Sophistication - Publications - Faculty & Research

21 Jan 2020
Research & Ideas

Lessons for Retailers from the Rebirth of Indie Bookstores

commerce, and civic organizations, reinforcing the social fabric and engendering a strong sense of customer and community loyalty. Curation: Despite the increasing sophistication of online algorithms, online platforms have been unable to... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Entertainment & Recreation

01 Sep 2015
First Look

First Look -- September 1, 2015

the scholarship emanating from this research stream has grown substantially in quantity, quality, and breadth. Likewise, firms across the world have increasingly implemented broad and sophisticated non-market strategies. Within strategy... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

16 May 2016
HBS Case

Food Safety Economics: The Cost of a Sick Customer

evolving, requiring more expertise than many food companies can muster. The sensitive nature of testing and upgrades in the tests required also mean companies need to make an investment in sophisticated equipment, which involves high... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Food & Beverage

03 Mar 2014
HBS Case

Decommoditizing the Canned Tomato

coming in with their own brands, and you're telling me you're growing. What am I not getting?" It became evident to her that Francesco had a quite sophisticated view not just of the category but also of the food industry. He was building... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish; Agriculture & Agribusiness; Food & Beverage; Retail

31 Mar 2002
Research & Ideas

You’re Wasting Your Employees! What You Can Do About It

leaders were trained, sophisticated strategic-planning systems were supposed to help senior managers decide which businesses to grow and which to harvest. 1 Unfortunately, all the planning and investment were unable to stop the... View Details

Keywords: by Christopher A. Bartlett & Sumantra Ghoshal

19 Oct 2012
Research & Ideas

Digital Technology’s Profound Game Change for Marketers

technologists are building sophisticated systems with interfaces that are as simple for marketers and designers to manipulate as their iPhones. FutureM—an upcoming gathering of marketing and technology leaders that kicks off Oct. 22, will... View Details

Keywords: by Jeffrey Bussgang; Advertising; Technology

25 Mar 2014
Research & Ideas

China’s Economic System has Difficult Road Overcoming its Political System

very sophisticated economy with some of the most educated and most successful business people in the world," Kirby continues. "But they will only be leaders if the Chinese government steps back." He is the T. M. Chang Professor of China... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

15 Nov 2012
Research & Ideas

Funding the Design of Livable Cities

reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sophisticated design and engineering that cuts energy use by maximizing natural light and reducing the need for heating and air conditioning services is far more effective. Building designs that... View Details

Keywords: by Lisa Chase; Construction; Real Estate; Energy; Utilities

22 May 2020
In Practice

Post-COVID Health Care: More Screens, Less Red Tape?

precision diagnostics. It is a travesty that we don’t have simple tests that can distinguish between the common cold, seasonal allergies, and various strains of the flu, let alone the sophisticated diagnostics needed to guide the... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

04 Nov 2014
First Look

First Look: November 4

argument in neoinstitutional theory. After our analysis, we introduce the papers in the special issue that, collectively, reflect diverse and sophisticated research interest in the topic of SOMNCs. Publisher's link: View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

19 Dec 2017
First Look

New Research and Ideas, December 19, 2017

is likely to have a meaningful effect on health care spending patterns. In addition, precision medicines can change the expected profitability of therapies both by allowing more sophisticated pricing systems and potentially decreasing the... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

01 Nov 2012
Research & Ideas

Book Excerpt: Judgment Calls

stumbled into an even bigger market: precision tweezers for women's personal beauty care. It turned out there was a real need for a more sophisticated and specialized tweezers among the trade who served beauty-conscious women. Before... View Details

Keywords: by Thomas H. Davenport & Brook Manville; Consumer Products

19 Nov 2012
Research & Ideas

LEED-ing by Example

specializes in real-estate issues, having spent several years as CEO of a construction company. "These characteristics—good credit, interest in employee health, ability to do a sophisticated analysis of total occupancy cost, awareness of... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Construction; Real Estate; Energy; Utilities

11 May 2011
Research & Ideas

Building a Better Board

decisions that come before the board," Kaufman says. "One lesson from the recent global financial crisis was that some financial institution boards had few directors who really understood the workings of—and risks inherent in—the View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

04 Aug 2009
First Look

First Look: August 4

that majority-owned PE-backed firms engage in more book-tax conforming and nonconforming tax planning than other private firms. We attribute these results to the managerial sophistication and resources available to majority-owned... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

21 Jul 2008
Research & Ideas

Solving the Marketing Resources Allocation Puzzle

combined with more sophisticated methods of analyzing it, provide managers with powerful tools to help them isolate the effects of various marketing instruments. The framework developed by Gupta and Steenburgh helps managers think through... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

21 Jul 2003
Research & Ideas

Don’t Get Buried in Customer Data—Use It

sophisticated database software, and the Internet would enable them to actually deliver on the promise of customized offerings to each individual customer. But that hasn't happened to the extent it should have, says Cleveland-based... View Details

Keywords: by Jean Ayers

15 Mar 2016
First Look

March 15, 2016

more sophisticated mobile devices, the industry's four main players spent heavily to improve their infrastructures for providing reliable high-speed data services. T-Mobile, the smallest of the four major carriers, lacked the scale of its... View Details

21 Jul 2009
First Look

First Look: July 21

extremely proud of the remarkable achievements his company had made over the last 12 years since starting off as an unknown manufacturer of PDAs for other companies. Yet Chou faced several decisions in order to move his company forward. Competition for high-end, View Details