Publications

02 Feb 2015
Research & Ideas

Disruptors Sell What Customers Want and Let Competitors Sell What They Don’t

expensive merchandise with a limited wear life. PriceGrabber is a decoupler, too. Traditional consumer electronic retail stores depend on customers to come to their showrooms and tire-kick TVs and sound systems before buying. But the... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

March 2014 (Revised September 2015)
Case

Clef Company: Turnover

By: Frank V. Cespedes

The Clef case focuses on the issue of turnover in a firm's sales force. Students must analyze the factors contributing to turnover as well as the role of the field sales force in Clef's profitable business strategy. Among other things, the Clef case illustrates that... View Details

Keywords: Sales; Marketing; Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Performance Evaluation; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; United States

August 2000
Case

Alison Brown of Compass Records

By: Teresa M. Amabile and Amy Blitz

Highly acclaimed recording artist, banjo player, and jazz/blue grass composer Alison Brown has used her artistic experience and MBA-based business savvy to found a successful independent record company with bassist/husband Garry West. Representing a stellar roster of... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Technological Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Industry Structures; Service Delivery; Business Strategy; Expansion; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Music Industry

22 Nov 2016
First Look

November 22, 2016

the complex regulatory environment that governs Indian gaming. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=51932 Fall 2016 Manufacturing & Service Operations Management The Impact of Supplier Inventory Service Level on View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

August 1986 (Revised April 2007)
Case

Wal-Mart Stores' Discount Operations

Facilitates a discussion of the sources of Wal-Mart Stores' competitive advantage in discount retailing, and the future sustainability of that advantage. Also profiles the company's major diversification move in the early 1980s. View Details

Keywords: Diversification; Competitive Advantage; Retail Industry; United States

Profile

Rocio Parra

says. In fact, she completed a couple of high-tech consulting internships while attending Stanford. But her senior project led to a major change in plans. "I was part of a team that conducted marketing strategy for a digital... View Details

December 2018
Case

First Utility Ltd.

By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

At the end of 2017 First Utility Ltd. was the largest of the middle-tier domestic energy suppliers in the United Kingdom, serving 808,000 of the country’s 27 million households with electricity and gas. In Q1 2017 First Utility captured 3% market share. The company had... View Details

Keywords: Rapid Growth Stage; Power/Energy; Energy Efficiency Standards; Energy; Competition; Diversification; Acquisition; Expansion; Growth Management; Energy Industry; United Kingdom

January 2003 (Revised November 2003)
Case

Merloni Elettrodomestici: The New Century Begins

By: Joseph L. Bower

Merloni Elettrodomestici was founded in 1975. This case traces the evolution of the company's strategy, organization, and management as it becomes the #3 player in Europe (the #1 in Eastern Europe). Issues involve questions of geographic expansion, resource allocation,... View Details

Keywords: Management; Resource Allocation; Organizational Structure; Competitive Strategy; Expansion

Find at Harvard

23 Jan 2020
Research & Ideas

Businesses Need a 'Catalyst' to Make CSR Practices Stick

obvious sector for such an ecosystem, it is not the only area in which an inclusive growth strategy can work, Kaplan says. Palladium helped set up a service supply network for retail and hospitality... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

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

October 2004 (Revised December 2005)
Case

Rakuten

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Andrew P. McAfee, Thomas R. Eisenmann and Masako Egawa

Rakuten, a native Japanese, e-commerce start-up and highly successful company, is expanding into new categories and new countries. It must figure out how to continue its trajectory of growth and profitability. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Global Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Japan

31 May 2023
Research & Ideas

With Predictive Analytics, Companies Can Tap the Ultimate Opportunity: Customers’ Routines

than customers who don’t use the service as part of a routine, the authors find. “Services from streaming video to online retailing might profit from using the model because detailed data can be closely tracked and parsed to detect... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Transportation

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

18 Nov 2008
First Look

First Look: November 18, 2008

the position of Brand Development Manager (BDM) to build the company's presence, sales, and relationships with its retail customers. After one year, the CEO, CFO and President must evaluate the impact of the BDM on View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

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