• 22 Mar 2016
• First Look

March 22, 2016

not follow through with an action. When commitment choices are made public rather than kept private, we find significantly higher uptake rates. Download working paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=50191 Risk Management—The Revealing Hand By: Kaplan,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

• May 2016
• Case

The Inexorable Rise of Walmart? 1988—2016

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

In October 2015, Walmart surprised investors by announcing that it expected flat sales growth for 2015 and growth of only 3% to 4% over the coming three years. Profits would also fall due to significant investments in people and technology. The company’s stock price... View Details

Keywords: Asda; Costco; David Glass; Convenience Stores; Discount Retailing; Dollar Stores; Doug McMillon; E-commerce; Online Retail; General Merchandise; Grocery; Lee Scott; Mike Duke; Multichannel Retailing; Omnichannel; Neighborhood Market; Sam Walton; Sam's Club; Store Formats; Supercenter; Supermarket; Warehouse Clubs; Merchandising; Walmart; Wal-Mart; Globalized Firms and Management; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Units; Business Divisions; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Film Entertainment; Television Entertainment; Banks and Banking; Price; Profit; Revenue; Food; Global Range; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Global Strategy; Business History; Compensation and Benefits; Employees; Human Capital; Labor Unions; Wages; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Management Succession; Brands and Branding; Product Positioning; Distribution; Supply Chain; Supply Chain Management; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Labor and Management Relations; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Diversification; Expansion; Segmentation; Information Technology; Internet; Mobile Technology; Online Technology; Web; Web Sites; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Distribution Industry; Banking Industry; United States; Arkansas; Bentonville

Citation

Educators

Purchase

Related

Wells, John R., and Gabriel Ellsworth. "The Inexorable Rise of Walmart? 1988—2016." Harvard Business School Case 716-426, May 2016.

• 07 Jul 2022
• Blog Post

Pathlight: Reimagining the Developer Onboarding Experience

Mike Kelly (MBA 2022) talks with Lizzie Matusov (MS/MBA 2022) about her entrepreneurial journey and how she is solving the challenges in onboarding and hiring technical talent. Tell us more about your background and what inspired you to... View Details

• 14 Nov 2023
• What Do You Think?

Do We Underestimate the Importance of Generosity in Leadership?

leader: fostering change. I don’t ever recall generosity having been emphasized in any of these discussions. I’m reminded of this by the current interest in the subject of happiness led by, among others, Arthur Brooks of this faculty.... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

• 18 Dec 2007
• First Look

First Look: December 18, 2007

board-level power and are heavily involved in areas like governance, capital allocation, data management, internal reporting and group-level budgeting and planning. What's more, other significant roles—such as the so-called group risk controller—have emerged in support... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

• 20 Sep 2006
• Research & Ideas

The Power of Ordinary Practices

Teresa M. Amabile's research centers on how the work environment can influence the motivation, creativity, and performance of individuals and teams. A recent study focused on the influence of team leaders on these factors. Professor Amabile and New Business publisher... View Details

Keywords: Re: Teresa M. Amabile

• 20 Apr 2016
• News

When CEOs Become Activists

Michael Beer

MICHAEL BEER

Mike Beer is the Cahners-Rabb Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus at the Harvard Business School and author Fit to Compete: Why Honest Conversations About Your Company’s... View Details

• 05 Mar 2009
• What Do You Think?

How Frank or Deceptive Should Leaders Be?

leadership behaviors may depend on the "context" in which they are found. As a result, one might conclude as Mike Leahy did that " I am fascinated with the range of our readers' responses to something I thought was rather... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

• 31 Jul 2017
• HBS Case

It’s Hard to Fix the Family Business Without Offending the Family

Transitioning to next-generation leadership in a family-run restaurant business is a tricky recipe. Credit:  ansonmiao Harvard Business School case studies are often set in large corporations, where the wide range of problems encountered View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Food & Beverage

• 11 Aug 2003
• Research & Ideas

Why Budgeting Kills Your Company

keep a tight rein on costs—but the dynamics of the budgeting process often undermine this effort. "In tough times like these, any significant real cost growth feels imprudent and is hard to justify for most businesses," writes View Details

Keywords: by Loren Gary

• 09 May 2018
• Research & Ideas

A Simple Way for Restaurant Inspectors to Improve Food Safety

are hospitalized, and 3,000 die due to foodborne illnesses, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The research is detailed in the paper “How Scheduling Can Bias Quality Assessment: Evidence from Food Safety Inspections,” co-written View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Food & Beverage; Service

• 29 May 2019
• Video

2019 Alumni Achievement Awards Presentation

• 15 Mar 2011
• First Look

First Look: March 15

tax policy. Teams and Team Effectiveness in Health Services Organizations Authors:Bruce J. Fried, Sharon Topping, and Amy C. Edmondson Publication:In Health Care Management: Organization Design and Behavior. 6th ed., edited by Lawton... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

• 20 Jun 2016
• Research & Ideas

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

about presuming preferences. When predicting other people’s tastes, we tend to erroneously assume that liking one thing precludes enjoying another, dissimilar option, according to a recent set of studies by researchers at Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Retail

• 05 Feb 2024
• What Do You Think?

How Do You Hire for Attitude?

cross-training—as opposed to the fiefdoms and management by fear typical of other fine dining establishments—on the job. Nearly all that I spoke with mentioned what they were learning—and in some cases, teaching. That reminded me once... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett