Publications

11 Oct 2006
What Do You Think?

How Do We Respond to the “Dependency Ratio” Dilemma?

"The only viable long term solution is for people (and their employers) to invest enough over the length of their working life . [It] is the only way in which the dependency ratio can be made irrelevant." Other suggestions ranged from Donald Sylvester's,... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

March 2019 (Revised May 2019)
Case

Fetchr: A New Way of Last Mile Delivery

By: V.G. Narayanan and Eren Kuzucu

By mid-2016, five years of aggressive growth had transformed Fetchr from a small logistics startup to a 1,000-employee, full-fledged last-mile delivery company operating across four countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Already beneficiaries of the... View Details

14 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restarting Under Uncertainty: Managerial Experiences from Around the World

structures. More important, it requires the will to provide concrete support to employees’ material and mental wellbeing. Case 1: Support employee adjustments to remote working For many companies, remote work was a complete novelty prior... View Details

Keywords: by Raffaella Sadun, Andrea Bertoni, Alexia Delfino, Giovanni Fassio, and Mariapaola Testa

11 Jul 2019
Blog Post

Meet the MBA Class of 2020

EXPERIENCE Rocket Internet SE, Shopwings Australia Pty Ltd, Carmudi GmbH Erin Kaivan “HBS REALLY RESPECTS LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE.” HOME REGION Swoope, VA UNDERGRAD EDUCATION James Madison University, Political Science/Government, 2011... View Details

13 May 2019
Blog Post

The Many Facets of Becoming a Mother at HBS

classes (or on a bus in Lima during FIELD 2!) was my particular challenge – and I regret losing that casual social time with section-mates. But it was clear to me throughout that the HBS community wanted me to thrive and I always felt supported by professors, the team... View Details

11 Nov 2022
Blog Post

Meet the HBS Armed Forces Alumni Association

development and job search process of members, and raise awareness and support for the military among the members of the Harvard University community. The AFAA welcomes service members and veterans from all branches and nations. What does... View Details

11 Jan 2010
Research & Ideas

Mixing Open Source and Proprietary Software Strategies

profit is by selling complementary goods and services. For example, IBM sells consulting services and proprietary software that are complementary to the OS software it develops, and Sun sells complementary hardware such as servers.... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Web Services

12 Nov 2019
Research & Ideas

Corporate Innovation Increasingly Benefits from Government Research

while the US government provided just 22.5 percent, according to the Congressional Research Service. Higher education, nonprofits, and nonfederal government entities contributed the remaining 10 percent. “The question that naturally... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

05 Mar 2012
Research & Ideas

Is JC Penney’s Makeover the Future of Retailing?

gauge whether he's succeeding. This August, the company will begin updating all stores with new merchandise. Two to three in-store shops will be installed monthly over the four-year plan. The Town Squares, which will likely be used to View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard; Retail

19 Jun 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, June 19, 2018

Applied Corporate Finance Investors as Stewards of the Commons? By: Serafeim, George Abstract—Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the number of initiatives seeking to mobilize investor voice towards positive social impact. In this paper, I... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

February 2025
Case

Blue Owl Financing of Ping Identity

By: Victoria Ivashina and Srimayi Mylavarapu

In the fall of 2022, Blue Owl Capital's investment committee evaluated a potential investment in the technology sector. The proposed transaction centered on Ping Identity Corporation (“Ping”), a fast-growing identity access management (IAM) software company that was... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Borrowing and Debt; Cash Flow; Investment; Privatization; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry

14 Jul 2003
Research & Ideas

Understaffed and Overworked: What Now?

accomplish," he says. The toughest thing for most people is initiating this type of discussion, DeLong continues. In his work with professional service firms, he's found that many people would rather work 80 hours per week than hold... View Details

Keywords: by Paul Michelman

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

Web

Fundraising - Alumni

wisely and that your experience is successful and rewarding. We will provide the following services and resources: Information on HBS initiatives and programs An experienced staff member to help facilitate... View Details

Profile

Luc Sirois

lifelong idealism and drive to improve world. Sirois recalls his time at HBS as providing the spark necessary to direct his energies in the early days of the emerging digital superhighway. “Technology was enabling a new world. It didn’t... View Details

Keywords: Health Care; Technology; Nonprofit / Government

Web

Ludcke House | About

causes. In 1991, the couple established the Ludcke Foundation, which supports organizations that provide resources and services to children and families, with an emphasis on physical and emotional health,... View Details

December 2023
Case

Davivienda Bank's Upskilling and Reskilling Strategy in Colombia

By: Jorge Tamayo, Raffaella Sadun and Jenyfeer Martinez Buitrago

Set in 2022, this case describes the digital transformation strategy of Davivienda— a leading player in Colombia’s commercial banking and one of the companies belonging to Grupo Bolívar, a major Colombian financial conglomerate—and the bank’s upskilling and reskilling... View Details