Publications

Read Now

March 1982 (Revised April 1989)
Background Note

Industrial Buyer Behavior

May be used as background material for courses in industrial marketing and industrial procurement. Surveys the economic, behavioral, and organizational influences that shape buying decision-making in corporations and other institutions. Also describes the kinds of... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain; Marketing; Decision Making

Educators

July 2017
Case

Magpie: Developing and Using Buyer Personas

By: Frank V. Cespedes

The founders of a start-up platform for publishers have developed preliminary personas of target customers and are evaluating the implications for initial target buyers, messaging, and marketing programs. The case is useful for discussing the process of developing... View Details

Keywords: Buying Process; Marketing; Sales; Distribution Channels; Segmentation; Entrepreneurship; Social Media; Consumer Products Industry; Fashion Industry; United States

Educators

August 2008 (Revised April 2012)
Supplement

Real Property Negotiation Game (B): Buyer

By: Arthur I Segel and John H. Vogel, Jr.

The Real Property Negotiation Game simulates the experience negotiating the sale, purchase, or financing of a property. The class competes as either a lender, buyer, or one of two groups of sellers, Raleigh, North Carolina and Las Vegas, Nevada. The buyer case for the... View Details

Keywords: Property; Negotiation; Decision Making; Real Estate Industry

2013
Working Paper

Financial vs. Strategic Buyers

By: Marc Martos-Vila, Matthew Rhodes-Kropf and Jarrad Harford

This paper introduces the impact of debt misvaluation on merger and acquisition activity. Debt misvaluation helps explain the shifting dominance of financial acquirers (private equity firms) relative to strategic acquirers (operating companies). The effects of... View Details

Keywords: Misvaluation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Private Equity

Read Now

fall 1989
Article

Training the Wise Buyer

By: J. Ronald Fox

Keywords: Customers

August 2018
Teaching Note

Magpie: Developing and Using Buyer Personas

By: Frank V. Cespedes

Teaching Note for HBS No. 818-013. Magpie is a startup with a platform that allows publishers to natively tag the products discussed in their content and thus allows consumers to purchase those products without needing to leave that publisher’s web page. A key aspect... View Details

Keywords: Buying Process; Marketing; Sales; Distribution Channels; Segmentation; Entrepreneurship; Social Media; Consumer Products Industry; Fashion Industry; United States

12 Aug 2002
Research & Ideas

‘Let the Buyer Beware’ Doesn’t Protect Investors

makes sense. So disclosure is a very important part of a better system, but it has to be more timely and apparent than in the current form of a prospectus. It was a poor performance by the banks; one that revealed a basic conflict of interest between giving honest... View Details

Keywords: by D. Quinn Mills

15 Feb 2013
News

A New Matching Market for Dog Buyers

August 1978
Exercise

Streaker: Negotiating Exercise - Buyer

By: Howard Raiffa

Keywords: Negotiation

01 Jun 2011
News

A Former Buyer Turns Designer

Yaqub: Inspired by HBS field study. Photo courtesy Ammara Yaqub Other Newsmakers Bob Gannon (OPM 16, 1990) Diana ("Dido") Harding (MBA ’92) David Miller (MBA ’03) Allison O’Kelly (MBA ’99) Amos Schocken (MBA ’70) Mike Stone (MBA ’88) Tom Tiller (MBA ’91) Bill Wyman... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Apparel Manufacturing; Manufacturing; Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores; Retail Trade

19 May 2013
News

App to Connect Artists, Buyers

October 1992
Article

Segmenting Industrial Customers by Buyer Behavior

By: V. K. Rangan, R. T. Moriarty Jr. and G. Swartz

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Customers

August 2008 (Revised April 2012)
Case

Real Property Negotiation Game (A): Buyer Case, Celia Hernandez

By: Arthur I Segel and John H. Vogel, Jr.

The Real Property Negotiation Game simulates the experience negotiating the sale, purchase, or financing of a property. The class competes as either a lender, buyer, or one of two groups of sellers, Raleigh, North Carolina and Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the buyer case... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Negotiation; Property; Real Estate Industry

Educators

August 2007
Article

Negotiations versus Auctions: New Advice for Buyers

By: Ian Larkin

Keywords: Negotiation; Auctions; Information

August 1998 (Revised June 2000)
Case

FairMarket, Inc.: Where Buyers and Sellers Connect

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Jack Wieland and Chad M. M Raube

On February 20, 1997, FairMarket, an Internet-based business-to-business auction site, was launched. CEO, founder Scott Randall, drew on his experience building Internet businesses at NECX Direct, Yahoo, and Internet Shopping Network to build his business. This case,... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Debates; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development; Growth Management; Management Style; Product Launch; Multi-Sided Platforms; Problems and Challenges; Information Technology; Information Technology Industry; Web Services Industry

1993
Chapter

Decomposing a Brand's Customer Franchise into Buyer Types

By: J. McQueen, J. Foley and J. A. Deighton

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Customers; Demand and Consumers