Publications

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09 Apr 2007
Research & Ideas

Industry Self-Regulation: What’s Working (and What’s Not)?

is by assessing companies in terms of their social performance and corporate social responsibility efforts. The funds try to screen out the bad companies and invest in the good ones. If CSR efforts are... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

June 2003 (Revised August 2003)
Case

Pension Policy at The Boots Company PLC

By: Luis M. Viceira and Akiko M. Mitsui

In early 2000, the trustees of the pension scheme at Boots considered a proposal to move 100% of the pension assets into a bond portfolio, which would be passively managed. The Boots Co. PLC was a leading retailer of cosmetics and toiletries in the United Kingdom, and... View Details

Keywords: Performance Productivity; Employees; Asset Management; Capital Structure; Investment Portfolio; Consumer Products Industry; United Kingdom

30 Apr 2007
Research & Ideas

All Eyes on Slovakia’s Flat Tax

implemented theoretical flat taxes. Q: Slovakia introduced a flat tax in 2004 with a 19 percent rate on personal income, corporate income, and value added tax. What are some of the complexities of the Slovak situation that made you decide... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

15 Jul 2008
First Look

First Look: July 15, 2008

Theory of Corporate Debt Maturity Choice Authors:Robin Greenwood, Jeremy C. Stein, and Samuel Hanson Abstract We argue that time-series variation in the maturity of aggregate corporate debt issues arises... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

28 Nov 2005
Research & Ideas

Unilever: Transformation and Tradition

job."1 It was remarkable that the corporate image of a company whose brands were so well known, and whose operations were so widespread, was so indistinct. There were times between the 1960s and 1990 when Unilever appeared amorphous.... View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones; Consumer Products

01 Mar 2011
First Look

First Look: March 1

costs. But to realize those benefits, the acquirer needs to achieve economies of scale by absorbing the target's resources into its operations. CEOs, who are often unrealistic about the performance boost from such acquisitions, must be... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Web

Online Leadership Principles Course | HBS Online

Cristea Lavoie Corporate Services Manager at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP I got promoted to a senior project coordinator role just weeks after finishing the course, so I've had the chance to apply many of the topics covered. Aranzazú Martínez... View Details

November 2003 (Revised March 2004)
Case

Drilling South: Petrobras Evaluates Pecom

By: Mihir A. Desai and Ricardo Reisen de Pinho

The Brazilian oil company, Petrobras, is evaluating the acquisition of an Argentine oil company, the Perez Companc Group (Pecom). The acquisition would increase Petrobras' oil reserves and expand its interests outside Brazil, a significant step for the largest company... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Forecasting and Prediction; Financial Crisis; Non-Renewable Energy; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Corporate Governance; Risk Management; Emerging Markets; State Ownership; Performance Evaluation; Risk and Uncertainty; Valuation; Energy Industry; Argentina; Brazil

21 Aug 2019
Research & Ideas

What Machine Learning Teaches Us about CEO Leadership Style

CEOs into distinct communication styles that, among other things, appear to be correlated with the financial performance of their companies. “There is a whole ocean of data out there that people aren’t using” The research was conducted by... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

November 2022
Case

Arcos Dorados’ Quest for the Digitalization of Last-Mile Delivery in Colombia

By: Jorge Tamayo, Jenyfeer Martinez Buitrago and Mariana Cal

In 2018, Francisco Staton, Managing Director of Arcos Dorados in Colombia had to decide on the company’s strategy to expand its food ordering and delivery business in the country. Arcos Dorados stood as McDonald’s largest independent franchisee, and Colombia was one of... View Details

December 2021 (Revised February 2022)
Case

Bed Bath & Beyond: The New Strategy to Drive Shareholder Value

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel W. Fisher

At one time, Bed Bath & Beyond was one of the most successful specialty retailers in the United States—its growth and profit margins far exceeded both peer retailers in the home goods market as well as many other discount retailers. But in 2014, its stock price peaked,... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Value Creation; Diversification; Corporate Governance; Leading Change; Performance Evaluation; Valuation; Investment Activism; Retail Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States