Publications

07 May 2018
Research & Ideas

Why Online Retailers Should Hide Their Best Discounts

through the aisles to buy something at full price, increasing the store’s bottom line. When it comes to the online environment, however, retailers have fallen all over themselves to do the opposite—putting discounted items front View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Retail

December 1981 (Revised October 1985)
Case

Computer Retailing at Macy's California

By: Hirotaka Takeuchi

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Marketing; Retail Industry; California

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April 2011 (Revised April 2014)
Case

ASAHI Net: Bringing Innovation to Education

By: Hirotaka Takeuchi

ASAHI Net developed a cloud-based platform for higher education institutions to use in Japan and was wondering if that platform could be accepted in the U.S. as well. View Details

Keywords: Higher Education; Information Management; Innovation and Invention; Knowledge Sharing; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Technology Platform; Education Industry; Education Industry; Japan; United States

Blog

Visit the HBS Executive Education Campus-Virtually

Are you considering one of our on-campus Executive Education programs? Get a taste of the environment with our online tour, featuring the buildings that Executive Education participants spend most of the... View Details

October 2015 (Revised November 2016)
Background Note

'World-Class' Universities: Rankings and Reputation in Global Higher Education

By: William C. Kirby and Joycelyn W. Eby

Discussions of "world-class" universities have become an academic cottage industry in the 21st century, and definitions of the term are complex and at times contradictory. This background note traces the origins of university ranking systems and their evolution from a... View Details

Keywords: Rankings; University Faculty; University Curriculum; University Administration; Higher Education; Education Industry

December 1995 (Revised February 1997)
Case

Student Educational Loan Fund, Inc.

By: Peter Tufano

Rick Melnick oversees the Student Educational Loan Fund (SELF), which provides loans to Harvard Business School students. SELF is changing the terms of student loans from variable-rate with semiannual payments to fixed-rate loans with equal monthly payments. Melnick... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Financing and Loans; Interest Rates; Financial Services Industry

July 2022
Supplement

Solution for E-Commerce Analytics for CPG Firms (B): Optimizing Assortment for a New Retailer

By: Ayelet Israeli

July 1982 (Revised June 1985)
Supplement

U.S. Retail Coffee Market (C)

Supplements the (A) and (B) cases. Designed as an in-class handout at the end of Day Two. View Details

11 Mar 2024
Blog Post

ClimateCAP and the Bonus of Climate Educator Collaboration

integrating climate and sustainability into the MBA curriculum, career paths, and co-curricular experiences. Educator group at the 2024 ClimateCAP Summit: Sustainability in... View Details

2016
Working Paper

The Skills Gap and the Near-Far Problem in Executive Education and Leadership Development

By: Mihnea Moldoveanu and Das Narayandas

Executive development programs have entered a period of rapid transformation, driven on one side by the proliferation of a new technological, cultural, and economic landscape commonly referred to as “digital disruption” and on the other by a widening gap between the... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Executive Education; Disruption; Management Skills

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October 2020 (Revised February 2021)
Case

Twiga Foods: Revolutionizing African Retail (A)

By: Shikhar Ghosh, Pippa Tubman Amerding and Wale Lawal

Twiga is a leading agricultural produce supplier in Kenya offering services to mostly informal retailers. Under Peter Njonjo, a co-founder and Twiga’s new CEO, the company is considering multiple options for expanding its business, including offering packaged foods and... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Expansion; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Structure; Retail Industry; Nairobi

January 8, 2025
Article

Why Retailers Are Turning to Third-Party Marketplaces

By: Antonio Moreno

Some traditional retailers—including Walmart, Target, and Best Buy—are adopting third-party marketplaces, which connect customers with external sellers and thereby offer customers a much broader selection. Many other traditional retailers are considering whether to... View Details

Keywords: Marketplace Matching; Distribution Channels; Customer Focus and Relationships; Cost vs Benefits; Retail Industry

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fall 1991
Article

Restoring Credibility to Retail Pricing

By: G. K. Ortmeyer, J. A. Quelch and W. J. Salmon

Keywords: Sales; Price

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February 2017 (Revised October 2017)
Teaching Note

Inclusive Growth in India: The State and Education

By: Akshay Mangla

09 Mar 2013
News

India Can Educate the World and Create Jobs

April 2020
Background Note

U.S. Food Retail During the Pandemic: March 2020

By: José B. Alvarez and Natalie Kindred

This note, written in late March 2020 and mainly U.S. focused, looks at the unfolding impact of the coronavirus pandemic on food retailers and their suppliers. It allows student to consider the challenges facing food retail executives as they navigate urgent supply... View Details

Keywords: Coronavirus Pandemic; Risk and Uncertainty; Risk Management; Food; Supply Chain; Consumer Behavior; Demand and Consumers; Trade; Crisis Management; Health Pandemics; Food and Beverage Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Retail Industry; United States

2014
Book

Retail Revolution: Will Your Brick & Mortar Store Survive?

By: Rajiv Lal, Jose B. Alvarez and Dan Greenberg

In Retail Revolution, the authors go beyond the common belief of retail as a monolithic industry and provide a framework that any brick-and-mortar retailer can use to respond to the eCommerce threat. Through six examples, this book demonstrates how this... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Internet and the Web; Marketing Strategy; Distribution Channels; Retail Industry

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September 2016
Case

Ekal Vidyalaya: Education for Rural India

By: David Drake, Namrata Bhattacharya, Pooja Godbole and Amrita Saigal

By examining Ekal Vidyalaya (Ekal), a nonprofit network of schools in India, this case focuses on the classic challenge faced by organizations that grow through replication (e.g., McDonald's, Starbucks, Walmart, Whole Foods): How can they continue to drive growth when... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit Organizations; Early Childhood Education; India