Publications

September 2017
Supplement

Taj Hotels: Leading Change, Driving Profitability (B)

By: Krishna Palepu, Anjali Raina and Rachna Chawla

The Taj Group financial in March 2017 reflects a turnaround in performance. The new branding strategy is described. View Details

Keywords: Turnaround; Hospitality Industry; Leading Change; Leadership; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Strategy; Globalization; Performance Improvement; Accommodations Industry; India

November 2002 (Revised December 2002)
Case

Calvin Klein, Inc. v. Warnaco Group, Inc.

On May 30, 2000, Calvin Klein, Inc. (CKI) filed suit against Warnaco Group, Inc. and Linda Wachner, its CEO, for breaching its jeanswear licensing and distribution contract and, in so doing, diluting the equity of its brand. On June 26, 2000, Warnaco countered with its... View Details

Keywords: Lawsuits and Litigation; Distribution Channels; Brands and Branding; Manufacturing Industry; Distribution Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry

February 2011 (Revised December 2012)
Case

Porsche: The Cayenne Launch

By: John Deighton, Jill Avery and Jeffrey Fear

Can an online discussion forum supply insight into the evolution of brand meaning? In 2003 Porsche launched a sport utility vehicle, dividing Porsche purists from newcomers to the brand. Vocal members of online and offline Porsche communities ridiculed the Cayenne SUV... View Details

Keywords: Knowledge Sharing; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Risk Management; Brands and Branding; Product Launch; Product Positioning; Social and Collaborative Networks; Auto Industry

08 Sep 2016
News

Monitoring global supply chains

17 Oct 2016
News

The Right (And Wrong) Way To Harness Your Company's Underdog Status

08 Sep 2016
Video

Monitoring global supply chains

September 2018
Case

The Reputation of the 'World's Most Prestigious Award': The Nobel Prize

By: Stephen A. Greyser and Mats Urde

Nobel Foundation leadership is addressing a range of issues related to its key role to safeguard the reputation of the Nobel Prizes. Included are outreach to global audiences, the variety of sources of communications about the Prizes, the advent of new high-value... View Details

Keywords: Nobel Prize; Reputation; Brands and Branding; Management

18 Nov 2019
Video

Adi Godrej

Adi Godrej describes the early growth of India-based consumer products Godrej Group's businesses... View Details

March 2008 (Revised April 2009)
Supplement

Citigroup: Re-Branding in 2007 (B)

By: Rohit Deshpandé and Carin-Isabel Knoop

Follow-up to "Citigroup: Re-Branding in 2007" (A), describing the development of a new brand identity for Citigroup. View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Financial Services Industry

November 1994 (Revised September 1996)
Case

RiceSelect

By: Alvin J. Silk and Mary Shelman

In August 1994, Robin Andrews, President of RiceTec, Inc., faces a critical decision that will affect his firm's future: what policy should RiceTec follow for supplying grocery retailers with private label merchandise? RiceTec, a small privately owned firm engaged in... View Details

Keywords: Cash Flow; Leadership; Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Supply Chain Management; Private Ownership; Research and Development; Conflict Management; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Retail Industry

Find at Harvard

18 Apr 2005
Research & Ideas

Selling Luxury to Everyone

shifting," she said. Panelist Rory Tahari, creative director and brand designer for Elie Tahari, Ltd.—and wife of designer Elie Tahari—said she saw a clear trend toward higher expectations from consumers in the fashion industry.... View Details

Keywords: by Julie Jette; Consumer Products

October 2023
Case

Foodology: Creating a Virtual Restaurant Group in Latin America

By: Rembrand M. Koning, Jorge Tamayo and Jenyfeer Martínez Buitrago

In April 2020, Daniela Izquierdo (HBS, 2019) and Juan Guillermo Azuero (HBS, 2019), awaited the results of Harvard Business School’s Alumni New Venture Competition. Operating since September 2019, Foodology, a Colombian food-tech startup in the cloud kitchen segment,... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Business Model; Entrepreneurship; Food and Beverage Industry; Latin America; South America; Colombia

September 1997 (Revised October 1997)
Case

Bayer AG (A)

By: John A. Quelch

Bayer's senior executives convene in Germany to consider submitting a $1 billion bid that would recover the Bayer brand name and trademark cross in North America, both of which were confiscated by the U.S. government after World War I. The group also sets out to assess... View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Brands and Branding; War; Communication; Trademarks; Acquisition; Government and Politics; Biotechnology Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; Germany; North America; United States

Find at Harvard

January 2023
Case

Velong: Rethinking 'Made in China'

By: Krishna G. Palepu, Nancy Hua Dai and Billy Chan

Velong is a supplier of kitchen equipment and backyard grills for major global brands and store brands of large western retailers. In light of the COVID-related disruptions to the global supply chains, and the evolving trade tensions between China and the Western... View Details

Keywords: Globalization; Supply Chain Management; Risk Management; Manufacturing Industry; China; India; Mexico; Turkey; Viet Nam

Apr 29 2016
Testimonial

Blazing Trails in the Digital World

April 2018 (Revised October 2023)
Case

Coco Chanel: From Fashion Icon to Nazi Agent

By: Geoffrey Jones and Emily Grandjean

This case describes the career of the iconic French fashion designer Coco Chanel who created a transformational business during the first half of the 20th century. Beginning in her early adulthood, Chanel leveraged relationships with acquaintances, friends, and... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Biography; Entrepreneurship; Relationships; Brands and Branding; Ethics; Fashion Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry

May 2005 (Revised September 2015)
Case

Hans Wilsdorf and Rolex

By: Geoffrey Jones and Alexander Atzberger

Explores the creation of the Rolex watch by Hans Wilsdorf. Provides a case study of how one of the world's leading luxury brands was created and, more generally, provides a vehicle for exploring the competitive advantage of Switzerland in watchmaking (and other... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Geographic Location; Brands and Branding; Luxury; Competitive Advantage; Consumer Products Industry; Switzerland

June 1995 (Revised February 1997)
Case

Ready-to-Eat Breakfast Cereal Industry in 1994 (A), The

Ready-to-eat breakfast cereal has historically been a stable and highly profitable industry, dominated by the Big Three of Kellogg, General Mills, and Kraft General Foods (Post). In 1994, private label cereals are making significant market share gains, and promotional... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Food; Brands and Branding; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

August 2015 (Revised March 2017)
Supplement

Planters Nuts (B): The Power of the Peanut

By: Robert J. Dolan and Donald K. Ngwe

This case picks up from the events in Planters Nuts and describes how the new management team for Planters turned the brand around in 2013 by implementing a new brand positioning accompanied by a multimillion dollar marketing campaign. View Details

Keywords: Product Positioning; Marketing; Transformation; Food and Beverage Industry