Publications

October 2003 (Revised January 2004)
Case

Global Farmer and the Future of Soybean Production, The

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Kevin M. Allison

Three farmers from three different countries are looking at the global soybean system and how to position themselves in the future. View Details

Keywords: Animal-Based Agribusiness; Trade; Globalized Markets and Industries; Food; Strategic Planning; Forecasting and Prediction; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

April 2004 (Revised May 2005)
Case

ING DIRECT

By: James L. Heskett

The CEO of ING Direct (U.S.) has to decide: (1) whether and how to coordinate his organization's branding effort with its parent, ING Group, and (2) how fast to grow the business. Includes color exhibits. View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Entrepreneurship; Leadership Style; Growth Management; Brands and Branding; Planning; Problems and Challenges; Financial Services Industry; United States

April 2021
Case

Codecademy: Where to Next?

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Max Mailman and Sarah Ascherman

In March 2020, Zach Sims, co-founder and CEO of online education platform Codecademy, prepared for a meeting with his Chief of Staff Kunal Ahuja to discuss the company’s goals. Codecademy billed itself as the largest online resource for computer science literacy and... View Details

Keywords: Monetization Strategy; Business Model; Change Management; Venture Capital; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Management Teams; Marketing Channels; Product Marketing; Network Effects; Product Development; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Strategic Planning; Internet and the Web; Digital Platforms; United States

15 Apr 2002
Research & Ideas

In the Virtual Dressing Room Returns Are A Real Problem

color accuracy and consistency. 8 E-Color offers server-based software called True Internet Color to increase the accuracy of colors depicted online. Recent reports suggest that Bloomingdales.com, Jcrew.com, and others plan to adopt True... View Details

Keywords: by Jan Hammond & Kristin Kohler; Apparel & Accessories; Fashion; Consumer Products; Manufacturing; Retail

23 Mar 2015
Research & Ideas

It’s Called ‘Price Coherence,’ and It’s Surprisingly Bad for Consumers

attract desirable customers. "On the face of it, price coherence seems good for consumers because they get a benefit for choosing the intermediary, and they pay no additional fee," says Benjamin G. Edelman, an associate professor at Harvard Business School in the... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Retail; Air Transportation; Food & Beverage; Entertainment & Recreation

20 Sep 2004
Research & Ideas

How Consumers Value Global Brands

In 2002, we carried out a two-stage research project in partnership with the market research company Research International/USA to find out how consumers in different countries value global brands. First, we conducted a qualitative study... View Details

Keywords: by Douglas B. Holt, John A. Quelch & Earl L. Taylor

31 Oct 2004
Research & Ideas

The New CEO’s Wrong Message

was largely a formality. The CEO saw it differently. He felt that the company's advertising had become stale and that a makeover should start right away—and this would most likely mean hiring a new agency. He put the marketing campaign on... View Details

Keywords: by Michael E. Porter, Jay W. Lorsch & Nitin Nohria

09 Dec 2015
Research Event

How Do You Predict Demand and Set Prices For Products Never Sold Before?

lost sales (demand of products that had sold out) and predict demand for new products that Rue La La was planning to sell in the future. As a part of the analysis, they realized that the demand for any given item depended on the price of... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Retail; Apparel & Accessories

02 Mar 2015
Research & Ideas

Retail Reaches a Tipping Point—Which Stores Will Survive?

everything—was reportedly in conversations to buy some of those storefronts—possibly its first real beach-head in the brick-and-mortar world. As harbingers of the future of retail, these events certainly caught the attention of Harvard Business School View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail

February 2005 (Revised June 2006)
Case

JCDecaux

By: John R. Wells and Vincent Dessain

Describes how JCDecaux, the second largest global outdoor advertising company, became the world leader in street furniture advertising in a fast consolidating business environment. Also explains why, in the late 1990s, JCDecaux diversified its activities into... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Global Strategy; Leadership Style; Family Ownership; Strategic Planning; Competitive Strategy; Diversification; Advertising Industry

05 Aug 2002
Research & Ideas

Understanding the Process of Innovation

Michael Collins is looking to diversify. His company, Big Idea Group, currently produces only children's toys, but he thinks his process for discovering, refining, and bringing ideas to market can work in other niches. As the Harvard... View Details

Keywords: by Loren Gray

August 2002 (Revised February 2005)
Case

Gillette Company (A): Pressure for Change

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and James Weber

After years of strong performance with market-dominating brands, Gillette's performance slips and a new CEO is selected from outside the company to lead a turnaround. This case describes the business and financial situation he inherited and asks what he should do... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Performance Consistency; Product Positioning; Selection and Staffing; Change Management; Leading Change; Competitive Strategy; Planning; Retail Industry