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- August 2023
- Article
Do Rating Agencies Behave Defensively for Higher Risk Issuers?
By: Samuel B. Bonsall IV, Kevin Koharki, Pepa Kraft, Karl A. Muller III and Anywhere Sikochi
We examine whether rating agencies act defensively toward issuers with a higher likelihood of default. We find that agencies' qualitative soft rating adjustments are more accurate as issuers' default risk grows, as evidenced by the adjustments leading to lower Type I...
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- July 2023
- Case
Vytal: Packaging-as-a-Service
By: George Serafeim, Michael W. Toffel, Lena Duchene and Daniela Beyersdorfer
The Germany-based startup Vytal operated the largest digital-native reusable packaging-as-a-service network globally, having raised nearly €15 million, established a large network of restaurant partners, and prevented the use of millions of single-use take-out food...
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Keywords:
Climate Change;
Climate Risk;
Digital;
Platform Strategies;
Data;
Packaging;
Sustainability;
Start-up;
Startup;
Entrepreneurship;
Entrepreneur;
Impact;
Circular;
Growth Strategy;
Innovation;
Environmental Sustainability;
Innovation and Invention;
Business Growth and Maturation;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Business Startups;
Resource Allocation;
Risk Management;
Adoption;
Strategy;
Performance Productivity;
Service Delivery;
Service Operations;
Supply Chain;
Distribution;
Green Technology Industry;
Service Industry;
Retail Industry;
Germany;
Europe
- June 2023
- Article
Regulatory Limits to Risk Management
By: Ishita Sen
Variable annuities, the largest liability of U.S. life insurers, are investment products containing long-dated minimum return guarantees. I show that guarantees with similar economic risks are treated differently by regulation and these differences impact insurers’...
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- April 2023
- Case
Strive Asset Management
By: Suraj Srinivasan, Lynn S. Paine and Aldo Sesia
Strive Asset Management, which launched in 2022, was actively targeting several leading U.S. companies in the upcoming 2023 proxy voting season to stop acquiescing to those large asset managers and other institutional shareholders who were pressing those companies to...
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- March 2023
- Teaching Note
Sustainability Reporting at Dollar Tree, Inc.
By: Suraj Srinivasan and Li-Kuan Ni
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 122-044. The case discusses the ESG strategy of Dollar Tree Inc., a U.S. Fortune 500 company in the deep discount retail industry and the shareholder pressure faced by the company. In 2022, the company faced a shareholder resolution from...
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Keywords:
ESG;
Sustainability;
Shareholder Activism;
Dollar Tree;
Sustainability Reporting;
ESG Reporting;
Board Of Directors;
Shareholder Engagement;
GHG;
Environmental Accounting;
Integrated Corporate Reporting;
Trends;
Communication;
Announcements;
Voting;
Environmental Management;
Climate Change;
Environmental Sustainability;
Values and Beliefs;
Corporate Accountability;
Corporate Disclosure;
Corporate Governance;
Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms;
Policy;
Reports;
Business or Company Management;
Risk Management;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Outcome or Result;
Strategic Planning;
Business and Stakeholder Relations;
Situation or Environment;
Opportunities;
Civil Society or Community;
Social Issues;
Public Opinion;
Strategy;
Adaptation;
Alignment;
Business Strategy;
Corporate Strategy;
Value Creation;
Retail Industry;
United States;
Virginia
- March 2023 (Revised June 2023)
- Teaching Note
Ransomware Attack at Springhill Medical Center
By: Suraj Srinivasan and Li-Kuan (Jason) Ni
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 123-065. In July, 2019, Springhill Medical Center (“SMC”) in Mobile, Alabama fell prey to a malicious ransomware attack that crippled the hospital’s internal network systems and public-facing web page. While the hospital rushed to...
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Keywords:
Disruption;
Communication;
Communication Strategy;
Decision Making;
Decision Choices and Conditions;
Judgments;
Corporate Accountability;
Corporate Disclosure;
Corporate Governance;
Governance Controls;
Policy;
Employees;
News;
Cybersecurity;
Digital Strategy;
Information Infrastructure;
Information Management;
Internet and the Web;
Crisis Management;
Business or Company Management;
Resource Allocation;
Risk Management;
Negotiation Tactics;
Failure;
Business and Stakeholder Relations;
Attitudes;
Behavior;
Perception;
Reputation;
Trust;
Public Opinion;
Social Issues;
Health Industry;
Alabama;
United States
- March 2023
- Teaching Note
Ransomware Attack at Colonial Pipeline Company
By: Suraj Srinivasan and Li-Kuan Ni
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 123-069. On the morning of May 7, 2021, Colonial Pipeline Company became aware that the company had been the victim of a malicious ransomware attack that had stolen and locked up company data. The extortionists demanded 75 bitcoins (worth...
