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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,122)
- News (171)
- Research (832)
- Events (2)
- Multimedia (3)
- Faculty Publications (418)
- September 24, 2024
- Article
4 Steps That Can Optimize Your Sales Process
By: Frank V. Cespedes, Scott Peterson and Daniel Weinfurter
Sales is a performance art where outcomes matter, so most advice here focuses on closing the sale. But a close is the result of actions and choices that occur earlier in the process: how much time and effort to spend on customer discovery (understanding what and to... View Details
Cespedes, Frank V., Scott Peterson, and Daniel Weinfurter. "4 Steps That Can Optimize Your Sales Process." Harvard Business Review (website) (September 24, 2024).
- April 2011
- Article
Private Equity and Long-Run Investment: The Case of Innovation
By: Josh Lerner, Morten Sorensen and Per Stromberg
A long-standing controversy is whether LBOs relieve managers from short-term pressures of dispersed shareholders, or whether LBO funds themselves are driven by short-term profit motives and sacrifice long-term growth to boost short-term performance. We investigate 495... View Details
Lerner, Josh, Morten Sorensen, and Per Stromberg. "Private Equity and Long-Run Investment: The Case of Innovation." Journal of Finance 66, no. 2 (April 2011): 445–477.
- 2022
- Working Paper
The Transformation of Self Employment
By: Innessa Colaiacovo, Margaret Dalton, Sari Pekkala Kerr and William R. Kerr
Over the past half-century, while self-employment has consistently accounted for around one in ten of the United States workforce, its composition has changed. Since 1970, industries with high startup capital requirements have declined from 53% of self-employment to... View Details
Keywords: Self-employment; Startup Investment; Occupational Choice; Financing; Small Business; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Financing and Loans
Colaiacovo, Innessa, Margaret Dalton, Sari Pekkala Kerr, and William R. Kerr. "The Transformation of Self Employment." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 22-051, January 2022.
- November 2002 (Revised May 2003)
- Case
ConAgra Foods
By: Ray A. Goldberg and Ingrid Vargas
In 2002, ConAgra Foods CEO Bruce Rohde was deliberating the next steps in the process of transforming the company from an agribusiness giant to a value-added food processor. ConAgra had become the second largest food company and number one food service supplier in the... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Leading Change; Change Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Food; Agribusiness; Product; Business Processes; Management Teams; Expansion; Brands and Branding; Food and Beverage Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States
Goldberg, Ray A., and Ingrid Vargas. "ConAgra Foods." Harvard Business School Case 903-412, November 2002. (Revised May 2003.)
- 18 Oct 2018
- Research & Ideas
How to Use Free Shipping as a Competitive Weapon
ablokhin Free shipping is an increasingly important tool in the online retailer's marketing arsenal, but few sellers understand the intricacies of the strategy and are leaving significant profits on the table, new research suggests.... View Details
- December 2020 (Revised March 2021)
- Case
eXp Realty and the Virbela Platform
By: Prithwiraj Choudhury, Jan Bena, David Rowat and Emma Salomon
As he considered his plans for the future, Glenn Sanford, CEO of eXp World Holdings, Inc., faced an exciting conundrum. He had built the first all-remote real estate brokerage firm, eXp Realty, which had been growing exponentially and was thriving, even amidst the... View Details
Keywords: Real Estate; All Remote; Virtual Platform; Internet and the Web; Strategy; Decision Making; Resource Allocation; Digital Platforms; Real Estate Industry; Technology Industry
Choudhury, Prithwiraj, Jan Bena, David Rowat, and Emma Salomon. "eXp Realty and the Virbela Platform." Harvard Business School Case 621-068, December 2020. (Revised March 2021.)
- June 2010
- Case
Playa Dorada Tennis Club: Expansion Strategy
By: W. Earl Sasser Jr. and Brent Kazan
Playa Dorada Beach & Resort in Boca Raton, Florida, faces a growing seasonal demand for tennis services. The number of guests is expected to double in the next few years, and while the tennis facilities are a popular and well-promoted amenity at the resort, court space... View Details
Keywords: Service Operations; Planning; Price; Expansion; Tourism Industry; Accommodations Industry; Travel Industry; Florida
Sasser, W. Earl, Jr., and Brent Kazan. "Playa Dorada Tennis Club: Expansion Strategy." Harvard Business School Brief Case 104-221, June 2010.
