Publications

October 1984
Case

NIKE (F1)

Concerns a specific strategic decision--should the apparel division expand rapidly? The teaching plan would highlight the pros and cons of such a move. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Cost vs Benefits; Expansion; Business Divisions; Sports Industry; Sports Industry

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October 1984
Case

Focusing on middle manager Harry Leidboldt, this case presents a clear-cut strategic issue--should Nike move into the leisure shoe business? The teaching objective is to first view the decision as a business problem--can Nike succeed in this business? and secondly, to... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Expansion; Marketing Strategy; Management Practices and Processes; Management Teams; Product Development; Sports Industry; Sports Industry

October 1984
Case

NIKE (B1): Business Class Travel

Presents information about Nike's way of accounting for travel expenses. The teaching objective is to raise the academic question: What is a policy? and then to proceed to a specific action question: what should be Nike's travel policy? View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Policy; Sports Industry; Sports Industry

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October 1984 (Revised May 1990)
Case

NIKE (A)

Describes the history of Nike, its economic strategy, and the industries in which it competes. The teaching objective is to ask the student to identify and evaluate Nike's economic/technical strategy. View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Business History; Supply and Industry; Financial Strategy; Sports Industry; Sports Industry

20 Jul 2015
Research & Ideas

Globalization Hasn’t Killed the Manufacturing Cluster

shoemakers in Italy among other industries to understand why manufacturing clusters still survive. ©iStock.com/panpipe The two shoe clusters studied are physically only 50 kilometers apart, but worlds apart in their success. The sports... View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland; Manufacturing; Apparel & Accessories; Fashion

February 2011
Teaching Note

Porsche: The Cayenne Launch (TN)

By: John Deighton and Jill Avery

Teaching Note for 511-068. View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Sports; Product Development; Value; Safety; Internet and the Web; Communication Technology; Auto Industry

November 1998 (Revised July 2012)
Case

Explo Leisure Products

By: Richard G. Hamermesh

Tim Trowac and Dave Rahall, two former investment bankers, skillfully execute the leveraged buyout of a golf ball recycling company after working intensely on their due diligence, writing a business and financial plan, and developing the investment memorandum. Six... View Details

Keywords: Selection and Staffing; Leveraged Buyouts; Business Plan; Performance; Management Teams; Business Strategy; Financial Strategy; Business and Shareholder Relations; Sports Industry; Sports Industry

16 Oct 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, October 16, 2018

with Asian manufacturers, built a small warehouse and fulfillment center, designed an innovative line of inflatable SUPs, and built an ecommerce website that sold boards and accessories to consumers. After the rising trend in interest for the View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

26 Jan 2016
First Look

January 26, 2016

Sports Network for Millennials By January 2015, Whistle Sports, a multi-platform sports network for millennials, had attracted over 54 million online subscribers on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

June 2005 (Revised October 2005)
Case

Coach Roy Williams: What Next? (A)

By: Thomas J. DeLong, Christoper Chang and Scott Schweitzer

Roy Williams, head coach of the Kansas University Men's Basketball Team, was facing a major decision. The recent resignation of the coach at the University of North Carolina (UNC) had lead to speculation that Williams, a UNC alumnus, would be named as its new coach.... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Resignation and Termination; Job Offer; Leading Change; Management Succession; Performance Improvement; Personal Development and Career; Sports; Kansas; North Carolina

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September 2023 (Revised May 2025)
Teaching Note

On

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Karolin Frankenberger, Sascha Mader, Jordan Mitchell and Karen Elterman

Teaching Note for "On," HBS Case No. 723-430. On is a premium performance running shoe company founded in Switzerland in 2010. The company rapidly gained traction through its unique CloudTec cushioning technology, its innovative midsole plate called the Speedboard, and... View Details

29 Aug 2008
Working Paper Summaries

Unraveling Yields Inefficient Matchings: Evidence from Post-Season College Football Bowls

Keywords: by Guillaume R. Fréchette, Alvin E. Roth & M. Utku Ünver; Sports; Sports; Sports

27 Jan 2014
Research & Ideas

Family CEOs Spend Less Time at Work

manufacturing firms, asking whether they would be willing to take part in a study of how CEOs spend their time. Some 356 CEOs agreed to participate. Some family CEOs spend less time at work than professional CEOs, especially during major View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

07 May 2013
First Look

First Look: May 7

publicly announced their intention to sell their 76.7% stake in Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A., an iconic Italian producer of sport performance motorcycles. The decision followed a six-year turnaround during which Ducati returned to... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

August 1994 (Revised July 1995)
Case

Astra Sports, Inc. (A)

By: John A. Quelch

Astra executives meet to discuss how to counteract the appearance of Korean-made counterfeit athletic shoes in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Strategy; Crime and Corruption; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; North Korea; Latin America; South Korea; Asia; Europe

22 Oct 2013
First Look

First Look: October 22

expenditures on teammates lead to better performance in both sports teams in Canada and pharmaceutical sales teams in Belgium. These results suggest that a minor adjustment to employee bonuses-shifting the focus from the self to... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 2025
Supplement

Joe Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics (B)

By: Linda A. Hill, James I. Cash and Lydia Begag

This case is a supplement to “Joe Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics” (A) and is set against the backdrop of the 2024 NBA Finals. It describes the impact of Mazzulla’s decision to rally his team with an aggressive “go for the kill” mindset instead of choosing language... View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Change Management; Communication; Values and Beliefs; Decision Making; Innovation Leadership; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Leading Change; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Crisis Management; Management Skills; Business Processes; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Performance Efficiency; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; United States

January 2023 (Revised April 2025)
Case

Peloton Interactive (A)

By: Suraj Srinivasan, Lynn S. Paine and David Lane

Early in February 2022, the board of Peloton Interactive faced some knotty challenges. Immense pandemic demand for its stationary exercise bicycles and treadmills had prompted the firm to scale up production rapidly. But as gyms reopened and the virulence of the virus... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Growth Management; Investment Activism; Leadership; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; United States

October 1984 (Revised March 1999)
Case

NIKE (E)

Provides the background for a discussion of Nike (E1), (E2), and (E3). Outlines Nike's senior management group's early program to deal with the company's increasingly difficult competitive circumstance. View Details

Keywords: Management Style; Competition; Situation or Environment; Management Teams; Sports Industry; Sports Industry