Publications

November 2006 (Revised January 2007)
Case

Habitat for Humanity International in South Africa

By: Nicolas P. Retsinas, Arthur I Segel and Nelson Hioe

In March 2006, Larry English, Director of Program Design and Innovation for Habitat for Humanity International Africa and the Middle East, was reflecting on a large development project in Durbin that had stalled. Notwithstanding global attention led by former President... View Details

Keywords: Partners and Partnerships; Investment; Innovation Strategy; Emerging Markets; Social Entrepreneurship; Poverty; Property; Projects; South Africa; Middle East

24 Jan 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: January 24, 2017

case: https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/617020-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 317-045 Zhang Xin and the Emergence of Chinese Philanthropy This case examines the recent emergence of Chinese business philanthropy through the case of the SOHO China Foundation... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 2004 (Revised May 2007)
Case

George Barker

By: John A. Davis

George Barker, the 40-year-old CEO of his family's commercial real estate design and development firm, must deal with the unsatisfactory performance of his brother Peter, who is also in the business. Although Peter's performance is upsetting to George, George feels... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Leadership Style; Business or Company Management; Performance Evaluation; Problems and Challenges; Family and Family Relationships; Real Estate Industry

November–December 2020
Article

Our Work-from-Anywhere Future

By: Prithwiraj Choudhury

The pandemic has hastened a rise in remote working for knowledge-based organizations. This has notable benefits: Companies can save on real estate costs, hire and utilize talent globally, mitigate immigration issues, and experience productivity gains, while workers can... View Details

Keywords: Remote Work; Best Practices; Employment; Health Pandemics; Geographic Location; Opportunities; Problems and Challenges

Find at Harvard

Register to Read

August 2015
Case

Hong Kong: The Pursuit of Freedom

By: Eric D. Werker and Michael K. H. Law

At the half-anniversary of the pro-democracy civil disobedience movement “Occupy Central with Love and Peace” on March 28, 2015, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying was contemplating the future direction of Hong Kong. Did Hong Kong need universal suffrage, or were its... View Details

April 2019 (Revised December 2019)
Case

Exporting Livability: Investing in New Urban Centers

By: John D. Macomber and Essie Alamsyah

Can Singapore urban design, policy continuity, and system of laws be exported outside of Singapore to accelerate the effective development of new urban agglomerations? Nina Yang, CEO of Sustainable Urban Development at Ascendas-Singbridge, a large real estate company... View Details

Keywords: Urban Development; Projects; Design; City; Business and Government Relations; Expansion; Real Estate Industry; China; Singapore

25 Nov 2019
News

Harvard Nears Selection of Allston Development Partner

November 1996 (Revised July 1997)
Case

Alexander Plaza

By: Arthur I Segel and William J. Poorvu

In May 1996, Henry Bower, an asset manager for a real estate adviser, Medcem, has to negotiate the details of a lease after signing a letter of intent with a high technology company, Defentek, Inc. Defentek, Inc. is a fast-growing company with limited net worth that is... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Tactics; Negotiation Preparation; Agreements and Arrangements; Risk and Uncertainty; Real Estate Industry; Real Estate Industry; District of Columbia

June 2005 (Revised January 2006)
Case

Investment Policy at the Hewlett Foundation (2005)

By: Luis M. Viceira

In early January 2005, Laurance Hoagland Jr., VP and CIO of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (HF), and his investment team met to finish their recommendations to the HF Investment Committee for a new asset allocation policy for the foundation's investment... View Details

Keywords: Investment Portfolio; Risk and Uncertainty; Public Equity; Globalization; Investment; Property; Risk Management; Asset Management; Financial Services Industry

Bill Vrattos is a Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Business School, where he teaches Investment Strategies, a course on public market investing in the elective curriculum. He also co-teaches Private Equity Projects and Ecosystems, where he mentors student groups on... View Details

Daniel M. Gilbane

Dan Gilbane is a Lecturer of Business Administration presently teaching Deal Making in Real Estate in the Finance Unit.

Dan is a 5th generation family leader of Gilbane, Inc., a construction and real estate development firms in the industry with a global... View Details

13 Mar 2018
First Look

March 13, 2018

Redfin, a technology-powered residential real estate brokerage, was founded in 2002 with the intention of using technology to disrupt the real View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

06 Nov 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, November 6, 2018

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=55194 Large Banks and Small Firm Lending By: Bord, Vitaly, Victoria Ivashina, and Ryan D. Taliaferro Abstract—We show that since 2007, there was a large and persistent shift in the composition of lenders to small firms.... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

Our Work-from-Anywhere Future

The pandemic has hastened a rise in remote working for knowledge-based organizations. This has notable benefits: Companies can save on real estate costs, hire and utilize talent globally, mitigate immigration issues, and experience productivity gains, while... View Details

April 2020 (Revised November 2020)
Case

Ping An: Pioneering the New Model of ‘Technology-driven Finance’

By: Feng Zhu, Anthony K. Woo and Nancy Hua Dai

In mid-December 2018, Peter Ma, Chairman and CEO of Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. was considering whether the company should grow a fifth ecosystem of Smart City Services. Established in 1988, Ping An was one of the top 10 global financial... View Details

Keywords: Business Ecosystems; Fintech; Finance; Information Technology; Business Model; Expansion; Competitive Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Technology Industry

Ryan W. Buell is a Professor of Business Administration in the Technology and Operations Management Unit at Harvard Business School. He teaches View Details

Keywords: banking; e-commerce industry; fast food; financial services; high technology; hotels ＆ motels; insurance industry; restaurant; retailing; service industry; transportation

14 Dec 2009
Research & Ideas

Can Entrepreneurs Drive People Movers to Success?

How did you first become interested in PRT systems? Ben Edelman: As a longtime user of public transportation, I often wish for more widespread transit links, more frequent services, and faster journeys. Yet I'm shocked by the costs of... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Transportation

29 Dec 2016
News

When telling the truth is actually dishonest

April 2020 (Revised August 2020)
Case

WeWork—November 2018

By: Paul A. Gompers, Patrick Sweeney and Alex Gachanja

In May 2017, SoftBank announced the official launch of the Vision Fund — which promptly became the largest technology-focused investment fund in the world, with nearly $100 billion in capital under its management. Reports from a few months prior hinted that SoftBank... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Valuation; Corporate Governance