Publications

26 Aug 2008
First Look

First Look: August 26, 2008

Working PapersApplicant and Examiner Citations in U.S. Patents: An Overview and Analysis Authors:Juan Alcacer Abstract Researchers studying innovation increasingly use indicators based on patent citations. However, it is well known that... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 2016 (Revised April 2017)
Case

Democracy and Women's Rights in America: The Fight over the ERA

By: David Moss, Amy Smekar, Dean Grodzins, Rachel Wilf and Marc Campasano

On the afternoon of June 21, 1982, the Florida Senate prepared to vote on whether to ratify the proposed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the U.S. Constitution, which stated that “Equality of Rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or... View Details

Keywords: Rights; Government Legislation; Gender; History; Public Administration Industry; Florida

On August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal officially opened for business, forever changing the face of global trade and military power, as well as the role of the United States on the world stage. The Canal's creation is often seen as an example of U.S. triumphalism, but... View Details

February 2021 (Revised June 2021)
Case

Barbarians at the Gate or Turnaround Gurus? Private Equity and the Rise of the LBO

By: Tom Nicholas and John Masko

During the 1980s, leveraged buyouts (LBOs) and the private equity (PE) firms responsible for carrying them out revolutionized both investment and management in the U.S. Between 1980 and 1989, buyout activity in the U.S. surged from $1 billion per year to $60 billion.... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Conglomerates; Restructuring; Borrowing and Debt; Private Equity; Bonds; Investment Return; Institutional Investing; Profit Sharing; Business History; Management Style; Private Ownership; Performance Effectiveness; Value Creation; Financial Services Industry; United States

February 2021
Case

The Tulsa Massacre and the Call for Reparations

By: Mihir Desai, Ruth Page, Suzanne Antoniou and Leanne Fan

How should historic social injustices be addressed? Survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre and their descendants, including Representative Regina Goodwin of Tulsa, believe they should be addressed through reparations and have consequently continued to push the government... View Details

22 Jul 2008
First Look

First Look: July 22, 2008

in on his market. Half a century later the whole U.S. auto industry made the same mistake: Enter the Japanese. But denial comes in many forms, as Sears, Digital Equipment, and Bear Stearns can attest. Heart of Darkness: Business Tokens of... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

29 Feb 2000
Research & Ideas

Whence IT Value?

During the past few years inventory turns among U.S. manufacturers have climbed steadily, and it appears as if productivity has improved nicely. One explanation for these happy trends is that the massive investments we've been making in... View Details

Keywords: by Andrew McAfee

November 2007 (Revised February 2011)
Case

The Ice King

By: Tom Nicholas and Sandra Nicholas

Provides an opportunity to examine the risk-reward tradeoff and the travails of entrepreneurial venturing in the nascent U.S. economy. Traces the origins and development of Frederic Tudor's Ice Company, a business which developed during the 19th century to hack chunks... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Cost vs Benefits; Entrepreneurship; Globalization; Business History; Operations; Risk and Uncertainty; United States

30 Jun 2009
First Look

First Look: June 30

examined. The creation of the bidet-toilet category in Japan was a defining accomplishment for TOTO, and this history has created a strong commitment to promoting it in the U.S. But given that TOTO has been... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

November 2005 (Revised December 2016)
Case

Bally Total Fitness (A): The Rise, 1962–2004

By: John R. Wells, Elizabeth A. Raabe and Gabriel Ellsworth

From a single, modest club in 1962, Bally Total Fitness had grown to become—in management’s words—the “largest and only nationwide commercial operator of fitness centers” in the United States in 2004. Bally had faced its share of challenges, but the last couple of... View Details

Keywords: Bally Total Fitness; Fitness; Gyms; Health Clubs; Chain; Securities And Exchange Commission; Paul Toback; Weight Loss; Exercise; Contracts; Personal Training; Retention; Accounting; Accounting Audits; Accrual Accounting; Finance; Advertising; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Customers; Customer Satisfaction; Public Equity; Financing and Loans; Revenue; Revenue Recognition; Geographic Scope; Multinational Firms and Management; Health; Nutrition; Business History; Lawsuits and Litigation; Management; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing; Operations; Service Delivery; Service Operations; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business Strategy; Competition; Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Segmentation; Trends; Cost Management; Profit; Growth and Development; Leadership Style; Five Forces Framework; Private Ownership; Opportunities; Motivation and Incentives; Competitive Strategy; Health Industry; United States; Illinois; Chicago

Forthcoming
Article

Happily Ever After: Immigration, Natives' Marriage and Fertility

By: Michela Carlana and Marco Tabellini

We study the effects of immigration on natives’ marriage, fertility, and family formation across U.S. cities between 1910 and 1930. Using a shift-share design, we find that natives living in cities that received more immigrants were more likely to marry, have children,... View Details

Keywords: Immigration; Demographics; History; Employment

Read Now

Web

Business, Government & the International Economy - Faculty & Research

Business, Government & the International Economy Overview Faculty Curriculum Seminars & Conferences Awards & Honors Doctoral Students 2025 Working Paper Tracking the Short-Run Price Impact of U.S. Tariffs By: Alberto Cavallo , Paola... View Details

Web

About - Case Method Project

History of American Democracy, developed mainly for undergraduates. The course quickly became one of the highest-rated classes at Harvard College. Students described the teaching method as highly engaging and credited it with helping them... View Details

Web

Partners - Case Method Project

Harbor City, CA CA 15 of 65 Jennifer Cutler Westridge School Pasadena, CA CA 16 of 65 Mike Davey Saratoga High School Saratoga, CA Subjects: AP U.S. Government, Standard U.S. Government, Grade 12 AP and... View Details

23 Aug 2010
Research & Ideas

The Drive to Acquire’s Impact on Globalization

as when a U.S. auto company builds a parts plant in Mexico, has come into prominence only in the past few decades. Cutting costs is fair enough, unless it is done by paying less-than-living wages, creating unsafe working conditions, or... View Details

Keywords: by Paul R. Lawrence

January 2004
Background Note

Cross-Border Listings and Depositary Receipts

By: Mihir A. Desai, Maria Raga-Frances, Ami Dave, Mark Veblen and Kathleen Luchs

This case describes the varied instruments that have evolved to facilitate investments in foreign corporations, emphasizing American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) and cross-border listings. It describes the different types of ADRs and the regulatory requirements foreign... View Details

Keywords: Financial Markets; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Business History; Research; Motivation and Incentives; United States

December 2004
Case

Money and Banking in America

By: Nancy F. Koehn and Stephen A. Mihm

Provides a concise overview of the critical role that money and the nation's banking system have played in the development of the U.S. economy. Tells the story of money and banking in the United States, from the earliest settlements in the colonial era through the 20th... View Details

Keywords: History; Money; Banks and Banking; United States