Publications

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

07 Jan 2019
Research & Ideas

The Better Way to Forecast the Future

Political science has seen a rise in probability forecasts for geopolitical events, with forecasting competitions and blogs like Nate Silver’s fivethirtyeight.com offering probabilities of election results, outcomes of sporting events,... View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland; Air Transportation; Transportation

30 Jul 2007
Research & Ideas

Repugnant Markets and How They Get That Way

disease, and if you thought it was associated with injury—of which there is no evidence—you could pass laws requiring the use of a helmet. It's interesting that some activities that seem repugnant strike me as very similar to other activities that are not repugnant.... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

November 2002 (Revised January 2003)
Case

Mount Everest-1996

Describes the events that transpired during the May 1996, Mount Everest tragedy. Examines the flawed decisions that climbing teams made before and during the ascent. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Groups and Teams; Crisis Management; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; Nepal

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

January 2014 (Revised August 2017)
Case

StepSmart Fitness

By: Robert J. Dolan, Benson P. Shapiro and Alisa Zalosh

StepSmart Fitness, a manufacturer of exercise equipment, is undergoing a sweeping reorganization. The new CEO has terminated the District Sales Director and Regional VP and promoted 30-year-old Benjamin Cooper to manage the underperforming New England district. A... View Details

Keywords: Analysis; Restructuring; Salesforce Management; Management Succession; Performance Improvement; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; New England

20 Aug 2014
Research & Ideas

Why the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a Social Media Blockbuster

Sports teams are not far behind. In fact, almost everyone who is challenged by a friend, coworker, or family member joins in. If ice buckets can help fund research to shed light on a terrible disease, such as ALS, more power to them, and... View Details

Keywords: by John Deighton

25 Jan 2016
Blog Post

3 Tips on Coming to HBS with a Partner

actual class taking part (but that does not mean they cannot still come to a class or two!). They join in for all social events, join clubs, and participate on our intramural sports teams. A partner in our section was one of our highest... View Details

21 Aug 2017
Lessons from the Classroom

Companies Love Big Data But Lack the Strategy To Use It Effectively

to reshape their companies, and explored how they can put data to work for them in ways that create value for their own businesses. The data advantage in sports Big data is already being used heavily in the View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

October 2010 (Revised November 2010)
Case

The NFL's Digital Media Strategy

By: Anita Elberse, C. Kelsey Calhoun and Daven Johnson

In late 2009, Brian Rolapp, senior vice president of media strategy and digital media for the NFL, was faced with the challenge of determining the league's strategic approach to the wireless market—and presenting his views to NFL team owners. What was the league's best... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Marketing Channels; Marketing Strategy; Media; Distribution Channels; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Sports Industry