Publications

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

08 Aug 2018
Sharpening Your Skills

Parmigiano-Reggiano, Jane Austen, and Other Things You Didn't Know About Finance

but their passive investment nature offers few checks on those companies’ executives. Vanguard, Trian And The Problem With 'Passive' Index Funds As investors increasingly demand investment opportunities that match their social beliefs,... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Financial Services

Web

Women, Work, and the “M” Word - Blog: Health Supplement

they ascend to the peak of their professional lives. Often already overwhelmed as caregivers themselves, the added burden of the menopause transition can push women out of the workforce completely. Women described their struggles to View Details

01 Apr 2002
News

Professorship Brings Brierley's HBS Connection Full Circle

relationship management or ‘customer loyalty' execution," observes Brierley. A board member of numerous organizations, including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, The Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, KERA-TV, The Dallas Opera,... View Details

Keywords: Charles M. Williams; Epsilon Data Management; Computer Systems Design and Related Services; Computer Systems Design and Related Services

13 Aug 1998
Keynote Speech

Ethics, Human Rights, and International Business." Panelist. "World Congress of Philosophy

By: Lynn S. Paine

Keywords: Ethics; Rights; Globalized Firms and Management

June 2007 (Revised July 2007)
Case

Leslie Brinkman at Versutia Capital

By: Julie Battilana and Robert Steven Kaplan

Leslie Brinkman is the founder and CEO of a hedge fund, Genuity Capital. Leslie spent late 2002 and early 2003 assembling her team and launched the fund in early 2003. While the firm performed well during 2003 and 2004 (both in terms of returns and new assets), in 2005... View Details

Keywords: Management Style; Organizational Design; Performance Improvement; Groups and Teams

18 Mar 2014
Blog Post

BaubleBar Brought to Life, and Other Tales of Joining a Start-up

where she managed the development, launch, and operations of their e-commerce business. Also, be ready for a possible multi-step job process, Julia said. Maybe you work in tech over the summer (think Yahoo,... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Technology; Consumer Products / Retail

Web

The Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports - Course Catalog

How can entertainment businesses best approach the management and marketing of creative talent? In particular, how should companies invest in and capture value from... View Details

March 2009
Teaching Note

Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n Roll: The MTV Approach to Tackling HIV/AIDS (TN)

By: Tarun Khanna, Sonali R. Bloom and David E. Bloom

Teaching Note for [709429]. View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Emerging Markets; Health Pandemics; Announcements; Social Issues; Customers; For-Profit Firms; Business Strategy; Infrastructure; Multinational Firms and Management; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Africa

25 Jan 2019
Blog Post

Not Waiting for Progress: Diversity and Inclusion in the Film Industry

stepped on campus, I felt it was my responsibility to be a fully contributing member of that community.” At the Capital Group, where he spent several post-college years before HBS, Diamond learned about the asset management business View Details

16 Jun 2023
Blog Post

Improve Decision-Making in Hiring: Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

candidates. Unconscious bias and a resulting lack of diversity can also impact a company’s bottom line. A study of venture capital firms found that “the more similar the investment partners, the lower their... View Details

Keywords: All Industries

March 2010 (Revised December 2010)
Case

The Market for Prisoners: Business, Crime and Punishment in the "American Dream"

By: Rafael M. Di Tella and Laura Winig

In 2010, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the largest private prison operator in the U.S., was considering expansion options. The company's largest customers, federal and state governments, were under economic pressure to reduce the incarceration rate and... View Details

Keywords: For-Profit Firms; Crime and Corruption; Profit; Law Enforcement; Growth and Development Strategy; Demand and Consumers; Business and Government Relations; Competitive Strategy; Expansion; United States

02 Nov 2016
Op-Ed

Government and Financial Tech Can Fix Cash Woes for Small Businesses

Ask any small business owner and they will tell you that cash flow is on their mind pretty much all the time. This isn’t surprising, given that they are continuously managing dollars coming in from customers... View Details

Keywords: by Karen Mills

June 1991 (Revised April 1993)
Case

Acer, Inc.

By: Robert H. Hayes

Acer is undergoing two major transitions at the time of this case: from a small, entrepreneurially-run company to a large professionally-run one; and from a largely domestic company to a multinational one. After a decade of phenomenal growth, it is now facing a major... View Details

Keywords: Transition; Motivation and Incentives; Multinational Firms and Management; Business Growth and Maturation; Employees; Resignation and Termination; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Diversity; Computer Industry; Taiwan

Find at Harvard

13 Oct 2015
Research & Ideas

Does Business Get Done the Same Way in Emerging and Developed Countries?

pressures. There is some empirical evidence that family firms can make decisions that are longer-term oriented, but the evidence is not clear cut. And there can be significant drawbacks to having families... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

Olivia S. Kim

Olivia Kim is an assistant professor of business administration in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School. She teaches the Entrepreneurial Management course in the MBA required curriculum.

Professor Kim's research examines how firms... View Details

Christopher A. Bartlett

Professor Christopher A. Bartlett received an economics degree from the University of Queensland, Australia (1964), and both the masters and doctorate degrees in business administration from Harvard University (1971 and 1979).

As a practicing manager prior... View Details

Keywords: management consulting; management consulting; management consulting; management consulting; management consulting; management consulting

April 1985
Background Note

Roles and Responsibilities of the Country Manager: MNC Operations from the National Organization's Perspective

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Keywords: Managerial Roles; Multinational Firms and Management