Publications

October 2022 (Revised January 2025)
Case

Founders First Capital Partners: An Approach to Capital Access Equity

By: Brian Trelstad, Mel Martin and Amy Klopfenstein

In June 2021, Kim T. Folsom, the founder and CEO of revenue-based financing firm Founders First Capital Partners (FFCP), must decide whether to issue another loan to OnShore Technology Group, an up-and-coming software validation company. FFCP provided revenue-based... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Financial Instruments; Financing and Loans; Interest Rates; Investment Return; Revenue; Capital; Financial Services Industry; North and Central America; United States

28 May 2008
First Look

First Look: May 28, 2008

the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/08-096.pdf Shamed and Able: How Firms Respond to Being Rated (Revised May 2008) Authors:Aaron K. Chatterji and Michael W. Toffel Abstract We examine how firms... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

31 Mar 2009
First Look

First Look: March 31, 2009

equity that are nonetheless considered public by virtue of having publicly traded debt. We develop and test two hypotheses. The "demand" hypothesis holds that earnings of public equity firms are of higher quality than earnings... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Web

Curriculum - Business & Environment

KHC/3G's offer undervalued Unilever and its long-term value creation strategy. Engine No.1: An Impact Investing Firm Engages with ExxonMobil Key concepts: Impact Investing; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance Invest or... View Details

13 Dec 2022
Research & Ideas

The Color of Private Equity: Quantifying the Bias Black Investors Face

institutions and the ultra-affluent. However, the fortunes of startups and struggling mature firms can depend on private funds, making the study’s results particularly influential to wealth distribution in the United States. “There is a... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds; Financial Services

June 2023
Case

Dan McCrum - Unmasking Wirecard

By: Jonas Heese, Charles C.Y. Wang, Tonia Labruyere and Carlota Moniz

Dan McCrum, an investigative journalist for the Financial Times, had spent the past six years fighting to expose German payment processing firm Wirecard. The company had enjoyed years of exponential growth and was viewed by several investors as the poster child of... View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Accounting; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; Europe; United Kingdom; Germany

09 Jan 2012
Research & Ideas

Location, Location, Location: The Strategy of Place

as nearby supporting industries; the company's ability to seek and retrieve knowledge in this setting; and its capability to do something better than competitors. An example of a firm playing tactical checkers instead of strategic chess... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

April 2009 (Revised September 2011)
Case

Before the Fall: Lehman Brothers 2008

By: Clayton S. Rose and Anand Ahuja

This case examines Lehman Brothers in the months preceding its collapse. Following the announcement of a huge and unexpected second quarter loss, the CFO was removed from her post after only seven months in the job. This case explores the challenges faced by a firm... View Details

Keywords: Communication Strategy; Financial Crisis; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Financial Management; Financial Markets; Crisis Management; Trust; Financial Services Industry

February 2006 (Revised October 2006)
Case

The Children's Investment Fund, 2005

By: Randolph B. Cohen and Joshua B. Sandbulte

TCI, The Children's Investment Fund, is a London-based hedge fund. The firm donates a significant fraction of the fees it earns to a charitable foundation. In 2005, TCI took a large stake in Deutsche Borse, the stock exchange in Frankfurt. Its battle with management... View Details

Keywords: Value Creation; Financial Markets; Investment Activism; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Financial Services Industry; London; Germany

April 2000 (Revised July 2000)
Case

Ameritrade Holding Corporation

By: Lisa K. Meulbroek

Some of the senior managers at Ameritrade, an Internet brokerage firm, are selling their holdings in the firm. Why are the managers selling, how will it affect shareholders, and what should the CEO do about it? The CEO is concerned that the market will interpret... View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Internet and the Web; Stock Options; Risk Management; Financial Services Industry

19 Nov 2013
First Look

First Look: November 19

http://hbr.org/search/714421-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 514-021 Catalina in the Digital Age No abstract available. Purchase this case: http://hbr.org/search/514021-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 314-034 A Note on Knowledge Management in View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 2019 (Revised August 2019)
Case

KangaTech

By: Karim R. Lakhani, Patrick J. Ferguson, Sarah Fleischer, Jin Hyun Paik and Steven Randazzo

On a warm January afternoon in 2019, Steve Saunders, Dave Scerri, Carl Dilena, and Nick Haslam (see Exhibit 1 for biographies), co-founders of KangaTech, wrapped up the latest round of discussions about the future direction of their sports-technology start-up. Focused... View Details

Keywords: Startup; Technology Commercialization; Prototype; Business Startups; Technological Innovation; Sports; Health; Commercialization; Research and Development; Decision Making; Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Industry; Sports Industry; Health Industry; Australia