As an MBA student at HBS, you will prepare yourself for leadership in a rapidly changing world in which natural resources are increasingly scarce and the threat of climate change ever more urgent.
Geely SEA: New Electric Vehicle Platforms
- JANUARY 2022
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- Case
Kent Bovellan, the Chief Engineer and Head of the Vehicle Architecture Center for Geely Holding, the Hangzhou, China headquartered global automotive group, was debating the platform choice for an upcoming "D" segment midsized battery electric vehicle (BEV). He had led the architectural development of the new Geely SEA platforms for its new family of BEVs. The new car would be part of the Zeekr premium lineup. He knew that smaller cars on a given platform inevitably suffered from costs problems, while larger vehicles suffered from less than premium attributes.They could emphasize meeting cost targets on the low end, but that might have a negative impact on the high end. Which platform should they choose? This case explores the platforms and derivatives atrategies used by global auto manufacturers, and some of the changes wrought by the shift from internal combustion vehicles to battery electric. It emphasizes the importance of achieving volume and scale in reaching competitive costs and selling prices, and offers an opportunity to explore the potential impact of open standards and modular interchangability on the structure of the industry.
TotalEnergies’ Investment in Hyzon Motors
- JANUARY 2022
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- Case
In November 2021, Girish Nadkarni, the head of TotalEnergies’ corporate venture capital arm (TEV) was considering whether, and on what terms, to exit an investment in Hyzon Motors, a start-up supplier of hydrogen-powered trucks. TEV had invested $4 million in Hyzon, which had gone public in July 2021 with a $2.7 billion valuation. Nadkarni was now eager to take TEV’s gains, but recognized the potential harm that selling TEV’s Hyzon shares could cause. Market observers might interpret TEV’s exit not as profit-taking but as an early investor’s lack of confidence in Hyzon’s prospects. Further, TotalEnergies had signed an MOU with Hyzon to bring 80 trucks to Europe—the goal was to demonstrate for its truck fleet customers the viability of hydrogen as a viable replacement fuel for the diesel it already supplied. Selling the Hyzon shares might convey the opposite message.
Deglobalization and Alternative Futures
- JANUARY 2022
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- Teaching Material
This note reviews the evidence that the world is undergoing an era of de-globalization. It shows that available metrics show some support for this theory. However there is also evidence that what is happening might be better described as regionalization. The nature of globalization is also changing with digitalization and a de-linking of globalization and Americanization. The note continues by an examination of four factors which have slowed or else redefined global economic integration in recent years: terrorism, the global financial crisis of 2008/9, the growth of populism; and geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States. The note ends by outlining four alternative future scenarios. They are a return to globalization as known in the past; widespread national autarky as in the 1930s; intensified regionalization with each regional block anchored by a major economic power; and full-scale military conflict replicating the first half of the twentieth century.
Making Infrastructure Climate Ready: Alice Hill, Council on Foreign Relations
- 19 JAN 2022
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- Climate Rising
In early 2021, a severe winter storm knocked out Texas’ power grid for days, leaving
millions shivering in the dark and killing hundreds of residents. Other states have
also been caught off guard by extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change.
This episode of the Deep Background podcast features Alice Hill, who led the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security’s effort to develop its first-ever climate resilience
plan. Hill explains what Texas’ electrical grid collapse means for the United States’
infrastructure at large. She also makes recommendations to start preparing infrastructure
to be more resilient to extreme weather events.
In early 2021, a severe winter storm knocked out Texas’ power grid for days, leaving
millions shivering in the dark and killing hundreds of residents. Other states have
also been caught off guard by extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change.
This episode of the Deep Background podcast features Alice Hill, who led the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security’s effort to develop its first-ever climate resilience
plan. Hill explains what Texas’ electrical grid collapse means for the United States’
infrastructure at large. She also makes recommendations to start preparing infrastructure
to be more resilient to extreme weather events.
An advanced curriculum for corporate and nonprofit executives from all over the world to prepare them for new levels of leadership.
The Business & Environment Initiative connects alumni with students, faculty, and each other for learning, careers, and impact.
SpaceX’s Future Depends on a Gigantic Rocket and 42,000 Internet Satellites
Re: Matthew Weinzierl
- 28 Dec 2021
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- Wall Street Journal
What Options do Building Owners Have to Mitigate Extreme Weather Events?
Re: John Macomber
- 14 Dec 2021
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- Propmodo
Business Leaders Must Take Action on Climate and Voting Rights
By: Michael Porter
- 03 Nov 2021
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- Harvard Business Review