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- Faculty Publications (61)
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- All HBS Web (203)
- Faculty Publications (61)
- July 2012 (Revised November 2012)
- Case
Dragonfly Corporation
By: Howard H. Stevenson and Jim Sharpe
After 3 years of losses and under legal threats from their landlord, a husband and wife team are faced with shutting the company down, buying time with the landlord or turning to their parents for additional funds. Despite opening a new location and seeing that sales... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurial Management; Turnarounds; Bankruptcy; Bank Loan; Crisis Management; Family Business; Retail Trade; Financial Crisis; Financial Analysis; Entrepreneurship; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Retail Industry; United States
Stevenson, Howard H., and Jim Sharpe. "Dragonfly Corporation." Harvard Business School Case 813-042, July 2012. (Revised November 2012.)
- May 2019
- Article
Marketplace Lending: A New Banking Paradigm?
By: Boris Vallée and Yao Zeng
Marketplace lending relies on large-scale loan screening by investors, a major deviation from the traditional banking paradigm. Theoretically, participation of sophisticated investors in marketplace lending improves screening outcomes but also creates adverse... View Details
Keywords: Marketplace Lending; Screening; Sophisticated Investors; Adverse Selection; Financing and Loans; Performance; Information
Vallée, Boris, and Yao Zeng. "Marketplace Lending: A New Banking Paradigm?" Review of Financial Studies 32, no. 5 (May 2019): 1939–1982.
- April 2024
- Article
Model-based Financial Regulations Impair the Transition to Net-zero Carbon Emissions
By: Matteo Gasparini, Matthew C. Ives, Ben Carr, Sophie Fry and Eric Beinhocker
Investments via the financial system are essential for fostering the green transition. However, the role of existing financial regulations in influencing investment decisions is understudied. Here we analyse data from the European Banking Authority to show that... View Details
Gasparini, Matteo, Matthew C. Ives, Ben Carr, Sophie Fry, and Eric Beinhocker. "Model-based Financial Regulations Impair the Transition to Net-zero Carbon Emissions." Nature Climate Change 14, no. 5 (April 2024): 434–435.
- 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
Wells, John R., Elizabeth A. Raabe, and Gabriel Ellsworth. "Bally Total Fitness (A): The Rise, 1962–2004." Harvard Business School Case 706-450, November 2005. (Revised December 2016.)
- September 1992 (Revised March 1997)
- Case
Summit Distributors (A)
By: William J. Bruns Jr. and Amy P. Hutton
Summit Distributors was in danger of violating loan covenants because of slow economic activity and forecasted losses and was faced with a choice. Changing the inventory valuation method from LIFO to FIFO would avoid default but would require higher future income... View Details
Keywords: Taxation; Cost Accounting; Cash Flow; Interest Rates; Economic Systems; Borrowing and Debt; Financial Statements; Valuation; Accounting Audits; Financing and Loans; Accounting Industry; Legal Services Industry
Bruns, William J., Jr., and Amy P. Hutton. "Summit Distributors (A)." Harvard Business School Case 193-053, September 1992. (Revised March 1997.)
- 2023
- Working Paper
Can Digitalization Improve Public Services? Evidence from Innovation in Energy Management
By: Robyn C. Meeks, Jacquelyn Pless and Zhenxuan Wang
This paper examines how digitalization impacts public service provision through a study of the U.S. power sector. We exploit the staggered timing of electric utilities’ investments in “smart” meters and find that electricity losses per unit sold decrease by 3.6%. This... View Details
Keywords: Electric Utility; Energy Management; Smart Meters; Energy; Climate Change; State Ownership; Private Ownership; Technology Adoption; Energy Industry; Utilities Industry; United States
Meeks, Robyn C., Jacquelyn Pless, and Zhenxuan Wang. "Can Digitalization Improve Public Services? Evidence from Innovation in Energy Management." MIT CEEPR Working Paper Series, No. 2023-22, December 2023.
