Fast-Moving Consumer Goods - Publications - Faculty & Research

February 2004 (Revised September 2006)
Case

Apax Partners and Xerium S.A.

By: Josh Lerner, G. Felda Hardymon and Ann Leamon

In 2002, Apax Partners had to decide whether to accept a less-than-perfect offer for one of its portfolio companies or to refinance it. This company, a maker of paper industry consumables with a global presence, had been purchased in 1999 and performed extremely well... View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Globalized Markets and Industries; Business Exit or Shutdown; Borrowing and Debt; Investment; Cash Flow; Pulp and Paper Industry

Citation

Educators

Purchase

07 Jul 2003
What Do You Think?

Can We Have Too Much Productivity Improvement?

productivity is the need [for] ever-increasing consumption. Unfortunately unemployed workers don't consume much of anything." Garry Emmons reminded me that "We examined this issue with HBS profs in a February 1999 HBS Bulletin... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

15 May 2007
Working Paper Summaries

I’ll Have the Ice Cream Soon and the Vegetables Later: Decreasing Impatience over Time in Online Grocery Orders

Keywords: by Todd Rogers, Katherine L. Milkman & Max H. Bazerman; Food & Beverage

02 Mar 2007
What Do You Think?

What Is the Government’s Role in US Health Care?

consumers (Hakan Hillerstrom). In addition to these issues, Elizabeth Benbrooks reminds us that (healthcare) "comes freighted with a host of fundamental moral, ethical, and emotional issues that simply don't exist for other industries."... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett; Health

04 Jun 2014
What Do You Think?

Does Internet Technology Threaten Brand Loyalty?

choice, why would you have to be brand loyal?" Consumer loyalty, he continued, "will vary and fluctuate on a technological continuum of innovation/change (loyal one day and maybe not the next)." Based on personal... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

11 Feb 2008
Research & Ideas

Does Democracy Need a Marketing Manager?

we wanted to give consumers and citizens a deeper understanding of the marketing system, what it means for democratic society, and their power to influence it." Sean Silverthorne: In general, how does View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

May 2017
Case

Four Products: Predicting Diffusion (2017)

By: John Gourville

One job of product managers, marketers, strategic planners, and other corporate executives is to predict what the demand will be for a new product. This task is easier for certain classes of new products than for others. For new consumer package goods, for instance,... View Details

Keywords: Diffusion Processes; Product Adoption; Forecasting and Prediction; Product; Product Launch; Marketing

Citation

Educators

20 Feb 2017
Research & Ideas

Having No Life is the New Aspirational Lifestyle

an aspirational lifestyle. “The new conspicuous consumption is about saying, I am the scarce resource, and therefore I am valuable” The finding suggests a new way for marketers to sell their products and services to consumers by... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

Research Summary

Rooting Marketing Strategy in Human Universals

Localization strategies can be costly to implement while globalization strategies may fail to develop or create demand by stressing readily shared product features rather than shared needs. Thus the question: Is there, somewhere between the extremes of localization... View Details

February 2022
Case

Paul Polman

By: Elizabeth A. Keenan, Youngme Moon and Susie Ma

Over his 40-year career, Paul Polman had led some of the world’s largest consumer goods companies, making his biggest mark as CEO of Unilever—a multi-national corporation that produced everything from soap to soup. Polman was also well-regarded as a leader in corporate... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Leadership; Corporate Accountability; Personal Development and Career; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Ethics; Values and Beliefs; Social Issues; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving

Citation

Educators

Purchase

12 Feb 2008
First Look

First Look: February 12, 2007

case explores French consumer goods company Danone's novel approach to knowledge management. In 2007, Human Resource Chief (Executive Vice President) Franck Mougin assesses the company's knowledge-sharing... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

18 Mar 2009
Research & Ideas

Marketing After the Recession

consumers to lead you into recovery. But don't forget to stock up to take advantage of the pent-up demand that will be unleashed once other consumers get their confidence back. Don't assume a return to... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Retail

28 Jun 2007
Working Paper Summaries

Film Rentals and Procrastination: A Study of Intertemporal Reversals in Preferences and Intrapersonal Conflict

Keywords: by Katy Milkman, Todd Rogers & Max H. Bazerman; Entertainment & Recreation

June 7, 2016
Comment

Can Brand Trump Win a Presidency?

By: John A. Quelch

In the marketplace, Brand Trump is authentic. It stands for aspiration and success, but more the ostentatious and flashy success that appeals to the newly wealthy, the entrepreneur, the outsider. For these consumers, brand Trump clearly delivers; Trump hotels, and... View Details

Citation

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February 28, 2014
Article

A Better Route to Tech Standards

By: Josh Lerner and Jean Tirole

Technological standards are ubiquitous, whether they allow consumers to communicate seamlessly across wireless networks or manufacturers to procure goods across complex global supply chains. These standards—shaped by standard-setting organizations (SSOs) and... View Details

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04 Sep 2007
Working Paper Summaries

Why Do Intermediaries Divert Search?

Keywords: by Andrei Hagiu & Bruno Jullien

20 Aug 2001
Research & Ideas

Making an Ally of Uncle Sam

may not involve government. Value-net games have to do with cooperation and competition among businesses. 7 Public interest games pit coalitions of businesses, and even entire industries, against nonbusiness organizations like unions, View Details

Keywords: by Michael Watkins, Mickey Edwards & Usha Thakrar

September 2020
Case

Drinkworks: Home Bar by Keurig

By: Sunil Gupta, Jonathan Levav and Julia Kelley

In the summer of 2018, Drinkworks CEO Nathaniel Davis needed to make a number of go-to-market decisions ahead of his company’s upcoming product launch. Formed through a joint venture between Keurig Dr. Pepper and Anheuser-Busch InBev, Drinkworks had developed an... View Details

Citation

Educators

23 Aug 2006
Op-Ed

The Real Wal-Mart Effect

policies in the United States favor consumers and offer fewer protections to other interests than is par for the course elsewhere. Is such proconsumerism a good thing? The answer, at least in relation to... View Details

Keywords: by Pankaj Ghemawat & Ken A. Mark; Retail

September–October 2017
Article

The Surprising Power of Online Experiments: Getting the Most Out of A/B and Other Controlled Tests

By: Ron Kohavi and Stefan Thomke

In the fast-moving digital world, even experts have a hard time assessing new ideas. Case in point: At Bing, a small headline change an employee proposed was deemed a low priority and shelved for months until one engineer decided to do a quick online controlled... View Details

Keywords: Experiments; A/B Testing; Research; Consumer Behavior

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