Publications

28 Apr 2009
First Look

First Look: April 28, 2009

in Confluent. Initially very excited about the deal, Warden becomes concerned about Confluent's valuation and its ability to succeed as a business when he learns about restrictions placed upon Confluent by the licensing agreement. The... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

26 Jan 2009
Research & Ideas

Where is Home for the Global Firm?

equity shop effectively scooped up Celanese, stripped it of its German identity, and repotted it in the United States nine months later, thereby closing a large valuation gap. And there were other situations that were similar. I was... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

July 2023
Article

Before or After? The Effects of Payment Decision Timing in Pay-What-You-Want Contexts

By: Raghabendra P. KC, Vincent Mak and Elie Ofek

We study how payment decision timing—before versus after product delivery—influences consumer payment under pay-what-you-want pricing. We focus on situations where there is minimal change in consumer uncertainty regarding the product before versus after receiving it.... View Details

Keywords: Price; Behavior; Valuation; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving

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2023
Working Paper

Evaluation and Learning in R&D Investment

By: Alexander P. Frankel, Joshua L. Krieger, Danielle Li and Dimitris Papanikolaou

We examine the role of spillover learning in shaping the value of exploratory versus incremental R&D. Using data from drug development, we show that novel drug candidates generate more knowledge spillovers than incremental ones. Despite being less likely to reach... View Details

Keywords: Research and Development; Forecasting and Prediction; Valuation; Pharmaceutical Industry

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December 1973 (Revised November 1993)
Case

Cooper Industries, Inc.

By: Thomas R. Piper

The executive president of a major industrial company must decide 1) whether to acquire a small hand tool company and, if so, 2) the value and form that the acquisition package should take. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Valuation; Acquisition; Management Teams; Consumer Products Industry

April 2018
Supplement

Celgene

By: Malcolm Baker and Emily R. McComb

In February 2011, Adam Koppel, a Managing Director at Brookside Capital, the public equity arm of Bain Capital, must decide whether to increase or exit the firm’s position in Celgene Corporation. News has emerged that raises potential safety concerns associated with... View Details

Keywords: Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Public Market Investing; Celgene; Revlimid; Hedge Fund; Growth Stocks; Valuation; Investment; Decision Choices and Conditions; Analysis

September 2017 (Revised July 2019)
Supplement

Actera Group: Investing in Mars Cinema Group (B)

By: Victoria Ivashina and Eren Kuzucu

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Value Creation; Transformation; Valuation; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; Turkey

Article

Money is No Object: Testing The Endowment Effect in Exchange Goods

By: Dan Svirsky

We present a new experimental design to test whether the endowment effect exists for exchange goods, like money. We compare three groups to a baseline: one endowed with money, one endowed with chocolate coins, and one endowed with chocolate coins described as "tokens."... View Details

Keywords: Perception; Valuation; Goods and Commodities; Attitudes

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January 2013
Case

Luotang Power: Variances Explained

By: Robert Simons and Craig Chapman

The general manager of Luotang Power, a coal-fired power plant located in central China, reviews annual results before a meeting with the board of directors. He thought the company performed well during the year and both plant availability and fuel economy had improved... View Details

Keywords: China; Financial Statements; Management Accounting; Variance Analysis; Environmental Regulations; Incentives; Electric Power Generation; Contracts; Valuation; Energy Generation; Accounting; Performance Evaluation; Energy Industry; China

Fast Answer

Challenges and Opportunities in the Restaurant Industry

Resources Company Analysis and Financing Company profiles on project sponsors Financial fundamentals for valuation Executive bios Size of organization, i.e., number of employees, revenue View Details

29 Jun 2017
Research & Ideas

Why Uber Is Worth Saving and How To Do It

was providing rides in 311 cities and 58 countries, and the startup’s reported valuation was estimated at about $70 billion in 2017. Consumers raved so much about the service initially that many public officials happily rewrote rules to... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Transportation

10 Sep 2001
Research & Ideas

The Negotiator’s Secret: More Than Merely Effective

analysis, all subjects were asked for their private assessment of the target company's fair value—as distinct from how they might portray that value in the bargaining process. Those assigned the role of seller gave median valuations more... View Details

Keywords: by James K. Sebenius

16 Nov 2021
Blog Post

Building an Internship Program at Your Startup: An Interview with Facily’s Diego Dzodan (MBA 1999)

needed to reach a milestone – a valuation of $1B. Based on this experience, Dzodan encourages other alumni and entrepreneurs to spend the time necessary to bring on interns, even when there are dozens of other tasks on your list. “It can... View Details

June 2012
Technical Note

Foreign vs. Local Funds: A Note on the Dynamics of the Private Equity Industry in China

By: Li Jin and Benjamin Y. Lee

Keywords: Fundraising; Investment Management; Foreign Funds; Portfolio Management; Local Funds; Private Equity; Valuation; Investment Portfolio; China

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

30 Aug 2004
Research & Ideas

Mapping Your Board’s Effectiveness

corporate strategy—create value by becoming known for better governance and greater transparency to external providers? Can they lower their cost of capital and perhaps get a valuation premium based on the reputation and performance of... View Details

Keywords: by Robert S. Kaplan

January 2017
Supplement

Bayer AG: Bidding to Win Merck's OTC Business

By: Benjamin C. Esty, Marc Baaij and Arjen Mulder

Keywords: Acquisition; Bidding Strategy; Valuing Synergies; Negotiations; Corporate Strategy; Business Unit Strategy; Bidding Process; Discounted Cash Flow; Cross-border M＆A; Tax Shields; Valuation; Competitive Strategy; Auctions; Germany; United States; United Kingdom

September 2009
Teaching Note

Mercury Athletic: Valuing the Opportunity (Brief Case)

By: Timothy A. Luehrman and Joel L. Heilprin

Teaching Note to 4050. View Details

Keywords: Mergers ＆ Acquisitions; Sensitivity Analysis; Valuation; Mergers and Acquisitions

February 2003 (Revised October 2004)
Background Note

Antamini Simulation Model

By: Peter Tufano

Antamini is a simulation of the value of an investment project whose outcome is uncertain. This case describes the situation facing a natural resource firm as it contemplates bidding on a copper mine in Peru. The bidder faces uncertainties about the ore deposit size... View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Auctions; Investment; Mining; Mining Industry; Peru