Publications

June 2022 (Revised August 2022)
Case

Sage V Foods and Element Farms: Preparing for the Future of Controlled Environment Agriculture

By: Ray A. Goldberg, Rachel Lee and Canning Malkin

November 2000 (Revised September 2014)
Case

J. Perez Foods (A)

By: John A. Davis and Kacie LaChapelle

Examines the tensions that occur in family shareholder groups and how to prepare for them and manage them. View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Entrepreneurship; Business or Company Management; Management Practices and Processes; Family Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Business and Shareholder Relations; Family and Family Relationships; Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry

December 2014
Case

JBS

By: David E. Bell

JBS is a Brazilian protein company that started in beef, but has quickly expanded into pork and chicken, and around the world. The company has many critics who say it has expanded too quickly and that it is overextended financially. The case allows the reader to form... View Details

Keywords: Protein; Beef; Brazil; Prepared Foods; Agribusiness; Agriculture; Expansion; Growth Management; Food; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Brazil

October 1995
Case

Groupe Danone Prepares for the Next Century

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Elizabeth Ashcroft

Danone is the largest food company in France and is in the top ten in the world, but most of its activity is in France, Spain, and Italy. How does it become a global company? Should it? How does it leverage its leadership in yogurt, biscuits, and mineral water? View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Global Strategy; Goods and Commodities; Marketing Strategy; Strategic Planning; Expansion; Food and Beverage Industry

30 Mar 2015
Research & Ideas

Managing the Family Business: Preparing to Sell

On important occasions, we gather for family portraits. If you were to take a picture of your family business today, what would it show? Family businesses represent the aspirations, achievements, and struggles of one or more generations of a family. We would see all... View Details

Keywords: by Jonathan Pellegrin; Food & Beverage; Food & Beverage

17 Oct 2016
HBS Case

Business Solutions That Help Cut Food Waste

As much as 40 percent of food grown in the United States for human consumption is wasted. Source: Eivaisla After decades of wasteful food practices, where perfectly good food is discarded even as poverty keeps many families hungry, solutions are starting to come... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Food & Beverage

September 2007 (Revised June 2008)
Case

Food Security and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Eliot Sherman

The Mormon Church focuses on self-reliance and being prepared for emergencies. Part of their program encourages each member of the Church to have a reserve food supply on hand at all times. Given U.S. and global food stock levels, is the Church program a good model for... View Details

Keywords: Food; Globalized Markets and Industries; Crisis Management; Logistics; Programs; Religion; United States

April 2021
Case

Coca-Cola: Preparing for the Next 100 Years

By: Cynthia A. Montgomery and James Weber

In early 2020, James Quincey, the 14th chair of the 133-year old The Coca-Cola Company, was in the midst of a years-long transformation of Coca-Cola from being the leading carbonated soft drink (CSD) beverage company into a total beverage company. The company’s... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Diversification; Change Management; Organizational Culture; Environmental Sustainability; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

March 2016
Case

Advanced Leadership Pathways: Doug Rauch and the Daily Table

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Peter Zimmerman and Penelope Rossano

Former Trader Joe’s President Doug Rauch developed an innovative idea to address the challenge of food insecurity, food waste, and nutrition. His concept was a new retail grocery model, offering nutritious affordable food to a food insecure population in the inner city... View Details

Keywords: Food Waste; Poverty; Food Security; Food Labeling; Nonprofit; Food; Social Entrepreneurship; Social Enterprise; Nonprofit Organizations; Nutrition; Health

09 Apr 2019
News

Finding a Fix for Food Allergies

daughter Campbell went into anaphylactic shock after eating prepared food cooked in a pan they believe was cross-contaminated with peanuts. “We saw someone go from fine to wheezing, GI distress, and throat... View Details

Keywords: Jill Radsken

15 Aug 2019
News

Finding a Fix for Food Allergies

after eating prepared food cooked in a cross-contaminated pan. The couple cofounded End Allergies Together (EAT) to advance scientific and medical research in order to find treatments and cures. Among EAT’s... View Details

2016
Case

Advanced Leadership Pathways: Doug Rauch and the Daily Table

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter, Peter Zimmerman and Penelope Rossano

Former Trader Joe's President Doug Rauch developed an innovative idea to address the challenge of food insecurity, food waste, and nutrition. His concept was a new retail grocery model, offering nutritious affordable food to a food insecure population in the inner city... View Details

Keywords: Food Insecurity; Grocery; Social Entrepreneurship; Food; Health; Nonprofit Organizations; Boston

14 Mar 2011
Research & Ideas

Water, Electricity, and Transportation: Preparing for the Population Boom

By 2050, the Earth's population will likely exceed 9 billion people, up 30 percent from 6.9 billion today, according to projections from both the US Census Bureau and the United Nations. What's more, the population in the world's cities is expected to increase by 3... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

06 Sep 2004
What Do You Think?

How Do We Prepare for a World Without Cheap Oil?

when he says that "An end to cheap oil would very well mean an end to cheap food worldwide. And with 6.5 billion people to feed, I am reminded of a somewhat frightening quote that I'll likely garble: "Throughout history, when... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

February 2011 (Revised February 2018)
Case

Greg Mazur and the Purchase of Great Eastern Premium Pet Foods

By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff

Greg Mazur decided to purchase a small business after graduating from the Harvard Business School. The case explores his decision about whether or not he should finalize his deal to purchase Great Eastern Premium Pet Foods, Inc. ("GEPP"). It gives students the... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Entrepreneurship; Financing and Loans; Negotiation Deal; Negotiation Preparation; Strategic Planning; Valuation