Publications

12 Mar 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, March 12, 2019

equivalent arrival and service rates, total service capacity can be increased. Who Should Select New Employees in Geographically Dispersed Organizations: Headquarters or the Unit Manager? Consequences of Centralizing Hiring at a Retail... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

04 Dec 2012
First Look

First Look: December 4

Circuit City was forced into liquidation. Unable to meet creditors' demands, and with no acquirer in sight, Circuit City began the process of liquidating its remaining 567 U.S. stores. Circuit City had been the leader in consumer electronics View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

22 Aug 2012
Research & Ideas

Advertising: It’s Not ‘Mad Men’ Anymore

one has long been the burning question for clients and their agencies," says Alvin J. Silk, the Lincoln Filene Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus, at Harvard Business School. "Hence the famous saying attributed in US advertising circles to legendary View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Advertising

04 Aug 2009
First Look

First Look: August 4

Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/10-005.pdf The Effect of Labor on Profitability: The Role of Quality (revised) Author:Zeynep Ton Abstract Determining staffing levels is an important decision in retail operations. While... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

14 Apr 2009
First Look

First Look: April 14, 2009

Publications The Role of Execution in Managing Product Availability Authors: Nicole DeHoratius and Zeynep Ton Publication: Chap. 4 in Retail Supply Chain Management, edited by Narendra Agarwal and Stephen A. Smith. International Series in... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

21 Jul 2003
Research & Ideas

Don’t Get Buried in Customer Data—Use It

more elusive than ever. A recent McKinsey study reveals that the annual churn in the wireless industry increased from 17 percent in 1995 to 32 percent in 2000. This trend holds true even in industries less susceptible to turnover. In core View Details

Keywords: by Jean Ayers

30 Jun 2015
First Look

First Look: June 30, 2015

Business School. Guerra was vice president of Operations at Evans Food, a $100 million company, which produced pork rinds-salty snacks made out of pork skin-sold at some of the largest U.S. retailers such as HEB, Meijer, ALDI, and... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

January 2025 (Revised April 2025)
Case

Mercado Libre: The Best Is Yet to Come

By: Krishna G. Palepu, Fernando Fragueiro, Carla Larangeira and Mariana Cal

In 2024, Marcos Galperín, CEO and co-founder of Mercado Libre, reflected on its 25-year rise as Latin America’s largest marketplace, fintech leader, and most valuable public company. With operations spanning 18 countries and a robust ecosystem combining e-commerce,... View Details

June 2022
Case

Worten Portugal: Becoming a Digital Marketplace

By: Antonio Moreno, Pedro Amorim and Tonia Labruyere

With Amazon's entry into Portugal, Miguel Mota Freitas, CEO of Portuguese electronics chain Worten, is reflecting on their strategy of building a competitive marketplace. View Details

Keywords: Digital Transformation; Digital Strategy; Digital Platforms; Brands and Branding; E-commerce; Logistics; Service Delivery; Supply Chain; Competitive Strategy; Diversification; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Portugal; Spain

March 2022 (Revised December 2022)
Case

Perch

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Stacy Straaberg and Julia Kelley

In May 2021, Perch CEO Chris Bell needed to decide whether his e-commerce aggregator company, which bought and scaled Amazon Marketplace brands, should acquire up to three acquisition targets. The prospective acquisitions, Web Deals Direct, HomeCo, and Future Brands,... View Details

March 2017
Supplement

eBay vs. Carl Icahn, 2014: Interview with John Donahoe, eBay CEO 2008-2015

By: David B. Yoffie, Eric Baldwin and Tom Ryder

This video, a supplement to HBS Case No. 717-417, features an interview with former eBay CEO John Donahoe, providing his perspective on eBay's response to activist investor Carl Icahn's attack on eBay, which began in January 2014. After giving some of his own... View Details

Keywords: Activist Shareholder; Activist Investors; Technology; Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Investment Activism; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Retail Industry

Find at Harvard

October 2013 (Revised October 2017)
Case

Bridges Ventures

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Sarah Appleby

Bridges Ventures, a UK-based impact investor with double-digit returns on its investments, is reflecting on its social impact and pondering its future course. View Details

Keywords: Impact Investing; United Kingdom; Financial And Social Return; Social Enterprise; Investment Portfolio; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; United Kingdom

November 2024
Case

Innovation at Master Kong Beverages

By: David E. Bell and Shu Lin

Hong-Chen Wei (HBS MBA 2014), Chairman of KSF Beverage Holding Co., Ltd. (KSFB), was steering the company toward the premium segment with the launch of “InheriTea,” a premium, sugar-free tea product. Traditionally, KSFB’s flagship brand, Master Kong, catered to the... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Trends; Behavior; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Product Launch; Product Development; Segmentation; Organizational Culture; Product Positioning; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Asia; China

March 2015
Teaching Note

CVS Health: Promoting Drug Adherence

By: Leslie John, John Quelch and Robert Huckman

Email mking@hbs.edu for a courtesy copy.

This Teaching Note explains the theory of the case and teaching plan for the case: CVS Health: Promoting Drug Adherence (515010). The case finds Helena Foulkes, Executive... View Details