Publications

June 2011 (Revised October 2012)
Case

Patagonia Sur: For-Profit Land Conservation in Chile

By: Arthur I Segel, Nicolas Ibanez and Jay Verjee

Warren Adams founded Patagonia Sur in 2007 as one of the world's first for-profit land conservation businesses. His goal was to purchase over 100,000 acres of land in southern Chile and to run a variety of sustainable businesses to generate annual returns for... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Environmental Sustainability; Profit; Investment; For-Profit Firms; Entrepreneurship; Investment Return; Revenue; Risk and Uncertainty; Capital; SWOT Analysis; Real Estate Industry; Chile

September 2017 (Revised December 2019)
Case

Miami Price: Bidding on an Iconic Transit-Oriented Development Site

By: Charles F. Wu, Aaron Stolear, Vitali Bourchtein and Sayiddah Fatima McCree

13th Floor-Adler, a partnership of 13th Floor Investments and Adler Group, was compiling a response to a Miami-Dade County Request for Proposal (RFP). The RFP's prize was the opportunity to develop a 7.5+/- acre parking lot, adjacent to a heavy-rail rapid transit... View Details

Keywords: Land Valuation; Real Estate Development; Real Estate; Land Markets; Land Investment; Property; Design; Valuation; Real Estate Industry; Miami

01 Jun 2005
News

Bringing Hope to a Violent Land

private sector, for one, do more. “There is a responsibility, particularly in a global economy, for corporations to invest in educating children around the world,” she says. “A lot of the insecurity in the world stems from populations... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; UNICEF; nonprofit; Social Assistance; Health, Social Assistance

August 2004 (Revised February 2008)
Case

Land Securities Group (A): Choosing Cost or Fair Value on Adoption of IFRS

A U.K. real estate firm, required to adopt international accounting standards (IAS) by 2005, must change the reporting of its primary asset (investment property) from the revaluation model under U.K. GAAP to either the cost or fair-value model under IAS. This would... View Details

Keywords: Cost Accounting; Fair Value Accounting; Financial Reporting; International Accounting; Investment; Standards; Real Estate Industry; Europe; United Kingdom

15 Nov 2023
News

Sound Investment

by the Fisk University choir. Rogers’ purchase of the property was influenced by its history: In 1929, white property developers forced seven Black families to give up the land where the church now sits. The Daily Northwestern reports... View Details

Keywords: diversity; equity; inclusion

January 2020
Case

Terra Nova: A Social Business Trying to Unlock Land Rights for the Urban Poor in Brazil

By: Julie Battilana, Ruth Costas, Marissa Kimsey and Priscilla Zogbi

Brothers André and Daniel Albuquerque founded the company Terra Nova in 2001 to mediate land disputes between poor families illegally living in urban areas and the official landowners—with the aspiration to improve the lives of the poor. A business-led approach to the... View Details

Keywords: Mission and Purpose; Social Enterprise; Entrepreneurship; Negotiation; Power and Influence; Social Issues; Conflict and Resolution; Business and Government Relations; Infrastructure; Urban Development; Real Estate Industry; Brazil; Latin America

2014
Working Paper

Islam, Inequality, and Pre-Industrial Comparative Development

By: Stelios Michalopoulos, Alireza Naghavi and Giovanni Prarolo

This study explores the interaction between trade and geography in shaping the Islamic economic doctrine and in turn the comparative development of the Muslim world. We build a model where an unequal distribution of land quality in presence of trade opportunities... View Details

Keywords: Islam; Inequality In Land Quality; Wealth Accumulation; Public Good Investment; Conflict; Wealth; Geography; Religion; Trade

Read Now

July 2013
Case

B. Zaitz & Sons Co. Farmland Investing

By: Andre F. Perold

In April 2013, Ben Zaitz was looking down at an expanse of agricultural land as his plane flew over the Midwest. He would soon arrive in northern Minnesota to meet with farmers regarding land he had recently purchased there. The vast tracts of row-crop acreage below... View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Investment; Market Participation; Business Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Minnesota; Latin America; Africa; United States; Europe

17 Jan 2020
Blog Post

Going the Distance for Investment Excellence

internship and full-time position post HBS. As the former education representative in his HBS class and co-president of the Investment club, Cameron developed strong relationships with his professors—one of which, helped him to View Details

05 Jun 2013
News

Resisting The Temptation To 'Win' When Investing

September 2018 (Revised January 2019)
Case

Sobha Group Real Estate: Backward Integration for Quality

By: John Macomber and Alpana Thapar

From humble beginnings in Kerala, India, Mr. PNC Menon built a reputation for quality, detail, and trustworthiness, earning him major construction commissions in the Gulf region. This paved the way for venturing into real estate development in Dubai, UAE. Striving to... View Details

Keywords: Real Estate; Backward Integration; Land Acquisition; Raising Capital; Construction; Family Business; Decision Making; Joint Ventures; Quality; Real Estate Industry; Construction Industry; India; Middle East; Dubai

Web

Commercialization of the Polarizer - Edwin H. Land & Polaroid | Harvard Business School

for the next generation.” Edwin Land, "Research by the Business Itself," 1944 15 In 1935, Edwin Land received the Hood Medal from the Royal Photographic Society, and in 1938, the Elliot Cresson Medal from the Franklin Institute in... View Details

Web

Innovation and Entrepreneurship - Edwin H. Land & Polaroid | Harvard Business School

and every dollar invested is directed towards making objects and products which do indeed enrich the world." 98 Through the lens of a scientist, innovator, and visionary, Edwin Land understood the... View Details

Web

Impact of the New Medium - Edwin H. Land & Polaroid | Harvard Business School

introduced the Polaroid Land Camera, Model 95, and Land Film, Type 40, to the public. Edwin Land stood at a precipice, wondering whether the significant View Details

01 Sep 2021
Blog Post

Investing in Career Switchers - Cyril Straughn-Turner & Invesco US

Cyril Straughn-Turner (MBA 2022) sat in his office with a view of the Dallas skyline behind him and a smile on his face that conveyed something very clear – he loves his job. Landing that seat in the Invesco US office was an exercise in... View Details

Keywords: Real Estate

06 Aug 2020
Blog Post

WHY WE STARTED THE HBS BLACK INVESTMENT CLUB

just for us. A community where we can: Network directly with other Black MBA students, alumni, and investment professionals Get the technical training and interview prep necessary to land placements with top... View Details

Keywords: All Industries

22 Jul 2020
Blog Post

Why We Started the HBS Black Investment Club

for us. A community where we can: Network directly with other Black MBA students, alumni, and investment professionals Get the technical training and interview prep necessary to land... View Details

13 May 2021
News

Investment Management for the Carbon Potential Of Forests: David Brand, New Forests

May 2016
Supplement

2016 Update: Argentina Turns the Page

By: David E. Bell, Forest Reinhardt and Natalie Kindred

This brief case is a supplement to “Cresud and Argentina” (515-043) and “Note on Agriculture in Argentina” (515-069). Set in early 2016, it describes developments in Argentina under newly elected President Mauricio Macri, including the country’s return to international... View Details