Publications

July 1991 (Revised August 2000)
Case

California PERS (A)

By: Jay O. Light, Jay W. Lorsch and James O. Sailer

Examines California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), the world's fourth largest pension fund. Dale Hanson, CEO of CalPERS, has a problem; how does he use CalPERS' influence as the holder of a small percentage of 1,300 American companies to put pressure on... View Details

Keywords: Employees; Retirement; System; Asset Pricing; Performance Improvement; Corporate Governance; Investment Funds; Investment Return; California

January 2000 (Revised February 2000)
Case

The HBS California Research Center

By: Ashish Nanda, Thomas J. DeLong and Scott D Landry

Harvard Business School's (HBS) California Research Center, a three-year experiment initiated in July 1997 to facilitate research, case-writing, and course development centered in the Silicon Valley Region, has been a "phenomenal success." In June 1999, HBS Dean Kim... View Details

Keywords: Business Education; Growth and Development Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Success; Education Industry; San Francisco

November 1978 (Revised December 1989)
Case

Macy's California

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March 1999
Teaching Note

California PERS TN

By: Jay W. Lorsch

Teaching Note for (9-291-045). View Details

Keywords: California

November 2018 (Revised May 2019)
Case

California Closets: Organizing the Customer Experience

By: Boris Groysberg and Annelena Lobb

California Closets had used robust net promoter score (NPS) data, surveyed across its locations, to create a more consistent and satisfying customer experience. CEO Bill Barton wanted to further optimize the customer experience around best practices. He also wanted to... View Details

Keywords: Net Promoter Score; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Satisfaction; Customers; Acquisition; Demographics; Strategy

Awards

Accenture Award

Winner of the 2007 Accenture Award for the article published in the California Management Review that has made the most important contribution to improving the practice of management. View Details

June 1991
Case

Great California Quake

By: Richard F. Meyer

Keywords: California

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February 2001
Case

California PERS (B)

By: Jay O. Light, Jay W. Lorsch, James O. Sailer and Katharina Pick

The largest state pension fund continues the evolution of its approach to corporate governance contemplating "relationship investing" and other new approaches. View Details

Keywords: Investment; Corporate Governance; Financial Management; Asset Management; Business and Shareholder Relations; Investment Funds; Financial Services Industry; California

July 1994
Teaching Note

California PERS (A) TN

By: Jay O. Light and James O. Sailer

Teaching Note for (9-291-045). View Details

Keywords: California

14 Jul 2011
News

Amazon Takes On California

16 Jan 2020
News

Helping California Wildfire Victims Rebuild

Source: Timothy Archibald for Forbes Source: Timothy Archibald for Forbes A recent article in Forbes highlights the work of the home-building management startup Homebound, cofounded by CEO Nikki Pechet (MBA 2007). Both cofounders—Pechet and investor Jack Abraham—had... View Details

Keywords: Construction of Buildings; Construction

December 1981 (Revised October 1985)
Case

Computer Retailing at Macy's California

By: Hirotaka Takeuchi

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Marketing; Retail Industry; California

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October 2024 (Revised May 2025)
Case

Southern California Industrial: Freezer Drive

By: Arthur I Segel, Dwight Angelini and W. Matt Kelly

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Boston based real estate private equity firm was seeking to make their very first West Coast investments in hopes of establishing their presence in the strategic region. An exciting property suddenly became available on the... View Details

Keywords: Real Estate Development; Acquisition; Health Pandemics; Risk and Uncertainty; Expansion; Cost vs Benefits; Investment Return; Real Estate Industry