Publications

October 2023
Article

Speedy Activists: Firm Response Time to Sociopolitical Events Influences Consumer Behavior

By: Jimin Nam, Maya Balakrishnan, Julian De Freitas and Alison Wood Brooks

Organizations face growing pressure from their consumers and stakeholders to take public stances on sociopolitical issues. However, many are hesitant to do so lest they make missteps, promises they cannot keep, appear inauthentic, or alienate consumers, employees, or... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Public Opinion; Social Media; Social Issues

March 2009 (Revised July 2014)
Case

PNC Financial: Grow Up Great (A)

By: Christopher Marquis, V. Kasturi Rangan and Alison Comings

In 2003, PNC Financial focused its corporate citizenship and philanthropic resources on a ten-year, $100 million investment in early childhood education called PNC Grow Up Great. The case tracks the origination of Grow Up Great, how it was developed and implemented... View Details

Keywords: Early Childhood Education; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Leadership; Brands and Branding; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Organizational Structure; Business and Community Relations

11 Feb 2008
Research & Ideas

Does Democracy Need a Marketing Manager?

advantage of to reach voters? A: Political marketing is evolving in the same way. Grassroots political organizations and interest groups are using digital technology to communicate to targeted segments of citizens, receive input from... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

12 Feb 2008
First Look

First Look: February 12, 2007

analysis. Then, you'll learn how to apply these tools in a variety of decision contexts, including securities analysis, credit analysis, corporate financing policies analysis, mergers and acquisitions analysis, and governance and View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Research Summary

Energy, IT, real estate, and sustainability

By: Rebecca M. Henderson

Professor Henderson’s current research focuses on the energy, information technology, and real estate sectors and the challenges firms encounter as they attempt to act in more sustainable ways. This work is an outgrowth of her decade-long examination of the... View Details

13 Jan 2003
Research & Ideas

The Subconscious Mind of the Consumer (And How To Reach It)

customers themselves are not aware? Zaltman: There are several helpful approaches. One is to double check stated beliefs with actual behavior. For example, many consumers report handling competing brands and comparing prices at the point... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Mahoney

29 Nov 2010
HBS Case

United Breaks Guitars

in class is whether social media are better at destroying value than creating it. In social media an entity's size and brand recognition make it more vulnerable to parody and attack, not safer. As we accumulate experience with these... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

Web

Placement - Doctoral

Logistics Dissertation: Communicating with consumers: How firms’ responses to societal change influence consumer behavior Advisors: Michael I. Norton , Leslie K. John , and Elizabeth Keenan 2023 Emily Prinsloo Marketing, 2023 Placement:... View Details

Web

Marketing - Faculty & Research

Marketing helps a firm in creating value by better understanding the needs of its customers and providing them with innovative products and services. This value is communicated through a variety of channels as well as through the firm's... View Details

Web

Managing the Future of Work

Holloway, et al. APRIL 2025 There is an urgent need for a system of career navigation that will help all workers and learners advance. In a new paper, we share early findings from a multi-year, mixed-methods study of career navigation among low-wage workers. The... View Details

November 2024 (Revised July 2025)
Case

Polish Agro: Where Do We Grow From Here?

By: Willy C. Shih, Lena Duchene and Daniela Beyersdorfer

By July 2024, Polish Agro had grown into one of Poland’s fastest-growing agribusinesses, with €230 million in revenue, 82 employees, and operations across Northern Poland. The company supported farmers with essential agricultural inputs like fertilizers and seeds,... View Details

March 2000 (Revised September 2000)
Case

yesmail.com

David Tolmie wants yesmail.com to become a leader in "permission marketing." Yesmail sends clients promotional e-mail messages to targeted consumers who said "yes" when asked whether they wished to receive promotional offers in a set of categories of interest. Tolmie... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Communications

Find at Harvard

26 Apr 2024
HBS Case

Deion Sanders' Prime Lessons for Leading a Team to Victory

write a case study about how Sanders, known as “Coach Prime,” applies a military commander’s approach to motivating his team. “Deion reminds me of military officers I’ve served under because of the clear way he communicates and the... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman; Sports

November 2024
Case

Ather Energy: The Future of Mobility

By: Shunyuan Zhang, Kannan Srinivasan and Malini Sen

Ather Energy, India’s third-largest electric scooter maker by volume, was founded in 2013. Five years later, the start-up launched its first electric scooter, Ather 450, which was powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), to navigate... View Details