Customer Management - Publications - Faculty & Research

30 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 30

Business School Case 910-032 Describes Google's history, business model, governance structure, corporate culture, and processes for managing innovation. Reviews Google's recent strategic initiatives and the threats it poses to Yahoo,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

31 Mar 2009
First Look

First Look: March 31, 2009

their share of insured patients but do not decrease their share of uninsured patients. Government hospitals do not make any discernable change in their customer mix after a merger. Conceptual Foundations of the Balanced Scorecard... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

26 May 2015
First Look

First Look: May 26

Publications March 2015 AFP Exchange Well Said: Why Articulating Your Strategy Can Set You Apart. By: Cespedes, Frank V. Abstract—Senior finance managers now operate in an altered c-suite landscape. The executives reporting to the CEO... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

July 2004 (Revised July 2005)
Case

Activision: The 'Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer' Project

By: Alan D. MacCormack, Enrico D"Angelo and Kerry Herman

Mike Ward, the producer in charge of developing the Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer game for Activision, must decide whether to launch the game in time for the 2002 Christmas season. Complicating his decision are the lukewarm response from consumers to TV test spots of the... View Details

Keywords: Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Product Development; Customer Satisfaction; Projects; Business or Company Management; Product Launch; Marketing Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Industry Structures; Innovation Strategy; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

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09 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Around the World of Entrepreneurial Ventures

technology—was fifty-three years old. According to Kuemmerle, it was "a path of no return." The entrepreneur was a senior manager at a prominent Germany company with three children in university. As Kuemmerle described in a... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

04 Dec 2000
What Do You Think?

Have We Overdone Deregulation and Privatization?

consumers were that deregulation: (1) unleashes the power of a self-correcting free market (Jeff Struck), giving customers services at prices they are willing to pay and quality levels that they are willing to pay for (at least in the... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

02 Jan 2008
Research & Ideas

Most Popular Stories 2007

psychologically painful as it is, is the first step to awareness of new opportunities in career and in life, says Harvard Business School's Timothy Butler. In this Q&A and excerpt from his new book, Getting Unstuck, he explains six steps for getting from here to... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

09 Apr 2008
Research & Ideas

The Matchmaker of the Modern Economy

manufacturing. And thanks to the war, Doriot has gained a lifetime of experience in organizing and managing new ventures in a pressure-cooker environment. It is not surprising, then, that the former head of the New England Council's... View Details

Keywords: by Spencer E. Ante

08 Apr 2008
First Look

First Look: April 8, 2008

Casey, Comcast's New England Region general manager, transformed a low commitment and performance organization. When he took charge of this Comcast region he inherited an organization that was bureaucratic, had low customer satisfaction,... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

May 2022
Supplement

Maestro Pizza (C): Taking the Fight Outside

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Fares Khrais

Maestro pizza opened its first store in 2013 after its founder, Khalid Al Omran, recognized an opportunity in Saudi Arabia to offer high quality pizza at affordable prices. The business grew rapidly and under the radar at first, but soon enough caught the attention of... View Details

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25 Oct 2004
Research & Ideas

Planning for Surprises

many U.S. airlines, the debt owed to customers in the form of miles is a value significantly larger than the airlines' market capitalization. This is simply not sustainable. Airlines have already reduced the value of miles by making seats... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

21 Apr 2003
Research & Ideas

Are Crummy Products Your Next Growth Opportunity?

have owned started out as a disruptive company.— Clayton M. Christensen Copying the management best practices of leading firms isn't necessarily the answer, Christensen said. When inventors in the Middle Ages tried to invent a contraption... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

05 Mar 2014
What Do You Think?

When Will the Next Dot.com Bubble Burst?

customer behavior can change. The burst will be when we will observe that consumer patterns are changing." On the other hand, some believed that things that have changed since the 2000 bubble may make another one less likely. Ofer... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Publishing; Retail

October 2018 (Revised April 2019)
Teaching Note

Kids & Company: Entering the U.S.

By: Boris Groysberg and Matthew G. Preble

Teaching Note for HBS No. 418-011. View Details

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15 Aug 2005
HBS Case

Classic Cases Live On at HBS

reading in a trade publication about Benihana's innovative and efficient use of labor and layout to lower costs and facilitate customer turnaround times, Professor Earl Sasser produced the Benihana case in 1972 with research associate... View Details

Keywords: by Garry Emmons

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

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07 Sep 2011
First Look

First Look: Sept. 7

use loan-level data to study how the organizational structure of banks impacts small business lending. We find that decentralized banks—where branch managers have greater autonomy over lending decisions—give larger loans to small firms... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

28 Oct 2015
Research & Ideas

A Dedication to Creation: India's Ad Man Ranjan Kapur

the General Management Program at Harvard Business School. In the discussion, conducted last August in Mumbai, Kapur reflects on some 50 years in the advertising industry, starting in the “Mad Men” era of the 1960s, experiencing the dawn... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Advertising

14 Jan 2014
First Look

First Look: January 14

http://hbr.org/2014/01/can-a-strong-culture-be-too-strong/ar/1 January 2014 MIT Sloan Management Review Strategic Decisions for Multisided Platforms By: Hagiu, Andrei Abstract—Multisided platforms such as eBay and Facebook create value by... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

October 2003 (Revised January 2005)
Case

Microsoft: Launching the Smart Watch

By: John T. Gourville and Christina L. Darwall

Microsoft is on the verge of launching its Smart Watch technology, which will allow specially designed watches to receive up-to-date information on sports, business, traffic, news, etc. After several years of effort and millions of dollars spent, the questions now... View Details