Publications

In this episode, Siko shares his insights on the limitations of ESG ratings, how ESG trends are viewed by leaders in Africa, the kernels of wisdom he aims to share with his business students, and much more. View Details

13–14 Oct 2023
Reunions

2023 HBS Fall Reunions

We look forward to welcoming you back for your reunion! This is a special opportunity to reconnect with old friends and make valuable new connections; strengthen your professional career and personal life with the latest thinking on critical topics; and feel... View Details

May 1994 (Revised November 1995)
Case

Shawmut National Corporation's Merger with Bank of Boston Corporation (A)

By: Benjamin C. Esty

Presents the merger negotiations between Bank of Boston (BOB) and Shawmut National Corp. (SNC), two of the country's largest bank holding companies and requires students to value BOB's current offer for SNC. Provides an overview of recent events and trends in the... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Banks and Banking; Ethics; Negotiation; Valuation; Management; Banking Industry; United States

Feb 2012
Case

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul: Building on a Diversified Base (Abridged)

Starting in 2003, the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan region lagged the rest of the U.S. in job creation. Alarmed business and civic leaders coalesced around the Itasca Project, which set in motion a series of actions by groups of CEOs... View Details

10 Mar 2016
News

Americans Rank Last in Problem-Solving With Technology

14 Jan 2019
Video

Why Employers Should Care About the Care Economy

October 2022 (Revised May 2023)
Case

Ginkgo Bioworks vs. Scorpion Capital: The Debate Over Related-Party Revenues

By: Aiyesha Dey, Jonas Heese, Suraj Srinivasan and Annelena Lobb

Ginkgo Bioworks, a synthetic biology company based in Boston, Massachusetts, faced divergent views on its revenue possibilities and accounting practices. After a report emerged accusing it of fraudulent accounting and lack of innovation, its share price plunged. But... View Details

Keywords: Fraud Allegations; Revenue; Reports; Accounting Audits; Innovation and Management; Investment; Biotechnology Industry; Boston

06 Sep 2016
Blog Post

What Makes the HBS MBA unique?

As graduation approached this year, I spent more and more time reflecting on my experience at HBS. The last two years have been more than I ever could have imagined, and I’m so incredibly grateful to have... View Details

February 2001 (Revised February 2018)
Case

The iPremier Company (A): Distributed Denial of Service Attack

By: Robert D. Austin, Larry Leibrock and Alan Murray

Describes a new CIO trying to manage a denial of service (DOS) attack against his e-retailing business. The attack and its aftermath provide students an opportunity to discuss the business issues that are interwoven with computer security issues. View Details

Keywords: Safety; Internet and the Web; Applications and Software; Retail Industry

February 2023 (Revised March 2025)
Case

Graphic Packaging: Project Cowboy (A)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and E. Scott Mayfield

In July 2019, Graphic Packaging CEO Michael Doss was proposing a $600 million investment in a new machine to produce coated recycled board (CRB), a type of paper packaging used for consumer products (cups, cereal boxes, beverage boxes, etc.) that utilized recycled... View Details

Keywords: Capital Budgeting; Growth Management; Demand and Consumers; Duopoly and Oligopoly; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Expansion; Value Creation; Supply and Industry; Pulp and Paper Industry; Pulp and Paper Industry; United States; North America

24 May 2023
Blog Post

Innovating, Funding, and Scaling Climate Solutions at Harvard Business School: Day Three of Harvard Climate Action Week

This is a repost from HBS Newsroom, see the original post here. “Climate change, and the energy and materials transition, is one of the most complicated and challenging... View Details

12 Sep 2024
Blog Post

4 Things You Need to Know about Immersive FIELD Courses at HBS

As part of the elective curriculum (EC) within the MBA program students have the opportunity in their second year to enroll in an Immersive Field Course – or “IFC” for short. These courses are driven by faculty research View Details

June 2023
Case

Tractor Supply Co

By: David L. Ager and Michael A. Roberto

In February 2023, Hal Lawton, CEO of Tractor Supply Co, the largest farm and ranch retailer in the United States reflected on the company’s 70% growth between 2019 and 2022. Economists had begun to predict an economic downturn and experts were predicting softening... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic; Demand and Consumers; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Retail Industry

June 2007 (Revised April 2008)
Case

Say on Pay

By: Jay W. Lorsch, V.G. Narayanan and Alexis Chernak

Briefly describes the trend in 2006 and 2007 in the United States to give shareholders an advisory vote on executive compensation. Highlights a few examples where shareholders have successfully garnered a majority in support of an advisory vote measure on company proxy... View Details

Keywords: Voting; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Executive Compensation; Business and Government Relations; Business and Shareholder Relations; United States

Find at Harvard

09 Apr 2007
Research & Ideas

Industry Self-Regulation: What’s Working (and What’s Not)?

conference at Harvard Business School on self-regulation. What were the highlights? A: The conference, which I co-organized with Andrew King (Dartmouth), Michael Lenox (Duke), and Tim Simcoe (U Toronto), focused on View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

November 2016 (Revised February 2017)
Case

Square, Inc. IPO

By: Ramana Nanda, Robert White and Lauren G. Pickle

In November 2015, Square, Inc. launched its initial public offering (IPO). The IPO had an offering price of $9 per share, lower than the $11 to $13 estimate that had been outlined in the preliminary prospectus and 42% below the $15.50 share price in its most recent... View Details

Keywords: Business Finance; Initial Public Offering; Equity; Capital Markets; Public Equity; Stocks; Venture Capital; Financial Services Industry; United States