Publications

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July 2005 (Revised April 2006)
Case

Idea Village (A)

By: Joseph B. Lassiter III and Dan Heath

Andy Khubani, the CEO of Idea Village, a company that markets to consumers via direct-response TV ads, must decide whether to launch a campaign touting a hair removal product for women. Explains the direct-response industry and contrasts its methodology with... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Channels; Gender; Consumer Products Industry

October 1994
Case

Campbell Soup Company: A Leader in Continuous Replenishment Innovations

Campbell Soup, like most food manufacturers, faced grocery chain and wholesale demand for its goods driven by Campbell's own promotional pricing structure rather than retail consumer demand. Former policies to encourage overstock created huge swings in production and... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Supply Chain Management; Logistics

November 1993 (Revised March 1995)
Case

Marsh Supermarkets, Inc. (A): The Marsh Super Study

In response to recent trends in grocery retailing, Marsh Supermarkets has completed an intensive 65-week study of the activity at 5 superstores in the midwest United States. The study tracked the sales, profits, space, and promotion dynamics of the entire store: dry... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Analysis; Consumer Behavior; Retail Industry

04 Jun 2012
News

Customers Don't Want More Features

28 Aug 2020
Video

Shahnaz Husain

Shahnaz Husain, the founder of Shahnaz Herbals, a natural beauty company based in India, discusses how her products need to adapt to local cultures, and explains why she sells creams facilitating light skin in India. View Details

19 Mar 2013
News

Will a Kinder, Gentler CEO Be More Effective?

Video

Lillete Dubey

Lillete Dubey, Director of India-based Primetime Theatre Company, describes the financial challenges her group has faced while relating the importance she places on compensating actors and technicians fairly to maintain high production quality. View Details

Web

CSV Explained - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

philanthropy or corporate social responsibility. csv = social value + economic value Creating shared value is addressing societal needs and challenges with a business model. csv will drive innovation & growth Creating shared value will drive the next wave of innovation... View Details

December 1992 (Revised October 1993)
Case

BMW: The Ultimate Driving Machine Seeks to De-Yuppify Itself

By: Stephen A. Greyser and Wendy Smith Schille

Tracks changes in the luxury auto market during the 1980s and early 1990s. Shifts in target consumer behavior--particularly the yuppie lifestyle--serve as the basis for manufacturer modifications of product line, positioning, and advertising. The climax of the case is... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Change Management; Transformation; Brands and Branding; Product Positioning; Production; Luxury; Segmentation; Auto Industry

June 2001 (Revised May 2002)
Case

Spir-It, Inc. (B): Managing People

When Jack Sindler founded Spir-it, Inc. in 1934, he was the company's sole employee. By 1999, Sindler's firm more than survived its first 55 years. Employment was up to nearly 200, with facilities in two states and work done in three shifts. The product line--which had... View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Production; Business Growth and Maturation; Interpersonal Communication; Logistics; Human Resources; Diversity Characteristics; Manufacturing Industry

Video

Ashraf Abu Issa

Abu Issa Holding’s Mosafer stores sell their own products alongside other brands. Ashraf Abu Issa, Chairman of the Qatar-based firm, explains Mosafer’s mutual arrangement of complementing instead of competing. View Details

November 2003
Case

Procter & Gamble 2000 (A): The SpinBrush and Innovation at P&G

By: William A. Sahlman and Ryland Matthew Willis

Describes a set of decisions confronting some managers in the oral care division of Procter & Gamble. They must decide whether to buy a company that has developed an inexpensive, battery-operated toothbrush. The company's product has done well in one market, but... View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Innovation and Management; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Mergers and Acquisitions; Product Launch; Corporate Finance; Retail Industry

October 1996 (Revised January 1998)
Case

Sony Corporation: Car Navigation Systems

By: John A. Quelch

In the summer of 1996, Masao Morita, president of Sony Personal Mobile Communication Co., contemplated how to formulate its multinational marketing strategy for the fast-changing car navigation systems market. Morita needed to resolve the conflicting views within his... View Details

Keywords: Geographic Location; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Standards; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Conflict and Resolution; Auto Industry; Electronics Industry; Japan

17 Jan 2024
HBS Case

Psychological Pricing Tactics to Fight the Inflation Blues

considered especially effective today—as well as those that are losing luster. Tiered pricing guides consumers to make the ‘right’ choice An increasing number of firms are starting to use tiered pricing, a strategy that provides customers with several View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

November 1981
Supplement

Corning Glass Works International, Part I, Interviews with Division Managers, Video

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Michael Y. Yoshino

Presents tapes of interviews with Forrest Behm (previously president of Corning International), Bill Hudson (ex-country manager, international business manager, world board chairman, and current product division manager), and Van Campbell (corporate treasurer).... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Global Strategy; Consumer Products Industry

Mar 2012
Article

Reviving Entrepreneurship

New enterprises don't exist in a vacuum: They rise or fall depending on myriad contextual factors, all of them interrelated, and all of them affected by government policy. U.S. lawmakers must carefully consider the effects of interventions in at least 12 areas, ranging... View Details

January 2017
Background Note

Making Virtual Reality Real

By: Feng Zhu, Sarah Mehta and David Lane

This note describes virtual reality and augmented reality technologies and describes the main consumer products on offer in 2016 as well as their manufacturers. It also surveys existing applications of virtual and augment reality technologies. View Details

Keywords: Virtual Reality; Augmented Reality; Oculus; Google; HTC; Magic Leap; Microsoft; Samsung; Software; Niantic; Digital Platforms; Technology Adoption; Applications and Software; Technology Industry

Article

Variety of Innovation in Global Value Chains

By: Giulio Buciuni and Gary P. Pisano

This article analyzes how the geography and organization of pre- and production stages in Global Value Chains (GVC) contribute to lead firms' innovation development. A novel approach in GVC studies is introduced based on transaction cost economics (TCE) and the... View Details

Keywords: GVC; Global Value Chains; Manufacturing; Production; Global Range; Innovation and Invention