Filter Results:
(2,146)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(3,038)
- People (3)
- News (470)
- Research (2,146)
- Events (24)
- Multimedia (16)
- Faculty Publications (1,526)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(3,038)
- People (3)
- News (470)
- Research (2,146)
- Events (24)
- Multimedia (16)
- Faculty Publications (1,526)
Sort by
- May 2011 (Revised July 2015)
- Case
Ford Motor Company: Strengthening the Dealer Network
By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Katharine Lee and Marie Bell
The case describes a five-year effort (2006-2011) of distribution rationalization and consolidation at Ford. The financial crisis in the second-half of 2008 forced GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy. Having completed the distribution overhaul work by 2011, its senior... View Details
Keywords: Strategy; Product; Distribution; Consolidation; Distribution Channels; Transformation; Business Processes; Auto Industry
Rangan, V. Kasturi, Katharine Lee, and Marie Bell. "Ford Motor Company: Strengthening the Dealer Network." Harvard Business School Case 511-132, May 2011. (Revised July 2015.)
- January 2011 (Revised October 2014)
- Case
Dropbox: 'It Just Works'
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann, Michael Pao and Lauren Barley
Dropbox is a venture-backed Silicon Valley startup, founded in 2006, that provides online storage and backup services to millions of customers using a "freemium" (free + premium offers) business model. The case recounts Dropbox's history from conception through... View Details
Keywords: Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Practices and Processes; Distribution; Product Design; Product Development; Internet; Service Industry; California
Eisenmann, Thomas R., Michael Pao, and Lauren Barley. "Dropbox: 'It Just Works'." Harvard Business School Case 811-065, January 2011. (Revised October 2014.)
- April 2010 (Revised November 2011)
- Case
Soren Chemical: Why Is the New Swimming Pool Product Sinking?
By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Sunru Yong
Topics include distribution channels, pricing, and new product marketing. Jen Moritz, the marketing manager for Soren Chemical Co. is struggling with the poor sales performance of Coracle, a new clarifier for residential swimming pools. The performance is puzzling... View Details
Keywords: Marketing Mix; New Product Marketing; Pricing; Branding; Price; Marketing Strategy; Marketing Channels; Product Launch; Brands and Branding; Communication Strategy; Chemical Industry
Rangan, V. Kasturi, and Sunru Yong. "Soren Chemical: Why Is the New Swimming Pool Product Sinking?" Harvard Business School Brief Case 104-188, April 2010. (Revised November 2011.)
- 16 Apr 2020
- Research & Ideas
Has COVID-19 Broken the Global Value Chain?
manufactured by another firm elsewhere, and distributed by dealers everywhere—all underwritten by global cash flows. Often these networks are established without much redundancy planning or other risk-mitigation factors to counter... View Details
Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne
- February 2003 (Revised April 2006)
- Case
Reaching the Bottom: UniGlobe's Small Local Stores Dilemma
By: Clayton M. Christensen and Lana Newishy
To distribute products to very small retailers in a very fragmented retail environment, the local subsidiary of a large consumer products company created an innovative distribution mechanism. The subsidiary's Small Local Stores division employed middlemen who... View Details
Christensen, Clayton M., and Lana Newishy. "Reaching the Bottom: UniGlobe's Small Local Stores Dilemma." Harvard Business School Case 603-114, February 2003. (Revised April 2006.)
- March 1994 (Revised March 1995)
- Case
Astra/Merck Group
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Marie Bell
Astra/Merck (A/M), originally a joint venture of AB Astra and Merck & Co., is preparing to be an independent company in 1993. Since the company does not engage in basic research and development of drugs, it is essentially a distribution organization. Fundamental to... View Details
Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Marketing Strategy; Distribution; Performance Evaluation; Research and Development; Risk and Uncertainty; Sales; Competitive Strategy; Pharmaceutical Industry
Cespedes, Frank V., and Marie Bell. "Astra/Merck Group." Harvard Business School Case 594-045, March 1994. (Revised March 1995.)
- September 2015
- Case
Eco7: Launching a New Motor Oil
By: John Quelch and Sunru Yong
Aaron Jonnerson, vice president of marketing at the automotive division of Avellin, must make marketing mix decisions for the launch of Eco7, a new environmentally-friendly motor oil. The company's performance has been mediocre, shareholder pressure is increasing, and... View Details
Keywords: Distribution Channels; Environmental Sustainability; Product Launch; Transportation; Energy Sources; Auto Industry
Quelch, John, and Sunru Yong. "Eco7: Launching a New Motor Oil." Harvard Business School Brief Case 916-507, September 2015.
