Publications
Publications
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(3,436)
- Faculty Publications (976)
- September 1997
- Background Note
Note on Political Risk Analysis
By: Debora L. Spar
Describes the emergence and subsequent decline of the political risk analysis industry. Discusses what political risk means for multinational firms and various ways in which firms have tried to analyze and grapple with these risks. View Details
- August 1997 (Revised June 1999)
- Case
Providian Trust: Tradition and Technology (A)
By: F. Warren McFarlan and Melissa Dailey
A major trust company attempts to implement a major software system while simultaneously reengineering business processes. Providian Trust, a previously non-IT intensive organization, must completely reposition its management of technology to deal with IT's new... View Details
- July 1997 (Revised June 2001)
- Case
H.E. Butt Grocery Company: A Leader in ECR Implementation (B) (Abridged)
By: Robert D. Austin and F. Warren McFarlan
H.E. Butt Grocery Co. led the grocery industry in adopting many innovations, including category management, electronic data interchange, and continuous replenishment. They have also moved aggressively and profitably into newer applications such as Scanner-based payment... View Details
Keywords: Information Management; Independent Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Invention; Business Organization; Risk and Uncertainty; Science-Based Business; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Risk Management; Electronics Industry; Computer Industry
- July 1997 (Revised September 1997)
- Case
USAA: Catastrophe Risk Financing
By: Kenneth A. Froot and Mark Seasholes
Describes the first major risk financing using catastrophe bonds. Provides a basis for discussing the securitization of insurance risks. View Details
- July 1997 (Revised April 1998)
- Case
Chase Manhattan Corporation: The Making of America's Largest Bank
By: Stuart C. Gilson and Cedric Escalle
Chase Bank and Chemical Bank intend to merge, producing the largest commercial bank in the United States, the fourth largest in the world. Projected financial benefits under the merger reflect significant planned reduction in operating costs, including 17,000 employee... View Details
- February 1997 (Revised July 2004)
- Case
Walden Woods
By: William J. Poorvu and Arthur I Segel
In 1984, Mortimer Zuckerman and Ed Linde, through their firm, Boston Properties (BP), acquired land in Concord, MA to build a 147,000-square-foot, first-class suburban office building. BP proceeded to go through the permitting and approval process with the town and was... View Details
- February 1997 (Revised April 1997)
- Case
Harrington Financial Group
By: Robert C. Merton and Alberto Moel
In early 1997, Harrington Bank, a small Indiana savings and loan (thrift) wondered what its next move should be. Harrington was acquired in 1988 by the principals of Smith Breeden Associates, a money-management and consulting firm specializing in the application of... View Details
- February 1997 (Revised December 2012)
- Case
Jim Sharpe: Extrusion Technology, Inc. (B)
By: H. Kent Bowen and Barbara Feinberg
Jim Sharpe, 11 years after receiving his MBA from Harvard and working for others, has finally become his own boss and 100% owner of manufacturer of aluminum extrusions. After 10 months of an unfunded search, he acquires the business in an LBO and prepares to face his... View Details
- December 1996
- Background Note
Financial Engineering and Tax Risk: The Case of Times Mirror PEPS
By: Peter Tufano
Provides general background on the taxation of corporate securities, and shows how the inconsistent taxation of functionally-similar securities can permit financial engineers to bear tax risk to earn positive returns. Designed to be used with Times Mirror Co. PEPS... View Details
- November 1996 (Revised July 1997)
- Case
Alexander Plaza
By: Arthur I Segel and William J. Poorvu
In May 1996, Henry Bower, an asset manager for a real estate adviser, Medcem, has to negotiate the details of a lease after signing a letter of intent with a high technology company, Defentek, Inc. Defentek, Inc. is a fast-growing company with limited net worth that is... View Details
- September 1996 (Revised August 1999)
- Case
Massachusetts Automobile Insurance 1999
By: Richard F. Meyer
The data and background are provided to enable students to determine what deductible insurance they wish to have in Massachusetts. View Details
- August 1996 (Revised December 1999)
- Case
J Boats, Inc.
By: Robert L. Simons
During the 20-year evolution of a family-owned, entrepreneurial sailboat company, two founders leverage their design and marketing skills to build one of the most recognized brands in the recreational boating industry. The founder then considers management succession... View Details
- May 1996 (Revised November 2018)
- Case
Ecolab, Inc.
By: Ashish Nanda
By 1993, Ecolab has established a dominant market position in the institutional cleaning industry. As the company’s principal competitor, Diversify, drives sales aggressively, Ecolab president Al Schuman faces a choice about how best to market Ecolab’s offerings.... View Details
- May 1996
- Case
First Capital Holdings Corp.
By: Stuart C. Gilson, Harry DeAngelo and Linda DeAngelo
The manager of a money-management firm considers whether to invest in the securities of a large, financially troubled, California-based life insurance holding company that holds 40% of its assets in high-yield junk bonds. Over the past year, the value of its portfolio... View Details
- April 1996 (Revised January 2006)
- Case
Times Mirror Company PEPS Proposal Review
By: Peter Tufano
Times Mirror Co. (TMC) owns a substantial block of Netscape common stock purchased prior to Netscape's IPO, on which it has substantial unrealized gains. TMC is restricted from selling the stock in a public offering and is therefore considering a proposal by Morgan... View Details
- April 1996 (Revised October 1999)
- Case
Risk of Stocks in the Long Run, The: The Barnstable College Endowment
By: Andre F. Perold
The manager of the Barnstable College Endowment is evaluating proposals to increase the endowment's exposure to stocks based on an analysis that shows stocks to be much safer over long holding periods. View Details
- January 1996 (Revised February 1997)
- Case
Tennessee Valley Authority: Option Purchase Agreements
By: Peter Tufano
James Cross, VP of customer planning at the Tennessee Valley Authority, a major supplier of electric power in the Southeast United States, is considering meeting its incremental capacity needs by creating new financial contracts, Option Purchase Agreements (OPAs) to... View Details
- December 1995 (Revised February 1997)
- Case
Student Educational Loan Fund, Inc.
By: Peter Tufano
Rick Melnick oversees the Student Educational Loan Fund (SELF), which provides loans to Harvard Business School students. SELF is changing the terms of student loans from variable-rate with semiannual payments to fixed-rate loans with equal monthly payments. Melnick... View Details
- Article
Investing in Distressed Situations: A Market Survey
By: S. C. Gilson
The risks of investing in distressed companies—a practice popularly known as "vulture" investing—are highly firm specific and idiosyncratic. Investors who are adept at managing these risks, who understand the legal rules that must be followed in corporate bankruptcy,... View Details