Publications

December 2010 (Revised June 2011)
Case

Back to the Future: Redeveloping Unilever House

By: A. Eugene Kohn, Arthur I Segel and Andrew Pierson Terris

Steve Williams, General Counsel of Unilever PIc, has two key decisions to make prior to commencing construction on the redevelopment of Unilever House - the company's London corporate headquarters. The purpose of the redevelopment is to reinvigorate the corporate... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Leasing; Sales; Restructuring; Leading Change; Financing and Loans; Decisions; Business Headquarters; Design; Projects; London

January 2024 (Revised February 2024)
Case

TPG Rise Climate: Deploying 'Climate Capital'

By: Vikram S. Gandhi, David Allen, Sarah Mehta and Shannon Roche

This case is about TPG Rise Climate, a $7.3 billion climate impact fund launched in 2021 by alternative asset manager TPG. Climate investing is a complex, capital-intensive endeavor; entering it has forced TPG to think and act differently. Relative to other funds, Rise... View Details

Keywords: Energy; Environmental Management; Ownership; Science; Value; Asset Management; Investment Funds; Investment Portfolio; Financial Markets; Financial Services Industry; California; San Francisco; New York (city, NY)

November 1994 (Revised March 2001)
Case

Security Plus, Inc.

By: David F. Hawkins and Norman Bartczak

A company acquires an alarm system company and converts its customers from operating to sale-type leases. View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Leasing; Growth and Development Strategy; Service Industry

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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

01 Dec 2022
News

The Potential of Business to Improve Lives

company with a business model selling affordable housing to first-time home buyers among the country’s poor, and outperforming the Tokyo Nikkei index. Chu coauthored the case, “Katitas: Home Ownership for the Majority of Japan,” and... View Details

Keywords: April White

01 Mar 2014
News

3-Minute Briefing: Frank Blethen (PMD 35, 1978)

SOMETHING NEW happening with the newspaper ownership model. With John Henry, Warren Buffett, and Jeff Bezos, we're starting to get some enlightened buyers. It's the first ray of hope I've seen in a while. The Seattle Times is one of only... View Details

Keywords: Hanna, Julia; Seattle Times Company; News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; Information; Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information; Information

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; Publishing Industry; Music Industry; Germany

01 Mar 2013
News

A Healthy Profit

an unsatisfactory outpatient experience at a government-run facility, she also received ineffective treatments from an untrained local practitioner. She is feeling increasing physical discomfort, general weakness, and growing alarm about her situation. The scene is the... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Health, Social Assistance

20 Dec 2022
Blog Post

Thinking About an MBA? Think About Your Purpose

narratives – combined with a strong moral compass – clarify which direction they want to take in their MBA studies. Then, when they enter the job market, they are more likely join a company that aligns with their individual purpose. This unlocks a sense of commitment... View Details

21 Jun 2021
Blog Post

Celebrating the Past, Crafting the Future Part 1: HBS/HKS Faculty Reflections

steps taken to advance the Joint Degree Program, but none have had more impact than the ownership and initiative for the Program’s success shown by the students themselves. The world at large and the world of higher education have... View Details

11 Jan 2017
Blog Post

Leadership and Diversity at HBS

community at HBS. This year, I will be the one of two conference co-chairs. When thinking about how best to make an impact at HBS, I decided that taking ownership of such a prestigious event was a great way to not only develop lasting... View Details

01 Dec 1996
News

Organizations and Markets: A Challenging View of the World

in the computer industry, while Professor Malcolm S. Salter's work on corporate strategy, organization, and governance looks at how ownership structure affects organizational performance. Asso-ciate Professor Karen Hopper Wruck, who... View Details

Keywords: Susan Young

01 Dec 2014
News

Ask the Expert: A Fair Share

learn how to support these sorts of shared business models? If you were the CEO of an insurance company, how would you address the conflicts between this model (splitting ownership and usage) and the traditional, well understood, and... View Details

2017
Working Paper

Self-Employment Dynamics and the Returns to Entrepreneurship

By: Eleanor W. Dillon and Christopher T. Stanton

Small business owners and others in self-employment have the option to transition to paid work. If there is initial uncertainty about entrepreneurial earnings, this option increases the expected lifetime value of self-employment relative to pay in a single year. This... View Details

Keywords: Self-employed; Small Business; Business Earnings; Entrepreneurship; Ownership; Compensation and Benefits

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January 1999
Article

An Analysis of Value Destruction and Recovery in the Alliance and Proposed Merger of Volvo and Renault

By: Robert Bruner

Volvo's attempt to merge with Renault in 1993 temporarily destroyed SEK 8.6 billion (US$ 1.1 billion) in Volvo shareholder wealth. This study traces the destruction to hubris, managerialism, and the escalation of commitment—elements suggested in previous research. In... View Details

Keywords: Mergers ＆ Acquisitions; Institutional Investors; Alliances; Privatization; Mergers and Acquisitions; Institutional Investing; Auto Industry

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July 2004 (Revised July 2020)
Case

Hines Goes to Rio

By: Arthur I Segel and Ricardo Reisen De Pinho

The Torre Almirante office tower, Hines' newest project in Rio de Janeiro, was a 36-story, Class AA office tower with an adjoining 420-stall parking structure and a preserved 14-story historic facade. It was completely different from anything that had previously been... View Details

Keywords: Property; Design; Construction; Buildings and Facilities; Risk Management; Problems and Challenges; Real Estate Industry; Brazil; New York (city, NY)

September 2024 (Revised March 2025)
Case

Epic: The Future of Health Information Technology

By: Regina E. Herzlinger and Brian L. Walker

How should the founder and leadership team of a health IT company with more than 45 years of market leadership prepare for the future, while navigating founder transitions and industry changes? Founded by Judy Faulkner in the late 1970s, Epic pioneered electronic... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Entrepreneurship; Health Care and Treatment; Private Ownership; Customer Focus and Relationships; Information Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business Strategy; Competition; Health Industry; Electronics Industry; Information Technology Industry

16 Jan 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, January 16, 2018

companies offer a direct stake in the company's performance through stock, a share in profits, or both. Companies with employee stock ownership plans report significantly higher sales growth and higher revenue per employee than do... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2012
Other Unpublished Work

What Are We Meeting For? The Consequences of Private Meetings with Investors

By: Eugene F. Soltes and David H. Solomon

Executives of publicly-traded firms spend considerable time meeting privately with investors, despite regulation restricting their ability to convey material nonpublic information. Using a set of records of all one-on-one meetings between senior management and... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Investment; Investment Funds; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Management Teams; Public Ownership; Business and Shareholder Relations