Publications

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20 Jul 2021
Research & Ideas

Bankruptcy Spells Death for Too Many Businesses

a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has hit many companies hard—some to the point of considering bankruptcy—Antill’s research findings may help business leaders make important decisions to avoid the high price of liquidation and choose a... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

22 Nov 2011
First Look

First Look: November 22

Compensation and Firm Performance Authors:Joanne Horton, Yuval Millo, and George Serafeim Publication:Journal of Business Finance and Accounting (forthcoming) Abstract Using a sample of 4,278 listed U.K. firms, we construct a social... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 2018 (Revised April 2021)
Case

Capital Allocation at HCA

By: W. Carl Kester and Emily R. McComb

In early 2017, HCA Holdings, an investor-owned hospital management company, faced a strategically important capital allocation decision. After the exit of its private equity sponsors in 2016, HCA had to determine how best to allocate its substantial annual free cash... View Details

Keywords: Capital Allocation; Cash Distribution Policy; Dividends; Share Repurchases; Growth Strategy And Execution; Growth Investing; Capital Expenditures; Debt Management; Debt Reduction; Debt Policy; Hospital Management; Investor-owned Hospital Chains; Capital Budgeting; Capital Structure; Cash Flow; Corporate Finance; Decision Choices and Conditions; Health Industry; United States

11 Apr 2024
News

Mission Control

Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Spotify More Skydeck episodes Hi, this is Dan Morrell, host of Skydeck. By the time Peter Platzer (MBA 2002) was a teenager, he knew he wanted to be a physicist—and he was fascinated by space, eagerly engrossed in space-time diagrams... View Details

30 Oct 2019
Research & Ideas

How to Recover Gracefully After Shutting Down Your Startup

worries, their personal finances may be in shambles. Most entrepreneurs cut their own salaries as their venture goes into decline, and many have invested their life savings in the startup—along with funds from friends and family. If... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

June 2007 (Revised December 2007)
Case

AFL-CIO: Office of Investment and Home Depot

By: Rakesh Khurana and James Weber

Describes the AFL-CIO: Office of Investments activities in their campaign to improve governance at Home Depot by calling attention to Home Depot CEO Robert Nardelli's compensation package and the company's poor performance. The AFL-CIO Office of Investments advocates... View Details

Keywords: Investment; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Executive Compensation; Labor Unions; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business and Shareholder Relations

Web

HBS Cases | Baker Library | Bloomberg Center | Harvard Business School

years, HBS faculty have written many HBS cases about the finance industry, including cases specifically on Lehman Brothers. Most of the Lehman Brothers cases were written in the late 1980s to 2000s and provide insight into such issues as... View Details

Web

Online Business in Society Courses | HBS Online

environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, and learn how to incorporate them into investment decisions and measure and manage their impact. 6 weeks, 5 hrs/week Enroll by May 8 $1,850 Certificate Power and Influence for Positive... View Details

11 Apr 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research, April 11

different innovation policies can help to explain who finances radical innovations and when and where radical innovation occurs. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=52506 March 17, 2017 Science How Economics... View Details

31 Jul 2017
HBS Case

It’s Hard to Fix the Family Business Without Offending the Family

the case mentions the father’s long-standing relationship with the Vietnamese American franchise owners and the common sense of purpose and responsibility shared by the Vietnamese community as a whole. “None of these decisions are... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Food & Beverage

2019
White Paper

Impact-Weighted Financial Accounts: The Missing Piece for an Impact Economy

By: George Serafeim, T. Robert Zochowski and Jennifer Downing

Reimagining capitalism is an imperative. We need to create a more inclusive and sustainable form of capitalism that works for every person and the planet. Massive environmental damage, growing income and wealth disparity, stress, and depression within developed... View Details

Keywords: Impact-Weighted Accounts; IWAI; Background; Economic Systems; Economy; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Measurement and Metrics; Financial Statements

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October 2003 (Revised November 2006)
Case

GE's Talent Machine: The Making of a CEO

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Andrew N. McLean

GE believes its ability to develop management talent is a core competency that represents a source of sustainable competitive advantage. This case traces the development of GE's rich system of human resource policies and practices under five CEOs in the post-war era,... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Capital; Selection and Staffing; Leadership Development; Management Succession; Corporate Strategy

05 Jun 2012
First Look

First Look: June 5

supplement:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/112067-PDF-ENG Location Choice for New Ventures: Choices within Cities William R. Kerr and Alexis BrownellHarvard Business School Note 812-036 This note describes location choice decisions... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 2022 (Revised August 2023)
Case

Ribbit Capital and the Gauntlet Investment Opportunity

By: Shai Bernstein and Allison M. Ciechanover

Ten-year-old, Palo Alto-based Ribbit Capital is best-known for its global investments in fintech. The firm was also an early advocate of crypto and blockchain, having invested in more than two dozen startups in the space in the past decade. In the Spring of 2022,... View Details

Keywords: Alternative Assets; Cryptocurrency; Business Startups; Investment Portfolio; Decision Choices and Conditions; Negotiation Deal; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Venture Capital; Financial Services Industry; California

February 1997 (Revised May 1998)
Case

Tire City, Inc.

By: W. Carl Kester

A small, rapidly growing retail distributor of automotive tires must present a set of forecasted financial statements to a bank in order to obtain a five-year loan. Expected growth rates given in the case and historical financial ratios derived from recent financial... View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Forecasting and Prediction; Financing and Loans; Price; Supply Chain; Distribution Industry; Retail Industry

August 2019 (Revised August 2024)
Case

The Walt Disney Company: Theme Parks

By: Rory McDonald, Allison Mnookin and Iuliana Mogosanu

As he seeks to place the division he leads on a firm footing for the future, Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, is considering a range of investments designed either to upgrade the guest experience in the company’s existing parks or to expand access... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment; Investment; Expansion; Decision Making; Customer Satisfaction; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

September 1998 (Revised July 1999)
Case

Costco Companies, Inc.

By: David E. Bell and Ann Leamon

Costco Companies, one of the major players in the wholesale club industry, has developed a new class of membership that offers discounted services--auto, health, and home insurance, business credit card processing, real estate services--in exchange for a higher annual... View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Cost Management; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Supply and Industry; Service Delivery; Service Operations; Risk and Uncertainty; Retail Industry