Publications

February 2000 (Revised August 2001)
Case

Astor Park Hotel

By: William J. Poorvu, Arthur I Segel and Matthew C. Lieb

Starwood Hotels, the world's largest REIT, is interested in acquiring an underperforming hotel in the Pacific Northwest. Steve Goldman, Starwood's VP of acquisitions and development, is wondering how much to pay for the property and how to reposition it. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Mergers and Acquisitions; Asset Pricing; Property; Investment; Accommodations Industry; Northwestern United States

July 2001
Technical Note

Technical Note on LBO Valuation (A): LBO Structure and the Target IRR Method of Valuation

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin

Explains the equity cash flow method of valuation as it applies to leveraged buyouts. Also explains: 1) earnings and cash flow forecasts, 2) debt structure and the cash sweep, 3) the cashing out horizon and terminal valuation, and 4) the target IRR method of valuation. View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Leveraged Buyouts; Capital Budgeting; Borrowing and Debt; Cash Flow; Equity; Profit; Price; Forecasting and Prediction

2004
Book

R&D Meets M&A: Proceedings of the 2003 Conference on Innovation and Creativity in Chemical R&D

By: Arthur A. Daemmrich

Keywords: Research and Development; Mergers and Acquisitions; Conferences; Innovation and Invention; Creativity; Science

Read Now

April 2011
Article

The Emotional Impact and Behavioral Consequences of Post-M&A Integration: An Ethnographic Case Study in the Software Industry

By: David Ager

This ethnographic case study has focused in depth on one type of acquisition, that of two small, young firms (each with less than 2,000 employees and less than ten years in operation) acquired by one company in the software development industry based in the United... View Details

Keywords: Integration; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Behavior; Groups and Teams; Mergers and Acquisitions; Emotions

Find at Harvard

February 1984 (Revised November 1993)
Case

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.--1983

Reviews changes in Du Pont's debt policy from 1965 to 1982. This period ended with a dramatic increase in Du Pont's debt level attendant upon the merger with Conoco. Students are asked to develop a new debt policy for Du Pont in the 1980s. View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Policy; Borrowing and Debt

10 Jul 2021
News

Biden Competition Order Targets Hospital Mergers, Surprise Medical Bills

August 2008
Supplement

Lenovo Chief Marketing Officer and Senior VP E-Commerce, Deepak Advani, Interviewed by Professor John Quelch

By: John A. Quelch

Professor John Quelch interviewed Lenovo CMO, Deepak Advani, regarding Lenovo's buy-out of IBM's personal computer business, and Lenovo's marketing strategy leading up to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Leveraged Buyouts; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Hardware; Computer Industry; China

February 2001
Case

PlanetFeedback: The Voice of One ... The Power of Many (A)

By: James L. Heskett

The management of PlanetFeedback in proposes a merger with Intelliseek. Their goal is to create a comprehensive C2B and B2B business focused on the generation and analysis for business clients of consumer feedback data via the Internet, Planet Feedback's board of... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Decisions; Information Management; Analytics and Data Science; Business Strategy; Internet and the Web; Information Technology Industry

Web

Research Links: Photographs - Railroads and the Transformation of Capitalism | Harvard Business School

Railroads Finance Management Business Analysts Mass Distribution Mergers & Syndicates Research Links Railroad Records Photographs Research Collections Secondary Sources Related Sites Research Links: Photographs Henry Villard Business... View Details

04 Oct 2010
News

Why Wal-Mart Went Shopping in Africa

October 1998 (Revised March 1999)
Case

US Office Products (A)

Growth by acquisition (rolling up or consolidating an industry) results in questions about integrating operations, corporate form, financial structure, and management for this company. View Details

Keywords: Integration; Business or Company Management; Acquisition

August 1996 (Revised June 2007)
Case

Nicholson File Company Takeover (A), The

By: Thomas R. Piper

The financial vice president must decide the value and form of an acquisition offer to be made to a small hand tool company. View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Preparation; Valuation; Negotiation Participants; Negotiation Offer; Acquisition; Manufacturing Industry

KRISHNA G. PALEPU is the Ross Graham Walker Professor of Business Administration, and has served previously as Senior Advisor to the President of Harvard University, and Senior Associate Dean... View Details

Keywords: accounting industry; banking; financial services; information technology industry; pharmaceuticals; retailing

May 2016 (Revised August 2022)
Case

RegionFly: Cutting Costs in the Airline Industry

By: Susanna Gallani and Eva Labro

RegionFly is a small, private airline specializing in ultra-premium services. Founded shortly after the "Golden Age of airline travel," RegionFly's financial performance had been strong for several decades. More recently, however, the results have taken a downward... View Details

Keywords: Recession; Downsizing; Profitability; Cost Management; Profit; Luxury; Competitive Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Divisions; Logistics; Decision Making; Strategic Planning; Air Transportation Industry

November 2011 (Revised December 2012)
Case

Rent the Runway

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Laura Winig

Two months after a successful launch in November 2009, the cofounders of Rent the Runway (RTR), a website that rented designer dresses, are debating whether to grow their startup at a measured pace and focus on improving operational effectiveness, or raise a new round... View Details

Keywords: Lean Startup; Electronic Commerce; Fashion; Expansion; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; E-commerce; Fashion Industry

August 2000 (Revised August 2003)
Case

Cox Communications, Inc., 1999

This case focuses on how much external financing a firm needs and what securities the firm should issue to raise this financing. Cox Communications is a major player in the cable industry, which is consolidating due to technological changes/capabilities brought about... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Decision Choices and Conditions; Financing and Loans; Telecommunications Industry

January 1992 (Revised March 2006)
Case

The DAG Group

Chris Hackett and Val Rayzman have spent six months after graduating from business school exploring the possibility of building a chain of upscale drycleaners. This fragmented industry looked ripe for an innovative new entrant. Chris and Val have researched the... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Market Entry and Exit; Entrepreneurship; Acquisition; Service Industry

December 2012 (Revised January 2015)
Technical Note

Early Career LBOs Using the Search Fund Model

By: Howard Stevenson, Michael Roberts and Jim Sharpe

The funded search model is one alternative for individuals who, at some point in their career, want to run their own companies. This note looks at the funded search, as a means to entrepreneurship through acquisition and describes the path to buy and run a business... View Details

Keywords: Search Funds; Search; Entrepreneurial Finance; Investor Behavior; Career Planning; Entrepreneurial Management; Fundraising; Negotiation; Entrepreneurship; Capital Structure; Borrowing and Debt; Personal Development and Career; Private Ownership; Acquisition; Finance; Leveraged Buyouts

October 1999 (Revised November 1999)
Case

VITAS: Innovative Hospice Care

VITAS, a for-profit hospice, has grown through acquisitions and start-ups. The company considers a rollup strategy, and Deirdre Lawe must decide whether to make a particular acquisition. View Details

Keywords: Value Creation; For-Profit Firms; Service Delivery; Health Care and Treatment; Acquisition; Service Industry