Publications

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October 1989
Case

Exxon Corp.: Trouble at Valdez

Discusses the events leading to and repercussions following the 11 million gallon oil spill in Prince William Sound off the Alaskan coast. This was the largest spill in U.S. history. Examines the response to the spill by Exxon management, government agencies, and... View Details

Keywords: Natural Environment; Crisis Management; Energy Sources; Shipping Industry; Energy Industry; Alaska

May 2018 (Revised January 2019)
Teaching Note

Nashton Partners and Its Search Fund Process

By: Richard S. Ruback, Royce Yudkoff and Ahron Rosenfeld

Teaching Note for HBS No. 212-006. In 2008, Jay Davis (HBS’ 08) and Jason Pananos (HBS’ 08) formed Nashton Partners and raised $500,000 from investors to fund their search. After 30 months of searching, and exhausting the money they raised to fund their search, Davis... View Details

Keywords: Search Fund; Acquisition; Capital Structure; Financing and Loans; Investment Funds; Partners and Partnerships

March 1998 (Revised July 2001)
Case

Haier Group (B), The

By: Lynn S. Paine and Robert J. Crawford

Describes the decision made in response to the (A) case as well as subsequent developments. View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products Industry; China

February 1992 (Revised May 1995)
Supplement

CUC International, Inc. (B)

By: Krishna G. Palepu and Paul M. Healy

Describes CUC's initial response to investors' concerns about the firm's accounting. Students are asked to evaluate this response. View Details

Keywords: Financial Reporting; Business and Shareholder Relations

April 2004 (Revised April 2011)
Case

Enron Corporation: May 6, 2001 Sell Recommendation

By: David F. Hawkins and Jacob Cohen

A consulting firm to institutional investors recommends selling Enron Corp.'s equity short on May 6, 2001, while many sellside analysts are recommending the stock as a "buy." View Details

Keywords: Judgments; Financial Reporting; Investment; Competency and Skills; Financial Statements; Consulting Industry

February 2021
Case

Apple: Privacy vs. Safety (A)

By: Henry McGee, Nien-hê Hsieh, Sarah McAra and Christian Godwin

In 2015, Apple CEO Tim Cook debuted the iPhone 6S with enhanced security measures that enflamed a debate on privacy and public safety around the world. The iPhone 6S, amid a heightened concern for privacy following the 2013 revelation of clandestine U.S. surveillance... View Details

January 2015 (Revised October 2015)
Case

Trouble at Tessei

By: Ethan Bernstein and Ryan W. Buell

In 2005, Teruo Yabe is asked to revive Tessei, the 669-person JR-East subsidiary responsible for cleaning its Shinkansen ("bullet") trains. Operational mistakes, customer complaints, safety issues, and employee turnover are at or near all-time highs, even as the... View Details

Keywords: Service Management; Employee Engagement; Employee Motivation; Leadership And Managing People; Quality Improvement; Efficiency; Japan; Operational Transparency; Employee Coordination; Transparency; Leadership; Service Delivery; Service Operations; Employees; Quality; Transportation Industry; Japan

05 Aug 2011
Working Paper Summaries

An Exploration of Optimal Stabilization Policy

Keywords: by N. Gregory Mankiw & Matthew C. Weinzierl

October 2017 (Revised April 2019)
Case

Data Breach at Equifax

By: Suraj Srinivasan, Quinn Pitcher and Jonah S. Goldberg

The case discusses the events leading up to the massive data breach at Equifax, one of the three U.S. credit reporting companies, the organizational and governance issues that contributed to the breach, and the consequences of the breach. The case supplement provides... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Information Management; Cybersecurity; Technology Industry; United States

24 Aug 2021
Cold Call Podcast

Why Did Pet Concierge Startup Baroo Fail?

Keywords: Re: Thomas R. Eisenmann; Technology; Service

Research Summary

Economic Catastrophe Bonds

(with Joshua Coval and Erik Stafford)

The central insight of asset pricing is that a security's value depends on both its distribution of payoffs across economic states and state prices. In fixed income markets, many investors focus exclusively on estimates of... View Details

July 1989 (Revised November 1992)
Supplement

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: MIS Reorganization (B)

Describes the vice president of Management Information Services (MIS) Division's response to the dilemma facing him. View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Decision Making

Find at Harvard

October 16, 2019
Article

Where ESG Fails

By: Michael E. Porter, George Serafeim and Mark Kramer

We are entering a new stage of understanding of the linkage between investment performance and social impact. Previous approaches, such as socially responsible investing and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) screening, have obscured the opportunities for... View Details

Keywords: ESG; Sustainability; Environment; Social Impact; Impact Investing; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; ESG Reporting; Shared Value; Environmental Sustainability; Social Issues; Investment; Value; Strategy

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September 2005 (Revised January 2006)
Case

Restating Revenues and Earnings at INVESTools, Inc. (A)

By: Michael D. Kimbrough and F. Warren McFarlan

Relates the events leading up to the announcement in February 2005 that INVESTools, a Utah-based provider of investor education services, would be restating prior-year financial statements due to inappropriate revenue recognition. View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Accounting Audits; Financial Statements; Capital Markets; Currency Exchange Rate; Corporate Disclosure; Financial Services Industry; Education Industry; Utah

Video

Vimal Shah

Vimal Shah, Co-Founder and Chairman of Kenya-based Bidco Africa, explains the ethical and economic basis for the group’s commitment to waste minimization, rejecting what he refers to as superficial Corporate Social Responsibility to instead foster opportunities across... View Details

16 May 2000
Research & Ideas

Getting the Message: How the Internet is Changing Advertising

graphics, to target the right audience, and to measure responses instantly. But many experts contend that Internet advertising is still in its infancy. There is a widely held... View Details

Keywords: by Susan Young

10 Feb 2009
First Look

First Look: February 10, 2009

returns. The risk-minimizing currency strategy for a global bond investor is close to a full currency hedge, with a modest long position in the U.S. dollar. There is little evidence that risk-minimizing... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

August 2003
Case

Amy Kelly's 48-Hour Diary

The response of former Self-Assessment and Career Development student Amy Kelly to the "48-Hour Diary" assignment. View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career