Publications

03 Apr 2006
Research & Ideas

The Competitive Advantage of Global Finance

Chemical's expansion in Argentina and its performance subsequent to the devaluation demonstrates how multinational firms can access worldwide product markets and capital View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Financial Services

28 Apr 2015
First Look

First Look: April 28

Modigliani-Miller capital structure irrelevance propositions. The case focuses on two questions: (1) From a shareholder's perspective, how is Apple's cash different from cash in a bank or money market... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

20 Apr 2016
Research & Ideas

When CEOs Become Activists

debate about gay rights in Indiana” To investigate, Toffel and Chatterji designed an experiment to gauge whether mentioning Cook’s concerns about the RFRA influenced public support for the law, and whether Cook’s opinion affected consumers’ intent to buy Apple... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Technology; Publishing

13 Oct 2015
Research & Ideas

Does Business Get Done the Same Way in Emerging and Developed Countries?

interviews, I walked away deeply impressed by the managerial capacity in emerging markets. The domestic firms are very, very capable. Yes, they operate under particular constraints—we do not see the many middle managers typical for more mature markets; there aren’t the... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

November 1997 (Revised October 2000)
Case

Interactive Minds (A)

By: William A. Sahlman, Michael J. Roberts and Christina L. Darwall

The efforts of two recent Harvard Business School graduates to start a venture capital/consulting firm focused on opportunities related to the Internet are recounted. Raises the question of what the nature of this opportunity is, how well-positioned the protagonists... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Internet and the Web; Market Entry and Exit; Financing and Loans; Business Startups; Consulting Industry

November 2004 (Revised September 2019)
Background Note

The U.S. Health Club Industry in 2004

By: John R. Wells, Gabriel Ellsworth and Benjamin Weinstock

In 2004, the $16.8 billion U.S. health club industry continued its strong record of growth. There were almost 27,000 health clubs in the United States, up from 6,700 two decades earlier, and these clubs claimed 41 million members, over 14% of the U.S. population.... View Details

Keywords: Health Clubs; Fitness; Gyms; Chain; Weight Loss; Obesity; Exercise; Personal Training; Bally Total Fitness; 24 Hour Fitness; YMCA; Gold's Gym; Curves; Franchise; Franchising; Subscription; Promotional Sales; Promotions; Fixed Costs; Body; Accrual Accounting; Revenue Recognition; Buildings and Facilities; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Trends; Customers; Demographics; Age; Income; Private Equity; Financing and Loans; Profit; Revenue; Geographic Scope; Multinational Firms and Management; Health; Nutrition; Business History; Employees; Retention; Human Capital; Working Conditions; Contracts; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Markets; Demand and Consumers; Supply and Industry; Industry Growth; Industry Structures; Operations; Service Operations; Franchise Ownership; Private Ownership; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Sales; Salesforce Management; Situation or Environment; Opportunities; Nonprofit Organizations; Welfare; Sports; Strategy; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Consolidation; Corporate Strategy; Customization and Personalization; Expansion; Segmentation; Hardware; Health Industry; United States

November 2000
Case

UPromise

By: Michael J. Roberts and William A. Sahlman

Describes the development of UPromise, a company that has developed a loyalty program through which corporate partners can contribute to funds that finance the education of consumers' children. Presents the accomplishments prior to the company's second round of... View Details

Keywords: Higher Education; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Financial Markets; Programs

Find at Harvard

09 Jan 2006
Research & Ideas

What Really Drives Your Strategy?

process itself can actually shape the realized strategy of the firm. This can include internal reporting structures and incentive systems, but it can also reflect external factors such as capital markets and... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

14 Apr 2015
First Look

First Look: April 14

theoretical understanding of brand relationship phenomena and ideas for practical application from experiments and execution in commercial practice. Strong Brands, Strong Relationships will be the perfect read for marketing faculty and... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

14 Nov 2005
Research & Ideas

How Can Start Ups Grow?

intangible resources may be best acquired by following a road of conformity in how your company is organized and presented to the outside world. In start-ups in established industries, conventional business titles such as Marketing... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Advertising

12 Apr 2018
Op-Ed

Op-Ed: The Trouble with Tariffs

pocketbooks. Since then, as the stock market roller coaster has shown, the rhetoric has only ratcheted upwards. On April 5, the president threatened tariffs on an additional $100 billion in Chinese goods. China returned fire proposing new... View Details

Keywords: by Willy C. Shih; Manufacturing; Auto; Steel; Air Transportation; Technology; Telecommunications

05 Jun 2007
First Look

First Look: June 5, 2007

Working PapersNone this week. Cases & Course MaterialsArtisan Entertainment Inc. Harvard Business School Case 207-067 Geoff Rehnert and Marc Wolpow have left Bain Capital to launch Audax Group. As part of their separation, they... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

September 2005 (Revised June 2006)
Case

WuXi PharmaTech

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Simin Zhou

WuXi Pharmatech has gone from zero to $21 million in sales in three years. The company must decide its growth strategy and how best to finance and organize for rapid growth. View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Capital Markets; Problems and Challenges; Pharmaceutical Industry; China

29 Oct 2000
Research & Ideas

Building a Powerful Prestige Brand

Lauder, founded Estée Lauder Cosmetics. By the time she retired from public life in the mid-1990s, this company had become one of the largest cosmetics manufacturers in the world and was recognized as one of the leading players in the global View Details

Keywords: by Nancy F. Koehn; Beauty & Cosmetics; Consumer Products; Retail

19 Jan 2011
First Look

First Look: Jan. 18

Financial Economics (forthcoming). Abstract This study identifies the effect of a key cultural dimension—egalitarianism—on a set of international investment outcomes. Egalitarianism expresses a society's cultural orientation with respect to intolerance for abuses of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

30 Jan 2019
What Do You Think?

Who Will Measure up to These Two Remarkable Leaders?

was to focus on a particular market segment.) Roger Hallowell, in a doctoral dissertation submitted some years later, took issue with that notion based on his observation of a small number of incredibly successful service organizations.... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Air Transportation; Financial Services

May 2023
Teaching Note

Away: Scaling a DTC Travel Brand

By: Joseph B. Fuller and Jill Avery

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 520-051. Away, a direct-to-consumer, digital native e-commerce seller of travel luggage, is debating how to invest its latest round of venture funding. How quickly could and should Away scale and what were the most promising growth... View Details

Keywords: Distribution; Growth and Development Strategy; E-commerce; Segmentation; Venture Capital; Consumer Products Industry