Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(634)
- Faculty Publications (193)
- September 2006 (Revised March 2007)
- Case
Recruitment of a Star
By: Boris Groysberg, Stephen Balog and Jennifer Haimson
Details power dynamics that unfold in the firm when one of its best and brightest threatens to leave. It focuses on the dynamics of attracting, hiring, compensating, negotiating, and leveraging a star performer in a professional service firm. In particular, traces the... View Details
- May 2006
- Case
Esterline Technologies: Lean Manufacturing
By: Richard L. Nolan, Karen A. Brown and Subodha Kumar
Raises the issue of the appropriate role of IT in lean manufacturing. Most large manufacturing companies have implemented ERP IT systems to support lean manufacturing practices. The Kerry plant of Esterline Technologies attempted an ERP implementation and then... View Details
- March 2006 (Revised September 2006)
- Case
Irizar in 2005
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Jordan Mitchell
In June 2005, Koldo Saratxaga, the leader of Basque-based luxury coach manufacturer Irizar, decided to leave after 14 years at the helm of the worker-owned cooperative. Under Saratxaga's stewardship, Irizar was saved from near bankruptcy in 1991 and has become a highly... View Details
- February 2006 (Revised January 2007)
- Case
ABRY Partners, LLC: WideOpenWest
By: Josh Lerner and Smart Darren
ABRY, a Boston-based private equity group, is considering whether to terminate its investment in WideOpenWest or to try to salvage the transaction by acquiring a division of telecommunications unit Ameritech. View Details
- November 2005 (Revised July 2006)
- Case
Two Tough Calls (A)
A young female manager must decide whether to terminate two poorly performing managers who work for her. Shows the practical and ethical issues involved in firing decisions. View Details
- August 2005 (Revised December 2005)
- Case
Coach Knight: The Will to Win
By: Scott A. Snook, Leslie A. Perlow and Brian DeLacey
Successful college basketball coach Bob Knight was fired from his long-time role as basketball coach at Indiana University and hired in the same role at Texas Tech. Considers these events in the context of his long career and provides a context for discussing various... View Details
- August 2005 (Revised April 2015)
- Background Note
Employment At Will: A Legal Perspective
By: Lynn S. Paine and Christopher M. Bruner
Provides a brief overview of the employment-at-will doctrine, an important concept unique to the U.S. legal system and business landscape. Briefly surveys the history and development of this doctrine and certain limitations and exceptions to it, as well as some of the... View Details
- June 2005 (Revised January 2007)
- Case
The Board of Directors at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter (A)
By: Jay W. Lorsch and Ashley Robertson
Examines the resignation of Philip Purcell as chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley as a result of poor performance and cultural problems, as well as his relationship to the board of directors. View Details
- June 2005 (Revised July 2009)
- Case
Financial Reporting Problems at Molex, Inc. (A)
By: Paul M. Healy
Following an accounting problem at Molex, the firm's auditors request changes in management. The board of directors has to decide whether the auditors' concerns have merit or whether, as management argues, the accounting issue is immaterial. View Details
- June 2005 (Revised October 2005)
- Case
Coach Roy Williams: What Next? (A)
By: Thomas J. DeLong, Christoper Chang and Scott Schweitzer
Roy Williams, head coach of the Kansas University Men's Basketball Team, was facing a major decision. The recent resignation of the coach at the University of North Carolina (UNC) had lead to speculation that Williams, a UNC alumnus, would be named as its new coach.... View Details
- April 2005 (Revised February 2006)
- Case
Monster Networking
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and David Andrew Vivero
The management at Monster.com, the leading U.S. provider of online recruitment services, must decide how to proceed with Monster Networking (MN), a new business launched in late 2003. MN helps users identify other individuals who can offer career advice. Monster.com... View Details
- September 2004 (Revised February 2007)
- Case
Roller Coaster Ride, The: The Resignation of a Star
By: Boris Groysberg, Steve Balog and Jennifer Haimson
Presents a detailed account of power dynamics that unfold in the firm when one of its best and brightest threatens to leave. Focuses on the dynamics of attracting, retaining, compensating, negotiating, and leveraging a star performer in a professional services firm. A... View Details
- May 2004 (Revised June 2004)
- Case
Sarvega
By: Paul A. Gompers and Vanessa del Valle Broussard
David Cowan, general partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, has taken the lead on Sarvega, a Bessemer-backed company that was recently orphaned by the departure of one of Bessemer's other general partners. Cowan must decide whether to reinvest in Sarvega and, if so,... View Details
- April 2004 (Revised March 2008)
- Case
Precise Software
By: Paul A. Gompers and Sara Bergson
Yossi Sela, general partner at Gemini Venture capital, considers a new investment in Precise Software. The firm is at a crisis point, and Sela needs to decide whether he will fire the firm's chief executive officer. Conflicts between the American CEO and the Israeli... View Details
- April 2004 (Revised May 2005)
- Case
Confronting a Necessary Evil: The Firing of Alex Robins (A)
A manager recounts his experience firing the person he was asked to replace and reflects on the challenges of the experience. Teaching Purpose: To role-play and reflect on tasks that entail harming other people to fulfill one's responsibility. View Details
- March 2004
- Case
L.L. Bean: A Search for Growth
By: Rajiv Lal, Walter J. Salmon and James Weber
In mid-2003, CEO Chris McCormick felt L.L. Bean was in a good position to begin to grow again. For nearly 90 years, the company sold clothing and gear for outdoor enthusiasts through its catalogs and a single retail store in Freeport, Maine. In the three decades prior... View Details
- February 2004 (Revised May 2005)
- Supplement
Confronting a Necessary Evil: The Firing of Alex Robins (B)
A manager recounts his experience firing the person he was asked to replace and reflects on the challenges of the experience. Teaching Purpose: To role-play and reflect on tasks that entail harming other people to fulfill one's responsibility. View Details
Keywords: Resignation and Termination
- December 2003 (Revised August 2006)
- Case
Malden Mills (A)
By: Nitin Nohria, Thomas R. Piper and Bridget Gurtler
CEO Aaron Feuerstein of Malden Mills decided to pay idled workers after a massive fire at his mill in 1995. Focuses on the decisions made post-fire and the rebuilding process and eventual bankruptcy of the company. Also outlines creditors' struggle to decide whether to... View Details
- November 2003 (Revised October 2005)
- Case
Leading the Josie Esquivel Franchise (A)
By: Boris Groysberg and Laura Morgan Roberts
Reviews Josie Esquivel's career history, detailing how, through her personal attributes, skills, experiences, and organizational practices she has developed into a star analyst. Should Esquivel accept an offer to leave Lehman Brothers for Morgan Stanley? To make this... View Details
- March 2003 (Revised November 2005)
- Case
Bertelsmann AG
By: Bharat N. Anand, Michael G. Rukstad and Christoph Kostring
On July 28, 2002, Bertelsmann announced the firing of its CEO, Thomas Middelhoff, in a move that surprised industry observers, analysts, and many employees. Bertelsmann, a privately held company headquartered in Germany, was one of the largest global media... View Details
Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Corporate Strategy; Entertainment; Media; Change Management; Integration; Resignation and Termination; Private Ownership; Initial Public Offering; Business Units; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Germany