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Keywords:
Disruption;
Communication;
Communication Strategy;
Decision Making;
Decision Choices and Conditions;
Judgments;
Corporate Accountability;
Corporate Disclosure;
Corporate Governance;
Governance Controls;
Policy;
Employees;
News;
Cybersecurity;
Digital Strategy;
Information Infrastructure;
Information Management;
Internet and the Web;
Crisis Management;
Business or Company Management;
Resource Allocation;
Risk Management;
Negotiation Tactics;
Failure;
Business and Stakeholder Relations;
Attitudes;
Behavior;
Perception;
Reputation;
Trust;
Public Opinion;
Social Issues;
Infrastructure;
Distribution Industry;
United States;
Alabama
- March 2023
- Case
Ransomware Attack at Colonial Pipeline Company
By: Suraj Srinivasan and Li-Kuan Ni
On the morning of May 7, 2021, Colonial Pipeline Company became aware that the company had been the victim of a malicious ransomware attack that had stolen and locked up company data. The extortionists demanded 75 bitcoins (worth about $4.4 million at the time) in...
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Keywords:
Disruption;
Communication;
Communication Strategy;
Decision Making;
Decision Choices and Conditions;
Judgments;
Corporate Accountability;
Corporate Disclosure;
Corporate Governance;
Governance Controls;
Policy;
Employees;
News;
Cybersecurity;
Digital Strategy;
Information Infrastructure;
Information Management;
Internet and the Web;
Crisis Management;
Business or Company Management;
Resource Allocation;
Risk Management;
Negotiation Tactics;
Failure;
Business and Stakeholder Relations;
Attitudes;
Behavior;
Perception;
Reputation;
Trust;
Public Opinion;
Social Issues;
Infrastructure;
Distribution Industry;
United States;
Alabama
- February 2023
- Case
Ransomware Attack at Springhill Medical Center
By: Suraj Srinivasan and Li-Kuan (Jason) Ni
In July, 2019, Springhill Medical Center (“SMC”) in Mobile, Alabama, fell prey to a malicious ransomware attack that crippled the hospital’s internal network systems and public-facing web page. While the hospital rushed to securely restore the network, medical...
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Keywords:
Disruption;
Communication;
Communication Strategy;
Decision Making;
Decision Choices and Conditions;
Judgments;
Corporate Accountability;
Corporate Disclosure;
Corporate Governance;
Governance Controls;
Policy;
Employees;
News;
Cybersecurity;
Digital Strategy;
Information Infrastructure;
Information Management;
Internet and the Web;
Crisis Management;
Resource Allocation;
Risk Management;
Negotiation Tactics;
Failure;
Business and Stakeholder Relations;
Attitudes;
Behavior;
Perception;
Reputation;
Trust;
Public Opinion;
Social Issues;
Health Industry;
United States;
Alabama
- January 2023
- Case
Velong: Rethinking 'Made in China'
By: Krishna G. Palepu, Nancy Hua Dai and Billy Chan
Velong is a supplier of kitchen equipment and backyard grills for major global brands and store brands of large western retailers. In light of the COVID-related disruptions to the global supply chains, and the evolving trade tensions between China and the Western...
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Keywords:
Globalization;
Supply Chain Management;
Risk Management;
Manufacturing Industry;
China;
India;
Mexico;
Turkey;
Viet Nam
- January 2023
- Teaching Note
The Opioid Settlement and Executive Pay at AmerisourceBergen
By: Suraj Srinivasan and Li-Kuan Ni
Teaching Note for HBS Case No 122-014. In 2020, AmerisourceBergen Corporation, a Fortune 50 company in the drug distribution industry, agreed to settle thousands of lawsuits filed nationwide against the company for its opioid distribution practices that critics alleged...
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Keywords:
Opioids;
Shareholder Activism;
Investment Activism;
Corporate Accountability;
Corporate Governance;
Governance Compliance;
Governance Controls;
Executive Compensation;
Risk Management;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Business and Shareholder Relations;
Business and Stakeholder Relations;
Distribution Industry;
Health Industry;
Pharmaceutical Industry;
United States;
West Virginia;
Tennessee;
Ohio;
Pennsylvania
- January 2023
- Case
Thomas Buberl: Refounding AXA
By: Hubert Joly, Mihir Desai and Amram Migdal
In 2022, AXA and its CEO Thomas Buberl faced new types of challenges, including systemic risks such as climate change, geopolitical instability, public health crises, and social tensions caused by economic risks. AXA was one of the world’s largest insurers. Since...
