Publications

August 2008 (Revised May 2009)
Case

Kmart and ESL Investments (A)

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah Abbott

A major bankrupt retailer is poised to emerge from Chapter 11. Two activist hedge funds ("vulture investors") will own over 50% of reorganized Kmart's common stock, based on prior investments in Kmart's debt claims, and an infusion of new equity financing. The Chapter... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Capital Structure; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Investment; Investment Activism; Valuation; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; United States

December 2000 (Revised November 2001)
Case

Rise and Fall of Iridium, The

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

Examines the history of Iridium Communications, a provider of mobile satellite services. Discusses the genesis of Iridium's technical design, then follows the venture through various stages of development. Describes Iridium's attempts to build a subscriber base after... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Business Model; Business Growth and Maturation; Organizational Structure; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Telecommunications Industry

18 Jun 2001
Research & Ideas

Tech Investment the Wise Way

value created for users by the offering based on the technology; define the structure of the value chain, that is, the network of activities within the firm required to create and distribute the products or services offered to customers;... View Details

Keywords: by Henry Chesbrough & Richard S. Rosenbloom

20 Feb 2008
First Look

First Look: February 20, 2008

what-if and formal optimization approach). We discuss pros and cons of these approaches and illustrate them through applications and case studies. Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/08-069.pdf Positions of Power and Status: Reciprocity in the Venture... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

07 Apr 2003
Research & Ideas

XTV: Xerox’s Attempted Recovery From “Fumbling the Future”

product line within Xerox. He had the support of Xerox's chief executive officer, David Kearns, for establishing the new internal structure. This structure would work much like an internal venture capital firm. Xerox would exploit Adams's... View Details

Keywords: by Henry Chesbrough

30 May 2005
Research & Ideas

Germany’s Pioneering Corporate Managers

to generate profits, he threw them out. To be clear, large German firms definitely do not move as quickly today as many American firms. The German economy is going through fundamental structural changes because of Europeanization and... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

October 1981 (Revised August 2010)
Case

Quabbin Cablevision Company

By: Henry B. Reiling

Several entrepreneurs are considering the purchase of an existing cable TV business with the financial assistance of several investors. They must decide whether to establish the company as a partnership or a corporation, and how to capitalize the company for an optimal... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Organization; Television Entertainment; Entrepreneurship; Capital Structure; Taxation; Telecommunications Industry; Massachusetts

December 2002 (Revised October 2013)
Case

Williams, 2002

By: Joshua Coval, Robin Greenwood and Peter Tufano

Williams, a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based firm in various energy businesses, must decide whether to accept a financing package offered by Berkshire Hathaway and Lehman Brothers. The proposed one-year credit facility would provide the firm with financial resources in a... View Details

Keywords: Financial Management; Crisis Management; Credit; Capital Structure; Financial Strategy; Financing and Loans; Financial Instruments; Energy Industry; United States

22 May 2012
First Look

First Look: May 22

serving accounts or clients that are competitors of one another in order to avoid conflicts in interest? In recent decades, the advertising and marketing services industry has undergone a number of View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

23 Jun 2015
First Look

First Look: June 23, 2015

system, and, second, an understanding of the industry architecture in which the technical system is embedded. Although these tools involve disparate bodies of knowledge, they must be used in tandem to achieve maximum effect. Dynamic... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

03 Jun 2015
What Do You Think?

Is the Time Right for Self-Management?

increasing complexity and unpredictability of our world is such that only a highly distributed decision-making structure will be able to adapt and respond effectively, she continued. "Most of us don't think a centralized planning... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Retail

22 Jul 2008
First Look

First Look: July 22, 2008

approach is the assumption that teams are stable in their membership and internal organization. In practice, however, such stability is rare, as the composition and structure of teams often changes over time or between projects. In this... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

15 Nov 2001
Research & Ideas

Five Questions for Paul Gompers and Josh Lerner

have a variety of important consequences. First, the structure of the industry will shift. The scale and influence of many of the leading firms in the industry will increase.... View Details

Keywords: by Carol Elsen; Financial Services

07 Feb 2005
Research & Ideas

How “Career Imprinting” Shapes Leaders

capabilities, such as conducting detailed quantitative analyses; connections, such as peer networks and team-based affiliations; confidence, such as learning-based efficacy (or confidence in my ability to learn); and cognition, such as beliefs regarding the appropriate... View Details

Keywords: by Mallory Stark

January 1999 (Revised March 2004)
Case

AMB Consolidation, The

By: William J. Poorvu and Daniel J. Rudd

Anne Shea, assistant vice president at the Curators' Fund (The Fund), is responsible for investing roughly $80 million in real-estate assets. Less than three years ago, Anne invested $40 million into a commingled fund run by AMB Institutional Realty Advisors, Inc., a... View Details

Keywords: Private Ownership; Conflict of Interests; Industry Structures; Property; Investment; Public Ownership; Real Estate Industry