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• Case | HBS Case Collection | December 2019 (Revised April 2020)

  Mãe Terra and Unilever (A)

  Lynn S. Paine, Ruth Costas and Priscilla Zogbi

  The case concerns the sale of Mae Terra, one of Brazil's leading brands for packaged organic foods, to the consumer goods giant Unilever in 2017. Working with Unilever management, Mae Terra’s CEO Alexandre Borges must determine whether and how to keep Mae Terra's B Certification, which attests to its commitment to having a positive social and environmental impact, and what internal governance mechanisms will enable MaeTerra to maintain its mission, values, and practices even as it is integrated into a large volume-driven multinational whose governance follows standard listed company principles.

  Keywords: Mergers ＆ Acquisitions; brand management; sustainability; Mergers and Acquisitions; Mission and Purpose; Social Enterprise; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Environmental Sustainability; Organizational Culture; Food and Beverage Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Brazil; Latin America;

  Citation:

  Paine, Lynn S., Ruth Costas, and Priscilla Zogbi. "Mãe Terra and Unilever (A)." Harvard Business School Case 320-075, December 2019. (Revised April 2020.)  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | December 2019 (Revised April 2020)

  The Dutch East India Company in 1612 (A)

  Lynn S. Paine and Giuseppe Dari-Mattiacci

  The Dutch East India Company’s board of directors must decide what to do about an impending legal requirement to liquidate the company’s assets and return to shareholders their capital and any profits earned during a ten-year lock-up period. The charter granted to the company in 1602 by the Dutch Estates General (legislature) required the liquidation and accounting to shareholders after the initial ten-year period and again at the end of a second ten-year period. However, the company’s directors believe that more time is needed to reap the benefits of shareholders’ initial investments and that liquidating the company’s assets after the initial ten-year lock-up would make it impossible to raise capital for the second ten-year term. The case describes the origins of the Dutch East India Company, the world’s first publicly-traded multinational company, and traces key aspects of the company’s governance and development during its first ten years, including the emergence of disagreement among shareholders about corporate strategy and dividend policy.

  Keywords: Corporate Governance; Globalized Firms and Management; Organizational Structure; Laws and Statutes; Financial Markets; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business and Government Relations; Business History; Shipping Industry; Netherlands;

  Citation:

  Paine, Lynn S., and Giuseppe Dari-Mattiacci. "The Dutch East India Company in 1612 (A)." Harvard Business School Case 320-047, December 2019. (Revised April 2020.)  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | March 2020

  Odebrecht's 'Transformation Journey'

  Suraj Srinivasan, Lynn S. Paine, Ruth Costas and Mariana Cal

  At the center of one of the largest corruption scandals in Latin America, Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht signed a leniency agreement with American, Swiss and Brazilian prosecutors in 2016 admitting to paying bribes in 12 countries. In an effort to regain financial stability and restore its damaged reputation, the Group overhauled its governance and set in motion a major organizational transformation effort. The case describes the Group's transformation journey and details various dilemmas that the new board of directors faced as the Group sought to put the scandal behind it and forge a path to the future.

  Keywords: board of directors; organizational transformations; Business ethics; corruption; Internal controls; crisis management; Business and Government; international business; Engineering and construction; Family businesses; corporate misconduct; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Transformation; Organizational Culture; Crisis Management; Ethics; Engineering; Family Business; Crime and Corruption; Emerging Markets; Construction Industry; Brazil; Latin America;

  Citation:

  Srinivasan, Suraj, Lynn S. Paine, Ruth Costas, and Mariana Cal. "Odebrecht's 'Transformation Journey'." Harvard Business School Case 320-002, March 2020.  View Details

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