Publications

Web

Key Concepts - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

competition where providers were competing on the wrong things at the wrong level. The result was that the US health care system was spending more per citizen on health care than any other nation and getting worse health outcomein... View Details

March 2016 (Revised May 2018)
Case

Reinventing Best Buy

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

On March 1, 2017, Best Buy Company, Inc., North America’s largest retailer of consumer electronics and appliances, announced a third year of comparable-store sales increases and a 20.8% increase in domestic comparable online sales. These results were in marked contrast... View Details

Keywords: Best Buy; Hubert Joly; Renew Blue; Showrooming; Webrooming; E-commerce; E-Commerce Strategy; Online Retail; Multichannel Retailing; Omnichannel; Marketplaces; Turnaround; Consumer Electronics; Consumer Electronics Accessories; Appliances; Stores-within-stores; Store Experience; Store Size; Store Pickup; Store Management; Delivery; Delivery Models; Amazon; Amazon.com; Pricing Strategy; Business Subsidiaries; Business Units; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Entertainment; Film Entertainment; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Music Entertainment; Television Entertainment; Theater Entertainment; Price; Profit; Revenue; Geographic Scope; Multinational Firms and Management; Business History; Cost; Selection and Staffing; Reports; Technological Innovation; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Human Capital; Leading Change; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Teams; Brands and Branding; Product Marketing; Consumer Behavior; Demand and Consumers; Media; Distribution; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Distribution Channels; Infrastructure; Product; Service Delivery; Service Operations; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Programs; Groups and Teams; Sales; Salesforce Management; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Information Technology; Information Infrastructure; Information Technology; Internet and the Web; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Internet and the Web; Applications and Software; Internet and the Web; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Resource Allocation; Computer Industry; Electronics Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Information Technology Industry; Retail Industry; Service Industry; Technology Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Video Game Industry; United States; Minnesota; Minneapolis; Saint Paul; St. Paul

29 Oct 2012
Research & Ideas

Are You Paying a Tip--or a Bribe?

Holden Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford, and Daniella Kupor, a doctoral student at Stanford. "It is generally considered a good-natured prosocial thing to tip, but bribing is considered... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

02 Sep 2015
What Do You Think?

What's Wrong With Amazon’s Low-Retention HR Strategy?

performed. Ivar put it this way: “When talking of turnover, it is important to know who is leaving the company." For companies such as Amazon, he said, "if well-paid, smart techies making things... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Web Services; Retail; Apparel & Accessories; Consumer Products; Fashion

07 Nov 2023
News

Love and Money

conversations around money, particularly in a new relationship. Share with us some insights about the things that go wrong in those discussions and how we can put ourselves on a better track. Rachel Greenwald: There are a lot View Details

05 Oct 2023
Blog Post

A Pathway to Public Service: Brandon Moore (MBA/MPP 2025)

as I reflect upon my background, two things immediately come to mind: 1) I remain eternally grateful for the veteran community and 2) I REALLY miss flying Apache helicopters! Why did you decide on the HBS/HKS Joint Degree program? It is... View Details

Web

The New CEO Workshop - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

HBS ISC Resources Resources Video Courses Data Events & Presentations Frameworks News Publications Courses New CEO Workshop As a newly minted CEO, you may think you finally have the power to set strategy, the authority to make things... View Details

Web

Creating a Successful Strategy - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

industries in the 1980s by doing things in a novel way. They essentially rewrote the playbooks for how to run an airline and sell furniture—and carved out long-lasting, unique strategic positions in the marketplace. Elements View Details

22 Apr 2024
Research & Ideas

When Does Impact Investing Make the Biggest Impact?

that, then that company has more capital and can do things that it couldn't otherwise do.” Doing well by doing good is an important trend in business generally and venture capital specifically, with the sphere View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

Fast Answer

Stock prices: current & historical

desired frequency and time period. You can download this data into Excel. Another option is to choose Chart under Price & Charts. Expand the filter to the left of where it says ‘Templates’ to add in another company, and/or... View Details

17 Jan 2014
Working Paper Summaries

Price Coherence and Adverse Intermediation

Keywords: by Benjamin G. Edelman & Julian Wright; Consumer Products

12 Oct 2022
Blog Post

11 Stories from HBS PRIDE for National Coming Out Day

brought us closer than ever before. “Te quiero también, apá.” Michael Brunman (he/him/his), Class of 2023 The summer after graduating high school, I was 18 and curious about my sexuality, I decided to give myself seven days View Details

August 2014 (Revised October 2014)
Case

Beyoncé

By: Anita Elberse and Stacie Smith

In December 2013, music superstar Beyoncé is about to surprise her fans with the release of her self-titled album. The team at her company Parkwood Entertainment, which general manager Lee Anne Callahan-Longo described as "a management, music, and production company... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Beyoncé; Internet and the Web; Music Entertainment; Distribution Channels; Product Launch; Music Industry

August 2013 (Revised July 2024)
Case

Amazon in 2024

By: Sunil Gupta and Margaret L. Rodriguez

Amazon launched its website in July 1995 to sell books online and by 2020 it has grown to become a digital giant with over $280 billion in annual sales. A large part of its growth came from expanding into a variety of businesses that some see as unrelated. Has it... View Details

Keywords: Platforms; Complements; Showrooming; Ecosystem; Growth Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Network Effects; Internet and the Web; Business Model; Competitive Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Digital Platforms; Retail Industry; Publishing Industry

July 2016
Case

Spotify

By: Anita Elberse and Alexandre de Pfyffer

In November 2014, Spotify's chief content officer Ken Parks learns that record label Big Machine Records has requested the immediate removal of superstar artist Taylor Swift's entire catalogue from Spotify's music streaming service. Is it time for Spotify to reconsider... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment; Marketing; Superstar; Music; Entertainment Marketing; Media; Digital Technology; Creative Industries; Product Portfolio Management; General Management; Management; Strategy; Internet and the Web; Open Source Distribution; Creativity; Music Entertainment; Product Marketing; Music Industry