Publications

October 2016
Supplement

24 Hour Fitness (B): Ownership Changes, 2005–2016

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

In 2016, 24 Hour Fitness was the number-two fitness chain in the United States, generating revenues of $1.4 billion from 441 clubs serving 3.8 million members. Based in San Ramon, California, 24 Hour Fitness operated clubs in 13 states. Having grown rapidly to become... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Advertising Campaigns; Buildings and Facilities; Acquisition; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Customers; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Age; Training; Private Equity; Financing and Loans; Price; Profit; Revenue; Geographic Location; Geographic Scope; Health; Nutrition; Business History; Human Resources; Employees; Employee Relationship Management; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Journals and Magazines; Human Capital; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Teams; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Channels; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Social Marketing; Demand and Consumers; Market Entry and Exit; Media; Organizational Design; Private Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Groups and Teams; Sales; Salesforce Management; Situation or Environment; Welfare or Wellbeing; Sports; Strategy; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Segmentation; Information Technology; Internet; Mobile Technology; Online Technology; Software; Web Sites; Value; Valuation; Health Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; United States; California; San Francisco

May 2010
Supplement

Clayton Industries, Inc.: Peter Arnell, Country Manager for Italy, Spreadsheet for Instructors (Brief Case)

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Benjamin H. Barlow

Keywords: Organizational Behavior; International Business; Subsidiaries; Project Management; Multinational Corporations; Implementing Strategy; Leadership; Business Subsidiaries; Behavior; Multinational Firms and Management; Corporate Strategy; Organizations; Labor Unions; Organizational Culture; Product Development

02 Mar 2015
Research & Ideas

Retail Reaches a Tipping Point—Which Stores Will Survive?

millennials but for the time being this group has a gun-shy nature and they are pretty frugal. Lal: Millennials are also attracted to experiences, like Baby Boomers. Alvarez. Yes, they are interested in experiences and social communities.... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail

12 Sep 2006
First Look

First Look: September 12, 2006

development. Detailed historical economic and social data allow an evaluation of policy results. Purchase this case: http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=706497 Inniskillin and the Globalization of Icewine... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 2017 (Revised March 2019)
Case

Armarium: Luxury Fashion Brands for Rent

By: Jill Avery, David Fubini, Natasha Dossa and Devon Stewart

Armarium, a two-sided online platform that offered consumers the opportunity to rent the most coveted, current season high fashion clothing and accessories from the top global luxury brands, had emerged from its first sales season with two distinct customer segments:... View Details

January 2010 (Revised March 2013)
Case

HubSpot: Lower Churn through Greater CHI

By: F. Asis Martinez Jerez, Thomas Steenburgh, Jill Avery and Lisa Brem

HubSpot, a web marketing startup is under pressure from VCs to rapidly acquire new customers and to maintain a low level of customer churn. In the case, students explore the drivers of customer churn and uncover opportunities to increase customer retention across the... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Satisfaction; Customer Value and Value Chain; Forecasting and Prediction; Consumer Behavior; Happiness; Consulting Industry

15 Jan 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, January 15, 2019

exchanges. Shareholder protection strongly predicted exchange success, even in countries with high levels of venture capital activity, patenting, and financial market development. Second-tier exchanges in countries with better shareholder... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

01 Nov 2016
First Look

First Look - November 1, 2016

outside directors with more expertise and experience. Also, busy directors are less likely to serve on multiple committees, possibly to avoid being overloaded. Download working paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=51853 Cost of Experimentation and the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

14 Feb 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: February 14

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=52096 2016 Financial Market History: Reflections on the Past for Investors Today The Origins of High-Tech Venture Investing in America By: Nicholas, Tom Abstract—The United States has... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

17 Jan 2012
First Look

First Look: January 17

PublicationsUncommon Service: How to Win by Putting Customers at the Core of Your Business Authors:Frances Frei and Anne Morriss Publication:Harvard Business Review Press, forthcoming An abstract is not available at this time. Publisher's Link:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2010
Other Unpublished Work

Why Takeover Vulnerability Matters to Debtholders

By: Joan Farre-Mensa

Recent work documents that firms that are more vulnerable to takeover have higher borrowing costs. This paper investigates the reasons behind this stylized fact. My results show that firms with few antitakeover defenses face a higher cost of debt because lenders are... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Borrowing and Debt; Cost; Equity; Banks and Banking; Investment Portfolio; Risk Management; Agreements and Arrangements; Business and Shareholder Relations; Conflict and Resolution

SSRN

01 Jun 1999
News

Where Main Street Meets Wall Street

involved in establishing the modern mutual fund industry and continue in prominent leadership positions today. Much like management consulting and venture capital, it's an industry that really owes its development and success to HBS... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons

05 Oct 2021
Blog Post

First-Gen Voices: Eric Westphal on Tapping into the Global Alumni Network & Making a Difference across Borders

markets and venture capital, but ultimately was drawn back to his interest in working with a startup in some capacity. To break into the startup ecosystem, Westphal worked on some small projects for startups during the semester. Then he... View Details

04 Feb 2014
First Look

First Look: February 4

necessary for eliciting effort from those affecting the quality of interdependent teamwork. We consider the role of incentives versus social processes in catalyzing collaboration. We test our hypotheses using a unique data set of 260... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthlorne

11 Sep 2012
First Look

First Look: September 11

Moreover, we find that relatively higher wages also promote social norms such that coworkers are less (more) likely to collude to steal inventory from their company when relative wages are higher (lower). Our research contributes to an... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 2019 (Revised July 2019)
Case

Aperture Investors

By: Krishna G. Palepu, George Serafeim and David Lane

Aperture Investors is a startup investment firm that seeks to disrupt the asset management industry through competitive differentiation by charging investors primarily when its portfolio managers outperform the marketplace. Headed by Wall Street veteran Peter Kraus and... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Talent and Talent Management; Investment; Investment Funds; Asset Management; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Marketing Channels; Emerging Markets; Partners and Partnerships; Motivation and Incentives; Financial Services Industry

01 Nov 2011
First Look

First Look: Nov. 1

look at the "softer" components of risk management, including a comparison of two different, equally effective risk officer styles and roles. Social Strategies That Work Author:Mikołaj Jan Piskorski Publication:Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

02 Feb 2010
First Look

First Look: Feb. 2

requirements or social norms, but because we are altruistic; we care intrinsically about the welfare of others. In this paper, we illustrate for these types of decisions how confusion may arise because the distinction between our personal... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

May 2022
Supplement

Maestro Pizza (B): The Competition Awakens

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Fares Khrais

Maestro pizza opened its first store in 2013 after its founder, Khalid Al Omran, recognized an opportunity in Saudi Arabia to offer high quality pizza at affordable prices. The business grew rapidly and under the radar at first, but soon enough caught the attention of... View Details