Publications

December 2001 (Revised April 2003)
Case

Financing PPL Corporation's Growth Strategy

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Carrie Ferman

PPL Corp., an electric utility in Pennsylvania, needs to finance $1 billion of peaking plants as part of its new growth strategy. In February 2001, Steve May, director of finance for PPL's Global Division, is responsible for recommending a finance plan. After... View Details

Keywords: Financial Management; Financial Instruments; Project Finance; Financial Strategy; Corporate Finance; Leasing

01 Jun 2017
News

Why Finance Needs More Humanity, and Why Humanity Needs Finance

9 AM – 10 AM EDT, 23 Oct 2019
HBS Online

HBS Online Leading with Finance

Gain a deep understanding of the principles of finance - a toolkit for making smart financial decisions and the confidence to communicate those decisions to key stakeholders. Program Dates: October 23, 2019 - December 4, 2019 View Details

9 AM – 10 AM EDT, 27 Mar 2019
HBS Online

HBS Online Leading with Finance

Gain a deep understanding of the principles of finance - a toolkit for making smart financial decisions and the confidence to communicate those decisions to key stakeholders. Program Dates: March 27, 2019 - May 8, 2019 View Details

2024
Article

Political Polarization and Finance

By: Elisabeth Kempf and Margarita Tsoutsoura

We review an empirical literature that studies how political polarization affects financial decisions. We first discuss the degree of partisan segregation in finance and corporate America, the mechanisms through which partisanship may influence financial decisions, and... View Details

Keywords: Government and Politics; Investment Portfolio; Decisions; Governance

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12 Oct 2017
News

Technology is revolutionising supply-chain finance

March 2011 (Revised June 2011)
Background Note

Government Policy and Clean-Energy Finance

By: Ramana Nanda, Sanjay Aggarwal and Nilam Ganenthiran

What leads to market failures in finance of clean energy startups? How do different governments approach this issue? View Details

Keywords: Government and Politics; Finance; Policy; Energy Industry

March 2006
Module Note

Finance in Weak Institutional Environments

By: Mihir A. Desai and Kathleen Luchs

Describes the sixth module in the International Finance course at Harvard Business School. The module explores the issues confronting firms that operate in weak institutional environments. The cases examine situations where investor protections are limited and how... View Details

Keywords: International Finance; Curriculum and Courses; Business Ventures; Framework; Organizational Design; Outcome or Result; Education Industry

9 AM – 9 AM EDT, 12 Sep 2018
HBS Online

HBX Leading with Finance

Gain a deep understanding of the principles of finance - a toolkit for making smart financial decisions and the confidence to communicate those decisions to key stakeholders. Program Dates: September 12, 2018 - October 24, 2018 View Details

Climate Finance Takeaways: Recap of 2021 Climate Finance Short Intensive Program

A recap of the 2021 Climate Finance Short Intensive Program co-taught at HBS with George Serafeim. Spotlights which stakeholders must come together to alleviate “the tragedy of the commons” problem in climate finance solutions. View Details

2000
Working Paper

Future Possibilities in Finance Theory and Finance Practice

By: Robert C. Merton

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February 2024 (Revised February 2025)
Case

Financing Matillion's Scaleup (A)

By: Raymond Kluender, Emanuele Colonnelli and Ramana Nanda

In 2019, Matthew Scullion, founder and CEO of U.K. startup Matillion, faced a decision about which term sheet to accept for the lead investor in his company’s $35 million Series C financing round. Would the connections and opportunities offered by Silicon Valley-based... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Negotiation; Ownership; Business Startups; Decisions; Venture Capital; Financing and Loans; Valuation; Information Technology Industry; United Kingdom

2003
Case

Project Finance Portal

By: B. C. Esty

Keywords: Finance

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December 2010
Case

Financing Higher Education in Australia

By: David A. Moss and Stephanie Lo

Even before Australian lawmakers abolished university tuition in 1973, students in Australia had long benefited from low tuition and large government subsidies. By the early 1980s, however, the nation's universities faced growing budget challenges and an apparent... View Details

Keywords: Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Higher Education; Borrowing and Debt; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Policy; Education Industry; Australia

2018
Other Teaching and Training Material

Finance Reading: Corporate Governance

By: John Coates and Suraj Srinivasan

Core Curriculum Readings in Finance cover the fundamental concepts, theories, and frameworks in finance. This reading presents an overview of corporate governance, focusing on for-profit businesses that are privately owned by dispersed investors—that is, not owned by a... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Corporate Governance; For-Profit Firms; Private Ownership; Conflict of Interests

Program

Finance for Senior Executives

Summary When you can speak the language of finance, you have the power to build stronger strategies, expand your influence, and make better business decisions. Finance for Senior Executives delivers a foundation in corporate View Details

2004
Chapter

Project Finance

By: B. C. Esty

Keywords: Project Finance