Publications

December 2023 (Revised April 2025)
Case

Yellow Corporation: On the Verge of Bankruptcy

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Edward A. Meyer

Yellow Corporation, one of the country’s oldest and largest less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers, was nearing its 100th anniversary in 2024. Whether it would reach that milestone, however, was uncertain as the company was attempting to restructure its operations to... View Details

Keywords: Labor Unions; Labor and Management Relations; Capital Structure; Restructuring; Financial Management; Ethics; Borrowing and Debt; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Financial Strategy; Truck Transportation; Change Management; Transportation Industry; Shipping Industry; United States

15 Nov 2011
First Look

First Look: November 15

billion additional urban dwellers. Second, shared resources like clean water, clean air, energy, and places to put solid waste are already scarce and constrained. Urbanization will only exacerbate these pressures. Third, almost no local or national government can... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

16 Nov 2009
Research & Ideas

The Times Captures History of American Business

connections across the world are tight, and they reveal themselves quickly. In the past year we have learned that the capital markets, just like the environment, are organic systems, fundamental to life as we all know it on this planet.... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Journalism & News

01 Aug 2000
Research & Ideas

A Latin American Vision: New HBS Research Center Opens

Silicon Valley and Hong Kong. As for Latin America, in addition to the new Center in Buenos Aires, according to Stevenson, there is also a satellite office in Rio de Janeiro and may soon be one in Mexico. "Our purpose with the Center is to develop intellectual... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

05 Feb 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, February 5, 2019

factors: business operations, venture financing, technology, suppliers, people to recruit, and customers. The structure and composition of CIC floors has only a modest influence on these immigrant versus native differences. Download... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

21 Dec 2010
First Look

First Look: December 21

performance chemicals. Simultaneously, Dow had signed a joint venture agreement with Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) of Kuwait, a deal that would generate $7 billion in cash that could be used to finance the all-cash offer to buy... View Details

March 2020
Case

Voi Technology

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Olivia Hull

Voi Technology, a fast-growing start-up out of Sweden, is competing in the highly contested European e-scooter sharing market. With a presence in nearly 40 cities in Europe by February 2020, the firm is working hard to improve its unit economics to reach profitability.... View Details

July 2018 (Revised January 2019)
Teaching Note

Next Street, LLC

By: Richard S. Ruback, Royce Yudkoff and Ahron Rosenfeld

Teaching Note for HBS Nos. 211-094 and 219-723. View Details

Keywords: Small ＆ Medium-sized Enterprises; Small Business; Capital; Development Economics; Urban Scope; Commercial Banking; Growth and Development; Banking Industry; Consulting Industry

12 Aug 2014
First Look

First Look: August 12

the co-founders and co-CEOs of salaUno, Javier Okhuysen and Carlos Orellana, were encouraged by the results of their fledgling start-up. salaUno was founded as a for-profit enterprise in order to have the capital needed for rapid growth... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

14 Jul 2008
Research & Ideas

HBS Cases: Reforming New Orleans Schools After Katrina

do not receive capital allocations for building or leasing facilities, which represent significant start-up and recurring costs. They must either reduce what they spend on teaching and learning or secure private funding to make the rent.... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Education

22 May 2007
First Look

First Look: May 22, 2007

are removed. Firms are more likely to issue equity or redeem convertible debt during the restricted period, suggesting strong incentives for manipulation. Revisiting the Strategy, Structure, and Performance Paradigm: The Case of Venture... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

14 Dec 2010
First Look

First Look: Dec. 14

increased during the 2007-2009 financial crisis. Diversification gave firms both financing and investment advantages. First, conglomerates became significantly more leveraged relative to comparable focused firms. Second, conglomerates' access to internal View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 2004 (Revised September 2019)
Background Note

The U.S. Health Club Industry in 2004

By: John R. Wells, Gabriel Ellsworth and Benjamin Weinstock

In 2004, the $16.8 billion U.S. health club industry continued its strong record of growth. There were almost 27,000 health clubs in the United States, up from 6,700 two decades earlier, and these clubs claimed 41 million members, over 14% of the U.S. population.... View Details

Keywords: Health Clubs; Fitness; Gyms; Chain; Weight Loss; Obesity; Exercise; Personal Training; Bally Total Fitness; 24 Hour Fitness; YMCA; Gold's Gym; Curves; Franchise; Franchising; Subscription; Promotional Sales; Promotions; Fixed Costs; Body; Accrual Accounting; Revenue Recognition; Buildings and Facilities; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Trends; Customers; Demographics; Age; Income; Private Equity; Financing and Loans; Profit; Revenue; Geographic Scope; Multinational Firms and Management; Health; Nutrition; Business History; Employees; Retention; Human Capital; Working Conditions; Contracts; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Markets; Demand and Consumers; Supply and Industry; Industry Growth; Industry Structures; Operations; Service Operations; Franchise Ownership; Private Ownership; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Sales; Salesforce Management; Situation or Environment; Opportunities; Nonprofit Organizations; Welfare; Sports; Strategy; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Consolidation; Corporate Strategy; Customization and Personalization; Expansion; Segmentation; Hardware; Health Industry; United States

10 Aug 2010
First Look

First Look: August 10

Purchase this case:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/310090-PDF-ENG Milliway Capital & Martin Smith: November 2008 G. Felda Hardymon, Matthew Rhodes-Kropf, and Ann LeamonHarvard Business School Case 810-088 Martin Smith, a recent... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

January 2023
Case

Natura: Weathering the Pandemic at Brazil's Cosmetic Giant

By: Brian Trelstad, Pedro Levindo and Carla Larangeira

Brazil's Natura, a multi-brand cosmetics group, has taken several measures to safeguard the livelihoods of its thousands of employees and millions of sales representatives during the COVID-19 health and economic crisis. The company has also made strides in its efforts... View Details