Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
  • Research
    • Research
    • Publications
    • Global Research Centers
    • Case Development
    • Initiatives & Projects
    • Research Services
    • Seminars & Conferences
    →
  • Publications→

Publications

Publications

Filter Results: (223) Arrow Down
Filter Results: (223) Arrow Down Arrow Up

Show Results For

  • All HBS Web  (223)
    • People  (1)
    • News  (36)
    • Research  (168)
  • Faculty Publications  (92)

Show Results For

  • All HBS Web  (223)
    • People  (1)
    • News  (36)
    • Research  (168)
  • Faculty Publications  (92)
Page 1 of 223 Results →
  • July 2015
  • Exercise

An Activist Approach: Castle Rock-Fultons-Remingtons

By: Guhan Subramanian and Kait Szydlowski
A three party, multiple-issue negotiation exercise dealing with a potential merger between two leading department stores, called for by an activist investor hedge fund in a letter to both companies. Company management will now attempt to navigate next moves, which are... View Details
Keywords: Negotiation; Activist Investors; Takeover Defense; Negotiation Types; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Governance; Investment Activism; Retail Industry
Citation
Purchase
Related
Subramanian, Guhan, and Kait Szydlowski. "An Activist Approach: Castle Rock-Fultons-Remingtons." Harvard Business School Exercise 916-011, July 2015.
  • July 2015
  • Exercise

An Activist Approach: Confidential Role Assignment for Castle Rock Management

By: Guhan Subramanian and Kait Szydlowski
A three party, multiple-issue negotiation exercise dealing with a potential merger between two leading department stores, called for by an activist investor hedge fund in a letter to both companies. Company management will now attempt to navigate next moves, which are... View Details
Keywords: Negotiation; Activist Investors; Takeover Defense; Negotiation Types; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Governance; Investment Activism; Retail Industry
Citation
Purchase
Related
Subramanian, Guhan, and Kait Szydlowski. "An Activist Approach: Confidential Role Assignment for Castle Rock Management." Harvard Business School Exercise 916-012, July 2015.
  • November 2011
  • Case

Brink's Company: Activists Push for a Spin-off

By: Suraj Srinivasan, Aldo Sesia and Amy Kaser
The case studies the decision of the security services corporation Brink's Company to spin-off its home security division from the rest of the company. The decision followed intense pressure on the company by three activist hedge funds that felt that Brink's was... View Details
Keywords: Activist Investors; Spin-off; Leveraged Recapitalization; Debt; Valuation; Hedge Funds; Conglomerates; Investment Activism
Citation
Educators
Purchase
Related
Srinivasan, Suraj, Aldo Sesia, and Amy Kaser. "Brink's Company: Activists Push for a Spin-off." Harvard Business School Case 112-055, November 2011.
  • July 2015
  • Exercise

An Activist Approach: Confidential Role Assignment for Remingtons Housewares

By: Guhan Subramanian and Kait Szydlowski
A three party, multiple-issue negotiation exercise dealing with a potential merger between two leading department stores, called for by an activist investor hedge fund in a letter to both companies. Company management will now attempt to navigate next moves, which are... View Details
Keywords: Negotiation; Activist Investors; Takeover Defense; Negotiation Types; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Governance; Investment Activism; Retail Industry
Citation
Purchase
Related
Subramanian, Guhan, and Kait Szydlowski. "An Activist Approach: Confidential Role Assignment for Remingtons Housewares." Harvard Business School Exercise 916-014, July 2015.
  • July 2015
  • Exercise

An Activist Approach: Confidential Role Assignment for Fultons Department Stores

By: Guhan Subramanian and Kait Szydlowski
A three party, multiple-issue negotiation exercise dealing with a potential merger between two leading department stores, called for by an activist investor hedge fund in a letter to both companies. Company management will now attempt to navigate next moves, which are... View Details
Keywords: Negotiation; Activist Investors; Takeover Defense; Negotiation Types; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Governance; Investment Activism; Retail Industry
Citation
Purchase
Related
Subramanian, Guhan, and Kait Szydlowski. "An Activist Approach: Confidential Role Assignment for Fultons Department Stores." Harvard Business School Exercise 916-013, July 2015.
  • June 2016 (Revised May 2017)
  • Case

