Publications
Publications
- August 2016 (Revised July 2019)
- HBS Case Collection
Alere
By: Raffaella Sadun, Catherine Slater and Channing Spencer
Abstract
The Board of Alere, Inc., a leading medical diagnostic firm, is evaluating the offer made by Ron Zwanziger, the firm’s founder and former CEO, to acquire the company and take it private. The offer arrives at the end of a tumultuous year for the company, which saw Zwanziger fighting and ultimately losing a confrontation with activist investors Coppersmith Capital. How should the board evaluate this offer? Should they reject it, on the basis that Zwanziger’s decision to expand into integrated healthcare solutions was the main reason behind the company’s poor stock performance, as Coppersmith claimed? Or should they once more place their trust in Zwanziger’s leadership and in Alere’s ability to effectively implement his vision?
Keywords
Corporate Governance; Corporate Strategy; Governing and Advisory Boards; Decision Making; United States
Citation
Sadun, Raffaella, Catherine Slater, and Channing Spencer. "Alere." Harvard Business School Case 717-402, August 2016. (Revised July 2019.)
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