- 2020
- Working Paper
Is Accounting Useful for Forecasting GDP Growth? A Machine Learning Perspective
We provide a comprehensive examination of whether, to what extent, and which accounting variables are useful for improving the predictive accuracy of GDP growth forecasts. We leverage statistical models that accommodate a broad set of (341) variables—outnumbering the... View Details
Keywords: Big Data; Elastic Net; GDP Growth; Machine Learning; Macro Forecasting; Short Fat Data; Accounting; Economic Growth; Forecasting and Prediction; Analytics and Data Science
Datar, Srikant, Apurv Jain, Charles C.Y. Wang, and Siyu Zhang. "Is Accounting Useful for Forecasting GDP Growth? A Machine Learning Perspective." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 21-113, December 2020.
- Article
Does the Classic Microfinance Model Discourage Entrepreneurship Among the Poor? Experimental Evidence from India
By: Erica Field, Rohini Pande, John Papp and Natalia Rigol
Do the repayment requirements of the classic microfinance contract inhibit investment in high-return but illiquid business opportunities among the poor? Using a field experiment, we compare the classic contract which requires that repayment begin immediately after loan... View Details
Field, Erica, Rohini Pande, John Papp, and Natalia Rigol. "Does the Classic Microfinance Model Discourage Entrepreneurship Among the Poor? Experimental Evidence from India." American Economic Review 103, no. 6 (October 2013): 2196–2226.
- 2021
- Working Paper
Closing Costs, Refinancing, and Inefficiencies in the Mortgage Market
By: David Hao Zhang
In the US, borrowers often finance the price of mortgage origination by agreeing to higher mortgage rates for a given principal amount. I show that for standard fixed-rate, prepayable mortgages this contractual feature has two consequences. First, it leads to increased... View Details
- November 2020
- Article
Accelerator or Brake? Cash for Clunkers, Household Liquidity, and Aggregate Demand
By: Daniel Green, Brian Melzer, Jonathan Parker and Arcenis Rojas
This paper evaluates the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) by comparing the vehicle purchases and disposals of households with eligible "clunkers" to those of households with similar, but ineligible, vehicles. CARS caused roughly 500,000 purchases during the program... View Details
Keywords: Automobiles; Purchasing; Government Incentives; Household; Financial Liquidity; Income; Behavior
Green, Daniel, Brian Melzer, Jonathan Parker, and Arcenis Rojas. "Accelerator or Brake? Cash for Clunkers, Household Liquidity, and Aggregate Demand." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 12, no. 4 (November 2020): 178–211.
- Article
CDS Trading and Nonrelationship Lending Dynamics
By: Jung Koo Kang, Christopher Williams and Regina Wittenberg-Moerman
We investigate how credit default swaps (CDSs) affect lenders’ incentives to initiate new lending relationships. We predict that CDSs reduce adverse selection that nonrelationship lead arrangers face when competing for loans. Consistently, we find that a loan is... View Details
Keywords: Credit Default Swaps; CDS Market; Non-relationship Lending; Debt Contracts; Adverse Selection; Lending Monitoring; Cross-selling
Kang, Jung Koo, Christopher Williams, and Regina Wittenberg-Moerman. "CDS Trading and Nonrelationship Lending Dynamics." Review of Accounting Studies 26, no. 1 (March 2021): 258–292.
- April 2025
- Article
Crisis Interventions in Corporate Insolvency
By: Samuel Antill and Christopher Clayton
We model the optimal resolution of insolvent firms in general equilibrium. Collateral-constrained banks lend to (i) solvent firms to finance investments and (ii) distressed firms to avoid liquidation. Liquidations create negative fire-sale externalities. Liquidations... View Details
Keywords: Insolvent Firms; Government Intervention; Liquidation; Econometric Models; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Policy
Antill, Samuel, and Christopher Clayton. "Crisis Interventions in Corporate Insolvency." Journal of Finance 80, no. 2 (April 2025): 875–910.
- Article
Liability Structure in Small-Scale Finance
By: Fenella Carpena, Shawn Cole, Jeremy Shapiro and Bilal Zia
Microfinance, the provision of small individual and business loans, has experienced dramatic growth, reaching over 150 million borrowers worldwide. Much of the success of microfinance has been attributed to attempts to overcome the challenges of information asymmetries... View Details
Keywords: Microfinance; Emerging Markets; Financial Markets; Legal Liability; Banks and Banking; Banking Industry; India
Carpena, Fenella, Shawn Cole, Jeremy Shapiro, and Bilal Zia. "Liability Structure in Small-Scale Finance." World Bank Economic Review 27, no. 3 (2013): 437–469.
