Publications

03 Jan 2016
Research & Ideas

NFL Black Monday: How Much Do Coaches Really Matter?

important question: Can able managers create value for their organizations by applying the resources at their disposal, and are they thus a source of competitive advantage? In general, NFL head coaches are responsible for player View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg & Abhijit Naik; Sports

Web

Hiring Organizations

The VMG Partners Volo Sports Volpi Capital W Wafra Inc. Wagmo Walmart / Walmart eCommerce Walt Disney Company, The Warburg Pincus LLC Warner Bros. Discovery Watertower Ventures Waymo Wegmans Food Markets Wellington View Details

Bharat N. Anand

Bharat N. Anand is the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning at Harvard University, and the Henry R. Byers Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.

Professor Anand is an expert in digital strategy, media and... View Details

Keywords: sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports

October 1984
Case

NIKE (D): Leisure Shoes

Focusing on middle manager Harry Leidboldt, this case presents a clear-cut strategic issue--should Nike move into the leisure shoe business? The teaching objective is to first view the decision as a business problem--can Nike succeed in this business? and secondly, to... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Expansion; Marketing Strategy; Management Practices and Processes; Management Teams; Product Development; Sports Industry; Sports Industry

June 2005
Case

Billy Beane: Changing the Game

Describes how Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland A's baseball team, employs statistical methodologies to select who is undervalued in the marketplace. Examines why few teams have imitated his organization's successful strategy. Explores threats to Oakland's... View Details

Keywords: Resource Allocation; Competitive Advantage; Sports; Sports Industry; California

October 2013
Article

Ferguson's Formula

By: Anita Elberse and Sir Alex Ferguson

When Alex Ferguson took over as manager of the English football team Manchester United, the club was in dire straits: It hadn't won a league title in nearly 20 years and faced a very real threat of being relegated to a lower division. In 26 seasons under Ferguson,... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Business or Company Management; Management Style; Success; Sports; Sports Industry; England

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Web

Programs & Events - Alumni

questions about alumni events. May 11 11–30 MAY 2025 (Unit 1 only) Executive Education HBS Campus Owner/President Management Build the entrepreneurial leadership skills you need to guide your company through its next phase of growth and... View Details

01 Oct 1997
News

J. Hughes Norton III

Norton is seated in Congressional's main dining room, his cell phone close at hand. As senior vice president in charge of golf operations at Cleveland-based International Management Group (IMG), the world's oldest and largest View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons

Web

Placement - Doctoral

of the HBS Doctoral Programs have gone on to become prominent scholars in a wide range of disciplines at many of the world's most prestigious institutions. Placement, 2019-2024 Accounting & Management 2024 Yaxuan Chen Accounting &... View Details

26 Feb 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, February 26, 2019

forthcoming Management Science Frenemies in Platform Markets: Heterogeneous Profit Foci as Drivers of Compatibility Decisions By: Adner, Ron, Jianqing Chen, and Feng Zhu Abstract— We study compatibility decisions of two competing platform... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

Career Coach

Whit Collier

invitation to reflect together. Whit has a deep and broad background, starting with his years within Equity Analyst and Portfolio Manager roles. He invested successfully within many market environments, and can share insights from merging... View Details

11 Oct 2010
Research & Ideas

It Pays to Hire Women in Countries That Won’t

Call it corporate alchemy. New research finds that multinational companies can spin gender bias into gold by recruiting and hiring well-educated female managers in countries that traditionally discriminate against women. Employing women... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

Career Coach

Eileen Stephan

of career, family life and a family sporting goods business.Work Experience: Citigroup, Global Head of Graduate Recruitment and Program Management (covering Investment Banking, Private Banking, Sales &... View Details

Keywords: Investment Management; Investment Management; Investment Management; Investment Management; Investment Management; Investment Management; Investment Management; Investment Management; Investment Management; Investment Management; Investment Management; Investment Management; Investment Management; Investment Management

2010
Article

Hiring for Strength, Hiring for Weakness: Evidence of Internal Strategic Fit from the NFL

By: Andrew Hill

Firms may hire senior managers to shore up a weakness or to build on a strength. Using evidence on the hiring of NFL head coaches, this paper finds that teams that hire for strength outperform teams that hire for weakness. View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Selection and Staffing; Performance; Sports; Sports Industry

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January 2022 (Revised August 2022)
Case

Jackie Robinson: Changing the World

By: Robert Simons and Max Saffer

This case traces the rise of Jackie Robinson from the poor streets of Pasadena, California to one of the most famous people in America after he overturned the color barrier in baseball. The case describes how as a youth he excelled at basketball, football, baseball,... View Details

Keywords: Diversity; Power And Influence; Personal Characteristics; Values And Beliefs; Mission And Purpose; Sports; Entrepreneurship; Leadership; Leading Change; Personal Development and Career; United States

February 1999 (Revised August 2004)
Case

I Lost My Volvo in New Haven: Tennis Event Sponsorship

By: Stephen A. Greyser, Brian R. Harris and Mitchell Truwit

Focuses on event management and sponsorship from the perspective of the event owner (rather than that of the sponsorship company). Describes in depth the search by one of the tennis tournaments on the professional circuit for a principal sponsor. Detailed economics of... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Communications; Decision Choices and Conditions; Management; Product Positioning; Television Entertainment; Sports; Partners and Partnerships; Sports Industry