Profitable Growth - Publications - Faculty & Research

05 Jul 2021
What Do You Think?

Do Companies Really Need Chief Experience Officers to Know Their Customers?

products and services? Does it take a CXO to remind us of that? Do we really need CXOs? What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below. References: Clayton M. Christenson and Michael E. Raynor, The Innovator’s Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

01 Mar 2023
News

Step Change

had long been part of the cultural mindset. Today’s startup scene in Egypt is hopping. Venture capital funding reached $491 million in 2021, with a compounded annual growth rate of 117 percent between 2017 and 2021, according to Magnitt.... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; photographed by Abdelrahman Gabr – Koree; entrepreneurship; women; venture capital; Egypt; developing economies; Finance

30 Mar 2018
What Do You Think?

What Should Mark Zuckerberg Do?

contributed to the rapid growth of the network. The addition of each user increased the value of the network to everyone: users, the developers of apps made available to users, and advertisers utilizing user information. Although users... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Web Services; Information Technology

12 Nov 2021
News

Alumni Business Leaders on Confronting the Climate Change Challenge

even just stay out of trouble, your organizations need to bake sustainability into the core of what you do. You don’t have far to look to see where growth will come from in the coming decades. Year to date, sustainable US equity funds... View Details

September 2017
Case

Tencent

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

Tencent had undergone many transformations since it was founded in 1998 as a simple messaging service. In 2017, it was the largest online games provider in China with a wide range of game types, China’s largest social networking service provider with several of the... View Details

Keywords: Tencent; Tencent Holdings; WeChat; Social Networking; Social Networks; Gaming; Gaming Industry; Video Games; Computer Games; Mobile Gaming; Portals; Payments; Mobile Payments; O2O; Online-to-offline; E-commerce; Messaging; Subscription Model; Freemium; Mobile App Industry; Smartphone; PC; Monetization Strategy; Antitrust; Streaming; Cloud Computing; Artificial Intelligence; Big Data; Alibaba; Facebook; JD.com; Tesla; Bundling; Synergies; Digital Strategy; Imitation; Licensing; Agility; Entry Barriers; Online Platforms; Advertising; Digital Marketing; Business Ventures; Acquisition; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Conglomerates; Business Units; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Joint Ventures; Restructuring; Communication; Communication Technology; Blogs; Interactive Communication; Interpersonal Communication; Entertainment; Film Entertainment; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Music Entertainment; Investment; Investment Portfolio; Price; Profit; Revenue; Geographic Scope; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Global Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Business History; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Product Positioning; Social Marketing; Network Effects; Emerging Markets; Market Entry and Exit; Digital Platforms; Industry Growth; Monopoly; Media; Distribution Channels; Product Development; Service Delivery; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Structure; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Business and Government Relations; Groups and Teams; Networks; Opportunities; Social and Collaborative Networks; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Commercialization; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Cooperation; Corporate Strategy; Diversification; Expansion; Horizontal Integration; Vertical Integration; Segmentation; Information Technology; Internet and the Web; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Internet and the Web; Applications and Software; Information Infrastructure; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Value Creation; Communications Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Financial Services Industry; Information Industry; Information Technology Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; Music Industry; Service Industry; Technology Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Video Game Industry; Web Services Industry; Asia; China; Canton (province, China)

Citation

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Industry Information - Alumni

rig data, equipment marketplace, and more. + – Entertainment Billboardbiz Read the latest music industry news as it relates to everything from the growth of streaming services to the legal and management issues impacting the world of... View Details

19 Aug 2021
Op-Ed

Don't Ignore Your Employees' Misery—TAKE Control

profitability in many instances. So why are so many employers pushing so forcefully for all employees to return to the office, even as employee turnover across industries is increasing? It’s a pattern not isolated to the corporate world.... View Details

Keywords: by Hise O. Gibson and MaShon Wilson

19 Sep 2005
Research & Ideas

Rethinking Company Loyalty

employee-employer relationship pays off for both parties? The most effective executives and managers are applying these strategies: 1. Align career growth with company goals. When a company helps its employees develop expertise that... View Details

Keywords: by Lauren Keller Johnson

08 Sep 2008
HBS Case

The Value of Environmental Activists

There are many methods, most financial, to measure the success of companies in meeting goals. But the question becomes a lot harder at Harvard Business School when MBAs are challenged to measure the efforts of environmental organizations like Greenpeace and the World... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Energy; Utilities

09 Sep 2015
Research & Ideas

Leadership Lessons of the Great Recession: Options for Economic Downturns

profitability and returns for shareholders. During the last two recessions, layoffs were an almost universal go-to cost-saving choice in the United States. Compared with other recessions since 1973, companies were much more likely to lay... View Details

Keywords: by Sandra Sucher & Susan Winterberg; Aerospace; Electronics

01 Mar 2018
News

Every Trick in the Book

with some as large as 9,000 square feet, each stocking as many as 25,000 titles. BookHampton owner Carolyn Brody offers just a small selection of games and knickknacks—which offer higher profit margins than books do. “I want this to be a... View Details

Keywords: April White

Web

Harvard Business School

profitable strategy investing in communications companies targeting urban neighborhoods. The corporation's long-term investment in Radio One, a Black company that was the fastest-growing radio broadcasting company in 2000, paid tremendous... View Details

14 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restarting Under Uncertainty: Managerial Experiences from Around the World

across a variety of countries and sectors. The results of this exploration show that managers are trying to ensure safety and maintain profitability with tremendous energy and creativity. While specific tactics vary by company, they share... View Details

Keywords: by Raffaella Sadun, Andrea Bertoni, Alexia Delfino, Giovanni Fassio, and Mariapaola Testa

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

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01 Jun 1997
News

New Releases

orientation may allow important innovations to languish, leaving a void that more entrepreneurial companies in the same field may successfully fill. While keeping close to customers may be critical for short-term success, Christensen says, long-term View Details

C. William Pollard

Pollard led ServiceMaster’s dramatic growth and diversification through the acquisitions of Terminix, TruGreen/ChemLawn, Merry Maids, and American Home Shield. During his tenure, Pollard continued ServiceMaster’s 22 consecutive years of... View Details

Keywords: Services

Amory Houghton, Jr.

biotechnology, medical instruments and fiber optics, which were somewhat young, risky ventures at the time, but now form the profitable core of Corning’s business. Houghton’s strategic vision brought Corning out of several years of... View Details

Keywords: Fabricated Goods

Francis C. Rooney, Jr.

During his 23-year tenure as CEO, Rooney led Melville’s dramatic expansion as a focused retail industry conglomerate. His acquisition of CVS in 1969 became the primary profitability producer for the corporation. Under his leadership,... View Details

Keywords: Retail

Charles R. Shoemate

Shoemate presided over a dramatic growth period for CPC International (maker of Hellman’s mayonnaise, Thomas English muffins, and Knorr soups), building it into one of the world’s largest food producers. Through skillful acquisitions, CPC... View Details

Keywords: Food & Tobacco

15 Nov 2010
Lessons from the Classroom

Connecting Goals and Go-To-Market Initiatives

valuations and growth options. A key to meeting growth potential is eliminating the gulf between big-picture strategy and day-to-day field execution. It's often the most difficult part of implementation... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail

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