- January 2021 (Revised March 2022)
- Case
Arçelik: From a Dealer Network to an Omnichannel Experience
By: Ayelet Israeli and Fares Khrais
Arçelik Turkey, the country’s market leader in household appliances, was at an omnichannel crossroads in January 2020. Arçelik was a B2B player utilizing a dealership network with an umbrella of brands and had one of the largest brick-and-mortar store networks in... View Details
Keywords: Digital Marketing; Bricks And Mortar; Franchise Management; Franchising; Dealer Network; Dealers; B2B; B2B2C; Tradition; Culture Change; Cultural Adaptation; Omnichannel; Omnichannel Retail; Omni-channel; Omnichannel Retailing; Sales Channels; Sales Channel Development; Channel Management; Channels Of Distribution; Marketplace; Platforms; Collaboration; Online Channel; Online Data; Online Sales; Online Shopping; Online; Retail; Retailing; Disruption; Transformation; Franchise Ownership; Change Management; Partners and Partnerships; Consumer Behavior; Sales; Internet and the Web; Marketing Strategy; Conflict and Resolution; Conflict Management; Organizational Culture; Distribution Channels; Digital Transformation; Digital Platforms; Electronics Industry; Retail Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Turkey
Israeli, Ayelet, and Fares Khrais. "Arçelik: From a Dealer Network to an Omnichannel Experience." Harvard Business School Case 521-067, January 2021. (Revised March 2022.)
- March 2019
- Case
DayTwo: Going to Market with Gut Microbiome
By: Ayelet Israeli and David Lane
DayTwo is a young Israeli startup that applies research on the gut microbiome and machine learning algorithms to deliver personalized nutritional recommendations to its users in order to minimize blood sugar spikes after meals. After a first year of trial rollout in... View Details
Keywords: Start-up Growth; Startup; Positioning; Targeting; Go To Market Strategy; B2B2C; B2B Vs. B2C; Health & Wellness; AI; Machine Learning; Female Ceo; Female Protagonist; Science-based; Science And Technology Studies; Ecommerce; Applications; DTC; Direct To Consumer Marketing; US Health Care; "USA,"; Innovation; Pricing; Business Growth; Segmentation; Distribution Channels; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Startups; Science-Based Business; Health; Innovation and Invention; Marketing; Information Technology; Business Growth and Maturation; E-commerce; Applications and Software; Health Industry; Technology Industry; Insurance Industry; Information Technology Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Israel; United States
Israeli, Ayelet, and David Lane. "DayTwo: Going to Market with Gut Microbiome." Harvard Business School Case 519-010, March 2019.
- October 1976 (Revised May 1985)
- Case
Raytheon Co.: Diversification
Centers on the question of whether Raytheon should enter the electronic component distribution industry in the context of its broad diversification approach and acquisition criteria. This industry represents a vertical integration area for Raytheon, so the analytical... View Details
Keywords: Acquisition; Policy; Market Entry and Exit; Distribution; Diversification; Vertical Integration; Distribution Industry; Distribution Industry
Porter, Michael E. "Raytheon Co.: Diversification." Harvard Business School Case 377-055, October 1976. (Revised May 1985.)
- October 1994 (Revised July 1995)
- Case
RCI Master Distributor: Evolution of Supplier Relationships
Traces the evolution of RCI as a master distributor from the time it was founded in 1946 until 1994. The second-generation owner of the distribution company faces several challenges unique to the 1990s environment that his father did not face. As Danny Schwartz... View Details
Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Distribution Channels; Problems and Challenges; Relationships; Situation or Environment; Corporate Strategy; Distribution Industry
Rangan, V. Kasturi. "RCI Master Distributor: Evolution of Supplier Relationships." Harvard Business School Case 595-001, October 1994. (Revised July 1995.)
- May 1993 (Revised October 1993)
- Case
Vanity Fair Mills: Market Response System
Describes the "Quick Response" program developed by Vanity Fair Mills (VFM), a division of the VF Corp. Beginning in 1989, VFM reorganized its manufacturing systems, invested heavily in computer and telecommunications equipment, and formed "partnership" agreements with... View Details
Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Logistics; Distribution Channels; Manufacturing Industry
Buzzell, Robert D. "Vanity Fair Mills: Market Response System." Harvard Business School Case 593-111, May 1993. (Revised October 1993.)
