Publications

August 2013
Case

Harold Mills at ZeroChaos (A)

By: Lena G. Goldberg and Maurice L. Kuykendoll II

After leading a management buy-out, Harold Mills transformed ZeroChaos into a global staffing enterprise. Poised to raise additional capital to fund the company's next phase of growth, he was also confronting the liquidity demands of his early-stage investors and... View Details

Keywords: Legal Aspects Of Business; Law; Business Growth and Maturation; Corporate Finance

02 Sep 2008
Research & Ideas

Indulgence vs. Regret: Investing in Future Memories

durable goods, she adds. In another study, Keinan interviewed college students and alumni returning for their 40th reunion, asking the two groups to assess their level of regret about how they spent their winter breaks on a View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

October 2000 (Revised November 2000)
Case

Bridgespan Group, The

By: Allen S. Grossman and John D. Kalafatas

Bain & Co., a consulting firm with a client list that ranges from entrepreneurial start-ups to global corporations, wanted to increase its involvement with nonprofit organizations. Rather than continuing to integrate the work into the existing organization, Bain... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit Organizations; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Problems and Challenges; Leadership Style; Growth and Development Strategy; Consulting Industry

31 Jul 2014
Research & Ideas

A Scholarly Crowd Explores Crowdsourcing

When Clayton Christensen and Derek van Bever prepared to write The Capitalist's Dilemma for the June issue of Harvard Business Review, they took an approach rarely tried on the same scale: They outsourced it with 150 Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

14 Oct 2014
First Look

First Look: October 14

October 2014 Review of Financial Studies Money Creation and the Shadow Banking System By: Sunderam, Adi Abstract—Many explanations for the rapid growth of the shadow banking system in the mid-2000s focus on... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

March 2022
Case

Abu Issa Holding: Navigating the Qatar Blockade

By: Mark Egan and Youssef Abdel Aal

The case follows Ashraf Abu Issa, CEO and chairman of Abu Issa Holding (AIH), as he contemplated the fate of his company’s regional expansion. AIH was a Qatari diversified holding company, whose primary business was luxury retailing and distribution. Abu Issa had set... View Details

Keywords: Luxury Retail; Expansion; Equity; Business Divisions; Growth and Development; Market Entry and Exit; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Consumer Products Industry; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates

November 2001
Case

Charles Schwab Corp.: Introducing A New Brand

By: Rajiv Lal and David Kiron

As the financial services industry converges, how should Charles Schwab, widely known as a discount brokerage firm, position its brand? This case presents elements of the company's overall brand strategy--including brand assets, choice of target audience, and media... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Financial Services Industry

September 2005 (Revised March 2009)
Background Note

Developing an Effective Living Group

By: Michael Beer, John J. Gabarro and Michael L. Tushman

Discusses the importance of living room groups (eight participants who share a living room) in Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program developing into effective learning groups. The diversity of the groups is a strength, but only a conscious and concerted... View Details

Keywords: Executive Education; Groups and Teams; Competency and Skills; Learning; Diversity; Growth and Development

April 2022 (Revised May 2022)
Case

Mastercard Labs (A) (Abridged)

By: Linda A. Hill, Sunil Gupta, Emily Tedards and Julia Kelley

When Ajaypal (Ajay) Banga became the CEO of Mastercard in 2010, he shifted the company’s competitive focus from card networks to cash itself. Mastercard’s new vision of a “World Beyond Cash” distilled into a three-pronged framework: Grow the core business, Diversify... View Details

Career Coach

Rohit Sahni

Rohit (HBS ’08) has deep experience in financial services. He started his career in investment banking (Goldman Sachs), where he worked for three years. Thereafter, he worked at two different private equity firms (General Atlantic and... View Details

18 Sep 2007
Research & Ideas

How Brand China Can Succeed

Its double digit economic growth rates—especially for a country of over a billion people—have been enviable. China has become factory to the world. The Chinese are rightly proud of their achievements and the... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

January 2025
Case

PayJoy: Financing for the Next Billion

By: Boris Groysberg and Sarah L. Abbott

PayJoy, an impact-driven financial technology company founded in 2015, provides smartphone financing and other financial products to customers who lack access to traditional credit products. As of early 2025, PayJoy had issued $2.5 billion in loans to 13 million... View Details

14 Jul 2003
Research & Ideas

Keeping Your Balance With Customers

Industrial Era, product innovation and operations management predominated. Product innovation ensured the continuous flow of new products that would sustain growth or market share or both. Operations... View Details

Keywords: by Robert S. Kaplan & David P. Norton

22 Sep 2016
Cold Call Podcast

Innovation Under Constraint: Constructing a Turnaround at Lego

Keywords: Re: Jan W. Rivkin & Stefan H. Thomke; Entertainment & Recreation

March 2003 (Revised July 2004)
Case

Sustainable Development at Shell (A)

Describes the complex and challenging process by which social and environmental concerns are integrated into the existing strategy of a large, multinational firm. Details the circumstances leading up to a large-scale effort to transform Shell's strategy to take into... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Corporate Strategy; Environmental Sustainability; Growth and Development Strategy; Energy Industry