North America

July 2014 (Revised October 2014)
Case

McKinsey & Co. - Protecting its Reputation (A)

By: Jay Lorsch and Emily McTague

On Tuesday March 15, 2011, all 1,200 global Partners of McKinsey & Co. gathered at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center near Washington, DC for their annual Partners' conference. The atmosphere was tense as Partners, in addition to their normal agenda,... View Details

Keywords: Board; McKinsey; Consulting Firms; Risk; Risk Assessment; Partnerships; Insider Trading; Confidentiality; Personal Investing; Reputation; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Management Practices and Processes; Risk Management; Consulting Industry; United States; California

August 2016
Case

CSI Ingenieros

By: Jay Lorsch and Emily McTague

CSI's business unit managers gathered around the downstairs conference room for the company's weekly meeting to discuss project bids. Cristina WaldAshley Hartman, who was in charge of finding projects for the engineering firm to work on, read through several she had... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Board; Board Committees; Board Dynamics; Organization; Organization Alignment; Dynamic Capabilities; Organization Design; Organizational Prototyping; Organizational Silence; Organizational Learning; Organization Behavior; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Manufacturing Industry; South America; Uruguay

22 May 2012
First Look

First Look: May 22

capital market and regional development. Purchase this case:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/411081-PDF-ENG Carl Icahn and Clorox Jay W. Lorsch and Kathleen DuranteHarvard... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

October 2012
Supplement

Olympus (B)

By: Jay W. Lorsch, Suraj Srinivasan and Kathleen Durante

This case outlines Michael Woodford's awards and honors, after having been fired from Olympus in October 2011. It discusses the repercussions following an investigation into the fraud and the report that was released thereafter. It also discusses the lawsuit that... View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Corporate Governance; Health Industry; Electronics Industry; Japan

11 May 2010
First Look

First Look: May 11

Author:Jay W. Lorsch Publication:Executive Counsel 7, no. 1 (February/March 2010) An abstract is unavailable at this time. Preview the Article:... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

10 Jan 2012
First Look

First Look: January 10

interpretation. The case presents the history of the industry, the evolution of sequencing technology, and the business models of players in each segment. Purchase this case:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/812004-PDF-ENG American International Group—2010 View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

July 2014 (Revised October 2014)
Supplement

McKinsey & Co. - Protecting its Reputation (B)

By: Jay Lorsch and Emily McTague

On Tuesday March 15, 2011, all 1,200 global Partners of McKinsey & Co. gathered at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center near Washington, DC for their annual Partners' conference. The atmosphere was tense as Partners, in addition to their normal agenda,... View Details

Keywords: Board; McKinsey; CONSULTING Firms; Risk; Risk Assessment; Partnerships; Insider Trading; Confidentiality; Personal Investing; Reputation; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Management Practices and Processes; Risk Management; Construction Industry; United States; California

19 Jul 2011
First Look

First Look: July 19

efficiency and transparency in order to make ChiNext a better stock exchange. Purchase this case:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/811105-PDF-ENG RiskMetrics Group Jay W. View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

23 Feb 2010
First Look

First Look: Feb. 23

Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana Harvard Business Publishing, 2010 An abstract is unavailable at this time. Book: http://hbr.org/product/handbook-of-leadership-theory-and-practice/an/12326-HBK-ENG A Contingency Theory of Leadership Author:Jay View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

13 Nov 2012
First Look

First Look: November 13

firm commitment to both sustainability and high quality-a commitment rooted in Hirshberg's dedication to spreading the "gospel" of organic production to consumers. Purchase this case:http://hbr.org/search/312122PDF-ENG Olympus (A) View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

23 Aug 2011
First Look

First Look: August 23

PublicationsChallenges to Business in the Twenty-First Century Authors:Gerald Rosenfeld, Jay W. Lorsch, and Rakesh Khurana, eds. Publication:Cambridge, Mass.: American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2011 An... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Research Summary

Say on Pay

This project is examining, on a continuing basis, the evolving practice of allowing shareholders to have a vote on top executive compensation. The expected product will be an article explaining the limitations of this effort to give shareholders voice. View Details

May 1981 (Revised June 1986)
Case

C.R. Bard, Inc.

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Article

Understanding Boards of Directors: A Systems Perspective

In this essay, my goal is to explore why, despite the tireless efforts of talented people, research on corporate governance has been slow and uneven, and where that research should turn to next to be most valuable to practitioners. My belief is that the most fruitful... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Boards; Business Admnistration; Social Systems; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; System

May 2004 (Revised March 2005)
Case

SOX-POX?

Describes the experiences of audit committee chairmen in responding to and implementing the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Teaching Purpose: To help students understand the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on audit committees. View Details

Keywords: Government Legislation; Financial Reporting; Laws and Statutes; Accounting Audits