Publications

August 2020
Background Note

US Private Equity Firms: ESG and Impact (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Holly Fetter

This Note has two parts. The first part (A) explores how U.S. private equity firms are incorporating ESG (Environmental, Social, & Governance) factors and impact objectives into their investment strategies and firm practices. It is based on publicly available... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Social Issues; Financial Services Industry; United States

April 2016
Teaching Note

The Fall of the 'Fabulous Fab'

By: Eugene F. Soltes

Teaching note for HBS Case#114-063 View Details

Keywords: Management; Corporate Accountability; Ethics; Financial Crisis; Finance; Financial Services Industry; United States

17 Feb 2014
Research & Ideas

Companies Detangle from Legacy Pensions

nearly all corporations ceased offering defined benefit plans in favor of "defined contribution" packages such as 401(k) plans—in which employees contribute a set amount from their paychecks that would be individually invested... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Financial Services; Financial Services

28 Apr 2009
First Look

First Look: April 28, 2009

workstations, and related support services. Bradley's PSG had played an important role in HP's financial success over the previous three years. Purchase this case: http://hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=509010 IBM: The View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

August 2016 (Revised May 2017)
Case

eBay vs. Carl Icahn, 2014

By: David B. Yoffie and Eric Baldwin

This case explores Carl Icahn's attack on eBay, starting in January 2014. The case examines how John Donahoe, CEO of eBay, should respond to Icahn's demand that eBay spin off PayPal and accept Icahn's two nominees to the board of directors. View Details

Keywords: Activist Shareholder; Activist Investors; Technology; Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Investment Activism; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry

23 Aug 2004
Research & Ideas

Strategy for Small Fish

ventures during the venture capital boom of the late 1990s was selecting areas that had no staying power, such as Web calendars or Web-dispatched limousine services. Over time, it was inevitable that these new niches would merge with existing ones. The View Details

Keywords: by Marco Iansiti & Roy Levien

June 2017
Teaching Note

The De Beers Group: Exploring the Diamond Reselling Opportunity

By: Benjamin C. Esty, Daniel P. Gross and Lauren G. Pickle

In September 2014, Tom Montgomery (SVP of strategic initiatives at the De Beers Group) and his team launched a pilot program in the United States to explore $1 billion diamond market for pre-owned (recycled) diamonds. According to Montgomery, the motivation for the... View Details

08 Apr 2016
Research & Ideas

How to Hire a Millennial

loyal in the traditional sense, ready to jump ship when their employers fail to meet expectations. Yet too many companies are falling short in their efforts to recruit the best and brightest young minds. Most try to convince skeptical millennials of the merits of their... View Details

Keywords: by Joseph Fuller

10 Jan 2018
Research & Ideas

Working for a Shamed Company Can Hurt Your Future Compensation

iPhoto In the blink of an instant, a corporate brand can turn from sterling to tarnished. Just ask Volkswagen or Wells Fargo—two prestigious names that have become associated with scandal in recent years, and now become synonymous with... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Financial Services

18 Feb 2002
Research & Ideas

Wrap-up: Software, Telecom, and Recovery

Investors' Interest?" Y2K spending drove growth in the late '90s, followed almost immediately by a boom of broad e-implementations such as customer relationship management and e-commerce, while the threat loomed that smaller, more nimble software companies would... View Details

Keywords: by Wendy Guild & Martha Lagace; Financial Services; Financial Services; Financial Services; Financial Services

07 Dec 2016
HBS Case

Why Millennials Flock to Fintech for Personal Investing

faith in the power of technology to solve their problems. (In fact, the Occupy Wall Street generation may be more likely to trust a fintech company than a big New York banking firm.) Moreover, millennials are heavy users of social media, and apt to recommend View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Financial Services

11 Feb 2015
Research & Ideas

Politicians Benefited From Using Toxic Loans

power for more than 20 years). Vallée and Pérignon analyzed how the politicians used the loans—whether they had invested the money in equipment or services for the city, or used the cash to lower taxes for their constituents, or both. It... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Financial Services

16 Feb 2004
Research & Ideas

European Private Equity—Still a Teenager?

pan-European funds and global private equity organizations), panelists pointed to corporate carve-outs and restructuring as hope for future payoffs. When I arrived in 1989, people were saying that there was too much money chasing too few... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services

August 2012
Case

William Jeffrey at Bay Colony: On-Boarding (A)

By: Lena G. Goldberg

The decision-making process, policies and procedures, and legal obligations of the Board, the company's inside counsel and the company's outside counsel are explored in connection with on-boarding, investigating alleged misconduct of, and terminating a company's CEO,... View Details

Keywords: Leadership And Managing People; Employment Law; Business or Company Management; Law; Leadership; Governing and Advisory Boards; Employment; Corporate Governance; Financial Services Industry; Massachusetts

October 2000 (Revised March 2001)
Case

Firestone/Ford Tire Controversy, The (A)

By: V.G. Narayanan and Roger Orosman Nieves

Examines the high-profile Firestone/Ford product recall/investigation that took place in the summer of 2000. Focuses on the management of supplier relationships and incentives. View Details

Keywords: Knowledge Sharing; Supply Chain Management; Motivation and Incentives; Crisis Management; Corporate Accountability; Product; Service Operations; Auto Industry

June 2014
Teaching Note

Steve Carpenter at Cake Financial

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann

After investing $9 million of venture capital, Cake Financial had failed to reach critical mass. In early 2010 Cake's assets were sold and the company was dissolved. Founded in 2006, the San Francisco-based Internet company allowed users to monitor their investments... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Business or Company Management; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Strategy; Internet; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry