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- All HBS Web (1,161)
- Faculty Publications (306)
- January 2019
- Supplement
Understanding the Brand Equity of Nestlé Crunch Bar (B): Data Analysis
By: Jill Avery and Gerald Zaltman
In early 2018, Nestlé announced the sale of its U.S. candy-making division and a select collection of 20 of its confectionery brands, including the Nestlé Crunch Bar, to Ferrero SpA for $2.8 billion. Luckily, an old consumer research study on the Nestlé Crunch Bar... View Details
Keywords: Brand Management; Market Research; Brand Positioning; Value Proposition; Consumer Products; Fast Moving Consumer Goods; Qualitative Methods; Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique; ZMET; Data Analysis; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Consumer Behavior; Marketing Communications; Analytics and Data Science; Analysis; Consumer Products Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Advertising Industry; United States; North America; Italy
Avery, Jill, and Gerald Zaltman. "Understanding the Brand Equity of Nestlé Crunch Bar (B): Data Analysis." Harvard Business School Supplement 519-062, January 2019.
- June 2015
- Supplement
Generating Higher Value at IBM (A): EPS Forecasting Model
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Scott Mayfield
This case analyzes IBM's financial performance and its capital allocation decisions over a 10-year period from 2004-2013, during which IBM returned more than $140B to shareholders through a combination of dividends and share repurchases. During this time, CEO Sam... View Details
- July 2000 (Revised April 2001)
- Case
Agricultural Biotechnology and its Regulation
In the United States, genetically modified corn and soybeans are now widely grown and consumed. In Europe, however, they have been dubbed "Frankenstein foods," shunned by packaged food manufacturers, and subjected to a host of governmental restrictions. This case... View Details
Keywords: Agribusiness; Genetics; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Corporate Strategy; Trade; Law; Goods and Commodities; Safety; Environmental Sustainability; Government and Politics; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Biotechnology Industry; Europe; United States
Reinhardt, Forest L. "Agricultural Biotechnology and its Regulation." Harvard Business School Case 701-004, July 2000. (Revised April 2001.)
- February 2010
- Background Note
Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Market Size and Market Share Analysis
By: Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery
Marketers frequently need to estimate the size of their markets—both for existing products so that sales forecasts can be developed and for new products so that market opportunities can be assessed. This toolkit enables students to size a market and generate a sales... View Details
Keywords: Forecasting and Prediction; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Marketing Strategy; Markets; Demand and Consumers; Size; Strategic Planning; Sales
Steenburgh, Thomas J., and Jill Avery. "Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Market Size and Market Share Analysis." Harvard Business School Background Note 510-081, February 2010.
- 01 Mar 2016
- First Look
March 1, 2016
can trigger large price bubbles. We analyze the patterns of cash-flow news that generate the largest bubbles, the reasons why bubbles collapse, and the frequency with which they occur. The model also predicts that bubbles will be... View Details
Keywords: Sean Silverthorne
Generating Higher Value at IBM
This case analyzes IBM's financial performance and its capital allocation decisions over a 10-year period from 2004-2013, during which IBM returned more than $140B to shareholders through a combination of dividends and share repurchases. During this time, CEO Sam... View Details
- August 1995
- Background Note
Managing in an Information Age: IT Challenges and Opportunities
The co-evolution of technology, work, and the workforce over the past 30 years has dramatically influenced our concept of organizations and the industries within which they compete. No longer simply a tool to support "back-office" transactions, IT has become a... View Details
Keywords: Information Technology; Information Management; Restructuring; Technological Innovation; Corporate Strategy; Organizational Design; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Information Technology Industry
Applegate, Lynda M. "Managing in an Information Age: IT Challenges and Opportunities." Harvard Business School Background Note 196-004, August 1995.
- 2007
- Working Paper
Platform Envelopment
By: Thomas Eisenmann, Geoffrey Parker and Marshall Van Alstyne
Due to network effects and switching costs in platform markets, entrants generally must offer revolutionary functionality. We explore a second entry path that does not rely upon Schumpeterian innovation: platform envelopment. Through envelopment, a provider in one... View Details
Eisenmann, Thomas, Geoffrey Parker, and Marshall Van Alstyne. "Platform Envelopment." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 07-104, June 2007. (Revised September 2008, October 2009, July 2010.)
- 02 Aug 2011
- First Look
First Look: August 2
the practice of business strategy for 30 years. The problem lies instead in what strategic leaders are not trained to do. In caricature, Porter's view casts strategists as practitioner economists who expertly View Details
Keywords: Sean Silverthorne
- November 2010 (Revised May 2014)
- Case
Dow's Bid for Rohm and Haas
By: Benjamin C. Esty and David Lane
This case analyzes Dow Chemical Company's proposed acquisition of Rohm and Haas in 2008. The $18.8 billion acquisition was part of Dow's strategic transformation from a slow-growth, low-margin, and cyclical producer of basic chemicals into a higher-growth,... View Details
Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Financial Crisis; Capital Structure; Financial Condition; Financial Management; Contracts; Lawsuits and Litigation; Risk and Uncertainty; Valuation; Chemical Industry
Esty, Benjamin C., and David Lane. "Dow's Bid for Rohm and Haas." Harvard Business School Case 211-020, November 2010. (Revised May 2014.)
