Publications

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Marketing - Doctoral

field exam, and then another three years on dissertation research and writing. The Marketing program draws on computer science, economics, behavioral science, and psychological methods to focus on marketing problems faced by the firm and... View Details

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Organizational Behavior Faculty - Faculty & Research

Matsushita Professor of Leadership Jeffrey T. Polzer UPS Foundation Professor of Human Resource Management Ryan L. Raffaelli Marvin Bower Associate Professor Lakshmi Ramarajan Diane Doerge Wilson Professor... View Details

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Organizational Behavior - Faculty & Research

Information featured in The New Yorker Kodak's Old-School Response to Disruption By: Ryan Raffaelli More Information HBS Working Knowledge CEOs and Coaches How Important is Organizational 'Fit'? By: Boris... View Details

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MBA Experience - Leadership

Corporate Governance & Boards of Directors Professor Jay W. Lorsch and Professor and Senior Associate Dean Lynn S. Paine Spring Leadership Execution & Action Planning Senior Lecturer David G. Fubini and Associate Professor Ryan L. View Details

July 2023 (Revised April 2025)
Case

'Bugs' Burger Bug Killers

By: Ryan W. Buell and William Fulmer

In the height of its success, Bugs Burger Bug Killers (BBBK; Burger has a soft 'g' - it rhymes with merger) was the largest independent extermination company in America, growing at more than 20% per year. BBBK built its business on the promise of pest eradication,... View Details

Keywords: Mission and Purpose; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Service Industry

24 Apr 2020
Op-Ed

Lessons from the NFL: Virtual Hiring, Leadership, Building Teams and COVID-19

Prospects from small schools are being hurt even more. The first ever HBCU Combine was cancelled, many college pro days were cancelled, and with the NFL cancelling in-person interviews the hurdles faced by HBCU and other small school... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Abbott , Boris Groysberg, Tali Groysberg, and Abhijit Naik; Sports

October 2014 (Revised January 2016)
Case

IDEO: Human-Centered Service Design

By: Ryan W. Buell and Andrew Otazo

The case describes IDEO, one of the world's leading design firms, and its human-centered innovation culture and processes. It is an example of what managers can do to make their own organizations more innovative. In reaction to a rapidly changing competitive landscape,... View Details

Keywords: Design Thinking; Innovation; Service Management; Service; Design; Service Delivery; Innovation and Management; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Peru

2020
Working Paper

Reinventing Retail: The Novel Resurgence of Independent Bookstores

By: Ryan Raffaelli

This study examines how community-based brick-and-mortar retailers can achieve sustained market growth in the face of online and big box retail competition. The appearance of Amazon.com in 1995 led to a significant decline in the number of independent bookstores in the... View Details

Keywords: Bookstores; Competitive Strategy; Business and Community Relations; Customization and Personalization; Growth and Development; Retail Industry; United States

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Stories

Ann Fudge (MBA 1977); Nien-he Hsieh (Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration); By: Catherine O’Neill Grace; Illustrations by Victo ngai 01 Jun 2025 HBS Magazine Editor’s Letter 01 Jun 2025 HBS Magazine Forum Re: John Dixon (MBA... View Details

November 2018 (Revised August 2020)
Case

The Reinvention of Kodak

By: Ryan Raffaelli and Christine Snively

The Eastman Kodak Company (Kodak) was a name familiar to most Americans. The company had dominated the film and photography industry through most of the 20th Century and was known for making affordable cameras (and the “Kodak Moment”) and supplying the movie industry... View Details

Keywords: CEO; Leadership; Asset Management; Transformation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Competitive Strategy

22 Mar 2018
News

Too Small To Fail

September 2013 (Revised June 2019)
Case

Marquee: Reinventing the Business of Nightlife

By: Anita Elberse, Ryan Barlow and Sheldon Wong

In January 2013, nightlife impresarios Jason Strauss and Noah Tepperberg are celebrating the re-opening of their famed New York City–based nightclub Marquee. While most clubs are over within their first one and a half years, Strauss and Tepperberg managed to keep... View Details

Keywords: Creative Industries; Nightlife; Service Management; Entertainment; Fashion; Celebrities; Event Marketing; Risk Management; Customer Relationship Management; Change Management; Supply Chain Management; Music Entertainment; Product Marketing; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Las Vegas

September 2020 (Revised February 2021)
Case

Zameer Kassam Fine Jewelry: Engaging Clients

By: Ryan W. Buell and Amy Klopfenstein

Zameer Kassam Fine Jewelry (ZKFJ) designs custom engagement rings that tell the story of a couple’s relationship. The case describes the company’s process for engaging clients, which has historically been a relatively offline, high-touch experience. Obliged by... View Details

Keywords: Customer Engagement; Service Delivery; Health Pandemics; Internet and the Web; Customer Satisfaction; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Growth and Development; Retail Industry

30 Aug 2011
First Look

First Look: August 30

Henderson and Ryan JohnsonHarvard Business School Case 311-116 Since its 1999 merger Reckitt Benckiser (RB), a global consumer goods company, led by its CEO Bart Becht, developed a reputation for rapid... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

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Organizational Behavior Curriculum - Faculty & Research

Crafting Your Life: The First 10 Years Post MBA Leslie Perlow Fall 2025 Q1Q2 3.0 Leadership Execution and Action Planning (LEAP) Ryan Raffaelli Spring 2026 Q3Q4 3.0 Mastering Consulting and Advisory Skills... View Details

September 2011
Article

The Labor Illusion: How Operational Transparency Increases Perceived Value

By: Ryan W. Buell and Michael I. Norton

A ubiquitous feature of even the fastest self-service technology transactions is the wait. Conventional wisdom and operations theory suggests that the longer people wait, the less satisfied they become; we demonstrate that due to what we term the labor illusion, when... View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Perception; Valuation; Service Delivery; Consumer Behavior; Performance Effectiveness; Customer Satisfaction; Service Industry

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Organizational Behavior Awards & Honors - Faculty & Research

Award. Michael L. Tushman : "Frame Flexibility: The Role of Cognitive and Emotional Framing in Innovation Adoption by Incumbent Firms" with Ryan Raffaelli and Mary Ann Glynn... View Details

October 2020 (Revised August 2022)
Case

Union Square Hospitality Group: Hospitality Included

By: Peter Boumgarden, Ryan W. Buell, Lamar Pierce and Richard Ryffel

In 2015, Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), helmed by famous restauranteur Danny Meyer, sent shockwaves through the restaurant industry by announcing the end of tipping in its restaurants. Under its new policy, Hospitality Included (HI), USHG would charge higher... View Details

Keywords: Restaurants; Tipping; Revenue Sharing; Service Operations; Policy; Change; Human Resources; Management; Food and Beverage Industry