Consumer Preferences - Publications - Faculty & Research

01 Oct 2008
Research & Ideas

How Much Time Should CEOs Devote to Customers?

must get out and meet customers on their home turf—in their homes, on job sites, in their offices. Here the CEO has to set an example. AG Lafley, CEO of Procter & Gamble, reinstituted consumer home visits and store visits for himself... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

07 Jul 2009
Research Event

Business Summit: Historical Roots of Globalization

this breakout session, panelists shared insights, informed by history, of the convergence that globalization promotes. Each focused on convergence from a different reference point: institutional convergence (in financial systems), policy convergence (in China), and the... View Details

Keywords: Re: Multiple Faculty

01 Jun 2018
News

Digging Deep

irritation, Pieper could empathize: Having logged thousands of miles sailing in the Pacific Ocean, she knew that gear is important—that it should be portable, perform well under stress, and preferably look good. It was an aha moment that... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

Student-Profile

Ximena Garcia-Rada

doctorate, she preferred to gain some industry experience first. “I went on to spend two years in marketing consulting,” Ximena explains. “During this time, I realized how much I enjoyed the intellectual challenge of my job; I was more... View Details

05 Aug 2010
What Do You Think?

What Is Customer Opinion Good For?

and how. It's about understanding consumer needs, not asking them what they want." Several questioned the way some think about the development of products of any type in a rapidly changing business environment. As V. P. Kochikar put it,... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Technology

18 Oct 2021
Blog Post

How Much is Freedom Worth? For Gig Workers, a Lot.

average driver out of their preferred shift is as bad as cutting their weekly earnings by more than 5 percent. For the California drivers that we study, the ability to start or stop working at any moment and the flexibility to change... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products

16 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Researchers Contribute Globalization of Markets Papers

predictor of events, but the power and sometimes outrageous language used by Levitt changed the nature of debate on the issue, and created new perspectives for managers to consider as they approach world markets. Levitt's key insight endures: View Details

Keywords: by Working Knowledge editors

17 Oct 2007
Research & Ideas

Why Global Brands Work

Harvard professor Theodore Levitt praised Japanese manufacturers for their focus on "what every consumer in the world is seeking: world-class modernity at affordable prices." Either because they didn't understand regional... View Details

Keywords: by John A. Quelch; Auto

01 Mar 2009
News

Faculty Books

institutions. These institutions represent powerful constraints on the ability of the government to fund reforms, of firms to write contracts, and of citizens to enforce their basic rights. Borrowing to Live: Consumer and Mortgage Credit... View Details

Keywords: Telecommunications; Information; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

20 Jun 2016
Research & Ideas

When Predicting Other People's Preferences, You're Probably Wrong

implications for anyone looking to impress others, for those who are tasked with forecasting consumer behavior, or for salespeople who consult with customers on prospective purchases. In short, it’s dangerous to predict what others will... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Retail

01 Dec 2014
News

Faculty Q&A: The New Brand Manager: You

consumers upfront to avoid making bad decisions that incite criticism. I prefer a more collaborative, co-creative approach with consumers—understanding how they are likely to respond to key branding changes... View Details

Keywords: April White

01 Jun 2002
News

The Mind Speaks, Marketers Listen

Calling HBS professor Gerald Zaltman “a maverick marketing professor,” the New York Times reported on the interactive technique he developed to gauge consumer preferences using visual images, semiotics, and... View Details

11 Feb 2013
Research & Ideas

Neuroeconomics: Eyes, Brain, Business

field of neuromarketing, which uses brain-tracking tools to determine why consumers prefer some products over others. And there is neuroleadership, which applies neuroscience to management research. Looser... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Rapid Response: Inside the Retailing Revolution

Once upon a time, suppliers held all the cards. Henry Ford's dictum that consumers could have any color car they wanted as long as it was black proved wrong in the extreme, but for years manufacturers in this country kept their hands... View Details

Keywords: by James E. Aisner; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

22 Feb 2022
News

Picture This

from wall art to puzzles to pillows. And its acquisition, last August, of Spoonflower—an artist marketplace for custom-designed fabric, wallpaper, and other home-decor items—puts Shutterfly in a prime position to leverage consumer View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; leadership; manufacturing; acquisitions; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Manufacturing

23 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Market Research Meets the “People Factor”

greater use of the research. Managers don't like surprises. So researchers who prefer to tackle a more exploratory style of research should be aware of its possible effect on managers. The manager's "comfort zone" for results of... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

19 Aug 2017
News

Getting Off the Well-worn Farm Track

As CEO of Landcorps, New Zealand’s largest farming company, Steven Carden (MBA 2003) is a careful observer of food trends. "My job, given that we have got a million acres of land, and that it takes a long time to shift from one land use to another, is very much... View Details

Keywords: Food Manufacturing; Manufacturing; Agriculture

17 Sep 2001
Research & Ideas

Let Customers Call the Shots

What is consumer empowerment and what does it mean for you as an executive? HBS professor Luc Wathieu outlined his views in the following e-mail interview with HBS Working Knowledge senior editor Martha Lagace.Lagace: In your paper you... View Details