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June 2015 (Revised July 2016)
Case

Gilbert Lumber Company

By: Steven Rogers and Kenneth Cooper

The Gilbert Lumber Co. is faced with a need for increased bank financing due to its rapid sales growth and low profitability. Students must determine the reasons for the rising bank borrowing, estimate the amount of borrowing needed, and assess the attractiveness of... View Details

Keywords: Commercial Banking; Financial Crisis; Borrowing and Debt; Financial Strategy; Financing and Loans; Capital Structure; Forecasting and Prediction

21 Oct 2013
Working Paper Summaries

How Major League Baseball Clubs Have Commercialized Their Investment in Japanese Top Stars

Keywords: by Isao Okada & Stephen A. Greyser; Sports

04 May 2021
News

Reversing Brain Drain: Moving Talent to Middle America

November 2018 (Revised May 2019)
Case

California Closets: Organizing the Customer Experience

By: Boris Groysberg and Annelena Lobb

California Closets had used robust net promoter score (NPS) data, surveyed across its locations, to create a more consistent and satisfying customer experience. CEO Bill Barton wanted to further optimize the customer experience around best practices. He also wanted to... View Details

Keywords: Net Promoter Score; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Satisfaction; Customers; Acquisition; Demographics; Strategy

02 Aug 2022
Blog Post

From HBS to Cutting-Edge Tech

would be a lot more effective if I were equipped with frameworks and tools from a formal business education. Why Harvard? I wanted to go to a school that prepares generalists, invites dialogue in the class, and attracts truly diverse... View Details

29 Jul 2020
Video

Savannah Maziya

Savannah Maziya, the founder of South Africa-based Bunengi Holdings, describes attracting international investment despite continuing reputational liabilities of being based in Africa. View Details

25 Aug 2022
Research & Ideas

It’s All in a Name: Reputable Investors Help Startups Shine

Do top venture capital firms add value to startups simply by attaching their names? If attracting talent is any measure, they sure do. New research finds that job seekers are two-thirds more likely to apply to a startup if they know it is... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

February 2001 (Revised September 2005)
Case

Howard Schultz and Starbucks Coffee Company

By: Nancy F. Koehn

Investigates the entrepreneur's strategic initiatives to develop a mass market for specialty coffee in the 1980s and 1990s. These initiatives included the development of premium products, rapid expansion of company-owned stores--each with attractive retail environments... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Groups and Teams; Brands and Branding; Growth Management; Employee Relationship Management; Consumer Behavior; Organizational Design; Leadership Style; Customer Relationship Management; Competitive Advantage; Vertical Integration; Food and Beverage Industry

December 1981 (Revised July 1991)
Case

Ocean Drilling, Inc.

By: Thomas R. Piper

Management must choose between two mutually exclusive bids to build two drilling rigs. Both bids involve attractive export credit financing denominated in foreign currencies. View Details

Keywords: Credit; Currency; Financing and Loans; Bids and Bidding; Natural Environment

20 Dec 2016
Research & Ideas

The 10 Most Popular 'Cold Call' Podcasts

What do Stella McCartney, Apple, Netflix, and Wal-Mart have in common? They were all subjects of the most popular episodes of Harvard Business School's Cold Call podcast in the last year. Twice monthly, host and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Brian Kenny... View Details

Keywords: Re: Multiple Faculty

Video

Clearing the Air

December 2008 (Revised July 2010)
Case

TravelCenters of America

By: Robin Greenwood, Daniel Jacob Goldberg and James Quinn

A New York-based hedge fund must decide whether to invest in TravelCenters of America (TA), a recent spin-off from a U.S.-based real estate investment trust. The case confronts students with the question: To what extent is this spin-off opportunity attractive from a... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Investment; Valuation; Real Estate Industry; Travel Industry; United States

Article

What is the Equity Size of Companies Receiving Private Equity in Latin America?: Evidence from Twenty-five Countries from 2002 to 2008

By: Roberto Charvel

This article reviews the equity size or value of the firms attracting private equity investments in Latin America over time. The information is on post money valuations. View Details

Keywords: Alternative Assets; Entrepreneurial Finance; Emerging Market; Venture Capital; Private Equity; Latin America

August 2020 (Revised February 2021)
Case

Luckin Coffee (A): Caffeine-fueled Growth?

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Karen Elterman

This case describes the founding of Chinese coffee chain Luckin Coffee in 2017 and its path to surpassing Starbucks as the largest coffee chain in China (by number of stores) in 2019. Unlike Starbucks stores, which were designed to be welcoming “third places” for... View Details

August 1988 (Revised October 1988)
Background Note

Business Plan

Describes the various uses for a business plan and focuses on writing a business plan to attract financing for a new venture. View Details

Keywords: Business Plan; Business Startups; Borrowing and Debt; Venture Capital; Management