Filter Results:
(2,143)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(3,376)
- People (3)
- News (711)
- Research (2,143)
- Events (9)
- Multimedia (9)
- Faculty Publications (1,076)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(3,376)
- People (3)
- News (711)
- Research (2,143)
- Events (9)
- Multimedia (9)
- Faculty Publications (1,076)
Sort by
- 13 Nov 2008
- Working Paper Summaries
The Effect of Labor on Profitability: The Role of Quality
Keywords: by Zeynep Ton
- 12 Nov 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Product Quality and Entering Through Tying: Experimental Evidence
- 21 Oct 2010
- Conference Presentation
How the ISO 9001 Standard for Quality Management Systems Improves Employee Morale and Increases Profitability and Competitiveness
Toffel, Michael W. "How the ISO 9001 Standard for Quality Management Systems Improves Employee Morale and Increases Profitability and Competitiveness." Paper presented at the IBS User Forum, Boston, October 21, 2010.
- March–April 1979
- Article
How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy
By: M. E. Porter
Many factors determine the nature of competition, including not only rivals, but also the economics of particular industries, new entrants, the bargaining power of customers and suppliers, and the threat of substitute services or products. A strategic plan of action... View Details
Porter, M. E. "How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy." Harvard Business Review 57, no. 2 (March–April 1979): 137–145.
- April 2013 (Revised November 2013)
- Case
Growing Financial Services in India: Aditya Birla Financial Services Group
By: Paul M. Healy and Rachna Tahilyani
Aditya Birla Financial Services Group is a large, broad-based, Indian financial services institution offering products ranging from life insurance and mutual funds to private equity. The company has witnessed a turnaround in recent years and regained lost market share.... View Details
Keywords: Regulatory Environment; Finance; Asset Management; Business Growth and Maturation; Transformation; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Business Processes; Organizational Structure; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Competitive Strategy; Diversification; Segmentation; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; India
Healy, Paul M., and Rachna Tahilyani. "Growing Financial Services in India: Aditya Birla Financial Services Group." Harvard Business School Case 113-059, April 2013. (Revised November 2013.)
- spring 1991
- Article
Breaking the Cycle of Failure in Services
By: Leonard A. Schlesinger and James Heskett
Most managers recognize that good service is a direct result of having effective, productive people in customer contact positions. However, most service companies perpetuate a cycle of failure by tolerating high turnover and expecting employee dissatisfaction. This... View Details
Keywords: Goals and Objectives; Service Delivery; Success; Failure; Management Skills; Service Industry
Schlesinger, Leonard A., and James Heskett. "Breaking the Cycle of Failure in Services." MIT Sloan Management Review 32, no. 3 (spring 1991): 17–28.
- June 1992 (Revised May 1996)
- Case
Xerox Corp.: Leadership Through Quality (B)
Provides an evaluation of the "Leadership Through Quality" effort at Xerox. The assessment includes both negative and positive factors based on extensive interviews and surveys. Based on this assessment, a plan of action is determined and presented which was endorsed... View Details
Jick, Todd D. "Xerox Corp.: Leadership Through Quality (B)." Harvard Business School Case 492-045, June 1992. (Revised May 1996.)
- 14 May 2009
- Working Paper Summaries
Quantity vs. Quality and Exclusion by Two-Sided Platforms
- 2024
- Working Paper
You've Got Mail! The Late 19th-Century U.S. Postal Service Expansion, Firm Creation, and Firm Performance
By: Astrid Marinoni and Maria P. Roche
This paper examines the impact of the expansion of the US Postal Service in the late 19th century
on firm creation and performance. Utilizing newly digitized archival data on historic business establishments,
post office locations, and road networks in California,... View Details
Keywords: Institutional Innovation; Knowledge Exchange; US Postal Service; Firm Performance; Infrastructure; Expansion; Government Administration; Communication; Business History; Entrepreneurship; Public Administration Industry; California
Marinoni, Astrid, and Maria P. Roche. "You've Got Mail! The Late 19th-Century U.S. Postal Service Expansion, Firm Creation, and Firm Performance." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 23-022, October 2022. (Revised July 2024.)
- March 1988 (Revised September 1993)
- Case
United Services Automobile Association (USAA)
Under the leadership of Robert F. McDermott, USAA has been transformed from a property and casualty insurance company with $200 million in assets in the late 1960s to a $11 billion financial services empire in 1988. The case illustrates the value of having a CEO drive... View Details
Keywords: Business or Company Management; Leadership; Information Technology; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; United States
Vitale, Michael R. "United Services Automobile Association (USAA)." Harvard Business School Case 188-102, March 1988. (Revised September 1993.)
- September 2003 (Revised January 2005)
- Case
Bridges to Excellence: Bringing Quality Health Care to Life
By: Richard M.J. Bohmer, Ingrid Marie Nembhard and Robert Galvin
General Electric launched Bridges to Excellence Diabetes Care Link, a program through which enrolled physicians receive bonuses of up to 10% of their salary for delivering quality care to diabetic patients covered by a participating employer or health plan. A day... View Details
Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Motivation and Incentives; Programs; Ethics; Quality; Moral Sensibility; Service Delivery; Compensation and Benefits; Health Industry
Bohmer, Richard M.J., Ingrid Marie Nembhard, and Robert Galvin. "Bridges to Excellence: Bringing Quality Health Care to Life." Harvard Business School Case 604-030, September 2003. (Revised January 2005.)
