Publications

July 2009 (Revised May 2010)
Case

Pfizer: Letter from the Chairman (A)

By: Robert L. Simons and Natalie Kindred

This case explores maximizing shareholder value as a goal in executive decision making. Over a period of nine years, three different Pfizer CEOs make critical decisions intended to increase shareholder value. But the results are disappointing. To allow students to... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Annual Reports; Business and Shareholder Relations; Value Creation; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States

27 May 2022
Blog Post

Q&A with the HBS Armed Forces Alumni Association, MBA Class of 2023

has your military experience set you apart from your non-military classmates? Being in the military makes you adaptable to any environment or challenges that you may face and helps put things into perspective. When you are accountable for... View Details

May 2014
Case

Groupon, Inc.

By: Krishna G. Palepu, Blythe J. McGarvie and James Weber

Internet coupon site "Groupon" grew revenues rapidly and went public, but struggled to impress investors or operate profitably. Did it have a sustainable business model? Groupon sold coupons called Groupons which purchasers used to acquire goods or services at... View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Corporate Governance; Entrepreneurship; Financial Management; Financial Reporting; Financial Statements; Organizational Culture; Strategy; Web Services Industry; United States

11 Jun 2013
First Look

First Look: June 11

on location choices. However, industries with a significant presence of multinational enterprises (MNEs) are oligopolistic in nature, which suggests that rivalry among firms plays an important role in firms' dynamic decision-making... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

February 2015
Case

Beckman Coulter, 2011

By: John R. Wells and Galen Danskin

In early 2011, Danaher was contemplating the acquisition of Beckman Coulter. With $3.7 billion of revenues in 2010 and $431 million in operating profits, California-based Beckman Coulter was a global leader in blood cell count diagnostic systems and also supplied a... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

25 May 2011
HBS Case

QuikTrip’s Investment in Retail Employees Pays Off

group of retailers is challenging this notion of an industry built on the backs of crummy jobs, very prosperous companies that include Costco, Mercadona, Trader Joe's, and QuikTrip. What do they know that their competitors don't? In a new... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

30 Jun 2014
Lessons from the Classroom

The Role of Emotions in Effective Negotiations

"Rather than discussing topics in the rarified air of investment banking, an industry foreign to many of our students, we wanted to be as universal as possible." Not that it is a simple situation emotionally. Stressed out over... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Entertainment & Recreation; Sports

23 Nov 2021
Research & Ideas

The Vinyl Renaissance: Take Those Old Records Off the Shelf

Streaming accounts for about 85 percent of today’s music consumption, but sales of vinyl records have grown steadily over the past decade, owing to their rediscovery by members of Gen Z who view them as a timeless medium that offers... View Details

Keywords: by Christine Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette; Music

14 Jul 2014
Research & Ideas

Pay Attention To Your ‘Extreme Consumers’

of extreme lovers or haters of their products. A project developing new menu items for a fast food restaurant chain in Malaysia, for example, used websites that were critical of the fast food industry to design healthier alternatives.... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

Web

Actions Organizations Can Take to Communicate Their Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging - Recruiting

Insights & Advice 09 Jun 2023 Actions Organizations Can Take to Communicate Their Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Becca Carnahan Author HBS Team tag All Industries All Locations Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging... View Details

17 Mar 2009
First Look

First Look: March 17, 2009

industry players such as the major oil companies? Should he try raising money from the managers of the sovereign funds in countries such as Singapore, Kuwait, and China? How should the firm work with its strategic partners? Khosla knew... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

28 Nov 2005
Research & Ideas

Unilever: Transformation and Tradition

account individual circumstances. From the 1980s Unilever also honed skills in divesting businesses. Unilever's ability to identify acquisition targets, and to absorb the capabilities of acquired companies, became one of its principal... View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones; Consumer Products

October 2011 (Revised December 2013)
Case

Lehman Brothers and Repo 105

By: Anette Mikes, Gwen Yu and Dominique Hamel

The collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 was the largest bankruptcy in US history. The case examines the economics of the off-balance sheet transactions Lehman undertook prior to the collapse, and highlights the corporate governance challenges in situations where firms... View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Policy; Accounting Audits; Corporate Governance; Financial Instruments; Risk Management; Financial Services Industry

15 Jun 2021
News

Keeping Hourly Workers Focused on the Stock, Not the Clock

society, but that alterations to the regulation and taxation of ESOPs had made them less beneficial. When he became head of industrials for the global investment firm KKR in 2010, Stavros began experimenting with new approaches to... View Details

Keywords: April White; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management

November 2003 (Revised January 2004)
Case

eBay Inc.: Internet Success or Fairy Tale?

By: David F. Hawkins and Jacob Cohen

A well-known financial analyst claims that eBay has never been profitable and currently does not generate any "unfettered" cash flow. View Details

Keywords: Cash Flow; Accounting; Web Services Industry