- February 2003 (Revised October 2003)
- Case
Cable Data Systems
By: Paul W. Marshall and Todd H Thedinga
Describes the operating challenges of Cable Data Systems (CDS), a minority-owned cable installation company with a dual mission of maximizing profits and providing employment opportunities to minorities in urban markets. Following the merger of two cable installation... View Details
Keywords: Selection and Staffing; Employment; Forecasting and Prediction; Urban Scope; Cost Management; Infrastructure; Labor Unions; Demand and Consumers; Demographics; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Boston
Marshall, Paul W., and Todd H Thedinga. "Cable Data Systems." Harvard Business School Case 803-132, February 2003. (Revised October 2003.)
- November 2010 (Revised January 2012)
- Case
CNOOC: Building a World-Class Energy Company
By: Joseph L. Bower, Nancy Hua Dai and Michael Shih-ta Chen
Fu Chengyu is the fifth CEO to lead China National Offshore Oil Company - an SOE founded in 1982 to exploit Chinese offshore deposits. In 2010 he is trying to decide how to drive further growth in a company that has grown 556 times in less than 30 years, with profits... View Details
Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Leadership Development; Growth and Development Strategy; Resource Allocation; Organizational Culture; State Ownership; Competitive Strategy; Energy Industry; China
Bower, Joseph L., Nancy Hua Dai, and Michael Shih-ta Chen. "CNOOC: Building a World-Class Energy Company." Harvard Business School Case 311-074, November 2010. (Revised January 2012.)
- March 2025 (Revised March 2025)
- Case
Good for the Seller, Good for the Buyer and Good for Society: Sampo-yoshi, Sustainability and Trust at ITOCHU
By: Sandra J. Sucher and Bethelehem Y Araya
In 2024, ITOCHU CEO Masahiro Okafuji was at a crossroads. As the thirteenth CEO since ITOCHU’s founding in 1858, he had fueled the company’s growth since 2011 by bringing ITOCHU’s founding philosophy of Sampo-yoshi (good for the seller, good for the buyer and... View Details
Keywords: Sustainability; Trust; Profit; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Mission and Purpose; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Japan
Sucher, Sandra J., and Bethelehem Y Araya. "Good for the Seller, Good for the Buyer and Good for Society: Sampo-yoshi, Sustainability and Trust at ITOCHU." Harvard Business School Case 325-053, March 2025. (Revised March 2025.)
- March 2022
- Teaching Note
Farfetch: Digital Transformation for Luxury Brands
By: Jill Avery and Sunil Gupta
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 522-051. Farfetch, a global luxury technology platform and digital marketplace had been surfing the wave of digital transformation in the luxury fashion industry since 2008. While the company’s stock price and market valuation had... View Details
- May 2013 (Revised March 2014)
- Case
Gap, Inc., 2000
By: John R. Wells and Galen Danskin
From humble beginnings as a Levi jeans store, by 2000 Gap, Inc. had grown to become the world's leading specialist clothing retailer. Its CEO, Millard S. Drexler, the "merchant prince," was credited with transforming Gap into a global empire, leading the company... View Details
Keywords: Strategic Change; Fashion; Risk and Uncertainty; Competition; Performance Consistency; Problems and Challenges; Globalized Firms and Management; Competitive Strategy; Business Growth and Maturation; Strategy; Retail Industry; Fashion Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States
Wells, John R., and Galen Danskin. "Gap, Inc., 2000." Harvard Business School Case 713-508, May 2013. (Revised March 2014.)
- May 2024
- Supplement
Net Protections (D)
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Nobuo Sato and Akiko Kanno
Finally, in Case D, in mid-2023, the company is considering further changes to its overall portfolio to continue driving profitable growth. View Details
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, Nobuo Sato, and Akiko Kanno. "Net Protections (D)." Harvard Business School Supplement 724-471, May 2024.