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Keywords:
Change;
Change Management;
Transformation;
Transition;
Trends;
Environmental Management;
Climate Change;
Ethics;
Values and Beliefs;
Finance;
Insurance;
Management;
Management Succession;
Risk Management;
Organizations;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Mission and Purpose;
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Planning;
Strategic Planning;
Risk and Uncertainty;
Society;
Human Needs;
Social Issues;
Strategy;
Adaptation;
Business Strategy;
Corporate Strategy;
Insurance Industry;
Europe;
France;
Paris
- December 2022
- Case
To Feed the Planet: Juan Luciano at ADM
By: Joshua D. Margolis, David E. Bell, Damien McLoughlin, Stacy Straaberg and James Weber
In December 2022, Juan Luciano, Chairman and CEO of agribusiness and nutrition giant ADM, considered the next phase of the historic company’s future. Beginning in 2011 when he joined as COO and moving into his tenure as CEO in 2015, Luciano led a transformation of ADM...
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Keywords:
Agriculture;
Leadership;
Agribusiness;
Acquisition;
Business Units;
Customer Focus and Relationships;
Customer Value and Value Chain;
Forecasting and Prediction;
Capital;
Cash;
Cost of Capital;
Cost Management;
Profit;
Food;
Global Range;
Innovation Strategy;
Leadership Development;
Leadership Style;
Leading Change;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Risk Management;
Organizational Culture;
Organizational Structure;
Strategic Planning;
Risk and Uncertainty;
Adaptation;
Business Strategy;
Corporate Strategy;
Vertical Integration;
Value Creation;
Transformation;
Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry;
Energy Industry;
United States;
Chicago
- October 26, 2022
- Article
Climate Risk Is Growing. Is Your Company Prepared?
By: John D. Macomber
Most people don’t have a strategy for how to handle the worsening perils of flooding, wildfires and extreme heat. They should adopt a four-step process for protecting their property, whether it be a home or a business. First, they should prioritize how important...
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- October 2022
- Case
Sustainable Finance at Itau BBA
By: George Serafeim, Maria Loumioti and Benjamin Maletta
As of August 2022, the Itau BBA had structured dozens of sustainability linked bonds, which made future interest payments a function of the borrower meeting a target for a sustainability metric, and had solidified its reputation as a pioneer of sustainable finance in...
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Keywords:
Sustainable Finance;
Corporate Social Responsibility;
Environmental Sustainability;
Growth Strategy;
Debt Contracting;
Performance Metrics;
Risk Assessment;
ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance;
Financial Instruments;
Risk Management;
Debt Securities;
Measurement and Metrics;
Banking Industry;
Pulp and Paper Industry;
Latin America
- August 2022 (Revised March 2023)
- Case
Boston Impact Initiative: Investing in Local Change
By: Emily R. McComb, Amy Klopfenstein and Mel Martin
In fall 2021, Aliana Piñeiro, impact director at Boston Impact Initiative (BII) discovered that an entrepreneur the organization was considering for an investment had failed to disclose pre-existing debt with another lender. Although the business scored highly on BII’s...
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Keywords:
Entrepreneurship;
Social Entrepreneurship;
Finance;
Investment;
Investment Funds;
Investment Portfolio;
Relationships;
Business and Community Relations;
Society;
Social Issues;
Wealth and Poverty;
Wealth;
Poverty;
Risk Management;
Financial Services Industry;
North and Central America;
United States;
Massachusetts;
Boston
- August 2022
- Case
In-Q-Tel: Innovation On A Mission
By: Joshua Lev Krieger and Josh Lerner
In 2022, the leaders of In-Q-Tel (IQT) considered what was next for the unique mission-driven organization. Since 1999, IQT had one mission: to be the most sophisticated source of strategic technical knowledge and capabilities to the U.S. government and its allies. IQT...
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- Article
To Drive Efforts...Don't Tiptoe Around Your Legal Risk
By: Edward Chang and Bonnie Levine
Many Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives are scuttled because DEI leaders and legal teams feel themselves to be at odds over questions of acceptable risk. DEI leaders see lawyers as guardians of the status quo, whereas legal experts, trained to...
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- Article
When Hiring CEOs, Focus on Character
By: Aiyesha Dey
The author, an associate professor at Harvard Business School, has studied the ways in which the lifestyle behaviors of CEOs—in particular, materialism and a propensity for rule breaking—may spell trouble for a company. Her research, which includes looking at...
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- July 2022 (Revised November 2022)
- Case
Building a Mishap-Free U.S. Navy
In 2021, Kevin “Bud” Couch, a retired Navy captain who was now working as a civilian employee of the Navy Safety Center, was trying to determine how best to reduce the risk of Navy mishaps. The Navy had experienced a series of major mishaps in 2017 that had led to a...
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Keywords:
National Security;
Safety;
War;
Ship Transportation;
Risk Management;
Operations;
Singapore;
Tokyo;
San Diego