Publications

April 1998 (Revised February 2001)
Case

Amazon.com (B)

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport

Discusses Amazon.com's newest and biggest challenge: The threat of Barnes & Noble's entrance into the on-line bookselling industry with its new site--barnesandnoble.com. View Details

Keywords: Competition; Internet; Retail Industry

01 Jun 2004
News

Media, VC Discussed at WSA Conference

something they’ve seen on the Web. And the company’s site is helping to push its brand, she said. Venture capital, success strategies for minorities in business, and fashion retailing were among the other... View Details

Keywords: women in business; women's student association; Arts, Entertainment

March 1998 (Revised February 2001)
Case

barnesandnoble.com (A)

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport

Examines the on-line division of Barnes & Noble, barnesandnoble.com. The on-line bookselling industry is examined, with emphasis on its biggest competitor, Amazon.com. View Details

Keywords: Competition; Internet; Retail Industry

Find at Harvard

17 Sep 2024
Research & Ideas

Advice for the New CEO: Talk to Your Employees Early and Often

tenure from 2011 to 2013 at JCPenney, where messages from top executives were so murky, the retail company was described as a place where “communication goes to die,” the researchers write, leading to rumors and distrust within the firm.... View Details

Keywords: by Ami Albernaz

September 1994
Case

Otis Elevator Company: China Joint Venture (D)

By: Michael Y. Yoshino

Describes a set of challenges facing Otis Elevator's joint venture in China as it seeks to expand to other regions of the country. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details

Keywords: Joint Ventures; Expansion; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Strategy; Globalization; Construction Industry; Manufacturing Industry; China

May 1998 (Revised March 2004)
Case

Leadership Online (A): Barnes & Noble vs. Amazon.com

Describes the attempt of a traditional retailer, Barnes & Noble, to counter the challenges posed by an Internet-based start-up, Amazon.com. View Details

Keywords: Competition; Internet; Retail Industry

08 Dec 2016
Cold Call Podcast

How Wayfair Built a Furniture Brand from Scratch

Keywords: Retail

February 2008 (Revised September 2010)
Case

LeapFrog Enterprises

By: Lynda M. Applegate and Elizabeth Collins

Explores the success factors leading to the company's rise to the number three ranking in the aggressively competitive toy industry. LeapFrog has made the strategic decision to expand beyond the toy industry and enter the educational technology and services industry.... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Expansion; Consumer Products Industry; Education Industry

March 2017
Supplement

OXXO's Turf War Against Extra (B)

By: Tatiana Sandino, Gerardo Pérez Cavazos and Annelena Lobb

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Organizational Culture; Organizational Design; Competitive Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry; Mexico

05 Dec 2012
What Do You Think?

Should Managers Bother Listening to Predictions?

least three plans, one based on "best case," one based on "worst case," and one representing "best guess." One could argue that the process itself has a degree of humility built into it. Fashion retailers... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

December 2010 (Revised October 2021)
Case

Silver Lake

By: David J. Collis and Elizabeth A. Kind

Dave Roux, co-founder and chairman of Silver Lake, a private equity (PE) firm specializing in technology investments, was meeting with the firm's investment committee via video conference to discuss options for Silver Lake's future growth. While the private equity... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Private Equity; Expansion; Global Range; Financial Services Industry

September 2006 (Revised April 2008)
Case

Wild Oats Markets, Inc.

By: John R. Wells and Travis Haglock

Ever since ex-Ben and Jerry's CEO Perry Odak took over as CEO of Wild Oats in 2001, he has been trying to turn the company around. After some apparent false starts, profits now seem to be on the rise in 2005 and 2006. Has he finally done it? View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Change Management; Profit; Retail Industry; United States

December 2017 (Revised April 2018)
Case

Area One Farms

By: Forest Reinhardt, Jose B. Alvarez and Annelena Lobb

In 2017, Joelle Faulkner, CEO of Area One Farms, a Canadian private-equity fund focused on investing in the best Canadian farms and helping them expand, considered the merits and disadvantages of expanding her business to the U.S. While the markets shared some... View Details

Keywords: Expansion; Decision Choices and Conditions; Private Equity; Canada; United States

March 1994 (Revised November 1994)
Case

Komatsu Ltd. (A): Target Costing System

Komatsu, a leading manufacturer of construction equipment, seeks to expand aggressively through the 1990s. Key to its competitiveness is a strict adherence to target costs throughout the product development process. Komatsu conducts several design-for-manufacturability... View Details

Keywords: Cost; Machinery and Machining; Expansion; Product Development; Manufacturing Industry

22 Mar 2017
Research & Ideas

What's the Ideal Frequency for a Sales Quota?

decrease in sales of high-margin items. Ultimately, the Swedish firm decided that the benefits of a daily quota outweighed the costs. At the end of the study, the retailer switched its quota plan from monthly to daily across the company... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

14 Sep 2010
First Look

First Look: September 14, 2010

There is an overall expansion of industrial activity after reform, and highly disaggregated trade data indicate higher exports of new goods. These results suggest that the expansion of multinational activity... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

October 1994 (Revised March 1995)
Case

Marsh Supermarkets, Inc. (B): The Entry of Meijer Supercenters

The Marsh chain of supermarkets is challenged by the entry of Meijer Supercenters into the Indianapolis market. Marsh management must decide how to select, price, promote, and merchandise its products in order to retain the loyalty of its customers and maintain... View Details

Keywords: Distribution; Marketing Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Retail Industry; Indianapolis