Publications

Educators

May 2004
Article

The Case for International Coordination of Electricity Regulation: Evidence from the Measurement of Efficiency in South America

A decade of experience has shown that monitoring the performance of public and private monopolies is the hardest part of electricity sector reform in South America—because operators control most of the information needed for effective regulation. South American... View Details

Keywords: Information; Mathematical Methods; Monopoly; Globalization; Energy Sources; Energy Industry; South America

Research Summary

Overview

Downstream businesses that utilize global suppliers frequently use auditing programs to monitor their suppliers’ working conditions and are often deployed to address reputational concerns associated with procuring from unregulated suppliers. Despite their widespread... View Details

Keywords: Audit Quality; Remote Work; Outsourcing; Econometric Analysis; Switching Costs; Service Operations; Performance Effectiveness; Retail Industry; Service Industry

May 2021 (Revised February 2024)
Teaching Note

THE YES: Reimagining the Future of E-Commerce with Artificial Intelligence (AI)

By: Ayelet Israeli and Jill Avery

THE YES, a multi-brand shopping app launched in May 2020 offered a new type of buying experience for women’s fashion, driven by a sophisticated algorithm that used data science and machine learning to create and deliver a personalized store for every shopper, based on... View Details

Keywords: Data; Data Analytics; Artificial Intelligence; AI; AI Algorithms; AI Creativity; Fashion; Retail; Retail Analytics; E-Commerce Strategy; Platform; Platforms; Big Data; Preference Elicitation; Predictive Analytics; App Development; ＂Marketing Analytics＂; Advertising; Mobile App; Mobile Marketing; Apparel; Online Advertising; Referral Rewards; Referrals; Female Ceo; Female Entrepreneur; Female Protagonist; Analytics and Data Science; Analysis; Creativity; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Consumer Behavior; Demand and Consumers; Forecasting and Prediction; Marketing Channels; Digital Marketing; Internet and the Web; Mobile and Wireless Technology; AI and Machine Learning; E-commerce; Digital Platforms; Fashion Industry; Retail Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States

2013
Tool

Harvard Business Review's Go to Market Tools: Customer Lifetime Value

By: Thomas Steenburgh and Jill Avery

How much are your customers worth? Has your marketing budget been slashed? Need to figure out the best place to invest your time and effort to reach your growth target? HBR's Go to Market Tool helps calculate your customer's lifetime value, allowing you to prioritize... View Details

Keywords: Quantitative Analysis; Tools; Customer Lifetime Value; Customer Defection; CRM; Customer Relationship Management; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Customer Focus and Relationships

October 2016 (Revised February 2019)
Module Note

Strategy Execution Module 5: Building a Profit Plan

By: Robert Simons

This module reading describes how to build a profit plan to reflect the strategy of a business in economic terms. After introducing the profit wheel, cash wheel, and ROE wheel, the module illustrates how to use a profit plan to assess the viability of different... View Details

Keywords: Management Control Systems; Implementing Strategy; Execution; Profit Planning; Cash Flow Analysis; Asset Utilization; Return On Equity; Business Planning; Testing Strategy; Analyzing Strategic Alternative; Strategy; Asset Management; Cash Flow; Investment Return; Management Systems; Profit

Research Summary

Overview

Professor Sherman's research has long focused on financial reporting, performance measurement/management, and financial literacy issues facing corporate management and Boards of Directors in global businesses. He also actively studies methods to improve productivity in... View Details

Summer 2013
Article

Analyzing Performance of Service Organizations: Balanced Benchmarking Can Identify Best Practices That Are Often Hidden

By: H. David Sherman and Joe Zhu

Just as sports teams have increasingly relied on rigorous quantitative analyses, so have many businesses. In particular, a growing number of service organizations have been investigating the use of a sophisticated linear programming technique called DEA, or data... View Details

