Publications

01 Dec 2023
News

Case Study: Staking a Claim

Illustration by Nhung Lê Kate Terry (MBA 2005) knows that no one attends their fifth-grade career fair and comes home hoping to pursue a career in insurance—but that’s exactly where she wound up. “I really fell in love with it,” she says. As cofounder and CEO of... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Insurance Carriers and Related Activities; Finance

October 2016 (Revised January 2017)
Background Note

The U.S. Health Club Industry, 2005–2016

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

In 2015, the U.S. health-club industry generated revenues of $25.8 billion, up from $14.8 billion in 2004. Members of health clubs accounted for 17% of the population, up from 14%. The number of clubs had grown from 26,830 in 2004 to 36,180. In the process, the list of... View Details

31 Mar 2009
First Look

First Look: March 31, 2009

makes up 33% of Lan's overall revenues (markedly different from many U.S. legacy carriers that derive 3% to 4% of revenues from cargo). Since a change of ownership in 1994, Lan has grown steadily and quickly at a compound annual growth... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

January 2020 (Revised May 2021)
Case

Salary Finance US

By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

In October 2019, Dan Macklin, the newly-appointed chief executive of Salary Finance Inc., was weighing his options for the future of the business. The company’s value proposition was quite simple: partner with employers to offer employees affordable loans that were... View Details

Keywords: Employees; Credit; Financing and Loans; Wages; Innovation and Invention; Expansion; Growth Management; Decision Making; Financial Services Industry; United States

April 2018 (Revised May 2018)
Case

Goldman Sachs: Making an Imprint in Impact Investing

By: Shawn Cole, Vikram S. Gandhi, Caitlin Reimers Brumme and Lynn Schenk

Goldman Sachs acquired Imprint Capital Advisors, a small firm that specialized in advising clients on environmental/social/governance (ESG) and impact investments. The founders sold Imprint with the belief that joining a global financial firm would help to scale impact... View Details

Keywords: Impact Investing; ESG; Investment; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Growth and Development Strategy; Acquisition; Integration

18 Feb 2014
First Look

First Look: February 18

a good investment? What are the risks associated with the project? Could Value Retail pursue its outlet strategy in Italy? Includes color exhibits. Purchase this case:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

25 May 2010
First Look

First Look: May 25

labor-intensive manufacturing process and the high prices of Zotter chocolates limit the scalability of the company, even though the founder desires to grow. While the founder has many ideas for the firm, it is not clear which path would be optimal for the kind of... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

January 2008 (Revised March 2011)
Case

Henry J. Kaiser and the Art of the Possible

By: Anthony J. Mayo, Mark Benson and David Chen

From his humble beginnings as a local salesman in New York, Henry J. Kaiser rose to become one of the leading industrialists of 20th century America. Though he had no technical engineering training, Kaiser mastered the management and execution of plans for several... View Details

Keywords: History; Mission and Purpose; Transition; Management Practices and Processes; Construction; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Leadership Style; Business History; Business Growth and Maturation; Civil Society or Community; Business Strategy; Planning; Construction Industry; Shipping Industry; United States

11 Apr 2024
Blog Post

Climate Stories: Water Series - Episode #17: Leni Peterson Redondo (HBS MS/MBA 2023), Founder & CEO of Celeste

no matter how many hours a day it takes. There is no better way to use my education.” – Leni Peterson Redondo The PBS headline is shocking. “Mexico City is running out of water.” The crisis is expected to hit this June and numerous reports blame “geography, View Details

08 Apr 2019
Sharpening Your Skills

The Life of Luxury and How to Sell It

stuffed in their products, getting the price right is a crucial decision. Research Papers Reinventing the American Wine Industry: Marketing Strategies and the Construction of Wine CultureSince the 1960s, the United States has seen... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Auto; Retail; Fashion

05 Oct 2020
Book

Want to Be Happier? Make More Free Time

socialize and exercise rather than work longer hours, add up to a lot of time. And our choices powerfully shape whether we’re happy or not.” Here, Whillans shares six research-based strategies for managing the minutes on the clock, all... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

06 Sep 2016
First Look

September 6, 2016

Abstract—This article examines why organic agriculture and food consumption developed more strongly in some countries than others between the 1970s and the 2000s. The focus is the limited growth of the New Zealand organic sector, which... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

06 Sep 2004
Research & Ideas

The Innovator’s Battle Plan

asymmetric battles often is the seemingly sudden end of a great firm. From the incumbent's perspective, every action it takes is rational. But the outcome is devastating. Disruption is the strategy that creates and capitalizes on... View Details

Keywords: by Clayton M. Christensen, Scott D. Anthony & Erik A. Roth

November 2002 (Revised May 2006)
Case

Forest Stewardship Council

By: James E. Austin and Ezequiel Reficco

In just a few years the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) made impressive progress toward its mission of promoting "environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests." By 2001, 25.5 million hectares of forests in... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Corporate Governance; Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Competitive Strategy

23 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 23

press An abstract is unavailable at this time. Book: http://ceo.usc.edu/book/doing_research_that_is_useful.html Business Network Transformation in Action Authors: Marco Iansiti and Ross Sullivan Publication: In Business Network Transformation: View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

August 2008
Case

The Chubb Corporation in China

By: Li Jin, Michael Shih-ta Chen and Aldo Sesia

The Chubb Corporation, headquartered in the U.S., was the holding company for a number of property and casualty insurance companies which operated in 29 countries. In 1979, the Chinese government, as part of its "reform and open" policy invited a delegation of Chubb... View Details

Keywords: Insurance; Globalized Firms and Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Emerging Markets; Market Entry and Exit; Business and Government Relations; Insurance Industry; China; United States