Publications

November 2013 (Revised March 2015)
Case

Rio Tinto and Mining in Mongolia: The Oyu Tolgoi Deposit

By: Eric Werker, Battushig Batbold, Kelsey Kennedy, Zanna McComish, Shaloo Savla and Nicole Shomair

In 2013, Rio Tinto was expected to begin commercial shipments from Oyu Tolgoi, a copper and gold mine in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. Oyu Tolgoi was one of the last great unmined deposits in the world, and, once operations were in full swing, was expected to constitute... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Investment; Business and Government Relations; Mining; Mining Industry; Mongolia

December 1980 (Revised September 1985)
Case

British Steel Corporation: The Korf Contract

By: John P. Kotter and John M. Stengrevics

Traces a complex resource allocation decision facing British Steel in 1975. Students study the influences on the various managers involved in making the decision. View Details

Keywords: Resource Allocation; Decision Making; Management Teams; Metals and Minerals; Steel Industry; United Kingdom

14 Jul 2022
Blog Post

Video Perspectives: Tara Basu Trivedi

View Video TRANSCRIPT Tara Basu Trivedi: My life's purpose is to use technology to improve human health. It's the reason why I studied what I studied in undergrad, why I took my first and then second jobs out of school, why I decided to apply to grad school. And it's... View Details

15 Sep 2014
Research & Ideas

Are the Most Talented Employees the Highest Paid? Yes—If They’re Bankers

Vallée explains. To that end, he and Célérier set out to quantify talent. To do so, they capitalized on data from French engineering schools. Measuring Talent In France, students are selected for engineering... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Banking

May 1997 (Revised May 2004)
Case

Reto S.A.

By: William J. Bruns Jr.

A company must decide whether to acquire new equipment to offer a new product line. The question is whether equipment will meet return on investment targets considering depreciation and taxation of profits. The equipment is acquired, but one year later better equipment... View Details

Keywords: Machinery and Machining; Cost; Investment Return; Manufacturing Industry

14 Feb 2023
Blog Post

African American Student Union Spotlight on STEM

during the MBA program. Giovanni Estrella (MBA 2024) Where is your hometown? Jacksonville, Florida. What was your pre-MBA industry and role? I was a Senior Quality Engineer for the largest vertically integrated cannabis company in the... View Details

Web

MBA Key Dates & Calendar | MBA

MBA Key Dates & Calendar Some important dates in the MBA Program during the 2024-2025 Academic Year: 2024 1 AUG MS/MBA: Engineering and MS/MBA: Biotechnology RC program begins 20 AUG Required RC Registration 21-23 AUG Required RC START 26... View Details

Career Coach

Maude Hoffman

Maude is happy to help fellow students talk through career decisions and strategies to pivot to investing, sustainability, and energy. She studied chemical engineering undergrad, but has worked in non-engineering roles at SunPower... View Details

July 2014
Article

Project Complexity and Systems Integration: Constructing the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games

By: Andrew Davies and Ian Mackenzie

Our study of the London Olympics 2012 construction programme showed that systems integration is one of the major challenges involved in delivery of a complex "system of systems"—or array—project. Organizations cope with complexity by decomposing a project into... View Details

Keywords: Integration; Construction; Complexity; Sports; Projects; Construction Industry; Sports Industry; London

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February 1997 (Revised September 1997)
Case

Bidding for Antamina

By: Peter Tufano

In June 1996, executives of the multinational mining company RTZ-CRA contemplate bidding to acquire the Antamina copper and zinc mine in Peru. The Antamina project is being offered for sale by auction as part of the privatization of Peru's state mining company. RTZ-CRA... View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Auctions; Bids and Bidding; Mining; Mining Industry; Peru

2011
Other Unpublished Work

Do Public and Private Firms Behave Differently? An Examination of Investment in the Chemical Industry

By: Albert W. Sheen

I compare the capacity expansion decisions of U.S. public and private producers of seven commodity chemicals from 1989-2006. I find that private firms invest differently, and more efficiently, than public firms. Specifically, private firms are more likely than public... View Details

Keywords: Private Ownership; Chemicals; Investment; Public Ownership; Chemical Industry; United States

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January 2022
Article

The Private Impact of Public Data: Landsat Satellite Maps Increased Gold Discoveries and Encouraged Entry

By: Abhishek Nagaraj

How does public data shape the relative performance of incumbents and entrants in the private sector? Using a simple theoretical framework, I argue that public data reduces investment uncertainty, facilitates the discovery of new market opportunities and increases the... View Details

Keywords: Public Data; Maps; Gold; Microeconomic Behavior; Economics; Data and Data Sets; Private Sector; Market Entry and Exit; Mining

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October 2013
Supplement

Alcoa's Bid for Alcan (B)

By: Paul Healy and Penelope Rossano

In spring 2007, Alcoa CEO Alain Belda was concerned about the company's market position in light of increased competition from developing markets. China's recent entry into the aluminum market was affecting both supply and demand. Furthermore, downstream and upstream... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Acquisitions; Alcoa; Alcan; Rio Tinto; Aluminum Industry; Accounting; Financial Analysis; Consolidation; Market Participation; Financial Statements; Acquisition; Mining; Mining Industry; Canada; United States

September 2005 (Revised June 2012)
Case

New Songdo City

By: Arthur I Segel, Brandon Blaser, Gerardo Garza, Albert Kim, John Richard and Andrew Murphy

The government of South Korea has chosen John Hynes and Gale International to construct New Songdo City. This is an entirely new city, about the size of Boston, between the new Incheon airport and the capital of Seoul. The proposed city is the government's attempt to... View Details

Keywords: Buildings and Facilities; Urban Development; Construction; Design; Climate Change; South Korea

30 Nov 2017
News

SEAS Complex Reaches for a New Frontier

The beam going up (photos by Ashley Garrett, MBA 1987) The Harvard community marked a major milestone on Wednesday as members gathered along Western Avenue in Allston to celebrate the “topping-off” of the new Science and Engineering... View Details

February 2010 (Revised May 2010)
Supplement

Bardhaman (B): Bengal Shrachi and the Township Design Decision

By: John D. Macomber and Viraal Balsari

A real estate developer in West Bengal chooses between two master plans for a 260 acre new township considering design, financing, and phasing. Two detailed master plans are considered, one with a radial design and an internal town square and one with a grid design and... View Details

Keywords: Urban Development; Construction; Design; Finance; Construction Industry; Real Estate Industry; West Bengal

January 2002 (Revised April 2002)
Background Note

Note on Conflict Diamonds: Why Are Civil Wars, Like Diamonds, Forever?

Discusses the role of diamonds in Angola's civil war. View Details

Keywords: War; Goods and Commodities; Mining; Mining Industry; Angola

January 2007 (Revised May 2009)
Case

Kibera and the Kenya Slum Upgrading Project (A)

By: Nicolas P. Retsinas, Arthur I Segel, Marc Diaz and John Dean Shepherd

Kenya's Minister of Housing faces tremendous pressures in dealing with the pervasive housing troubles in his country. Kibera is the largest slum in Africa and home to more than 800,000 residents, yet only measures two square kilometers, roughly half the size of... View Details

Keywords: Construction; Housing; Urban Development; Poverty; Kenya