Publications

September 2005 (Revised January 2006)
Case

Restating Revenues and Earnings at INVESTools, Inc. (A)

By: Michael D. Kimbrough and F. Warren McFarlan

Relates the events leading up to the announcement in February 2005 that INVESTools, a Utah-based provider of investor education services, would be restating prior-year financial statements due to inappropriate revenue recognition. View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Accounting Audits; Financial Statements; Capital Markets; Currency Exchange Rate; Corporate Disclosure; Financial Services Industry; Education Industry; Utah

July 2023
Case

Honeycomb

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Kumba Sennaar

Honeycomb, an audio app enabling seniors to record stories and save family memories, suddenly draws interest from a younger user demographic. The co-founders consider pivoting to better serve this new user demographic. How should they think about strategy, brand, and... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Operations; Business Startups; Customer Focus and Relationships; Age; Brands and Branding; Technology Industry; United States

November 2010 (Revised April 2011)
Case

Google and Earnings Guidance

By: Francois Brochet and David Kiron

The case explores Google's communication strategy with Wall Street analysts. In particular, the case focuses on Google's commitment to a no-guidance policy and provides an overview of guidance practice among major U.S. companies. View Details

Keywords: Business Earnings; Communication Strategy; Capital Markets; Corporate Disclosure; Corporate Governance; Business and Shareholder Relations; United States

February 2004 (Revised May 2005)
Case

In-Q-Tel

By: Josh Lerner, G. Felda Hardymon, Kevin Book and Ann Leamon

The Central Intelligence Agency establishes a venture-enabled fund, In-Q-Tel, to allow it to access cutting-edge technologies. Fund managers face a variety of difficulties, some similar to those facing other institutionally affiliated venture funds and some unique. View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Venture Capital; Investment Funds; Problems and Challenges; Government Administration; Public Administration Industry; United States

08 Sep 2009
Research & Ideas

The Height Tax, and Other New Ways to Think about Taxation

fair strategies in public finance? A: Tax economists generally point to a few things about current taxes that seem unwise. Probably foremost among them is the taxation of capital income, such as dividends and View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

01 Mar 2003
News

Naina Lal Kidwai

to the global automobile industry. Biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms are emerging as international players. There are also opportunities in infrastructure investment, such as telecom, ports, roads, and airports. Please comment on India’s View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles; Finance

10 Aug 2010
First Look

First Look: August 10

Purchase this case:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/310090-PDF-ENG Milliway Capital & Martin Smith: November 2008 G. Felda Hardymon, Matthew Rhodes-Kropf, and Ann LeamonHarvard Business School Case 810-088 Martin Smith, a recent... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

April 2016
Supplement

Canadian Pacific's Bid for Norfolk Southern Spreadsheet Supplement

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Scott Mayfield

In December 2015, Canadian Pacific Railroad (CPR) has just made its third bid to acquire Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC), one of the largest railroads in the United States. Having rejected the prior offers, NSC’s CEO James Squires and the NSC board must now value... View Details

Keywords: Capital Structure; Cash Flow; Cost of Capital; Financial Strategy; Investment Activism; Bids and Bidding; Negotiation Offer; Corporate Strategy; Rail Transportation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Transformation; United States; Canada

01 Apr 2001
News

Tatsuyuki Saeki: Putting Stock in New Options at Nasdaq Japan

providing new opportunities for Japanese investors and wider access to equity capital for emerging Japanese companies. In short, Saeki is challenging the old-boy network and forcing Japan’s button-down business culture to change. “My real... View Details

Keywords: Alejandro Reyes; Securities, Commodities, and Other Financial Investments; Finance

January 2017 (Revised October 2021)
Case

Delivering the Goods at Shippo

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Jeffrey F. Rayport and Olivia Hull

Laura Behrens Wu, CEO of software start-up Shippo, prepares her pitch for a Series A funding round following a successful seed round. Customer adoption of Shippo’s e-commerce dashboard application, which allows small and medium retailers to compare delivery rates... View Details

24 Sep 2014
Op-Ed

The ABCs of Addressing Climate Change (From a Business Perspective)

It's Climate Week in New York City. The schedule features a UN Climate Summit, a People's Climate March, the Clinton Global Initiative, substantial criticism of the whole endeavor, and plenty of agitated interaction. There is a lot of noise here. How can businesses cut... View Details

Keywords: by John Macomber; Energy; Utilities

20 Dec 2019
News

The 19 Musts of 2019

‘How did you get there?’ ” Courtesy source Courtesy source —Jahn Karsybaev (GMP 26, 2019), CTO at ProSource IT and host of The Ivy Podcast MUST READ Can American Capitalism Survive? by Steven Pearlstein “Pearlstein challenges what has... View Details

Keywords: podcast; Arts, Entertainment

29 Jan 2013
First Look

First Look: Jan. 29

at the individual level. We discuss the implications of our results for the study of learning as well as for providers and consumers of outsourced services. Preference Heterogeneity and Optimal Capital Income Taxation Authors:Golosov,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

July 2012 (Revised June 2018)
Case

MC Tool

By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff

Two partners acquired MC Tool in October 2007 for $5 million. The company was a machine shop that manufactured parts for a wide variety of applications in the energy, automotive, and industrial equipment industries. In their first year of ownership, the partners... View Details

Keywords: Capital Budgeting; Risk Management; Risk and Uncertainty; Problems and Challenges; Transformation; Production; Business Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; United States