- 2018
- Working Paper
Product Quality and Entering Through Tying: Experimental Evidence
Dominant platform businesses often develop products in adjacent markets to complement their core business. One common approach used to gain traction in these adjacent markets has been to pursue a tying strategy. For example, Microsoft pre-installed Internet Explorer... View Details
Keywords: Market Entry and Exit; Digital Platforms; Competitive Strategy; Product Marketing; Quality
Kim, Hyunjin, and Michael Luca. "Product Quality and Entering Through Tying: Experimental Evidence." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 19-045, October 2018. (Revised December 2018. Forthcoming in Management Science.)
- Article
Motivated Inferences of Price and Quality in Healthcare Decisions
By: Emily Prinsloo, Kate Barasz and Peter A. Ubel
Policy makers have increasingly advocated for healthcare price transparency, whereby prices are made salient before services are rendered. While such policies may empower consumers, they also bring price to the forefront of healthcare choices as never before, with yet... View Details
Keywords: Healthcare; Price Transparency; Health Care and Treatment; Price; Quality; Perception; Consumer Behavior; Decisions; Insurance
Prinsloo, Emily, Kate Barasz, and Peter A. Ubel. "Motivated Inferences of Price and Quality in Healthcare Decisions." Special Issue on Healthcare and Medical Decision Making edited by Dipankar Chakravarti, Jian Ni, Meng Zhu. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research 7, no. 2 (April 2022): 186–197.
- March 2002
- Background Note
Virtuous Cycles: Improving Service and Lowering Costs in E-Commerce
Illustrates how various elements in a customer's encounter with Internet services relying on physical service (labor-intensive customer support and/or logistics) affect one another. Presents a framework that suggests: 1) that improving service quality in specific... View Details
Keywords: Internet and the Web; Service Delivery; Performance Efficiency; Performance Effectiveness; Service Industry
Hallowell, Roger H. "Virtuous Cycles: Improving Service and Lowering Costs in E-Commerce." Harvard Business School Background Note 802-155, March 2002.
- August 2013
- Article
Customer-Driven Misconduct: How Competition Corrupts Business Practices
By: Victor Manuel Bennett, Lamar Pierce, Jason A. Snyder and Michael W. Toffel
Competition among firms yields many benefits but can also encourage firms to engage in corrupt or unethical activities. We argue that competition can lead organizations to provide services that customers demand but that violate government regulations, especially when... View Details
Keywords: Competition; Crime and Corruption; Management Practices and Processes; Ethics; Consumer Behavior; Customer Satisfaction; Service Industry; Service Industry
Bennett, Victor Manuel, Lamar Pierce, Jason A. Snyder, and Michael W. Toffel. "Customer-Driven Misconduct: How Competition Corrupts Business Practices." Management Science 59, no. 8 (August 2013): 1725–1742. (Online Appendix. Lead article. Nominated for "Best Conference Paper Award" and "SMS Best Conference Paper Prize for Practice Implications" at 2012 Strategic Management Society International Conference.)
- October 2000 (Revised March 2001)
- Case
eLance.com: Building a Professional Services Marketplace
By: Lynda M. Applegate and Kristin Kohler
Launched as an eBay for services, eLance promises to leverage the capabilities of the Internet to not only change the way services are bought and sold, but change the fundamental dynamics of the global economy. Building on theories posited in the HBR article by Tim... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Technological Innovation; Job Search; Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Web Sites; Service Industry; Service Industry
Applegate, Lynda M., and Kristin Kohler. "eLance.com: Building a Professional Services Marketplace." Harvard Business School Case 801-224, October 2000. (Revised March 2001.)
- November–December 1987
- Article
Competing on the Eight Dimensions of Quality
By: David A. Garvin
Garvin, David A. "Competing on the Eight Dimensions of Quality." Harvard Business Review 65, no. 6 (November–December 1987).
- June 2001 (Revised September 2005)
- Case
Madison Avenue: Digital Media Services (B)
In late 1999, Madison Avenue was experiencing phenomenal growth in sales, clients, employees, and services provided. The stress and strain on the firm's employees was considerable and threatened to jeopardize the high-quality, active-ad management for which the firm... View Details
Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Growth Management; Service Operations; Digital Marketing; Business Processes; Advertising Industry
Spear, Steven J., and Anne Karshis. "Madison Avenue: Digital Media Services (B)." Harvard Business School Case 601-021, June 2001. (Revised September 2005.)
- Research Summary
Platform Competition
Technology has challenged the underlying foundations of business, and firms must evaluate and change strategies accordingly. Professor Halaburda studies the interaction of technology and economic theory, and her findings indicate that conventional wisdom and rules... View Details
- September 2000
- Background Note
Professional Services Module Five: Serving Clients Effectively
By: Thomas J. DeLong, Ashish Nanda and Scot H. Landry
It is imperative for the internal systems and processes to be connected to the external processes of client management, competitive adaptation, and service delivery. View Details
Keywords: Competency and Skills; Customer Relationship Management; Knowledge Acquisition; Service Delivery; Performance Effectiveness; Adaptation; Competitive Strategy
DeLong, Thomas J., Ashish Nanda, and Scot H. Landry. "Professional Services Module Five: Serving Clients Effectively." Harvard Business School Background Note 801-011, September 2000.