Publications

January 2008
Background Note

Equity Derivatives

By: Joshua Coval and Erik Stafford

The goal of these simulations is to understand the dynamic replication technique behind the Black-Scholes/Merton options model. The simulations focus on a single stock and a risk-free discount bond, which are used to replicate a contingent payoff. The underlying stock... View Details

Keywords: Equity; Bonds; Stocks; Price; Risk Management

April 1990
Case

Clark Material Handling Group-Overseas: Brazilian Product Strategy (A&B) (Condensed)

By: Robert J. Dolan

Assumes some knowledge of conjoint analysis. Permits analysis of basic results and dynamic market simulations in one class session. View Details

Keywords: Mathematical Methods; Marketing

January 2001 (Revised August 2003)
Case

Diageo plc

A major U.K.-based multinational is reevaluating its leverage policy as it restructures its business. The treasury team models the tradeoffs between the benefits and costs of debt financing, using Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the savings from the interest tax... View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Multinational Firms and Management; Capital Structure; Restructuring; United Kingdom

10 Jul 2020
Working Paper Summaries

Making Economics More Useful: How Technological Eclecticism Could Help

Keywords: by Amar Bhidé

January 2005 (Revised December 2006)
Background Note

Midway's Entry into Milwaukee: An Interactive Game

By: Dennis A. Yao

Provides background and instructions to the Airline Pricing Game courseware (9-705-802), an interactive simulation of a new entry by a lower cost airline. The courseware allows students to make round-by-round competitive pricing decisions and react to changing market... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Wisconsin

September 2013 (Revised August 2024)
Exercise

Process Analytics Simulation: Solutions

By: Robert S. Huckman, Aizan Radzi, Willy Shih, Roy D. Shapiro and Michael W. Toffel

A set of exercises and instructions to be used with the Process Simulator software made by Pro Model. These exercises allow students to investigate the impact of variable processing times on the performance of simple in-line processes. Includes color exhibits. View Details

Keywords: Operations; Business Processes; Performance; Measurement and Metrics

June 2023 (Revised September 2023)
Simulation

Managing the Customer Journey Marketing Simulation: Adobe's Data-Driven Operating Model (DDOM)

By: Sunil Gupta, Rajiv Lal and Celine Chammas

Adobe started monitoring Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), one of its primary metrics, when it shifted from selling its software in a box to selling the software as a subscription-based cloud service. They wanted to know when, where, and how much to invest in marketing.... View Details

Keywords: Customer Acquisition; Customer Journey; Marketing Strategy; Marketing; Customer Focus and Relationships; Budgets and Budgeting

June 2006 (Revised August 2006)
Background Note

The Virtual Entrepreneurial Team Exercise—VETE ; Overview and Instructions for Participants

By: Daniel J. Isenberg

Describes the virtual entrepreneurial team exercise, a role-play simulation involving teams of five students from several international business schools around the world. Provides a detailed set of instructions to faculty from non-HBS business schools. The teams... View Details

Keywords: Groups and Teams; Entrepreneurship

Find at Harvard

September 2006 (Revised August 2007)
Case

Ricardo Software

Engineer John Harrison must determine why motorcycle racer Marco Presto does not feel that his motorcycle is providing enough power as it comes out of corners. Harrison uses engine simulation software to help him in his work. View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Software; Motorcycle Industry

Research Summary

Customer Experience Design

By: Stefan H. Thomke

Please contact Professor Thomke for the most current description of his research on simulation and R&D performance and/or copies of research articles (published and working papers). View Details

March 2008
Course Overview Note

Dynamic Markets

By: Joshua D. Coval and Erik Stafford

The Dynamic Markets course at Harvard Business School is organized around the hands-on application of financial decision making in a wide variety of capital market settings. The course relies heavily on in-class simulations of a range of market settings where students... View Details

Keywords: Value Creation; Decision Making; Capital Markets; Competitive Strategy; Profit; Applications and Software; Information; Strategy; Price; Outcome or Result; Curriculum and Courses; Theory

May 1986 (Revised July 1995)
Case

General Mills, Inc.: Yoplait Custard-Style Yogurt (A)

By: John A. Quelch

Yoplait's director of new product development is evaluating alternative line extensions including custard-style Yoplait. He must determine what additional research to recommend. Options include a mini-market test, a simulated test market and a fully-fledged test... View Details

Keywords: Food; Product Development; Product Marketing; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

October 2007
Background Note

Price Formation

By: Joshua D. Coval and Erik Stafford

Investigates how prices are formed in competitive capital markets. Focuses on a single security called AOE. Students compete with computer traders and each other for market making and informed trading profits. Participants receive a variety of public news in the form... View Details

Keywords: Capital Markets; Price; Profit; Corporate Disclosure; Newsletters; Industry Structures; Business Processes; Competitive Strategy

June 2005 (Revised October 2007)
Background Note

Market Efficiency

By: Joshua D. Coval, Erik Stafford, Rodrigo Osmo, John Jernigan, Zachary Page and Paul Passoni

Covers how prices react to information, the incentives for bringing information into prices, and the paradox of market efficiency in equilibrium--for investors to work hard keeping markets efficient, they must always be somewhat inefficient at the margin. Uses separate... View Details

Keywords: Market Design; Price

January 1997
Exercise

Negotiating Corporate Change: Confidential Information, Paul Stokes, VP, Health and Beauty Aids Division

By: James K. Sebenius

This case provides the confidential role information necessary for one person in a four-person negotiation simulation about a major corporate change. Specifically, it describes the role of Paul Stokes as he attempts to negotiate a new uniform corporate information... View Details

Keywords: Business Units; Transformation; Information Management; Negotiation Deal; System; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Health Industry

June 1995 (Revised February 1998)
Case

Welsh Water (A): General Information

This is a four-player negotiation simulation in which a newly-privatized British water utility must deal with contentious unions and national collective-bargaining agreements. Explores the question of coalitions and multi-lateral negotiations, and the value of... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Privatization; Labor Unions; Utilities Industry; Wales

February 2010
Supplement

Real Property Negotiation Game (CW): Excel Model

By: Arthur I. Segel, John Vogel and Justin Seth Ginsburgh

This Excel model is used to analyze the deals made in The Real Property Negotiation Game, which simulates the experience negotiating the sale, purchase, or financing of a property. View Details

Keywords: Property; Negotiation Deal; Sales; Financing and Loans; Mathematical Methods; Real Estate Industry

August 2008 (Revised April 2012)
Case

Real Property Negotiation Game : Lender Case, Porus Bank

By: Arthur I Segel and John H. Vogel, Jr.

The Real Property Negotiation Game simulates the experience negotiating the sale, purchase, or financing of a property. The class competes as either a lender, buyer, or one of two groups of sellers, Raleigh, North Carolina and Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the lender case... View Details

Keywords: Financing and Loans; Negotiation; Property; Real Estate Industry

January 2004 (Revised August 2004)
Case

Major Steckleson at the National Training Center (A)

By: Scott A. Snook, Robert Kaderavek and Jeremy Schneider

Major Steckleson is facing his toughest challenge yet. As an experienced observer-controller at the U.S. Army's National Training Center, Steckleson is responsible for helping leaders of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Squadron learn from a deadly mistake in simulated combat... View Details

Keywords: Organizations; Learning; Training; Spoken Communication; Groups and Teams; United States