Publications

December 2010 (Revised February 2013)
Case

Logoplaste: Global Growing Challenges

By: Juan Alcacer and Anthony John Morrison Leitao

In 2010, Logoplaste, a top 10 manufacturer of rigid plastic containers, was debating a more dramatic expansion strategy as a means to guarantee the company's continued success. The company, which began with a few plants in Portugal in the 1990s, now had 60 plants... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Global Range; Global Strategy; Partners and Partnerships; Expansion

November 22, 2021
Article

Manage Your Talent Pipeline Like a Supply Chain

By: Joseph B. Fuller and Matthew Sigelman

In supply-chain management, you get what you plan for. Companies understand that principle when it comes to the goods that they consume and produce, but not when it comes to the people they hire and train. For decades, companies have adopted a short-term, ad hoc... View Details

Keywords: Talent Management; Talent and Talent Management; Labor; Strategic Planning

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27 Feb 2024
Research & Ideas

Why Companies Should Share Their DEI Data (Even When It’s Unflattering)

Companies struggling with diversity, equity, and inclusion might be tempted to hide their workforce data. Why shine a light on a company’s limited progress—or worse, risk a public-relations headache? It turns out, all news is good news... View Details

Keywords: by Shalene Gupta

November 1991
Case

Magic Johnson: Endorsements ""After""...?

By: Stephen A. Greyser

On Thursday, November 7, 1991, Los Angeles Lakers star Earvin "Magic" Johnson announced his retirement from basketball in the wake of having tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Magic Johnson was one of the most popular figures in sports, both... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Value; Sports; Advertising; Alliances; Problems and Challenges; Decision Choices and Conditions; Brands and Branding; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry

17 Dec 2014
Research & Ideas

How Our Brain Determines if the Product is Worth the Price

primacy (viewing the price first) makes consumers more likely to focus on whether a product is worth its price, and consequently can help induce the purchase of specific kinds of bargain-priced items. Their study, Cost Conscious? The... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Retail

22 Apr 2015
Working Paper Summaries

Is No News (Perceived as) Bad News? An Experimental Investigation of Information Disclosure

Keywords: by Ginger Jin, Michael Luca & Daniel Martin

29 Oct 2008
Research & Ideas

The Next Marketing Challenge: Selling to ’Simplifiers’

road half the time, grew in number as the size of the average American household declined. The new economy has made it even easier for consumers to get rid of their stuff. These huge houses had to be filled with more stuff, View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

20 Nov 2007
Working Paper Summaries

The “Fees → Savings” Link, or Purchasing Fifty Pounds of Pasta

Keywords: by Michael I. Norton & Leonard Lee; Retail

December 2010 (Revised March 2011)
Background Note

Strategic Marketing in Creative Industries

By: Anita Elberse

A note for educators describing an elective course for second-year MBA Students at Harvard Business School, "Strategic Marketing in Creative Industries." which focuses on strategic marketing challenges for firms in the creative industries, defined as industries that... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy

April 2020 (Revised October 2020)
Case

Unilever's Response to the Future of Work

By: William R. Kerr, Emilie Billaud and Mette Fuglsang Hjortshoej

In February 2020, Nick Dalton, executive vice president HR business transformation at Unilever, reflected on the changing nature of work marked by rapid advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation. Launched in 2016, Unilever’s Future of Work... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Human Capital; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Structure; Transformation; Human Resources; Consumer Products Industry; Europe

2001
Book

Giants of Enterprise: Seven Business Innovators and the Empires They Built

By: R. S. Tedlow

From the table of contents: Andrew Carnegie: From Rags to Richest; George Eastman and the creation of a mass market; Henry Ford: The Profits and the Price of Primitivism; Thomas J. Watson Sr. and American salesmanship; Charles Revson and Revlon: Consumer Packaged Goods... View Details

Keywords: Business History

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13 May 2024
Research & Ideas

Picture This: Why Online Image Searches Drive Purchases

topping $85 billion by 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights. Consumers increasingly expect to find the goods they want easily, and a satisfying search feature could give retailers an advantage. The... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

2008
Working Paper

Behavioral Aspects of Price Setting, and Their Policy Implications

By: Julio J. Rotemberg

This paper starts by discussing consumers' cognitive and emotional reaction to posted prices. Cognitively, some consumers do not appear to make effective use of price information to maximize their consumption-based utility. Emotionally, prices can induce regret and... View Details

Keywords: Inflation and Deflation; Price; Policy; Laws and Statutes; Consumer Behavior; Emotions

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August 2013 (Revised August 2014)
Case

Catalina In the Digital Age

By: Robert J. Dolan and Uma R. Karmarkar

Catalina in the Digital Age considers how a company with a dominant market position should evolve its established product lines given the rise of novel digital technologies. Since its founding in 1983, Catalina had enjoyed a distinct position in the world of consumer... View Details

Keywords: Big Data; Digital Technologies; Marketing; Customer Relationship Management; Consumer Behavior; Analytics and Data Science

November 2022
Background Note

The Future of E-Commerce: Lessons from the Livestream Wars in China

By: Ayelet Israeli, Jeremy Yang and Billy Chan

This note explores the emerging multi-billion dollar commerce trend of livestream commerce. Livestream commerce is the sale of goods or services directly to consumers via live shows on digital platforms (such as social media or e-commerce platforms). It is a form of... View Details

2015
Working Paper

'Be Careless with That!' Availability of Product Upgrades Increases Cavalier Behavior Toward Possessions

By: Silvia Bellezza, Joshua M. Ackerman and Francesca Gino

Consumers are often faced with the opportunity to purchase a new, enhanced product (e.g., a new phone), even though the device they currently own is still fully functional. We propose that consumers act more recklessly with their current products and are less concerned... View Details

Keywords: Carelessness; Product Upgrade; Justification; Loss; Consumer Behavior; Attitudes; Product; Ownership

SSRN

16 Aug 2004
Research & Ideas

Luxury Isn’t What It Used to Be

Cashing in on the $60 billion global luxury goods market has never been tougher—or more rewarding. Competition is keen. And consumer preferences are constantly shifting, causing the concept of luxury itself... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Consumer Products

March 2016
Teaching Note

Catalina in the Digital Age

By: Uma R. Karmarkar and Robert J. Dolan

"Catalina in the Digital Age" considers how a company with a dominant market position should evolve its established product lines given the rise of novel digital technologies. Since its founding in 1983, Catalina had enjoyed a distinct position in the world of consumer... View Details

Keywords: Coupons; Information Technology; Customer Relationship Management; Consumer Behavior; Product Marketing; Retail Industry

January–February 2018
Article

Ads That Don't Overstep: How to Make Sure You Don't Take Personalization Too Far

By: Leslie John, Tami Kim and Kate Barasz

Data gathered on the web has vastly enhanced the capabilities of marketers. With people regularly sharing personal details online and internet cookies tracking every click, companies can now gain unprecedented insight into individual consumers and target them with... View Details

Keywords: Digital Marketing; Customization and Personalization; Information; Customers; Attitudes