Consumer Protection - Publications - Faculty & Research

11 Sep 2012
First Look

First Look: September 11

faced little consumer demand for natural products, and little consumer knowledge of what they entailed. The creation of new categories involved three overlapping waves of entrepreneurship. The first involved... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

06 Oct 2003
Research & Ideas

The Problem with Hedge Funds

gets punctured in a spectacular bust. Instead, market averages will not move very much, while value is consumed in the hedge funds as they speculate up and down, long and short, on the movement of prices in the markets. During the bubble,... View Details

Keywords: by D. Quinn Mills

23 Nov 2020
Research & Ideas

COVID Was Supposed to Increase Bankruptcies. Instead, They've Gone Down.

on the review site Yelp shut permanently during the pandemic. Don’t be afraid of bankruptcy protection So, what should consumers and policymakers do now as benefits from the CARES Act are running out and a... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

23 Jun 2008
Research & Ideas

Innovative Ways to Encourage Personal Savings

existence since 1694 and are currently in use in a host of countries around the world. They blend elements of lotteries and savings programs. In particular, these products offer savers protection against principal loss and liquidity, but... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services

18 Jul 2022
Research & Ideas

After the 'Crypto Crash,' What's Next for Digital Currencies?

Bitcoin, Terra, and Celsius has renewed calls for regulators to protect consumers from fly-by-night currency operators, scammers, and theft. How vulnerable are crypto investors, particularly the retail-level... View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette; Financial Services; Technology

25 Jan 2010
Research & Ideas

A Macroeconomic View of the Current Economy

government spending, and consumer spending—consumer spending being the biggest—the United States consistently spends more than 100 percent of its GDP (as high as 106 percent in 2005 and 2006). But of course we produce only 100 percent of... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

20 May 2014
Research & Ideas

Managing the Family Business: Survival’s Secret Sauce

faster than your family or business consumes them. Of course, growing families and businesses are both good at consuming assets. For many family companies we have researched, their sustainable real growth... View Details

05 Oct 2020
Book

Want to Be Happier? Make More Free Time

long commutes, household chores, and mindless scrolling on social media. We must make deliberate, sometimes difficult choices that protect the precious hours in our days, Whillans says, whether it’s a big decision like pursuing a... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

06 Jun 2008
What Do You Think?

Why Don’t Managers Think Deeply?

recollection of Tony Athos, wrote that "Time-for-thinking is a special moment which can be resource consuming and an unsafe activity " (Fortunately, Athos held a tenured position in an academic organization.) A number of... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

17 Nov 2009
First Look

First Look: Nov. 17

independent of the shortcomings in the regulatory system. Managers and boards of directors in scores of systemically important firms failed to protect employees, customers, or shareholders and placed the global financial system at risk. I... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

23 Jul 2013
First Look

First Look: July 23

reviews for their competitors. Such review fraud undermines the trustworthiness of consumer reviews and constitutes a major risk factor for review sites. In this paper, we investigate review fraud on the popular View Details

Keywords: Anna Secino

26 Jun 2017
Research & Ideas

How Cellophane Changed the Way We Shop for Food

sights of chicken coops, dead pigs, and other barnyard realities. But at the local grocery stores, food was often kept either behind the counter or in a back room, hidden away from the public, and consumers depended on the grocer or... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Food & Beverage; Retail; Advertising

12 Nov 2012
Research & Ideas

Pay Workers More So They Steal Less

than retaliate. Next, since higher-paid workers want to hold on to their jobs, they would not be as likely to steal as lower-wage workers might. In this case, not stealing is "not a matter of being loyal to your employer," Sandino says. "You are View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard; Retail

07 Apr 2020
Research & Ideas

What Customers Need to Hear from You During the COVID Crisis

need, the new world for brands will have trust at its core. The mandate to brands from global consumers is clear: step up and help, not just your own customers and employees, but the world at large; protect... View Details

Keywords: by Jill Avery and Richard Edelman

10 Jan 2022
Research & Ideas

How to Get Companies to Make Investments That Benefit Everyone

behavior. In fact, the code responsible for creating many consumer electronics is widely available and is often used as a springboard for developers to further innovate, sharing ideas and crafting new products for all to use. Everyone... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

10 Sep 2012
HBS Case

HBS Cases: Branding Yoga

understanding that you needed legal protection for your branding." The Stiles Approach Tara Stiles, meanwhile, found success in yoga her own way. She had studied ballet before launching a brief modeling career with the Ford Agency.... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard; Entertainment & Recreation

27 Oct 2002
Research & Ideas

Want a Happy Customer? Coordinate Sales and Marketing

service lines, market segments, and competitive positioning. Marketing did the thinking, managed the brand and consumer franchise in consumer goods companies, and provided support to the sales force. In this... View Details

Keywords: by Benson Shapiro

27 Nov 2000
Research & Ideas

The Dynamics of Standing Still: Firestone Tire & Rubber and the Radial Revolution

"Radial Age" advertising campaign in 1968. 2 The August 1968 Consumer Reports awarded its top two spots to radials and documented the new technology's longer life, increased safety, handling and economy relative to even... View Details

Keywords: by Donald N. Sull; Manufacturing; Transportation

16 May 2005
Research & Ideas

Nonprofit Networking: The New Way to Grow

Whether their mission is to protect wildlife, help disabled people, or offer financial services in developing countries, nonprofit organizations often believe they need to grow big before they can achieve significant social impact. HBS... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

28 May 2020
Research & Ideas

Coronavirus Could Create a 'Bankruptcy Pandemic'

Forgiving Student Loan Debt Leads to Better Jobs, Stronger Consumers On balance, is Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection good for the American economy? Share your insights below. View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Financial Services; Banking

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