- October 2011
- Supplement
Jack Hughes, Founder and Chairman of TopCoder, In-class comments 4/8/11
By: David A. Garvin
TopCoder's crowdsourcing-based business model, in which software is developed through online tournaments, is presented. The case highlights how TopCoder has created a unique two-sided innovation platform consisting of a global community of over 225,000 developers who... View Details
Keywords: Business Model; Growth and Development; Technological Innovation; Problems and Challenges; Motivation and Incentives; Competition; Online Technology; Information Technology Industry
Garvin, David A. "Jack Hughes, Founder and Chairman of TopCoder, In-class comments 4/8/11." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 312-709, October 2011.
Ranjay Gulati
Ranjay Gulati is the Paul R. Lawrence MBA Class of 1942 Professor of Business Administration and the former Unit Head of the Organizational Behavior Unit at Harvard Business School. He is an expert on leadership, strategy, and organizational issues... View Details
- July 2020 (Revised September 2020)
- Case
Property Finder's Strategy for Online Classifieds in the MENA Region
By: Krishna G. Palepu, Gamze Yucaoglu and Fares Khrais
The case opens in 2020 as Michael Lahyani, founder and CEO of Property Finder, Dubai’s leading online real estate classifieds portal, contemplates the company’s five-year growth strategy.
Since its founding in 2005 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Property... View Details
Keywords: General Business; Real Estate; Entrepreneurship; Property; Strategy; Emerging Markets; Growth Management; Online Technology; Real Estate Industry; Technology Industry; United Arab Emirates; Saudi Arabia; Egypt; Turkey
Palepu, Krishna G., Gamze Yucaoglu, and Fares Khrais. "Property Finder's Strategy for Online Classifieds in the MENA Region." Harvard Business School Case 321-009, July 2020. (Revised September 2020.)
- March 2017
- Case
Cantel Medical
By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth
Cantel Medical Corporation provided infection prevention and control products and services for patients, caregivers, and other healthcare providers. In 2016, Cantel generated sales of $665 million and net profits of $60 million, double the levels of five years earlier.... View Details
Keywords: Cantel; Charles Diker; Furniture Industry; Matrix Organization; Acquisition; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Conglomerates; Business Units; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Chemicals; Profit; Revenue; Geographic Scope; Multinational Firms and Management; Health; Health Care and Treatment; Business History; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Structure; Problems and Challenges; Research and Development; Opportunities; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Diversification; Expansion; Information Technology; Biotechnology Industry; Chemical Industry; Health Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States; New Jersey
Wells, John R., and Gabriel Ellsworth. "Cantel Medical." Harvard Business School Case 717-482, March 2017.
Allison H. Mnookin
Allison Mnookin is a Senior Lecturer of Business Administration in the Technology and Operations Management (TOM) Unit at the Harvard Business School. She currently is the co-chair of the first-year MBA Technology and Operations Management course. In addition, she... View Details
- December 2015
- Case
The Hain Celestial Group
By: David E. Bell, José B. Alvarez, James Weber and Mary Shelman
Hain Celestial manufactured natural and organic food and personal care products to be sold to retailers of these products. The company had grown successfully and profitably through acquisitions and organically for two decades. In late 2015, Hain faced challenges on... View Details
Bell, David E., José B. Alvarez, James Weber, and Mary Shelman. "The Hain Celestial Group." Harvard Business School Case 516-007, December 2015.
- May 2017 (Revised February 2024)
- Case
Battle for the Soul of Capitalism: Unilever and the Kraft Heinz Takeover Bid (A)
By: William W. George and Amram Migdal
This case describes Kraft Heinz Company’s (KHC) February 2017 unsolicited $143 billion takeover offer to acquire Unilever. The offer was made to Unilever CEO Paul Polman by KHC chairman Alexandre Behring, who was also co-founder and CEO of Brazilian-based 3G Capital... View Details
George, William W., and Amram Migdal. "Battle for the Soul of Capitalism: Unilever and the Kraft Heinz Takeover Bid (A)." Harvard Business School Case 317-127, May 2017. (Revised February 2024.)