Publications

January 2009
Case

Marks and Spencer: Plan A

By: David E. Bell, Nitin Sanghavi and Laura Winig

Marks & Spencer initiated a comprehensive approach to sustainability (reduction of waste, carbon emissions, fair trade) called Plan A. Does it offer a competitive advantage? View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Strategic Planning; Environmental Sustainability; Competitive Advantage; Retail Industry

November 2011 (Revised December 2013)
Case

Accretive Health

By: William A. Sahlman and Evan Richardson

Mary Tolan, CEO Accretive Health, examines whether to expand the company's operations in hospital revenue cycle management into the field of Total Cost of Care management. View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Expansion; Service Operations; Health Industry

August 1995 (Revised January 2007)
Case

The Schneider Building

By: William J. Poorvu and John H. Vogel Jr.

In May 1995, Jonathan Schneider, the president of the Schneider Co., is faced with several related problems. First, he needs to find a new facility that can accommodate his expanding business. Second, he needs to decide whether to lease or purchase this new facility.... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Property; Leasing; Expansion; Real Estate Industry

Profile

Jonathan Assayag

Business and innovative technology have consistently played large roles in Jonathan Assayag's life. Growing up in Brazil and Miami, he started his informal business education working weekends at his parents' retail store, selling... View Details

Profile

Eric Chavez

and barriers. I’m learning about the obstacles I can face in the future.” After graduation, Eric will look for a position that will help him “refine the skills I’ve learned.” Further out, he would like “a leadership position that will allow me to curate a... View Details

Keywords: Manufacturing/Energy; Tech

September 2002 (Revised August 2014)
Case

Cardinal Health (A): The Medicine Shoppe Acquisition

By: Regina E. Herzlinger, Miguel Abecasis and Brenda Cheng

Robert Walter, the founder and CEO of Cardinal Health, a pharmaceutical distributor, is contemplating the purchase of Medicine Shoppe, a chain of apothecaries. The purchase might be construed as competition against his own drugstore customers. But one of its many... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Retail Industry

11 Nov 2013
Research & Ideas

A Smarter Way to Reduce Customer Defections

marketing priority—and they've been given bigger budgets to fight the battle. But as Gupta points out, identifying potential defectors to target is not as easy as it sounds. For years, companies have used churn management strategies that... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Retail; Retail

16 Sep 2014
Research & Ideas

Has Apple Reinvented the Watch?

strategy would be a very risky move Ryan Raffaelli: We often define radical innovations as "competency-destroying," meaning that they render all related products and services in the same market category obsolete. While the Apple Watch is... View Details

Keywords: Re: Ryan L. Raffaelli; Retail; Retail; Retail

29 May 2006
Research & Ideas

Why CEOs Are Not Plug-and-Play

extraordinary growth. When he joined Stanley Works, the company had emerged from a period of expansion and, with sales flattening, had to shift its focus to cost control, a type of expertise Trani lacked. Three years into his tenure, he... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg, Andrew N. McLean & Nitin Nohria; Employment

26 Mar 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, March 26, 2019

Retail Chain By: Deller, Carolyn, Susanna Gallani, and Tatiana Sandino Abstract—We analyze the effects of a field experiment introducing a values-based 360-degree assessment system at an Indian retailer. The director intended to encourage... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

June 2009 (Revised July 2009)
Case

Mrs. Ebtissam Algosaibi: An Entrepreneur in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Mrs. Ebtissam Algosaibi has created the leading high end jewelry company in the Middle East, Erum Jewelry, based in her home town of Alkhobar, Saudi Arabia. She believes Erum has the potential to be a world player similar to Cartier and Chopard. How should she expand... View Details

Keywords: Gender Characteristics; Entrepreneurship; Global Strategy; Problems and Challenges; Opportunities; Expansion; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Al-Khubar; Middle East

November 2019
Supplement

Gillette: Cutting Prices to Regain Share

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel Fisher

After losing market share to low-priced competitors such as Harry’s and Dollar Shave Club for several years, Gillette decided to fight back by cutting prices on its razors and blades in April 2017. Bonnie Herzog, an equity analyst at Wells Fargo, must assess how the... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Product Positioning; Business Strategy; Competition; Price; Public Equity; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; United States

03 Nov 2015
First Look

November 3, 2015

516-013 Vita: Cosmetics in the Nordics Vita is a Norwegian cosmetics retailer owned by FSN Capital, a Scandinavian private equity company. The company has a strong market position in Norway. The case focuses on two strategic issues: how... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Web

Online Creating Brand Value Course | HBS Online

importance of building enduring brand communities Learn how to manage brands over time to maximize their value Explore how brands create shareholder value and why it’s vital to invest in your brand Who Will Benefit Marketing Professionals Managers and Consultants in... View Details

01 Jun 2017
News

Developing Insight that Has Power in Practice

The commitment to research that influences pedagogy, theory, and practice is inherent to HBS’s identity. The first field study, conducted in 1911 under the School’s Bureau of Business Research, comprised a comparative examination of the costs of operating a View Details

11 Mar 2008
First Look

First Look: March 11, 2008

Working PapersTesting Strategy with Multiple Performance Measures Evidence from a Balanced Scorecard at Store24 Authors:Dennis Campbell, Srikant M. Datar, Susan L. Kulp, and V.G. Narayanan Abstract We analyze balanced scorecard data... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

December 2019 (Revised January 2020)
Case

Boll & Branch

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger and Mel Martin

Boll & Branch is a direct-to-consumer (DTC) business launched in 2015. It was the first Fair-Trade Certified manufacturer of linens. The case provides background on the company, its start, business model, and evolution through 2019. View Details

Keywords: Direct-to-consumer; Channels; Disruption; Business Model; Brands and Branding; Internet and the Web; Strategy; Retail Industry; United States; Canada