- 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
Wells, John R., Gabriel Ellsworth, and Benjamin Weinstock. "The U.S. Health Club Industry in 2004." Harvard Business School Background Note 705-445, November 2004. (Revised September 2019.)
- June 2009 (Revised November 2020)
- Case
Busse Place
By: Arthur I Segel, William J. Poorvu, Richard Kessler, Justin Seth Ginsburgh and Eric Fleiss
Busse Corporate Center's largest tenant recently declared bankruptcy, leaving the building 38% occupied and significantly overleveraged. In a depressed suburban Chicago office market, Hannah Sanchez, the leasing agent, has to negotiate lease proposals with three... View Details
Keywords: Buildings and Facilities; Restructuring; Borrowing and Debt; Financial Management; Mortgages; Investment; Leasing; Property; Real Estate Industry; Chicago
Segel, Arthur I., William J. Poorvu, Richard Kessler, Justin Seth Ginsburgh, and Eric Fleiss. "Busse Place." Harvard Business School Case 209-154, June 2009. (Revised November 2020.)
- September 2022 (Revised June 2025)
- Case
York Capital CLOs and WorldStrides International
By: Victoria Ivashina and William Vrattos
The case follows the debt restructuring of WorldStrides International, a travel program provider in the education market, after the onset of COVID-19. The pandemic severely impacted the travel industry, creating challenges for many companies like WorldStrides, which... View Details
Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic; Debt Restructuring; CLO; Compliance; Debt Securities; Financing and Loans; Decision Making; Travel Industry; Education Industry
Ivashina, Victoria, and William Vrattos. "York Capital CLOs and WorldStrides International." Harvard Business School Case 223-034, September 2022. (Revised June 2025.)
- January 2021
- Article
State and Local Government Employment in the COVID-19 Crisis
By: Daniel Green and Erik Loualiche
Local governments are facing large losses in revenues and increased expenditures because of the COVID-19 crisis. We document a causal relationship between fiscal pressures induced by COVID-19 and the layoffs of state and local government workers. States that depend... View Details
Keywords: Local Government; Municipal Finance; Public Finance; Fiscal Capacity; Fiscal Policy; Governance; Local Range; Health Pandemics; Employment; Finance; Policy; Public Sector
Green, Daniel, and Erik Loualiche. "State and Local Government Employment in the COVID-19 Crisis." Art. 104321. Journal of Public Economics 193 (January 2021).
- 03 Nov 2003
- What Do You Think?
Can Investors Have Too Much Accounting Transparency?
it, "We cannot look at investor losses as the only benchmark to evaluate the costs of Sarbanes-Oxley. One must also consider the cost of capital if confidence in the markets does not return…Unfortunately, you cannot legislate... View Details
Keywords: by James Heskett
- October 2014
- Case
CreditEase: Providing Credit and Financial Services for China's Underclass
By: Lena G. Goldberg, Paul Healy and Nancy Hua Dai
In 2013 Ning Tang, who in 2006 founded CreditEase as a broker of P2P loans to unbanked individuals and small businesses in China, confronts the challenges of rapid growth and expansion in a changing regulatory environment. CreditEase needs to develop technology to... View Details
Keywords: P2P Lending; HNW Products And Services; Business Growth; Business Start-ups; Government Regulation; Change Management; Credit; Microcredit; Banking; Innovation And Management; Developing Countries And Economies; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Social Entrepreneurship; Law; Financing and Loans; Change; China
Goldberg, Lena G., Paul Healy, and Nancy Hua Dai. "CreditEase: Providing Credit and Financial Services for China's Underclass." Harvard Business School Case 315-027, October 2014.
- 2011
- Chapter
Toward a Three-Tier Market for U.S. Home Mortgages
By: Robert C. Pozen
This chapter analyzes the various forms of federal programs to support home mortgages–both government-insured mortgages and privately issued mortgages purchased by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. It argues that there will be a third tier of home mortgages created by the... View Details
Pozen, Robert C. "Toward a Three-Tier Market for U.S. Home Mortgages." Chap. 3 in The Future of Housing Finance: Restructuring the U.S. Residential Mortgage Market, edited by Martin Neil Baily, 26–65. Brookings Institution Press, 2011.