Publications

March 2011
Case

MorphoSys AG: The Evolution of a Biotechnology Business Model

By: Gary P. Pisano, Ryan Johnson and Carin-Isabel Knoop

In the biotech world, the 18-year-old Munich-based company MorphoSys was a rarity: it was profitable. The company achieved this profitability not by developing and selling its own drugs, but by licensing access to its proprietary library of human antibodies. Recently,... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Profit; Intellectual Property; Rights; Risk Management; Digital Platforms; Product Development; Business and Shareholder Relations; Vertical Integration; Biotechnology Industry; Munich

November 2009 (Revised March 2013)
Case

PureCircle

By: David E. Bell and Aldo Sesia

In December 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that high-purity Rebaudioside A (Reb A), a natural and calorie-free product that a young company named PureCircle manufactured from the Stevia plant, could be used in beverages, foods, and as a... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Investment; Globalization; Leadership; Risk Management; Product Launch; Production; Performance Productivity; Business and Shareholder Relations; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

24 Sep 2020
News

The Race for a Vaccine

most companies, the financial risk remained too high to justify the potential reward—a situation that too often led to dangerous vaccine shortages. It was at this moment that Moderna turned its attention to vaccines. The company had been... View Details

Keywords: April White; COVID-19; Scientific Research and Development Services

17 Jun 2020
Blog Post

Black MBA Students Pen Letters to the HBS Community: Letter 2/5

a congested public streetcar. The inequity was further exacerbated by government-supported redlining that prevented Black Americans from subsidies and underwriting that effectively prohibited them from obtaining private financing for home... View Details

29 Apr 2014
First Look

First Look: April 29

Competing platforms are affected negatively because more information intensifies price competition. Publisher's link: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2360263 Working Papers Monetary Policy Drivers of Bond and Equity Risks By: Campbell, John... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

07 Jul 2015
First Look

First Look: July 7, 2015

Publications June 2015 Science Financing Experiments By: Nanda, Ramana, and Matthew Rhodes-Kropf Abstract—No abstract available. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=49313 July-August 2015 Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

10 Apr 2025
Blog Post

IFC India 2025: SELCO - Decentralized Renewable Energy to Develop While Decarbonizing

microfinance groups, SHGs, and private sector donors ensures that renewable energy solutions are both affordable and accessible for these communities. These blended finance models help mitigate risks for... View Details

25 Jan 2011
First Look

First Look: Jan. 25

perceptions of firms' size and/or market power. Benchmarks as Limits to Arbitrage: Understanding the Low-Volatility Anomaly Authors:Malcolm Baker, Brendan Bradley, and Jeffrey Wurgler Publication:Financial Analysts Journal 67, no. 1 (January-February 2011) Abstract... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

07 Oct 2014
News

Network Effect

Alzheimer’s research. At McCance’s urging, they based the organization on venture capital principles: locate visionaries and invest in them; run a lean, frugal institution; and take the risk on bold ideas with enormous promise. Having... View Details

Keywords: Linda Kush

January 1980 (Revised April 1994)
Case

New Balance Athletic Shoes

By: Kim B. Clark

Faced with growth exceeding 100% per year, James Davis, president of New Balance, must decide how to meet the need for additional capacity. Several factors contribute to a climate of extreme uncertainty. Several options are considered, ranging from a second shift to... View Details

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Forecasting and Prediction; Financial Strategy; Information; Growth Management; Organizational Design; Performance Capacity; Risk and Uncertainty; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Republic of Ireland

01 Jul 2014
First Look

First Look: July 1

a mix of both. Wherever clubs fall on this spectrum, having a strategy that recognizes the global importance of stars is critical to long-lasting financial success. August 2013 Journal of Finance A Comparative-Advantage Approach to... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

30 Oct 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, October 30, 2018

2018 Northamption, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing Varieties of Green Business: Industries, Nations and Time By: Jones, G. Abstract—Published at a time of ever-increasing warnings that the pace of climate change and other environmental changes View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

03 Feb 2014
News

Eyes on Medical Breakthroughs

harder than her male classmates to succeed. From her father, a Hungarian immigrant with no business training who bought New York City's Chelsea Hotel and turned it into one of the Big Apple's most famous addresses, she learned to take View Details

Keywords: Ralph Ranalli; Management; Ambulatory Health Care Services; Health, Social Assistance

17 Sep 2020
Research & Ideas

Many Small-Business Employees May Be Close to Losing Health Insurance

at risk of cancelling health insurance coverage within two months, the researchers found. Almost one in five, 18.9 percent, predicted they’d be able to keep paying premiums for no more than two months. Another 13.2 percent were unsure how... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Health

July 2024
Case

Jacqueline Cook at Vendasta: Debating an IPO

By: Reza Satchu, Tom Quinn and Andrew Kosc

In May 2021, after a surge in demand for digital services that prompted high valuations for startups across the Canadian tech sector, Saskatchewan-based Vendasta entered the final stages of the initial public offering (IPO) process. COO Jacqueline Cook had invested her... View Details

01 Mar 2019
News

The One That Got Away

the world take big risks but also work harder than anyone else. Luis Robles (MBA 2010) X-Star Partners A Dream Redefined We first met Peter Szulczewski when he was working on a neat concept called ContextLogic. He had built contextual... View Details

October 1991 (Revised October 2004)
Case

Hilton Manufacturing Company

By: William J. Bruns Jr.

A professional manager is hired by a small manufacturing company after the president discovers he made poor decisions. One product appears to be unprofitable, whereas the product sold in highest volume is under competitive price pressure. A crude cost accounting system... View Details

Keywords: Cost Accounting; Asset Pricing; Problems and Challenges; Risk and Uncertainty; Decisions; Governance Controls; Performance Effectiveness; Business Strategy; Two-Sided Platforms; Fair Value Accounting; Manufacturing Industry