Publications

April 2002
Case

Knoll Furniture: Going Public

By: Paul A. Gompers and Jon Asher Daniels

This case examines the decisions of John Lynch, president and CEO of Knoll Furniture, to go public in early 1997. Knoll went private in an LBO in 1996 and Warburg Pincus, the LBO sponsor, wants Lynch to take Knoll public. Lynch needs to weigh the positive and negative... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Decisions; Initial Public Offering; Going Public; Privatization

17 Dec 2014
News

The Sharing-Economy PR Stunt That Turned Into a Real Business

August 15, 2014
Article

Can an Outside CEO Run a Family-Owned Business?

By: Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer

This article explores the intricate dynamics that often characterize family-owned businesses, shedding light on key archetypes that play prominent roles within these organizations. Using a narrative approach, the article illustrates the challenges faced by leaders... View Details

Keywords: Family Ownership; Personal Characteristics; Family and Family Relationships; Management Practices and Processes

Register to Read

March 2012
Case

The Agnellis and Fiat: Family Business Governance in a Crisis (A)

By: John A. Davis, Bernardo Bertoldi and Roberto Quaglia

After the death of Umberto Agnelli in 2004, the Agnelli family, led by John Elkann, needs to decide whether to keep Fiat CEO Giuseppe Morchio. The Fiat Group is in a delicate financial position, and John Elkann, the new family leader, is untested in this role. The... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Family Ownership; Management Teams; Leadership; Corporate Governance; Crisis Management; Auto Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Italy

February 2002 (Revised March 2010)
Case

Mondragon Corporacion Cooperativa (MCC)

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Tarun Khanna

Mondragon Corp. Cooperativa (MCC) is a conglomerate of more than 100 cooperatives in Basque Country, Spain. From 1996, MCC has pursued an internationalization strategy. As the company goes global, MCC's business model, based on trust and social involvement, seems to be... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Business Model; Global Strategy; Cooperative Ownership; Trust; Spain; Basque Provinces

Fast Answer

Subsidiaries in another country

How can I find subsidiaries of companies headquartered in a different country, for example, Chinese subsidiaries of UK based companies? Subsidiaries of companies can be found using the following databases: Orbis: Select Location and World/Region/Country. Choose your... View Details

February 2023
Case

Grupo Sancor Seguros: Facing the Digital Transformation of Insurance in Argentina (A)

By: Jorge Tamayo and Jenyfeer Martínez Buitrago

In 2020, Alejandro Simón, CEO of Sancor Seguros Group, a nearly 75-year-old cooperative that had become Argentina’s insurance leader, had to decide about the Group’s digital transformation strategy. The Group’s values and history needed to be considered during the... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Digital Transformation; Organizational Culture; Cooperative Ownership; Strategy; Business Strategy; Adaptation; Technology Adoption; Insurance Industry; Latin America; South America; Argentina

April 2002 (Revised June 2003)
Case

News Corporation

By: Bharat N. Anand and Kate Attea

In 2001, News Corp. is the smallest of the major media and entertainment conglomerates, but it has the broadest global presence. In an effort to establish a major distribution presence in the United States, News Corp. had looked to acquire DirecTV, the largest U.S.... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Business Conglomerates; Globalization; Distribution; Organizational Culture; Family Ownership; Competition; Consolidation; Corporate Strategy; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Journalism and News Industry; United States; Australia

Fast Answer

Securitization process and credit rating agencies

Access to credit research on bond issues from around the world, including public finance and structured finance issues LSEG Workspace - Features market quotes, earnings estimates, financial fundamentals, press releases, transaction data, corporate filings, View Details

21 Dec 2009
Research & Ideas

Good Banks, Bad Banks, and Government’s Role as Fixer

assistance, the Treasury should contribute capital by purchasing common shares. As a result, the Treasury is likely to hold a majority ownership of the bank's common shares, while the ownership interests of... View Details

Keywords: by Roger Thompson; Banking; Financial Services

March 1999
Case

Australia's Telstra Corporation (A): Going Public

By: W. Earl Sasser, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Cate Reavis

Frank Blount is named CEO of Telstra, Australia's state-owned telecommunications giant. In preparation for its 1997 IPO, he must reorganize the company from an inefficient public entity into a lean, customer-driven organization. View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Initial Public Offering; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Customer Focus and Relationships; State Ownership; Performance Effectiveness; Privatization; Telecommunications Industry; Australia

Find at Harvard

January 2001 (Revised May 2001)
Background Note

State, The

By: Rawi E. Abdelal

Surveys approaches to understanding the state; highlights the relationships between the state, order, and property; and offers an analytical framework for how states vary from place to place and over time. View Details

Keywords: Business and Government Relations; Governance Compliance; Framework; Economic Sectors; Policy; Private Ownership; Public Ownership; Entrepreneurship; Development Economics; Equality and Inequality

03 Nov 2009
First Look

First Look: Nov. 3

wrongdoers is consistent with their judgments, and we offer preliminary evidence on how to reduce these biases. Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/09-020.pdf Stock Price Fragility Authors:Robin Greenwood and David Thesmar Abstract We investigate the... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

December 1999 (Revised October 2006)
Case

Praedium Corporation

By: Henry B. Reiling and Catherine M. Conneely

George Hicks and Patricia Ferrey, primary shareholders of the Praedium Corp., faced a dilemma that could dissolve their real estate management company. Praedium received an attractive offer to lease one of its properties, however, Hicks did not want to terminate the... View Details

Keywords: Leasing; Property; Taxation; Investment Return; Real Estate Industry; Construction Industry

April 2017 (Revised February 2020)
Case

edaixi (eWash): Digital Transformation of Laundry Services (A)

By: Feng Zhu, Weiru Chen, Chuang Chen and Ciwu Lin

Founded in 2013 as a laundry service featuring online ordering for home pickup and delivery, China’s edaixi (eWash) illustrated the online-to-offline (O2O) business model. As yet unclear in 2016 was the optimal way to organize third-party laundry service providers,... View Details

Keywords: Laundry; O2O; Online-to-offline; Business Model; Service Operations; Ownership Type; Digital Platforms; Transformation; China

September 2006
Case

Stedman Place: Buy or Rent?

By: Andre F. Perold and David S. Scharfstein

A couple has to decide whether to continue renting a townhouse or buy the one next door. Allows for a discussion of net present value, internal rate of return, and the costs and benefits of homeownership. View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Decisions; Asset Pricing; Investment Return; Housing; Family Ownership; Renting or Rental; Valuation