sports - Publications - Faculty & Research

01 Jun 2024
News

Again and Again

Edited by Jen McFarland Flint; Illustrations by Jason Holley Whenever he’s presenting to a large audience, Professor Michael Norton likes to pose this question to the crowd: After you get up in the morning, do you brush your teeth first and then shower, or vice versa?... View Details

Keywords: Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information

Profile

Rachel H Chung

stretch my ambitions. Being part of the HBS community is like Playing on a giant sports team, where your teammates are also your cheerleaders and coaches. As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? A race car driver! The mix of... View Details

Profile

Dusty Register

creativity. Most people claim to be “into” LEGOs as a kid. With all due respect to those individuals, they couldn't come close to a fraction of the time I spent with my plastic bricks. What is your favorite childhood memory? In eighth grade, I visited the largest View Details

Keywords: CPG

11 Oct 2023
News

Soldier On

had said it's a sixth grader. And so I assumed, you know what? It's probably an accident. And she said, no, it's someone that is six years old, it's a first grader. And we think it was on purpose. And immediately I grabbed a sports coat... View Details

04 Jun 2020
Book

It’s Not About You: Why Leaders Need to Look Outward

more included while making others at least feel the same, maybe even more included. Great leaders are great at increasing inclusion for all without a fixed pie. And this pandemic has made that just go to a varsity sport level because of... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

27 Nov 2019
Sharpening Your Skills

Secrets for Creating a Long-Lasting Brand

built from the ground up and rebuilt again when the competitive landscape shifts. A Good Place to Start Super Bowl Ads Sell Products, but Do They Sell Brands?Super Bowl advertising is increasingly about using storytelling to sell corporate brands rather than products.... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail

October 2016
Case

The Quiet Ascension of LA Fitness

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

In 2016, LA Fitness was the largest chain of non-franchised fitness clubs in North America, operating 676 clubs, serving 4.9 million members, and generating revenues of over $1.9 billion. Founded by Chinyol Yi, Louis Welch, and Paul Norris in 1984, the privately held... View Details

Keywords: LA Fitness; Health Clubs; Fitness; Gyms; Chain; Exercise; Personal Training; Retention; Bally Total Fitness; 24 Hour Fitness; Planet Fitness; Buildings and Facilities; Acquisition; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Customers; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Demographics; Age; Gender; Income; Residency; Borrowing and Debt; Capital; Capital Structure; Cash; Cash Flow; Cost; Private Equity; Financial Condition; Financial Liquidity; Financing and Loans; Investment Return; Price; Profit; Revenue; Geographic Location; Geographic Scope; Multinational Firms and Management; Business History; Employees; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Human Capital; Contracts; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Operations; Service Operations; Leasing; Private Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Sales; Salesforce Management; Situation or Environment; Opportunities; Sports; Strategy; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Segmentation; Information Technology; Mobile Technology; Technology Platform; Health Industry; United States; California; Los Angeles

Citation

Educators

Purchase

01 Jun 2023
News

Pet Project

Illustration by Shane Cluskey Like pet owners everywhere, Katie Spies (MBA 2019) would do anything for her dog. In 2014, when her Italian greyhound, George, started experiencing seizures and other health problems that didn’t respond to medications, the vet recommended... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, and Book Stores; Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, and Book Stores; Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, and Book Stores; Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, and Book Stores

Web

General Management Curriculum - Faculty & Research

(also listed under Entrepreneurial Management) Benjamin N. Roth , Natalia Rigol Spring 2026 Q3Q4 3.0 The Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports (also listed under Marketing) Anita Elberse Fall 2025 Q1Q2 3.0 Business Solutions for... View Details

17 Jan 2019
Blog Post

MBA Curriculum Spotlight: Short Intensive Programs (SIPs)

active participation of prominent African alumni, including Hakeem Belo-Osagie (HBS ’80), as well as others with expertise in the field, "Africa Rising" will offer big picture understandings of the continent, and the ways in which its past informs the... View Details

August 2005 (Revised December 2005)
Case

Coach K: A Matter of the Heart

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

Successful college basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski faces the decision whether to accept a lucrative offer to coach a professional basketball team or continue to coach at Duke University. Provides a context for discussing various styles of power, influence, and... View Details

Keywords: Power and Influence; Strategic Planning; Decisions; Personal Development and Career; Interpersonal Communication; Management Teams; Goals and Objectives; Decision Choices and Conditions; Sports Industry; North Carolina

Citation

Educators

Purchase

Earl Sasser is a Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School and has been a member of the faculty there since 1969. He received a B.A. in Mathematics from Duke University in 1965, an MBA from the University of North Carolina in 1967, and a Ph.D. in... View Details

Keywords: sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports; sports

19 Mar 2014
Research & Ideas

A Brand Manager’s Guide to Losing Control

sports some 80 million likes. Nutella has 23 million on its Facebook page. If fan communities feel supported by their brand, they are that much more likely to come to its defense when attacked. "Your best defense against the haters... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Advertising

08 Apr 2019
Sharpening Your Skills

The Life of Luxury and How to Sell It

subject of a case study showing that luxury and sustainability need not be mutually exclusive. The Ferrari WaySecretive sports car maker Ferrari opens up about how it bucked industry trends to achieve success. How Would You Price One of... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Auto; Retail; Fashion

Profile

Melcolm Ruffin

Growing up on the west side of Chicago, Melcolm Ruffin was immersed in three things: "a loving family that nurtured me," an emphasis on education, and a passion for basketball. "I loved sports and was a big basketball... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment/Media

04 Nov 2009
What Do You Think?

What is the Role of Government Vis-à-Vis Capitalism?

sports analogy apply here, with government setting and enforcing the rules even-handedly through officials in its employ? Or is government's role instead to let market mechanisms and the "invisible hand" do their best? Have... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

26 Jan 2022
News

Making Peace with Anger

efforts in the world to show up, to be there for a sports game, for a concert recital, whatever the case might be. But I wasn’t really there mentally. I wasn’t engaged in being present for the boys, I was there to sort of carry the flag.... View Details

31 Jul 2023
News

Striving for Imperfection

Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Spotify More Skydeck episodes Since he left HBS in 1990, Charles Conn (MBA 1990) has built a full and varied portfolio career. Early on, he was a partner at McKinsey and then a tech executive, founding Ticketmaster-Citysearch. Today,... View Details

Keywords: Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management

01 May 2020
Blog Post

5 Reasons to Join a Club at HBS

Student Organization (LASO), sports clubs like the B-School Blades, professional clubs like Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA), and interest clubs like the Wine & Cuisine Society. With classes moving online for the remainder... View Details

11 Mar 2019
Research & Ideas

Branding Sells Cereal, Handbags, and Vacations. Can It Sell a Country?

brand needs to stake out a position that allows it to stand out relative to other regions. A Caribbean nation might need to highlight its luxury amenities or access to water sports to stand out among its island neighbors. Marketing isn’t... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Tourism

Publications