Publications

August 2012
Case

Polar Sports, Inc.

By: W. Carl Kester and Wei Wang

Polar Sports, Inc. is a fashion skiwear manufacturing company in Littleton, Colorado. The company has a unique design for skiwear using a special synthetic material that improves insulation and durability. The ski apparel industry is highly competitive and the best way... View Details

Keywords: Production; Decision Choices and Conditions; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Finance; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; Colorado

29 Aug 2018
What Do You Think?

What Should Harley-Davidson’s Management Do?

Harley demographic aging out of the sport the new concepts are a step in the right direction most of all, the product must be right.” Kevin O’Meara agreed, saying that, “the tariffs and the ‘Twitter war’ are masking the true issues (1)... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Auto

04 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

How Schmoozing with the Boss Helps Men Get Promoted

to studying job assignments, the researchers also surveyed employees to get a feel for how much time they spent together and how well they knew each other. They asked how often employees and managers took breaks together and whether employees could name their managers’... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

July–August 2014
Article

Sustainability in the Boardroom: Lessons from Nike's Playbook

By: Lynn S. Paine

One surprising role of Nike's corporate responsibility committee is to provide support for innovation. More and more companies recognize the importance of corporate responsibility to their long-term success—and yet the matter gets short shrift in most boardrooms,... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Corporate Accountability; Globalized Firms and Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Sports Industry

Find at Harvard

06 Aug 2019
Cold Call Podcast

Super Bowl Ads Sell Products, but Do They Sell Brands?

Kenny: : "This flat tire needs a man," says the narrator of the Goodyear Tire commercial that aired during the inaugural Super Bowl between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs in 1967. The ad featured a damsel in distress with a blown tire on a... View Details

Keywords: Sports; Sports; Sports; Sports

January 2019 (Revised February 2020)
Case

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

By: Anita Elberse and Melissa Rodman

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) develops and presents scripted hero-versus-villain storylines featuring its wrestlers at hundreds of live events—on several weekly television shows, on its own over-the-top streaming service, and on social media—to millions of... View Details

Keywords: Superstars; Talent; Talent Development; Labor Economics; General Management; Entertainment; Sports; Media; Talent and Talent Management; Contracts; Marketing; Strategy

04 Jun 2012
Research & Ideas

The Business of Life

evaluating new opportunities, we should base our decisions on marginal costs and revenues. The book cites the fall of movie rental giant Blockbuster. Ten years ago, the company decided not to explore the market of then-upstart Netflix, because Netflix View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

30 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Are You Supporting Your B Players?

labeled. "If you want to threaten a really smart person who is task driven, question his or her competency. That's the very soul of who they are," he said. These managers also keep busy schedules and are reluctant to slow down to learn new skills. View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

01 Jul 2015
Research & Ideas

A Bank That Takes Parmesan as Collateral: The Cheese Stands a Loan

wheels of cheese. MGT's warehouses sport state-of-the-art climate controls and a staff of trained inspectors. (The case notes that MGT also offers a profitable warehousing service for non-collateral cheese aging.) During the maturation... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Banking; Food & Beverage

August 2005 (Revised December 2005)
Case

Coach Knight: The Will to Win

By: Scott A. Snook, Leslie A. Perlow and Brian DeLacey

Successful college basketball coach Bob Knight was fired from his long-time role as basketball coach at Indiana University and hired in the same role at Texas Tech. Considers these events in the context of his long career and provides a context for discussing various... View Details

Keywords: Resignation and Termination; Selection and Staffing; Leadership Style; Situation or Environment; Power and Influence; Sports; Indiana; Texas

August 2019
Case

Apex Ski Boots

By: Kate Barasz and John T. Gourville

Apex Ski Boots has introduced a new ski boot that, due to its radical design, is meeting resistance in the marketplace from many retailers, ski experts, and consumers. The company must decide how best to drive sales in the face of this resistance. View Details

Keywords: Go-to-market Strategy; Strategic Change; Marketing Strategy; Distribution Channels; Sales; Change Management; Sports Industry; Sports Industry

27 Jun 2019
Research & Ideas

Rituals Strengthen Couples. Here’s Why They’re Good for Business, Too

symbolic meaning. Rituals are common in all kinds of social relationships, from religious gatherings and sports games, to holiday celebrations and business meetings. Families engage in rituals when they celebrate weddings or birthdays or... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

10 Sep 2020
Research & Ideas

The COVID Two-Step for Leaders: Protect and Pivot

and complements perfectly the physical business we have built so far.” Another example is MyoMaster, a company that specializes in recovery products and knowledge for athletes. Founded by couple Joe Gray and Lottie Whyte, MyoMaster generated revenue by selling at View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Katherine Connolly Baden

21 Apr 2021
Research & Ideas

The Pandemic Conversations That Leaders Need to Have Now

the heyday of the suggestion box, some overflowed with penciled index cards while others sported cobwebs. Dialogue is necessary for creating a shared reality—especially now. People’s pandemic experiences have varied widely depending on... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg, Robin Abrahams, and Katherine Connolly Baden

08 Jan 2020
Research & Ideas

NFL Head Coaches Are Getting Younger. What Can Organizations Learn?

quality nowadays. That young candidates are being selected for the most prestigious and critical positions in the NFL means, to some extent, that they are bypassing older colleagues for job opportunities. This phenomenon is occurring outside of the View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg, Evan M.S. Hecht, and Abhijit Naik; Sports

July 2005 (Revised September 2016)
Case

24 Hour Fitness (A): The Rise, 1983–2004

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

In October 2004, Mark S. Mastrov, CEO of 24 Hour Fitness, reflected on how far his company had come in just over 20 years. From humble beginnings in 1983 in San Leandro, California, 24 Hour Fitness had grown to become the largest privately-owned health-club chain in... View Details

Keywords: 24 Hour Fitness; Mark Mastrov; Health Clubs; Fitness; Gyms; Chain; Weight Loss; Exercise; Personal Training; Retention; Sales Force Compensation; Incentive Systems; Buildings and Facilities; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Customers; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Private Equity; Revenue; Geographic Scope; Multinational Firms and Management; Nutrition; Business History; Employees; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Human Capital; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing; Operations; Service Operations; Private Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Sales; Salesforce Management; Sports; Strategy; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Segmentation; Information Technology; Internet; Technology Platform; Web; Web Sites; Capital Structure; Performance; Organizational Structure; Organizational Culture; Health Industry; United States; California; San Francisco