Keywords: Balanced Benchmarking; Management

Register to Read

June 2023
Case

Investing in the Climate Transition at Neuberger Berman

By: George Serafeim and Benjamin Maletta

By mid-2023, Neuberger Berman (NB), an active asset manager, had grown its assets under management to about half a trillion dollars and took pride in its client centricity and innovative spirit. Responding to client demand for investment products that integrated... View Details

Educators

September 2016 (Revised March 2017)
Module Note

Strategy Execution Module 3: Using Information for Performance Measurement and Control

By: Robert Simons

This module reading explains how managers use information to control critical business processes and outcomes. The analysis begins by illustrating how managers use information to communicate goals and track performance. Then the focus turns to the choices that managers... View Details

Keywords: Management Control Systems; Implementing Strategy; Strategy Execution; Organization Process; Feedback Model; Innovation; Uses Of Information; Big Data; Benchmarking; Decision Making; Information; Performance Evaluation; Analytics and Data Science

November 1990
Case

Chemplan Corp.: Paint-Rite Division

By: Paul A. Vatter

An exercise with data that allows a discussion of regression analysis as a tool for forecasting and understanding structure. View Details

Keywords: Forecasting and Prediction; Framework; Analytics and Data Science; Mathematical Methods

August 2019
Article

When and How to Diversify—A Multicategory Utility Model for Personalized Content Recommendation

By: Yicheng Song, Nachiketa Sahoo and Elie Ofek

Sometimes we desire change, a break from the same or an opportunity to fulfill different aspects of our needs. Noting that consumers seek variety, several approaches have been developed to diversify items recommended by personalized recommender systems. However,... View Details

Keywords: Recommender Systems; Personalization; Recommendation Diversity; Variety Seeking; Collaborative Filtering; Consumer Utility Models; Digital Media; Clickstream Analysis; Learning-to-rank; Consumer Behavior; Media; Customization and Personalization; Strategy; Mathematical Methods

9 AM – 10 AM EDT, 20 Mar 2019
HBS Online

HBS Online Business Analytics

Develop a data mindset and the analytical skills to interpret and communicate data. This course will demystify data analysis and equip you with concrete skills to apply in your work or further studies. Program Dates: March 20, 2019 - May 15, 2019 View Details

2016
Book

Managing in the Gray: Five Timeless Questions for Resolving Your Toughest Problems at Work

By: Joseph L. Badaracco

Part of a manager's job is making tough calls, and the hardest challenge can be resolving "gray area” problems—situations in which analysis of the numbers, facts, and data fails to provide a clear answer. Gray areas test not only managers’ skills but also their... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Decision Choices and Conditions

9 AM – 9 AM EDT, 09 Oct 2018

HBX Business Analytics

Develop a data mindset and the analytical skills to interpret and communicate data. This course will demystify data analysis and equip you with concrete skills to apply in your work or further studies. Program Dates: October 9, 2018 - December 6, 2018 View Details

9 AM – 10 AM EDT, 16 Oct 2019
HBS Online

HBS Online Business Analytics

Develop a data mindset and the analytical skills to interpret and communicate data. This course will demystify data analysis and equip you with concrete skills to apply in your work or further studies. Program Dates: October 16, 2019 - December 11, 2019 View Details

9 AM – 10 AM EDT, 07 Aug 2019
HBS Online

HBS Online Business Analytics

Develop a data mindset and the analytical skills to interpret and communicate data. This course will demystify data analysis and equip you with concrete skills to apply in your work or further studies. Program Dates: August 7, 2019 - October 2, 2019 View Details

9 AM – 10 AM EST, 09 Jan 2019
HBS Online

HBS Online Business Analytics

Develop a data mindset and the analytical skills to interpret and communicate data. This course will demystify data analysis and equip you with concrete skills to apply in your work or further studies. Program Dates: January 9, 2019 - March 6, 2019 View Details

May 1985
Supplement

Milford Industries (A1)

By: Robert J. Dolan

Presents the salesforce performance data of the Milford (A) case in a format suitable for spreadsheet analysis using a personal computer. View Details

Keywords: Managerial Roles; Salesforce Management; Resignation and Termination; Performance Evaluation