Publications

16 Oct 2017
Research & Ideas

The Most Successful Startups Have Hands-On Founders

Source: iPhoto Startup founders with a hands-on management style are more likely to retain employees and see their firms thrive, new research shows. The results are particularly applicable to knowledge-intensive technology firms, where... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

17 Jan 2011
Research & Ideas

Being the Boss

your boss. That's not the deal. You have to figure out the sources of power you have to influence the boss. You also have to see the boss as human and fallible in all the ways that you're human and fallible,... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

Web

Events - Business History

faculty Gerald Zaltman and John Quelch, as well as prominent scholars in the studies of the senses and the history of science, David Howes, Steven Shapin, and David Suisman. Jun 5 05 Jun 2017 Conference Digital Technologies in the Social... View Details

Web

HBS Alumni Conference: Accelerating Climate Solutions - Alumni

to the Secretary of Energy, US Department of Energy Gordon Jones , President, College of Western Idaho (CWI) Building the workforce is critical to scaling climate ventures, to valuation, and to public uptake of climate technologies both... View Details

01 Mar 2024
News

On the Radar

Illustration by Brian Stauffer Illustration by Brian Stauffer Our planet is teeming with trillions of viruses and bacteria, most of which are innocuous or even helpful, but some pose a significant risk to public health, animals, and crops. In recent decades,... View Details

Keywords: Janine White; Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities; Government

06 Oct 2008
Research & Ideas

Updating a Classic: Writing a Great Business Plan

ventures are "born global": They seek to address a global market and attract funding from global investors. Should a business plan be tailored in some way for a global audience? A: We live in a world of democratized access to ideas, View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

12 Aug 2019
Research & Ideas

How Scale Changes a Manager's Responsibilities

guidelines. Companies at this stage often wait too long to hire people experts—both human resources managers and experienced recruiters who get the startup-to-scale scene. That's a big mistake. Investing money in these roles early will... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Austin

04 Apr 2024
News

The Making of a Medical Milestone

day help alleviate critical shortages of human donor organs. The surgery was also a major step forward for David-Alexandre Gros, M.D. (MBA 2002) and his company, Eledon Pharmaceuticals, whose investigational immunosuppressant drug,... View Details

Keywords: Margie Kelley

19 Apr 2010
Research & Ideas

The History of Beauty

not take a great deal of capital nor technological expertise to launch an entrepreneurial venture in many beauty products—although for such a venture to have any hope of success, high levels of imagination and creativity have always been... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Beauty & Cosmetics

Web

Winners & Runners-Up | New Venture Competition

Indonesians by providing alternative loans and helping them to build a credit history. Business Track, 2022 Coprata Chase Moyle (MBA 2022) Sonia Grego Brian Stoner Business Track Winner Reimagining how individuals can think about human... View Details

31 May 2011
First Look

First Look: May 31

and James WeberHarvard Business School Case 511-065 Kevin Laracey, founder of Paydiant, needed to figure out how to launch a payment processing company with a new technology based on smart phones. Consumers had increasingly turned to... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

22 Oct 2019
Research & Ideas

Use Artificial Intelligence to Set Sales Targets That Motivate

handle human tasks—allows companies to use multiple variables to compute the best targets for employees, often in real time. Many companies have started using machine-learning algorithms to construct AI systems. Such algorithms can take... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

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

November 2020
Case

Guild Education: Unlocking Opportunity for America's Workforce

By: William A. Sahlman, Michael D. Smith, Nicole Tempest Keller and Alpana Thapar

Founded in 2015, Guild Education is an education marketplace that connects employers and universities to provide employees with ‘education as a benefit.’ The Denver-based company is transforming traditional tuition assistance programs by facilitating direct payment by... View Details

Keywords: Education; Digital Platforms; Information Technology; Employees; Social Enterprise; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; Colorado

January 2025
Case

GE Appliances 2025: Energizing Change

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Jacob A. Small

At the turn of 2025, Kevin Nolan, CEO of GE Appliances following its acquisition by Chinese appliance giant Haier in 2016, is reviewing progress toward his net zero carbon vision for homes, which would otherwise exacerbate the global warming climate crisis. An... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Transformation; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Technological Innovation; Leading Change; Product Development; Organizational Culture