A Note on Activist Investors and the Tech Sector

By: David B. Yoffie and Eric Baldwin
This short note provides background and data on the growing role of corporate activists, especially in high-technology industries. View Details
Keywords: Governance; Activist Investors; Strategy; Investment Activism; Financial Services Industry; Technology Industry
Citation
Educators
Purchase
Related
Yoffie, David B., and Eric Baldwin. "A Note on Activist Investors and the Tech Sector." Harvard Business School Case 716-462, June 2016. (Revised May 2017.)
  • November 2012
  • Teaching Note

Brink's Company: Activists Push for a Spin-off (TN)

By: Suraj Srinivasan
The case this Teaching Note addresses studies the decision of the security services company Brink's Corporation to spin off its home security division from the rest of the company. The decision followed intense pressure on the company by three activist hedge funds that... View Details
Keywords: Activist Investors; Spin-off; Leveraged Recapitalization; Debt; Hedge Funds; Conglomerates; Valuation; Restructuring; Accounting; Business Strategy; Investment Activism; Service Industry
Citation
Purchase
Related
Srinivasan, Suraj. "Brink's Company: Activists Push for a Spin-off (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 113-053, November 2012.
  • September 2024
  • Article

Activist Directors: Determinants and Consequences

By: Ian D. Gow, Sa-Pyung Sean Shin and Suraj Srinivasan
This paper examines determinants and consequences of hedge fund activism, focusing on activist directors, i.e., directors appointed in response to activist demands. Using a sample of 3,259 activism events from 2004 to 2016, we identify 1,623 activist directors.... View Details
Keywords: Governing and Advisory Boards; Investment Activism; Business and Shareholder Relations
Citation
SSRN
Find at Harvard
Purchase
Related
Gow, Ian D., Sa-Pyung Sean Shin, and Suraj Srinivasan. "Activist Directors: Determinants and Consequences." Review of Accounting Studies 29, no. 3 (September 2024): 2578–2616.
  • February 2021 (Revised September 2022)
  • Case

Shareholder Activists and Corporate Strategy

By: David J. Collis and Caeden Brynie
This library case examines the rise of shareholder activism in recent years, particularly in the public eye, and analyzes its effects on corporate strategy, growth, and shareholder value. It looks at three contemporary targets of shareholder activism in particular—Bed... View Details
Keywords: Shareholder; Shareholder Activism; Board; Board Of Directors; Hedge Fund; Hedge Fund Activism; Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Investment Activism; Governing and Advisory Boards; Business and Shareholder Relations
Citation
Educators
Purchase
Related
Collis, David J., and Caeden Brynie. "Shareholder Activists and Corporate Strategy." Harvard Business School Case 721-437, February 2021. (Revised September 2022.)
  • 17 Nov 2015
  • Lessons from the Classroom

How Activist Investors Became Respectable

online well before any regulatory filing disclosed his holdings in the company. These tactics may have been designed for drama, but the investment strategy and its scale are nothing unusual today. Activist... View Details
Keywords: by Joseph Fuller; Financial Services; Banking
  • May 2014
  • Article

How to Outsmart Activist Investors

By: Bill George and Jay W. Lorsch
We offer opinions on how management and corporate boards of directors can best manage investor relations with activist stockholders such as hedge funds who are demanding major changes within a corporation to improve stockholder return. Beverage industry firm PepsiCo is... View Details
Keywords: Investment Activism
Citation
Find at Harvard
Read Now
Related
George, Bill, and Jay W. Lorsch. "How to Outsmart Activist Investors." Harvard Business Review 92, no. 5 (May 2014): 88–95.
  • September 2008 (Revised October 2008)
  • Supplement

Shareholder Activists at Friendly Ice Cream (A2)

By: V.G. Narayanan, Fabrizio Ferri and James Weber
The A1 and A2 versions of the “Shareholder Activists at Friendly Ice Cream (A)” split the original A case into two parts. The A1 case ends as activists Sardar Biglari and Phil Cooley prepare to meet with CEO Don Smith at Friendly's headquarters in September 2006. The... View Details
Keywords: Investment Activism; Business and Shareholder Relations; Governing and Advisory Boards; Conflict and Resolution; Lawsuits and Litigation; Business or Company Management; Food and Beverage Industry; United States
Citation
Purchase
Related
Narayanan, V.G., Fabrizio Ferri, and James Weber. "Shareholder Activists at Friendly Ice Cream (A2)." Harvard Business School Supplement 109-014, September 2008. (Revised October 2008.)
  • 22 Aug 2007
  • Research & Ideas

