Publications

June 2010 (Revised July 2011)
Case

China Environment Fund: Doing Well by Doing Good

By: Christopher Marquis and Nancy Dai

In early 2010, cleantech investment pioneer Tsing Capital was planning for the China Environment Fund IV and considering how to maintain its commitment to social and environmental practices. Tsing Capital embraced its philosophy of "Doing Well by Doing Good" and... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business Strategy; Balance and Stability; Environmental Sustainability; Climate Change; Energy Conservation; Business Organization; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Venture Capital; Financial Services Industry; China

January 2009
Article

Spatial Diversity in Invention: Evidence from the Early R&D Labs

By: Tom Nicholas

This article uses historical data on inventor and firm R&D lab locations to examine the technological and geographic structure of corporate knowledge capital accumulation during a formative period in the organization of US innovation. Despite the localization of... View Details

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Geographic Location; Innovation and Invention; Patents; Knowledge Acquisition; Research and Development; United States

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December 2001
Case

Sarah Vickers-Willis: Career Decisions (A)

By: Myra M. Hart, Lynda M. Applegate, Sarah Harden and Susan Saltrick

Sarah Vickers-Willis, HBS MBA 1999, faces a critical career decision: Does she redirect the Internet start-up she helped found or join in shaping a for-profit firm with a social mission? Sarah, a young Australian business executive, has always strived to "find space"... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Leadership; Internet and the Web; Social Entrepreneurship; Personal Development and Career; Gender; Business Startups

31 Aug 2012
Working Paper Summaries

The Effect of Institutional Factors on the Value of Corporate Diversification

Keywords: by Venkat Kuppuswamy, George Serafeim & Belén Villalonga

Research Summary

Overview

By: Jorge Tamayo

Professor Tamayo’s research focuses on theoretical modeling and structural estimation of firm decision-making and productivity.

Professor Tamayo studies dynamic competition for customer membership. Generally, firms that implement a membership model charge a... View Details

Robert F. White

Bob White is a Senior Lecturer in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at the Harvard Business School where he teaches courses in the MBA program (Required and Elective curricula) and the Executive Education program. Courses taught include Entrepreneurial... View Details

22 Mar 2022
Cold Call Podcast

How Etsy Found Its Purpose and Crafted a Turnaround

Keywords: Re: Ranjay Gulati; Technology; Retail

October 2020 (Revised June 2021)
Case

Francisco Partners Private Credit Opportunity Fund

By: Luis M. Viceira, John D. Dionne, Soracha Prathanrasnikorn and Ari Sunshine

In April 2020, Scott Einsenberg, the Head of Credit at the private equity firm Francisco Partners, is deciding whether to go ahead with extending a private lending agreement to Eventbrite, Inc. (NYSE: EB), a leading global event management and online ticketing... View Details

Keywords: Private Debt; Private Credit; Industry Evolution; Private Equity; Investment; Analysis

March 2009
Article

Trade-offs in Staying Close: Corporate Decision Making and Geographic Dispersion

By: Augustin Landier, Vinay Nair and Julie Wulf

We document the role of geographic dispersion on corporate decision-making. Our findings include: (i) geographically dispersed firms are less employee friendly; (ii) dismissals of divisional employees are less common in divisions located closer to corporate... View Details

Keywords: Business Divisions; Business Headquarters; Decision Choices and Conditions; Geographic Location; Employees; Resignation and Termination; Retention

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1993
Book

The Rise of Multinationals in Continental Europe

By: G. Jones and Harm Schroter

This book examines the historical growth of Continental European multinationals over the previous 100 years. It includes new research on the evolution of multinational firms in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden and oter countries, and the book... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Growth and Development; Books; Research; France; Germany; Netherlands; Sweden; Switzerland

07 Dec 2016
HBS Case

Why Millennials Flock to Fintech for Personal Investing

replaced financial advisors with robo-advisors, which use big data and algorithms to determine the best places to put clients’ money—and appeal to a whole new generation of investors. Technology replaces the financial advisor “They have a View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Financial Services

Research Summary

Overview

My research lies at the intersection of strategic management and international business, with a focus on how firms’ heterogeneous national environments affect competition, corporate strategy, and firm performance. View Details

Keywords: Global Strategy; Emerging Markets; Corporate Strategy; Competitiveness; Competitive Dynamics; United States; Brazil; Africa

October 2008
Case

Diagnostic Genomics

By: Regina E. Herzlinger and Mark P. Allyn

Should this gene detection firm enter the business of providing tests for the detection of genetic diseases? If so, how should it prioritize the tests it could develop? View Details

Keywords: Health Testing and Trials; Market Entry and Exit; Product Development; Genetics; Strategy; Health Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

Video

Reuel J. Khoza

Reuel J. Khoza, Chairman of South Africa's Dzana Investments and Discovery Bank, describes the obstacles he faced to establish his management consultancy firm in the context of apartheid. View Details

20 Nov 2019
Video

Zia Mody

Zia Mody, founder of AZB & Partners, a leading corporate law firm in India, describes the changing relationship... View Details

June 2023
Case

Barton Malow: Building From the Top-Down

By: Hise O. Gibson and Alicia Dadlani

In 2023, Detroit-based Barton Malow completed the first high-rise building in the U.S. built from the top-down using LIFTbuild, a patented methodology that aimed to make construction safer and more efficient. By completing building work at ground level and then... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Innovation and Invention; Construction Industry