Publications

September 1992 (Revised October 1992)
Case

Acid Rain: The Southern Co. (B)

By: Forest L. Reinhardt

In addition to the issues of expected cost minimization elucidated in Acid Rain: The Southern Co. (A), problems involving regulatory uncertainty are critical to the firm's Clean Air Act compliance strategy. The regulatory uncertainty affects, and is affected by, the... View Details

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

November 29, 2023
Article

To Earn Trust, Climate Alliances Need to Improve Transparency

By: Peter Tufano, Chris Thomas, Knut Haanaes, Matteo Gasparini, Robert Eyres and Christopher Chapman

Businesses are increasingly joining together as part of climate alliances to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. But these alliances raise antitrust issues: When competitors collaborate, it can come at the expense of customers or workers. To mitigate... View Details

Keywords: Climate Change; Partners and Partnerships; Corporate Disclosure; Energy Sources

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August 2023 (Revised October 2024)
Supplement

Plug Power (B)

By: Jonas Heese, Joseph Pacelli and James Barnett

The case is set in spring 2021, immediately after Plug Power made financial restatements dating back to 2018. The case describes the restatements, which revealed that Plug was reclassifying expense items to boost gross profits. View Details

Keywords: Environmental Accounting; Financial Reporting; Ethics; Profit; Management; Social Enterprise; Energy Industry; Energy Industry; United States; Europe

18 Apr 2012
Research & Ideas

HBS Cases: Who Controls Water?

water management technologies because they were aware of its weaknesses. "The basic problem from the farmers' point of view is that the water is in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Reinhardt. It's also one of the reasons... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish; Agriculture & Agribusiness

June 2019
Teaching Note

CEWD: Closing the Skills Gap

By: William R. Kerr and Ted Smalley Bowen

Teaching Note for HBS No. 818-081. The teaching note presents background, case details, and teaching strategies, along with board plans and supporting graphics. View Details

29 Feb 2016
HBS Case

Bigbelly's Big Bet on the Digital Trash Can

to a subscription model to ensure that they gain buy-in from the sales force, provide the right incentives to spur sales, and, perhaps most importantly, facilitate a shift away from one-time sales to managing an ongoing, long-term... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Energy

2023
Working Paper

Cost-Efficient Decarbonization of Portland Cement Production

By: Gunther Glenk, Anton Kelnhofer, Rebecca Meier and Stefan Reichelstein

Accounting for nearly 8% of global annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the cement industry is considered difficult to decarbonize. While a sizeable number of abatement levers for Portland cement production is becoming technologically ready for deployment, many are... View Details

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February 2024 (Revised March 2024)
Teaching Note

X: The Foghorn Decision

By: Kyle Myers and Walter Frick

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 618-060. View Details

01 Sep 2020
News

Ink: The Habit of Innovation

can kill innovation energy: the plague of the zombie project. Do you shuffle and linger on, sucking the innovation energy out of your organization? If so, then a zombie amnesty, where you kill projects but pardon people, may be for you!... View Details

Keywords: Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises

02 Dec 2018
News

An Investor’s Guide to Climate Change: Risks and Opportunities

sustainability at Citigroup; Michael Ellis (MBA 2008), managing director of Inherent Group; Claire Broido Johnson (MBA 2002), president of CBJ Energy; and Jackson Lehr (MBA 2007), director of distributed View Details

Keywords: Allison Webster; Electric Power Generation, Transmission, Distribution; Utilities; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

07 Apr 2011
What Do You Think?

When Should the Public Sector Take Over in a Meltdown?

argues for the "public's right to know," but suggests two other questions in assessing the need for a takeover: "What's the cause of the problem? And what are the public interests at stake?" Gerald Nanninga suggests the criterion of whether... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Energy; Energy

Profile

Kayode Ogunro

employer. How has HBS prepared you for your new job? My job will require a substantial amount of travel to Europe and Africa and more hands on management of deals and projects than I would face with a typical investment firm. My HBS... View Details

Keywords: Investment Management / Hedge Fund; Investment Management / Hedge Fund; Investment Management / Hedge Fund; Investment Management / Hedge Fund; Investment Management / Hedge Fund

03 Mar 2014
HBS Case

Decommoditizing the Canned Tomato

long-running family agricultural businesses: emphasizing high-quality raw materials, building close relationships with farmers, and spending on vigorous marketing and advertising. Born To Innovate Born in 1968, Francesco was full of View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish; Agriculture & Agribusiness; Food & Beverage; Retail

July 2013
Case

Novozymes: Establishing the Cellulosic Ethanol Value Chain

By: Willy Shih and Sen Chai

As the world's largest producer of industrial enzymes, Novozymes had invested heavily for many years to bio-engineer enzymes that could break down cellulose into fermentable sugar. In 2010, the company had launched what it thought would become a breakthrough product... View Details

Profile

Kamen Bliznashki

Why is getting a HBS MBA important to you? Coming from an investment banking background, I lacked deep understanding of the larger strategic challenges of clients. I see my HBS experience as an opportunity to broaden and deepen my skill set beyond finance. The focus on... View Details

Keywords: Energy / Extractive Minerals; Energy / Extractive Minerals

01 Dec 2007
News

Looking back; looking forward

with power in practice, a remarkable campus, and an alumni community more than 70,000 strong. Equally important, it’s a chance to help set the agenda for management education and research for the next century, and for tomorrow’s business... View Details

Keywords: Jay O. Light; Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Business Schools & Computer & Management Training

October 2003 (Revised February 2004)
Case

Cape Wind

By: John T. Gourville and Kerry Herman

Cape Wind has proposed placing a 170-tower wind farm, with each tower more than 400-feet tall, in Nantucket Sound. Not surprisingly, public reaction is mixed. Some view the wind farm as clean, renewable energy. Others view it as an eyesore and a desecration of a valued... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Renewable Energy; Consumer Behavior; Problems and Challenges; Natural Environment; Behavior; United States

May 2002 (Revised August 2006)
Case

Yangcheng: AES in China

By: Richard H.K. Vietor

AES, an American electric power company with 141 plants worldwide, is just completing construction of a 2,100-MW plant in China--the largest ever. The project, a joint venture with five local companies, has several environmental, ownership, and operational issues as... View Details

Keywords: Energy Generation; Joint Ventures; Foreign Direct Investment; Environmental Sustainability; Problems and Challenges; Energy Industry; China