Publications

July 2018
Teaching Note

The Perfect Storm: What Happens When the Market Moves Four Standard Deviations?

By: Nori Gerardo Lietz and Sayiddah Fatima McCree

Adam Carter was the portfolio manager for Tate Modern Finance III, L.P. (“Tate” or the “Fund”), the third in a series of U.S. commercial real estate debt funds sponsored by the London-based Tate Partners. The Fund was capitalized with $700 million of equity... View Details

Keywords: CMBS; CLO; Repo Financing; Real Estate; Financial Strategy; Investment Funds; Financing and Loans

Fall 2020
Article

Christo and Jeanne‐Claude: The Negotiation of Art and Vice Versa

By: Michael A. Wheeler

Over the past two decades the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (PON) has named thirteen people as Great Negotiators. The project, directed by my colleague Jim Sebenius, has given us the opportunity to commend our honorees’ outstanding work and to learn from... View Details

Keywords: Art; Negotiation; Arts

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01 Nov 2017
What Do You Think?

What Are the Real Lessons of the Wells Fargo Case?

accounts and even transferring token amounts of funds between these accounts without customers’ knowledge. When the practice became so prevalent—2.1 million accounts from 2011 to 2015—that it began to... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Banking

09 Sep 2013
News

Pension Plans: Flying Solo

06 Feb 2012
Research & Ideas

Kodak: A Parable of American Competitiveness

antibiotics," Shih says. "There was a feeling that if we invest in science and technology, it would lead to jobs and prosperity, and for that, the United States was an unquestioned leader." The government continued to feed scientific exploration with a... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Manufacturing

October 2006
Case

Clearwire Corporation

By: Richard S. Ruback

Explores Clearwire's decision to fund its substantial capital investments through an initial public offering (IPO) or through private equity. Clearwire is developing and deploying a broadband wireless network using WiMAX technology. It had filed a registered statement... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Technological Innovation; Initial Public Offering; Investment Portfolio; Telecommunications Industry

19 Aug 2012
News

A realistic discount rate for pensions

29 May 2013
Research & Ideas

Faculty Symposium Showcases Breadth of Research

buyout. Others maintain that PE fund managers are better at managing firms and making them more efficient than many corporate executives. Josh Lerner, the Jacob H. Schiff professor of investment banking at... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Financial Services

March 2001 (Revised April 2002)
Case

Rent-Way, Inc. (A)

By: David F. Hawkins

The company uses the units of activity method to account for its rental inventory. A prominent hedge fund advisor recommends the company's stock be sold short. View Details

Keywords: Mathematical Methods; Stock Shares; Fair Value Accounting; Quality; Investment Funds; Service Industry

2014
Teaching Note

Microfinance Services in Rural Areas--Farmers' Self-reliance Branch of CFPA Microfinance in Shangyi County (TN)

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Yang Siqun and Shen Meihua

Microfinance is introduced into China in the 1990s. It had gone through 3 phases since the beginning, namely the pilot phase when all Microfinance practices are sponsored by charity funds based on projects, the promotion phase when the government subsidized some... View Details

Keywords: Microfinance; Rural Entrepreneurship; Value Added; China; China

November 2023 (Revised May 2024)
Case

Kickstarter: Crowdfunding for the Arts

By: Rohit Deshpandé and Alexis Lefort

Kickstarter was a virtual crowdfunding platform and community that allowed creators of all kinds to raise funding for creative projects. The executive team was wrestling with a tension in its business model: the organization earned the majority of its revenue from... View Details

Keywords: Fundraising; Mission; Crowdfunding; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mission and Purpose; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Arts; Web Services Industry; United States

January 2002 (Revised August 2004)
Case

Massachusetts Financial Services

By: Brian J. Hall and Jonathan Lim

This case describes the compensation and performance evaluations at an investment management company. The senior management team of Massachusetts Financial Services (MFS) Investment Management was contemplating an introduction of hedge funds at the firm, but many... View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Organizational Culture; Performance Evaluation; Management Teams; Compensation and Benefits; Financial Services Industry; Massachusetts

Career Coach

Peter Platzer

Peter (HBS '02) is a former hedge fund manager who currently runs a space exploration company he founded in 2012. A coach for HBS since 2002, he enjoys helping individuals find their unique career vision, matching their passion, skills... View Details

Keywords: Consulting; Entrepreneurship; Investment Management; Financial Services (All); Venture Capital; Financial Services (All)

01 Mar 2018
News

Excellence At The Intersection Of Disciplines

generosity of the School’s alumni and friends. “We have been fortunate that our donors appreciate our efforts to develop the next generation of leaders,” says Datar. Endowment gifts and annual contributions... View Details

11 Jul 2016
News

Big U.S. investors strive for edge in private CEO meetings

02 Aug 2021
Blog Post

ALUMNI WORK TO REVERSE BIAS THROUGH PHILANTHROPY

business and society. Two new ventures led by HBS alumni are leveraging the power of philanthropy in the fight against racism. By retooling traditional philanthropic models in distinctive ways, the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and... View Details

May 2010 (Revised January 2012)
Case

The Robin Hood Foundation

By: Alnoor Ebrahim and Cathy Ross

Created by hedge fund and financial managers, the Robin Hood Foundation fights poverty through grants to nonprofit organizations. As the global financial crisis continues to impact the poor disproportionately, the Foundation needs to ensure that its funds are being... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit Organizations; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Poverty; Organizational Design; Performance Effectiveness; Financial Crisis; Programs; Measurement and Metrics

November 2002 (Revised May 2003)
Case

Epicentric

By: William A. Sahlman

Describes a set of decisions confronting the management of a software company that sells portal management tools to large companies. Management must raise additional funds under difficult circumstances. View Details

Keywords: Finance; Investment Funds; Business or Company Management; Product Marketing; Problems and Challenges; Sales; Information Technology Industry

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October 2010 (Revised July 2011)
Case

PrimedicProviding Primary Care in Mexico

By: Richard G. Hamermesh, Regina Garcia-Cuellar and Lauren Sarah Margulies

Primedic is a Mexican start-up that aims to deliver affordable primary and preventative healthcare to those at the base of the economic pyramid. The company is about to exhaust its first round of venture capital funding and the business model has yet to gain traction.... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Business Startups; Developing Countries and Economies; Social Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Health Care and Treatment; Social Enterprise; Health Industry; Mexico