Vantaggi
Back in the old Harcourt days, the company was reasonably family-friendly with adequate opportunities for advancement. For awhile under Reed Elsevier, there was ample investment in new product and a strong sense of teamwork.
Svantaggi
Once the takeover by Houghton Mifflin was announced, morale in the company plummeted. Much of the informtion about the sale and its aftermath was conveyed by whispers and rumors, and management confirmed the facts only long after the rumor mill has done its worst. Happily, I was among those who lost their jobs in the first big wave of layoffs. I was bewildered by the way the layoffs were conducted. Those with deep content knowledge, market savvy, and institutional memory were let go, while many newcomers and long-time dead weight managed to keep their jobs. More waves of layoffs happened after I left, and morale continued to plummet. I'm glad HMH let me go when it did.