Recruitment of a Star: HBS Case Study Analysis
This paper analyzes the Harvard Business School case "Recruitment of a Star," in which a research director at investment banking firm Rubin, Stern and Hertz must rapidly replace star semiconductor analyst Peter Thompson. The analysis evaluates the firm's recruitment process, assesses the five prospective candidates against the cultural and technical demands of the role, and critiques the absence of a formal job description or defined performance criteria. Drawing on literature in strategic recruitment and human capital management, the paper ultimately recommends Sonia Meetha as the strongest candidate based on her industry expertise, financial modeling skills, and emotional intelligence.
- Introduction and Background: RSH must quickly replace star analyst Peter Thompson
- Case Analysis: Key Challenges: Thin candidate pool, cultural fit, and Rina Shea's role
- Assessing the Candidates: What Peter's Replacement Should Look Like: Ideal hire needs expertise, credibility, and emotional intelligence
- Differentiation Strategies in the Interview Process: Candidates promote themselves but fail to address firm's needs
- Analysis of the Selection Process: Process lacks job description and clear performance criteria
- Recommendation: Who Should Be Hired: Sonia Meetha recommended as strongest overall candidate
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The paper systematically works through each stage of the hiring process — identifying the problem, profiling the ideal candidate, critiquing each applicant's interview performance, and evaluating the overall process — giving the analysis a clear, logical progression.
- It balances practical case detail (specific candidate behaviors, client relationships, revenue pressure) with academic citations, grounding observations in recruitment and human capital literature.
- The critique of the selection process is appropriately specific: noting the absence of a formal job description and the unintended consequence of informal candidate vetting leaking back to the candidates themselves.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied case analysis: using real managerial constraints (time pressure, a thin candidate pool, cultural fit requirements) to evaluate decisions against theoretical frameworks drawn from strategic recruitment and emotional intelligence research. Rather than simply summarizing events, it identifies process gaps and links them to broader HR management principles.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a brief situational overview, then moves through four analytical sections: a problem diagnosis, an ideal-candidate profile, a per-candidate interview critique, and a process evaluation. It closes with a direct hiring recommendation. This structure mirrors a standard business school case write-up format, moving from context to analysis to decision.
Introduction and Background
The research director at New York investment banking firm Rubin, Stern and Hertz (RSH) must replace star semiconductor analyst Peter Thompson quickly in order to ensure that revenues from clients continue to be earned by the firm. The research director is responsible for a significant proportion of the revenue that Peter had been generating. While initially considering a counteroffer, the decision was made not to pursue that strategy, and instead to promote Rina Shea — the junior analyst reporting to Peter — to a senior analyst role covering semiconductors immediately.
As evidenced by the emails and discussions with other analysts, sales staff, and firm members, Rina is not meeting expectations. The pressure is on the research director to hire a replacement quickly in order to keep the revenue stream moving, satisfy one of the most strategically important clients — PowerChip Company — and keep research moving forward.
References
Anders, G. (2011, Oct 17). The rare find: Reinventing recruiting. Business Week, 1.
Ezulike, G. (2012). How to hold on to your key information-technology specialists. Human Resource Management International Digest, 20(4), 21–23.
Kumar, S. (2003). Managing human capital supply chain in the internet era. Industrial Management + Data Systems, 103(3), 227–237.
Langan, S. (2000). Finding the needle in the haystack: The challenge of recruiting and retaining sharp employees. Public Personnel Management, 29(4), 461–464.
Millmore, M. (2003). Just how extensive is the practice of strategic recruitment and selection? Irish Journal of Management, 24(1), 87–108.
Mir, A., Mir, R., & Mosca, J. B. (2002). The new age employee: An exploration of changing employee-organization relations. Public Personnel Management, 31(2), 187–200.
Already a member? Log in
Unlock the rest of this paper
135,000+ research papers · AI writing tools · Plagiarism & AI detection
24-Hour Pass
Does not renew
Get 24-Hour PassMonthly
Renews at $12.99/month until canceled
Start MonthlyAnnual
Renews at $99/year until canceled
Start Annual- Unlimited AI writing tools
- Plagiarism and AI text detection tool
Plan details
Unlimited AI writing tools are for individual, non-automated use and are subject to our Terms of Service and abuse-prevention measures.
TextChecker scans: 1 during the 24-Hour Pass, or 5 per month with Monthly and Annual.
Prices exclude applicable tax.
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.