The Hedge Fund as Activist

investment horizons make them willing to accept takeover offers that do not fully recognize the overall value of the target—a merger at a low price is preferred to no merger at all. Another question that interests us is what the role of... View Details
Keywords: by Robin Greenwood; Financial Services
  • June 2025
  • Case

Vail Resorts: Responding to Activist Pressure (A)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Edward A. Meyer
On January 27, 2025, the head of a relatively small hedge fund named Late Apex Partners sent a highly critical letter to the board of directors of Vail Resorts, the world’s largest ski resort operator. In his letter, and the 88-slide presentation that accompanied his... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Finance; Capital Budgeting; Corporate Governance; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Leading Change; Valuation; Investment Activism; Climate Change; Management Succession; Financial Management; Risk Management; Business and Shareholder Relations; Sports Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Travel Industry; United States; Australia; Canada
Citation
Educators
Purchase
Related
Esty, Benjamin C., and Edward A. Meyer. "Vail Resorts: Responding to Activist Pressure (A)." Harvard Business School Case 225-082, June 2025.
  • 11 Mar 2016
  • News

Bob Evans’ Activist Shareholder Battles with Board He Helped Pick

  • September 2008 (Revised October 2008)
  • Case

Shareholder Activists at Friendly Ice Cream (A1)

By: Fabrizio Ferri, V.G. Narayanan and James Weber
Two activist investors, one a founder and one a hedge fund manager, seek to improve board oversight at a chain restaurant company. Prestley Blake founded Friendly Ice Cream in 1935 with his brother, and the two created a chain of full-service restaurants. In 1979, they... View Details
Keywords: Investment Activism; Governing and Advisory Boards; Lawsuits and Litigation; Business or Company Management; Business and Shareholder Relations; Conflict of Interests; Food and Beverage Industry; United States
Citation
Educators
Purchase
Related
Ferri, Fabrizio, V.G. Narayanan, and James Weber. "Shareholder Activists at Friendly Ice Cream (A1)." Harvard Business School Case 109-013, September 2008. (Revised October 2008.)
  • 20 Nov 2014
  • News

When Activist Investors Aim at Strong Companies

  • April 2008 (Revised September 2008)
  • Case

Shareholder Activists at Friendly Ice Cream (A)

By: Fabrizio Ferri, V.G. Narayanan and James Weber
Two activist investors, one a founder and one a hedge-fund manager, seek to improve board oversight at a chain restaurant company. Prestley Blake founded Friendly Ice Cream in 1935 with his brother, and the two created a chain of full-service restaurants. In 1979 they... View Details
Keywords: Investment Activism; Governing and Advisory Boards; Lawsuits and Litigation; Business or Company Management; Business and Shareholder Relations; Conflict of Interests; Food and Beverage Industry; United States
Citation
Educators
Purchase
Related
Ferri, Fabrizio, V.G. Narayanan, and James Weber. "Shareholder Activists at Friendly Ice Cream (A)." Harvard Business School Case 108-024, April 2008. (Revised September 2008.)
  • April 2008 (Revised August 2008)
  • Supplement

Shareholder Activists at Friendly Ice Cream (B)

By: V.G. Narayanan, Fabrizio Ferri and James Weber
This case study briefly describes the outcome of the Shareholder Activists at Friendly Ice Cream (A) case. View Details
Keywords: Investment Activism; Business and Shareholder Relations; Conflict and Resolution; Outcome or Result
Citation
Purchase
Related
Narayanan, V.G., Fabrizio Ferri, and James Weber. "Shareholder Activists at Friendly Ice Cream (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 108-073, April 2008. (Revised August 2008.)
  • January 2008
  • Article

When (Not) to Listen to Activist Investors

By: Robin Greenwood and Michael Schor
Keywords: Investment
Citation
Find at Harvard
Related
Greenwood, Robin, and Michael Schor. "When (Not) to Listen to Activist Investors." Special Issue on HBS Centennial. Harvard Business Review 86, no. 1 (January 2008).
  • 1
  • 2
  • …
  • 11
  • 12
  • →
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College.