Publications

February 2003 (Revised March 2003)
Case

Large Scale Change at The WSSC

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Corey B. Hajim

Describes the organizational transformation occurring at the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC), a public utility. Faced with the possibility of privatization after decades of providing service in the absence of competition or performance pressures, the... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Mission and Purpose; Change Management; Restructuring; Privatization; Resignation and Termination; Utilities Industry

October 1995
Case

Robert Mondavi Corporation

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Thomas N. Urban Jr

As the Mondavi Corp. moves from a private to a public company and increases the number of types of wine it sells, how does it position itself in various segments of the market and what brand and distribution system is most important? View Details

Keywords: Globalized Markets and Industries; Brands and Branding; Distribution; Product Positioning; Going Public; Expansion; Change; Food and Beverage Industry

Find at Harvard

01 Feb 2002
News

Karen Tumulty Reports on America

issue of media conglomerates, Tumulty says, "I don't worry too much about corporate ownership creating biased reporting or editorial pressure, but I do have concerns about the drive for bottom-line profitability. That's caused the closing... View Details

Keywords: News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; Information

16 May 2018
Research & Ideas

How Companies Managed Risk (and Even Benefitted) in World War Internment Camps

researchers found that German companies struggling to maintain long-term survival in India adopted a mix of political risk management strategies: Disguise Some companies used a “cloaking” strategy, altering their organizational structure to camouflage View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Manufacturing

29 Apr 2013
Research & Ideas

Are First-Time Buyers Left Out of Real Estate’s Rebound?

wherewithal for a down payment. But as rents go up in the face of increased demand, the difference between renting and owning will decrease. When that equilibrium happens, I suspect there will be a return to ownership as the preferred... View Details

Keywords: Construction; Real Estate

20 Aug 2012
Research & Ideas

The Acquirers

private equity and public companies "changes the ownership structure of assets and alters the incentives and governance mechanisms that surround the economic engine of our economy." During a recent interview in his Rock Center... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard; Financial Services

11 Mar 2001
Research & Ideas

Digital Designs on the Inner City

opportunities in inner city businesses, said surveys show a general increase in computer ownership and online access among inner city families. Even so, she pointed out, computer use in the inner city remains significantly lower than in... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

15 Feb 2011
First Look

First Look: Feb. 15

consider supporting deposit insurance schemes and undertaking subsidised recapitalisations. Working PapersTrade Policy and Firm Boundaries Authors:Laura Alfaro, Paola Conconi, Harald Fadinger, and Andrew F. Newman Abstract We study how trade policy affects firms'... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 2018 (Revised August 2018)
Case

Blue Haven Initiative: The PEGAfrica Investment

By: Vikram S. Gandhi, Caitlin Reimers Brumme and Amram Migdal

This case examines Blue Haven Initiative (BHI), an impact investing fund and family office, and one of its investments, PEGAfrica (PEG). BHI founder Liesel Pritzker Simmons’ motivations for using her family wealth to start a family office focused on impact investing,... View Details

Keywords: Impact Investing; Family Office; Development; International Development; International Development Investing; Development Fund; Sustainability; Solar Energy; Solar; Pay As You Go; PAYG; MFI; Social Venture; Business Ventures; Acquisition; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Economics; Development Economics; Energy; Energy Conservation; Energy Sources; Renewable Energy; Social Entrepreneurship; Finance; Assets; Asset Pricing; Capital; Capital Budgeting; Capital Structure; Venture Capital; Cash; Cash Flow; Currency; Currency Exchange Rate; Equity; Private Equity; Financial Instruments; Debt Securities; Stock Shares; Financing and Loans; Microfinance; International Finance; Investment; Investment Return; Investment Activism; Investment Funds; Investment Portfolio; Price; Geography; Geographic Location; Emerging Markets; Ownership; Ownership Stake; Private Ownership; Social Enterprise; Value; Valuation; Value Creation; Energy Industry; Financial Services Industry; Green Technology Industry; Africa; United States