- Article
The Price of Equality: Suboptimal Resource Allocations across Social Categories
By: Stephen M. Garcia, Max Bazerman, Shirli Kopelman, Avishalom Tor and Dale T. Miller
This paper explores the influence of social categories on the perceived trade-off between relatively bad but equal distribution of resources between two parties and profit maximizing, yet asymmetric, payoffs. Studies 1 and 2 show that people prefer to maximize profits... View Details
Keywords: Equality and Inequality; Resource Allocation; Societal Protocols; Profit; Decision Making; Prejudice and Bias; Market Transactions; Ethics; Power and Influence; Distribution; Organizations
Garcia, Stephen M., Max Bazerman, Shirli Kopelman, Avishalom Tor, and Dale T. Miller. "The Price of Equality: Suboptimal Resource Allocations across Social Categories." Special Issue on Behavioral Ethics: A New Empirical Perspective on Business Ethics Research. Business Ethics Quarterly 20, no. 1 (January 2010): 75–88.
- July 2008 (Revised July 2020)
- Case
Managing a Global Team: Greg James at Sun Microsystems, Inc. (A)
By: Tsedal Neeley and Thomas J. DeLong
Greg James, a global manager at Sun Microsystems, Inc., sets out to meet with his entire 43-member customer implementation team spread across India, France, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America to resolve a dire customer system outage as required... View Details
Keywords: Groups and Teams; Global Range; Management; Customer Satisfaction; Service Delivery; Crisis Management; Conflict and Resolution; Technology Industry; India; United Arab Emirates; France; United States
Neeley, Tsedal, and Thomas J. DeLong. "Managing a Global Team: Greg James at Sun Microsystems, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 409-003, July 2008. (Revised July 2020.)
- Article
'Making Book Against Oneself,' the Independence Axiom, and Non-Linear Utility Theory
By: Jerry R. Green
An individual with known preferences over lotteries can be led to accept random wealth distributions different from his initial endowment by a sequential process in which some uncertainty is resolved and he is offered a new lottery in place of the remaining... View Details
Green, Jerry R. "'Making Book Against Oneself,' the Independence Axiom, and Non-Linear Utility Theory." Quarterly Journal of Economics 102, no. 4 (November 1987): 785–796.
- October 2019 (Revised October 2019)
- Case
Epic Games
By: Andy Wu and Christopher Zhang
Epic Games entered a stagnant market with its PC-games digital storefront in 2018, in the context of incumbent competitors such as Steam, its meteoric rise via Fortnite, and imminent industry shifts in gaming distribution. On the surface, Epic Games Store’s competitive... View Details
Keywords: Industry Analysis; Video Games; Platforms; Comparative Advantage; Growth Strategy; Innovation Focused Strategy; Pricing Strategy; Strategy; Competition; Growth and Development Strategy; Innovation Strategy; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Digital Platforms; Technology Industry
Wu, Andy, and Christopher Zhang. "Epic Games." Harvard Business School Case 720-380, October 2019. (Revised October 2019.)
- December 1985 (Revised January 1989)
- Case
Cummins Engine Co.: Black Friday
A new regional manager for Cummins Venezuela faces Black Friday, Venezuela's massive currency devaluation and a weak distribution system. The manager must find a way to collect $1.4 million in receivables due from distributors and reestablish a viable distribution... View Details
Whitney, John C. "Cummins Engine Co.: Black Friday." Harvard Business School Case 586-122, December 1985. (Revised January 1989.)
- 26 Jul 2006
- Research & Ideas
The Strategic Way to Go to Market
Is there any distribution system more poorly conceived than the one used by most U.S. car manufacturers and dealers? In the prevailing system, car prices are initially jacked up by locked-in labor concessions. Manufacturers pit dealers... View Details
Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne
- July–August 2014
- Article
Obamacare Rules Pose Challenges for S Corp Owners
By: Josh Baron, Steve Salley and Judith L. Walsh
The article offers information financial impacts of tax by the U.S. Affordable Care Act (ACA) applied in January 2013 on family business shareholders and owners of S Corp. It discusses suggestions in tax planning to equalize tax burden including establishing family... View Details
Keywords: Ownership Type; Family Ownership; Compensation and Benefits; Taxation; Government Legislation
Baron, Josh, Steve Salley, and Judith L. Walsh. "Obamacare Rules Pose Challenges for S Corp Owners." Family Business Magazine 25, no. 4 (July–August 2014): 18–19.
- Article
The Case for a COVID Vaccine Lottery
By: Scott Duke Kominers and Alex Tabarrok
Even the smartest distribution plans are complicated by a stubborn fact: We won't have enough for everyone right away. View Details
Kominers, Scott Duke, and Alex Tabarrok. "The Case for a COVID Vaccine Lottery." Bloomberg Opinion (November 9, 2020).