Publications

December 2012 (Revised July 2013)
Case

The “Chongqing Model” and the Future of China

By: Meg Rithmire

Since opening to the global economy in 1979, but especially since entering the WTO in 2001, China's economy grew at rates around 10% annually by attracting FDI and promoting exports. After the financial crisis that began in 2008 and depressed demand in the United... View Details

Keywords: China; Public Sector; Private Sector; Developing Countries and Economies; Macroeconomics; Public Administration Industry; China

16 Oct 2023
HBS Case

Advancing Black Talent: From the Flight Ramp to 'Family-Sustaining' Careers at Delta

largest employer for three decades. When Bastian took the helm as CEO of Delta Air Lines in 2016, he questioned why only 21 percent of the company’s 90,000 employees were Black, especially since the company was based in Atlanta, a city... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert; Air Transportation

07 Nov 2023
News

Love and Money

Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Spotify More Skydeck episodes Dan Morrell: Which is the best dating app? Can money actually buy love? When do you talk about money in a new relationship and how do you broach the topic? How can well-meaning parents actually help their... View Details

11 Oct 2023
News

Soldier On

Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Spotify More Skydeck episodes In November of 2022, 33-year-old Phillip Jones (MPA/MBA 2021) was elected mayor of Newport News, Virginia, where he had spent part of his childhood. The son of two Air Force veterans, he served six years in... View Details

01 Mar 2024
News

Game On

It’s raining in Sarasota. And not a light sprinkle but a proper, Florida drenching, so the outdoor courts at the Pickleball Club’s Lakewood Ranch location are deserted. Inside is a different story. Most of the 12 courts are in play. With four people to a court, all... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; photographed by Edward Linsmier; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries; Arts, Entertainment

Web

Online Finance & Accounting Courses | HBS Online

2023 survey of participants across all HBS Online programs, conducted by City Square Associates). Better overall experience (From a 2023 survey of prospective learners, conducted by City Square Associates).... View Details

01 Jun 2023
News

Curb Appeal

trash collection to snow removal. If the forecast is correct, DSNY will have to clear 5 to 6 inches from 6,500 miles of city streets—a task that involves fitting plows to 2,000 garbage trucks and salt spreaders while continuing to collect... View Details

Keywords: Alexander Gelfand; photography by Vance Jacobs; Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities; Government

01 Oct 2013
First Look

First Look: October 1

often cited as a success story of public disclosure. Hygiene grades influence customer decisions and serve as an accountability system for restaurants. However, cities (which are responsible for inspections) have limited resources to... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Web

The Forgotten Real Estate Boom - Bubbles, Panics & Crashes – Historical Collections – Harvard Business School

madness that consumed Florida investors: city lots in Miami were bought and sold as many as ten times in a single day. The received wisdom holds that a 1926 hurricane pricked the bubble, but house price indices and construction data... View Details

Web

Rock 100: The Network - Entrepreneurship

and insights through faculty led peer-group roundtables and case discussions. The Roundtables/Topical Dinners The Roundtables/Topical Dinners The Roundtables/Topical Dinners The Roundtables/Topical Dinners Regional events where Rock 100 members convene in targeted... View Details

01 Dec 2023
News

3-Minute Briefing: Nathaniel Fick (MBA/MPA 2008)

As a Marine, I led some of the first units in Afghanistan and Iraq. What I loved about that experience was the intersection of a mission with building and leading teams. I came to HBS to develop the tools around that work, but in a very different context. On the... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

October 2019
Case

Agility Africa

By: Juan Alcacer, Caroline M. Elkins and Esel Çekin

This case illustrates the challenge and opportunities that firms face when developing and executing new business models in high-risk, low-infrastructure, low-trust countries. It features a global logistics group, Agility, that aimed to become the leader in supplying... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Business Model; Innovation and Invention; Expansion; Emerging Markets; Decision Choices and Conditions; Real Estate Industry; Distribution Industry; Africa

2018
Working Paper

After the Carnival: Key Factors to Enhance Olympic Legacy and Prevent Olympic Sites from Becoming White Elephants

By: Isao Okada and Stephen A. Greyser

In recent years, the total spending on hosting the Olympic Games has snowballed. The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games spent $40 billion on infrastructure development, and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics reached $50 billion. Even when the glorious but costly Olympic Games come... View Details

Keywords: Olympic Venue; Effective Reuse; White Elephant; Sustainability; Buildings and Facilities; Sports

Read Now

April 2020
Background Note

U.S. Food Retail During the Pandemic: March 2020

By: José B. Alvarez and Natalie Kindred

This note, written in late March 2020 and mainly U.S. focused, looks at the unfolding impact of the coronavirus pandemic on food retailers and their suppliers. It allows student to consider the challenges facing food retail executives as they navigate urgent supply... View Details

Keywords: Coronavirus Pandemic; Risk and Uncertainty; Risk Management; Food; Supply Chain; Consumer Behavior; Demand and Consumers; Trade; Crisis Management; Health Pandemics; Food and Beverage Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Retail Industry; United States

July 2021
Article

Outsourcing Tasks Online: Matching Supply and Demand on Peer-to-Peer Internet Platforms

By: Zoë Cullen and Chiara Farronato

We study the growth of online peer-to-peer markets. Using data from TaskRabbit, an expanding marketplace for domestic tasks at the time of our study, we show that growth varies considerably across cities. To disentangle the potential drivers of growth, we look... View Details

Keywords: Two-sided Market; Two-sided Platforms; Peer-to-peer Markets; Platform Strategy; Sharing Economy; Platform Growth; Internet and the Web; Digital Platforms; Strategy; Market Design; Network Effects

May 2019 (Revised September 2019)
Case

Mobike and ofo: Dancing with Titans (A)

By: Shikhar Ghosh and Haibo Zhao

This case address pacing issues – how fast does a company need to scale? It also examines the role of investors in determining company strategy and exit.
Mobike and ofo were two dominant players in China’s emerging dockless bike-sharing market, that allowed users... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Venture Capital; Financing and Loans; Competition; Value Creation; Governance; Economics; Business Startups; Strategy; Business Exit or Shutdown; Entrepreneurship; Infrastructure; Transportation; Bicycle Transportation; China