Publications

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 View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

03 May 2010
Research & Ideas

What Is the Future of MBA Education?

Business schools are positioned on increasingly unsteady—and unpopular—ground. MBA enrollments fluctuate or decline; recruiters voice skepticism about the value of newly-minted MBA degrees; and deans, faculty, students, executives, and a... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Education

05 Jul 2022
What Do You Think?

Have We Seen the Peak of Just-in-Time Inventory Management?

facing new challenges posed by the rise of what John referred to as the “tribal spectrum” and the polarization that accompanies it. Perhaps the most significant question raised by respondents was that of... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Manufacturing; Shipping; Transportation

2006
Working Paper

Future Lock-In: Future Implementation Increases Selection of 'Should' Choices

By: Todd Rogers and Max H. Bazerman

People often experience tension over certain choices (e.g., they should reduce their gas consumption or increase their savings, but they do not want to). Some posit that this tension arises from the competing interests of a deliberative "should" self and... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Attitudes; Conflict and Resolution; Cognition and Thinking

Read Now

July 2021 (Revised September 2021)
Case

Sarah Robb O'Hagan: The Rocky Road of Passion

By: Jon M. Jachimowicz and Francesca Gino

In November 2018, Sarah Robb O’Hagan is reeling from an unceremonious exit as CEO of Flywheel, a chain of indoor cycling studios. In the past, Robb O’Hagan had led transformational change across companies throughout the sports and fitness industry, including as... View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Satisfaction; Decision Making; Problems and Challenges; Opportunities; Interests

12 Jun 2006
Research & Ideas

The Promise of Channel Stewardship

simply, channel stewardship is the ability of a given participant in a distribution channel—a steward—to craft a go-to-market strategy that simultaneously addresses customers' best interests and drives... View Details

Keywords: by V. Kasturi Rangan & Marie Bell; Consumer Products

03 Nov 2008
HBS Case

Economics of the Ethanol Business

What happens when a group of Missouri corn farmers gets into the energy business? With consumers paying more than double for gasoline than they did a year ago, turning crops into fuel, not food, seems like a... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Agriculture & Agribusiness; Energy

January 2019
Case

Understanding the Brand Equity of Nestlé Crunch Bar: A Market Research Case

By: Jill Avery and Gerald Zaltman

In early 2018, Nestlé announced the sale of its U.S. candy-making division and a select collection of 20 of its confectionery brands, including the Nestlé Crunch Bar, to Ferrero SpA for $2.8 billion. Under the terms of the Nestlé acquisition, each of the purchased... View Details

Keywords: Brand Equity; Marketing; Market Research; Qualitative Research; Marketing Communication; Customer Satisfaction; Brands and Branding; Consumer Behavior; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; United States; North America; Italy

13 Aug 2007
Research & Ideas

The Dark Side of Trust

Oberholzer-Gee saw in TrapGuard, being marketed for the first time to plumbers in Philadelphia, an interesting way to better understand the link between trust and diffusion of new products. With Victor... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Service

16 Mar 2009
Research & Ideas

When the Internet Runs Out of IP Addresses

speculators would try to predict the future at their peril. Q: If your plan was adopted, would consumers pay more for Internet access and to develop Web sites? A: If this transition goes smoothly, consumers... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Telecommunications

Research Summary

Changing the World: Life Choices of Influential Leaders

By: Robert Simons

This project studies the life choices made by a variety of people who have left a lasting legacy. Using biographical data, we are examining the choices that high-impact individuals faced in their lives and the paths they chose to follow. The leaders we study come... View Details

Keywords: Leadership Style; Personal Characteristics; Work-life Balance; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Success

January 2017 (Revised October 2023)
Case

Classtivity: Payal's Pirouette

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Olivia Hull

A few months after launching a new fitness technology product, the small staff of New York startup Classtivity gathers on a Saturday in April 2013 to take stock. With one successful pivot under its belt, Classtivity is finally generating revenue and enthusiasm among... View Details

23 May 2000
Research & Ideas

The Emerging Art of Negotiation

E-mail? The empirical study of how communications media affects individuals' definitions of the negotiation, especially in an era of expanding communications possibilities, is... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

December 1998 (Revised April 1999)
Case

Mind of the Market: Anatomical View of the Human Brain, Primer Three

By: Gerald Zaltman and Kathryn A. Braun

Keywords: Markets; Research; Consumer Behavior

Find at Harvard

22 Dec 2022
Blog Post

TOP 10 MBA VOICES BLOGS OF 2022

AT HBS Sustainability is a core value at HBS, and we endeavor to build a healthier, more sustainable, and inclusive community. We know that environmental sustainability is of growing interest to our student... View Details

Article

How Much Is a Reduction of Your Customers' Wait Worth? An Empirical Study of the Fast-Food Drive-Thru Industry Based on Structural Estimation Methods

In many service industries, companies compete with each other on the basis of the waiting time their customers experience, along with other strategic instruments such as the price they charge for their service. The objective of this paper is to conduct an empirical... View Details

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction; Price; Service Delivery; Mathematical Methods; Competition; Food and Beverage Industry; Service Industry

Find at Harvard

November 2004
Tutorial

Principles of Microeconomics for Strategists

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Pai-Ling Yin and Elizabeth Raabe

Reviews microeconomic principles from a business strategy perspective, using the digital music industry as context. Contains three modules: demand, supply, and equilibrium. The demand module discusses the willingness to pay, market demand, price elasticity, and... View Details

Keywords: Business Strategy; Supply and Industry; Demand and Consumers; Microeconomics; Balance and Stability; Price; Cost; Revenue; Music Industry