September 2024
Supplement

National Public Broadcasting (B)

By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff

Pre-abstract: Instructors should consider the timing of making videos available to students, as they may reveal key case details.
Abstract: This (B) case supplement is designed for use by faculty only to support classroom instruction in conjunction with... View Details

Keywords: Financial Strategy; Financial Management; Media; Ownership; Strategy; Advertising; Decision Choices and Conditions; Entrepreneurship; Financing and Loans; Mergers and Acquisitions; Private Equity; Journalism and News Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; United States

February 2009 (Revised October 2012)
Case

Tata Motors in Singur: Public Purpose and Private Property (B)

By: Laura Alfaro, Lakshmi Iyer and Namrata Arora

In October 2008, Tata Motors canceled their car manufacturing plant in West Bengal state, in the face of widespread farmer protests over land acquisition issues. This meant abandoning a project in which the company had invested $300 million and delaying the launch of... View Details

Keywords: Business Exit or Shutdown; Rights; Emerging Markets; Property; Business and Government Relations; Conflict and Resolution; Auto Industry; Manufacturing Industry; West Bengal

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

February 2021 (Revised June 2021)
Case

Barbarians at the Gate or Turnaround Gurus? Private Equity and the Rise of the LBO

By: Tom Nicholas and John Masko

During the 1980s, leveraged buyouts (LBOs) and the private equity (PE) firms responsible for carrying them out revolutionized both investment and management in the U.S. Between 1980 and 1989, buyout activity in the U.S. surged from $1 billion per year to $60 billion.... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Conglomerates; Restructuring; Borrowing and Debt; Private Equity; Bonds; Investment Return; Institutional Investing; Profit Sharing; Business History; Management Style; Private Ownership; Performance Effectiveness; Value Creation; Financial Services Industry; United States

July 2020
Case

Michael Solomonov: Jerusalem in a Bowl

By: Boris Groysberg, Evan M.S. Hecht and Katherine Connolly Baden

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook had begun to wonder whether it might be time to rethink their opportunistic approach to the expansion of their small restaurant empire in Philadelphia, CooknSolo. The pandemic, however, caused an... View Details

Keywords: Restaurant Industry; Entrepreneur; COVID-19; Crisis; Crisis Response Plans; Entrepreneurship; Food; Health Pandemics; Crisis Management; Innovation and Invention; Leadership; Creativity; Strategy; Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Risk and Uncertainty; Situation or Environment; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

14 Jun 2004
Research & Ideas

The Big Money for Big Projects

conditions. One of the key assumptions underlying this proposition is that financing and investment decisions are separable and independent. When this assumption holds, various financing decisions such as the firm's capital structure, its View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen; Financial Services

19 Aug 2021
News

A Letter to My White Friends and Colleagues

Daniel, is that today, out of all of the racial and ethnic groups in America, the home ownership of Blacks is at the lowest. And it's not because Blacks are less qualified for those mortgages, it is all as a result of anti-Black... View Details

01 Jun 2017
News

Supercharged

probably won’t be individuals. Ridesharing, says Shen, is taking off even faster in China than it is in the United States. And it’s doing so in part for cultural reasons. In China, Shen explains, ownership has historically been less... View Details

Keywords: Alexander Gelfand; illustrations by Tavis Coburn

June 2014
Case

Stock Options at Celia-Check

By: Brian Hall, Andrew Wasynczuk and Karen Huang

Describes issues facing three young founders of a high-tech start-up, including hiring an experienced CEO and negotiating with a potential VC investor. Focuses on the incentive and compensation aspects of negotiating with job candidates (e.g., what percentage of the... View Details

Keywords: Stock Options; Venture Capital; Selection and Staffing; Negotiation; Executive Compensation; Employee Stock Ownership Plan; Business Startups; Management Teams; Technology Industry; United States