- 2018
- Working Paper
How Scheduling Can Bias Quality Assessment: Evidence from Food Safety Inspections
By: Maria Ibanez and Michael W. Toffel
Many production processes are subject to inspection to ensure they meet quality, safety, and environmental standards imposed by companies and regulators. Inspection accuracy is critical to inspections being a useful input to assessing risks, allocating quality... View Details
Keywords: Assessment; Bias; Inspection; Scheduling; Econometric Analysis; Empirical Research; Regulation; Health; Food; Safety; Quality; Performance Consistency; Performance Evaluation; Food and Beverage Industry; Service Industry
Ibanez, Maria, and Michael W. Toffel. "How Scheduling Can Bias Quality Assessment: Evidence from Food Safety Inspections." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 17-090, April 2017. (Revised October 2018. Formerly titled "Assessing the Quality of Quality Assessment: The Role of Scheduling". Featured in Forbes, Food Safety Magazine, and Food Safety News.)
- January–February 2025
- Article
The Double-Edged Sword of Exemplar Similarity
By: Majid Majzoubi, Eric Zhao, Tiona Zuzul and Greg Fisher
We investigate how a firm’s positioning relative to category exemplars shapes security analysts’ evaluations. Using a two-stage model of evaluation (initial screening and subsequent assessment), we propose that exemplar similarity enhances a firm’s recognizability and... View Details
Majzoubi, Majid, Eric Zhao, Tiona Zuzul, and Greg Fisher. "The Double-Edged Sword of Exemplar Similarity." Organization Science 36, no. 1 (January–February 2025): 121–144.
- 2021
- Working Paper
Information Avoidance and Image Concerns
By: Christine L. Exley and Judd B. Kessler
A rich literature finds that individuals avoid information, even information that is instrumental to their choices. A common hypothesis posits that individuals strategically avoid information to hold particular beliefs or to take certain actions--such as behaving... View Details
Exley, Christine L., and Judd B. Kessler. "Information Avoidance and Image Concerns." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 21-080, January 2021.
- Research Summary
Railroads and the Making of Modern China
My current book project is entitled Railroads and the Making of the Modern China and explores China’s economic and socio-political transformation from the last decades of the empire to the present using railroad infrastructure as a focus. Based on a large... View Details
- January 2001
- Background Note
Online Brokers
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Alastair Brown
Describes online brokers, companies that use the Internet to help clients identify prospective trading partners and sometimes help their clients complete transactions. First, summarizes the various ways that online brokers create value for their clients. Then analyzes... View Details
Eisenmann, Thomas R., and Alastair Brown. "Online Brokers." Harvard Business School Background Note 801-307, January 2001.
- 09 May 2011
- Research & Ideas
Moving From Bean Counter to Game Changer
Buried in the middle layers of many organizations resides a strata of highly skilled experts, from HR managers to risk evaluators, whose collective wisdom and experience could prove invaluable in informing strategic decisions at the... View Details
- 2007
- Working Paper
Exclusivity and Control
By: Andrei Hagiu and Robin S. Lee
We analyze platform competition for content in the presence of strategic interactions between content distributors and content providers. We provide a model of bargaining and price competition within these industries, and show that whether or not a piece of content... View Details
Hagiu, Andrei, and Robin S. Lee. "Exclusivity and Control." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 08-009, August 2007. (Revised February 2009.)
Graphic Packaging: Project Cowboy
In July 2019, Graphic Packaging CEO Michael Doss was proposing a $600 million investment in a new machine to produce coated recycled board (CRB), a type of paper packaging used for consumer products (cups, cereal boxes, beverage boxes, etc.) that utilized recycled... View Details
- 10 Dec 2014
- Working Paper Summaries
Multi-sided Platforms
- January 2025
- Case
Index and Active Investing: Vanguard and the New Frontier of Active ETFs
By: Marco Sammon, Luis M. Viceira and Jonathan Kanagasabai
This case explores Vanguard’s strategic decision-making process as it considers entering the growing market for actively managed exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Set in 2024, the case places students in the position of Rodney Comegys, Vanguard’s global head of the Equity... View Details
Keywords: Asset Management; Financial Strategy; Investment Funds; Investment Portfolio; Financial Services Industry
Sammon, Marco, Luis M. Viceira, and Jonathan Kanagasabai. "Index and Active Investing: Vanguard and the New Frontier of Active ETFs." Harvard Business School Case 225-056, January 2025.