Rare Earth Minerals - Publications - Faculty & Research

June 2014 (Revised October 2015)
Case

Molycorp: Financing the Production of Rare Earth Minerals (A)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and E. Scott Mayfield

Molycorp, the western hemisphere's only producer of rare earth minerals, was in the middle of a $1 billion capital expenditure project in its effort to become a vertically integrated supplier of rare earth minerals, oxides, and metals. Yet it had just reported lower... View Details

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October 2015
Teaching Note

Molycorp: Financing the Production of Rare Earth Minerals (A)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and E. Scott Mayfield

Molycorp, the western hemisphere's only producer of rare earth minerals, was in the middle of a $1 billion capital expenditure project in its effort to become a vertically integrated supplier of rare earth minerals, oxides, and metals. Yet it had just reported lower... View Details

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June 2014 (Revised October 2015)
Supplement

Molycorp: Financing the Production of Rare Earth Materials Spreadsheet Supplement

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Scott Mayfield

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2025
Working Paper

Trade and Industrial Policy in Supply Chains: Directed Technological Change in Rare Earths

By: Laura Alfaro, Harald Fadinger, Jay Schymik and Gede Virananda

Trade and industrial policies, while primarily intended to support domestic industries, may unintentionally stimulate technological progress abroad. We document this mechanism in the case of rare earth elements (REEs)—critical inputs for manufacturing at the knowledge... View Details

Keywords: Industrial Policy; Global Value Chains; Directed Technological Change; Input-output Linkages; Innovation; Trade; Metals and Minerals; Technological Innovation; Supply Chain; Technology Industry

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August 2014 (Revised March 2015)
Case

Molycorp: Issuing the 'Happy Meal' Securities (B)

By: Benjamin C. Esty and E. Scott Mayfield

Molycorp, the Western hemisphere's only producer of rare earth minerals, was in the middle of a $1 billion capital expansion in its effort to become a vertically integrated supplier of rare earth minerals, oxides, and metals. After reporting lower than expected... View Details

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28 Apr 2010
Research & Ideas

Earth Day Reflections

Below are the views that faculty shared with the HBS community on Earth Day. 1. Robert G. Eccles Senior Lecturer of Business Administration and author of One Report: Integrated Reporting for a Sustainable Strategy (This article, titled,... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

September 2023
Case

Diamond Standard

By: Lauren H. Cohen, Zhaoheng Gong and Grace Headinger

Cormac Kinney, Founder and CEO of Diamond Standard, was on a mission to transform the U.S. diamond market through unlocking the precious gems as market-traded assets. As a serial FinTech entrepreneur, he hoped to add an additional service to his vault: Carats. The... View Details

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26 Apr 2011
Op-Ed

HBS Faculty Comment on Environmental Issues for Earth Day

Earth Day focuses the world's attention on the both the dangers and opportunities facing the planet. But sustainability and the intersection between business and the environment are issues that need to be addressed all the time, as cities... View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Energy; Utilities

16 Sep 2014
First Look

First Look: September 16

Production of Rare Earth Minerals (A) Molycorp, the western hemisphere's only producer of rare earth minerals, was... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

29 Aug 2012
Working Paper Summaries

Entrepreneurship and Urban Growth: An Empirical Assessment with Historical Mines

Keywords: by Edward L. Glaeser, Sari Pekkala Kerr & William R. Kerr; Manufacturing

29 Jan 2018
Book

How 'Teaming' Saved 33 Lives in the Chilean Mining Disaster

Workers test the NASA-engineered capsule used to lift trapped miners to the surface. Hugo Infante/Government of Chile via Wikimedia Commons (Editor's Note: Amy Edmondson advises managers to think of teams as a verb, "teaming," which means... View Details

Keywords: by Amy C. Edmondson; Mining

17 Jan 2011
Research & Ideas

Being the Boss

now-classic book is popular not just among newbies but also among leaders with decades of experience. “Unless you manage the context in which your team resides, there's no way that your team can be successful.” "I've always been surprised by why on View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

04 Sep 2001
Research & Ideas

Is Government Just Stupid? How Bad Decisions Are Made

These resources are vast and diverse, ranging from tax dollars and the time of government bureaucrats and officials to national resources such as forests and mineral deposits. All these commodities are finite, and all have been squandered... View Details

Keywords: by Max H. Bazerman, Jonathan Baron & Katherine Shonk

04 Jun 2020
Book

It’s Not About You: Why Leaders Need to Look Outward

the employees’ understanding of the strategy—and the culture. We see so many organizations work so hard on strategy and then put it on a shelf, or they keep it in the minds of 10 people. It's a tragedy. So, we have a chapter on strategy. Why on View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

25 Feb 2014
First Look

First Look: February 25

often sought some equity in mining and other foreign investment projects, but as shareholders they have rarely gained what they anticipated. Only in special cases might the benefits to governments outweigh the risks and often... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

07 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

The Case for Combating Climate Change with Nuclear Power and Fracking

If you ask any given environmentalist to identify the biggest threat to the planet, you may expect to hear about man-made climate change, consumerism, or overpopulation. But if you ask Harvard Business School's Joseph B. Lassiter, he'll toss in another: single-issue... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Energy; Utilities

24 Sep 2014
Op-Ed

We Need a Miracle. New Nuclear Might Provide it.

On September 4, the US Energy Information Agency (EIA) published its 2014 International Energy Outlook. Earlier this year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released its latest World Energy Investment Outlook. Both watchdogs tell us the same story. Energy... View Details

Keywords: by Joseph Lassiter; Energy; Utilities

08 Jan 2008
First Look

First Look: January 8, 2008

finding is that societies that depend heavily on oil, and perhaps natural resources more generally, will experience a heavier demand for government intervention. We argue that this is one aspect that the good design of policies on the extraction of oil and View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

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Molycorp: Financing the Production of Rare Earth Minerals (A)

Molycorp: Financing the Production of Rare Earth Minerals (A)

Molycorp: Financing the Production of Rare Earth Materials Spreadsheet Supplement

Trade and Industrial Policy in Supply Chains: Directed Technological Change in Rare Earths

Molycorp: Issuing the 'Happy Meal' Securities (B)

Earth Day Reflections

Diamond Standard

HBS Faculty Comment on Environmental Issues for Earth Day

First Look: September 16

Entrepreneurship and Urban Growth: An Empirical Assessment with Historical Mines

How 'Teaming' Saved 33 Lives in the Chilean Mining Disaster

Being the Boss

Is Government Just Stupid? How Bad Decisions Are Made

It’s Not About You: Why Leaders Need to Look Outward

First Look: February 25

The Case for Combating Climate Change with Nuclear Power and Fracking

We Need a Miracle. New Nuclear Might Provide it.

First Look: January 8, 2008

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