Publications

September 1991
Case

General Foods Corp.: Product Management--1991

By: Stephen A. Greyser

Keywords: Product; Management; Food and Beverage Industry

April 1991 (Revised October 1993)
Case

Cat Fight in the Pet Food Industry (A)

By: David J. Collis

Describes the pet food industry in the mid-eighties prior to the breakout of a major competitive battle as manufacturers fight for share. Illustrates how when there are benefits to play in multiple markets, competitors will take action in one market to preserve their... View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Forecasting and Prediction; Financial Markets; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Ownership Stake; Competition; Corporate Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry

January–February 2021
Article

Food and Drug Administration Guidance Documents and New Medical Devices: The Case of Breast Prostheses

By: Rachel E. Weitzman, Ariel Dora Stern and Daniel B. Kramer

As pressure mounts on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to speed its review process for novel devices, and budgetary pressures further strain its resources, the critical role of guidance documents in assuring consistent, rigorous, and scientifically grounded... View Details

Keywords: Medical Devices; FDA; Health Care and Treatment; Government Administration; Information; Standards

Read Now

February 1995 (Revised January 1996)
Teaching Note

Birds Eye and the U.K. Frozen Food Industry (A) TN

By: David J. Collis

Teaching Note for (9-792-074). View Details

Keywords: Food and Beverage Industry; United Kingdom

April 1978
Case

General Foods: Opportunities in the Dog Food Market

Illustrates uses of various sources of market and consumer behavior data, including psychographics, product positioning, and market segmentation decisions for a new dog food product. Based on cases by E.T. Popper and L.S. Ward. View Details

Keywords: Product Positioning; Consumer Behavior; Product Development; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

Article

The Rise of Synthetic Colors in the American Food Industry, 1870–1940

By: Ai Hisano

This article examines how, starting in the 1870s, food manufacturers in the United States began to use standardized color, achieved by synthetic dyes, as part of their marketing strategies. The emergence of the synthetic dye industry paralleled the growth of mass... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Food; Health; Brands and Branding; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

November 2010 (Revised January 2012)
Case

CHS Inc.: Cooperative Leadership in a Global Food Economy

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Matthew Preble

CHS- the largest farm cooperative in the US- was planning its 2020 vision statement and the role the cooperative should play in the food system. View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Global Strategy; Goals and Objectives; Cooperative Ownership; Strategic Planning; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States

19 Oct 2021
Cold Call Podcast

Should Global Beer Company Molson Coors Dive into the Cannabis Beverages Business?

Keywords: Re: Derek C. M. van Bever

March 2021 (Revised January 2023)
Background Note

The Pandemic's Impact on the U.S. Food System

By: José B. Alvarez and Natalie Kindred

This note is intended not as a comprehensive account but as a starting point for discussion about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the U.S. food system. Written in late 2020, the note describes, in part through the voices of industry leaders, how the pandemic... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic; Agribusiness; Risk and Uncertainty; Risk Management; Leadership; Change Management; Safety; Health; Health Pandemics; Disruption; Adaptation; Supply Chain; Supply Chain Management; Consumer Behavior; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

1986
Chapter

Consumer Satisfaction with Food Products

By: J. Quelch and S. Ash

Article

Consumer Satisfaction with Food Products

By: John A. Quelch and Stephen B. Ash

November 2016 (Revised March 2018)
Background Note

Note on the Impact of Millennials on the Food System

By: José B. Alvarez, James Weber and Natalie Kindred

In 2016, the millennial generation (those age 19 to 35 in 2016), the largest generation by population in the U.S., was entering its prime home buying, family forming, earning and spending years. This generation was showing different beliefs and behaviors than previous... View Details

Keywords: Millennials; Consumer Packaged Goods; Food; Age; Consumer Behavior; Agribusiness; Demographics; Values and Beliefs; Consumer Products Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

09 May 2018
Research & Ideas

A Simple Way for Restaurant Inspectors to Improve Food Safety

Restaurant inspectors can be the last line of defense between you and moldy bread. (HighLaZ) Simple tweaks to the schedules of food safety inspectors could result in hundreds of thousands of currently... View Details

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

March 1982
Supplement

General Foods: Food Service Division, Video

By: John P. Kotter

Keywords: Food; Food and Beverage Industry

May 2020
Case

Big Boom Beverages: Fight or Flight?

By: Stephen A. Greyser and William Ellet

Four college friends market a beverage that combines ingredients like those in a drink they consumed in college bars. It includes a caffeinated energy drink, malt liquor, and a soft drink flavoring. They launch the business, Big Boom Beverages (BBB), with their own... View Details

Keywords: Alcoholic Beverages; Energy Drinks; Regulation; Entrepreneurship; Ethics; Marketing Communications; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Reputation; Communication Strategy; Decision Making

10 Aug 2017
Cold Call Podcast

Pal's Sudden Service: Taking Fast Food to the Next Level

Keywords: Re: Gary P. Pisano; Food & Beverage

October 1988 (Revised November 1988)
Case

NutraSweet Co.: Technology to Tailor-Make Foods

By: Ray A. Goldberg

Keywords: Food; Information Technology; Competitive Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry

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