Publications

September 2020
Case

Uber at a Crossroads (2017)

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Karen Elterman

This case describes the history of Uber, its business model—including the ways it differed from that of the traditional taxi industry—and its competition with Lyft. The case is set in 2017, a year in which Uber was plagued by even more scandals than usual, though its... View Details

01 Feb 2002
News

It's academic. (Not!)

information technology and management, or organizational behavior. That broad range of choices, coupled with the satisfaction of conducting research in the field, generates an extraordinary demand for the handful of available places each... View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

01 Jun 2020
What Do You Think?

Will Challenged Amazon Tweak Its Retail Model Post-Pandemic?

product offerings, start treating the third party suppliers like partners, and invest in local distribution centers.” Other concerns included those associated with changing customer shopping habits, the use of new technologies, and... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Retail

March 2007
Teaching Note

Kansai Digital Phone: Zutto, Gaining Japanese Loyalty (TN)

By: Francisco de Asis Martinez-Jerez

Keywords: Information Technology; Customer Satisfaction; Japan

06 Jun 2012
What Do You Think?

Is Something Wrong with the Way We Work?

created by customers and clients and their increasing expectations that we be available day and night. Even more can be laid at the feet of leadership. But ultimately the primary culprit is us. That's my sense of the comments concerning... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Consulting

17 Dec 2015
News

Conducting Research That Influences Practice

Tami Kim, a doctoral student at HBS, is conducting research into how the restaurant business could benefit from transparency—literally—by making it possible for chefs and diners to see one another. Her findings on employee and customer... View Details

October 2005
Case

Kinko's

Over the decades, Kinko's had forged a deep emotional bond with consumers by easing their anxiety and helping them solve pressing document processing problems. By 2003, however, consumer research revealed that a confusing retail experience had eroded some of this good... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Customer Satisfaction; Service Industry

March 1991 (Revised October 1991)
Background Note

Manage Orders, Satisfy Customers, Make Money

By: Benson P. Shapiro and John J. Sviokla

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction; Order Taking and Fulfillment

Find at Harvard

May 2004
Article

Brands as Beacons: A New Source of Loyalty to Multiproduct Firms

By: Bharat Anand and Ron Shachar

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Customer Satisfaction; Product; Business Ventures

Find at Harvard

Read Now

November 2001 (Revised October 2017)
Supplement

Store24 (B): Service Quality and Employee Skills

By: Frances X. Frei and Dennis Campbell

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction; Employees; Service Delivery; Retail Industry

September 2009 (Revised May 2019)
Case

The London 2012 Olympic Games

By: John T. Gourville and Marco Bertini

It's 2009 and Paul Williamson, Head of Ticketing, must finalize ticket prices for the 2012 London Olympic Games. Yet, there are many criteria to consider. First, given the importance of ticketing to the Games' bottom line, he has a strong incentive to maximize... View Details

Keywords: Pricing; Customer Satisfaction; Price; Strategy; Profit; Revenue; Sales; Sports Industry; London

01 Mar 2014
News

Case Study: Gazelle's New Predators

getting lower-cost devices to those who might not otherwise be able to afford them? A $14B market would seem to have ample room for a niche player that focuses on corporate social responsibility while still being profitable." —Allison Sagraves (MBA 1991) "Build on the... View Details

Keywords: ecommerce; Kathy Korman Frey; Telecommunications; Information; News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; Information; Retail Trade

January 1995
Case

Understanding User Needs

By: Marco Iansiti and Ellen Stein

Presents an introduction to methods for understanding user needs in product development. Describes a number of techniques including the use of focus groups, interviews, questionnaires, the Kano method, Lead User analysis, the Product Value matrix, OFD, etc. Provides a... View Details

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction; Customer Value and Value Chain; Product Development; Mathematical Methods

07 Nov 2005
What Do You Think?

Is Less Becoming More?

Too much innovation merely increases complexity without creating economic benefits for either the producer or the consumer. In his book, The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz maps the adverse impact of what he calls the "culture of abundance" on everything... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Consumer Products

April 2001
Teaching Note

first direct (A) TN

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Michelle Toth and William A. Sahlman

Teaching Note for (9-897-079). For book only - not listed on case. View Details

Keywords: Customer Focus and Relationships; Information Technology; Customer Satisfaction; Business Model; Banking Industry; United Kingdom

2010
Other Unpublished Work

Saving Face by Making Meaning: The Negative Effects of Brand Communities' Self-serving Response to Brand Extensions

By: Jill Avery

An ethnographic study of a brand community following the launch of the Porsche Cayenne SUV finds that brand extensions can negatively affect the value of their parent brands. By studying the collective response to brand extensions of existing consumers and by... View Details

Keywords: Brands; Brand Management; Brand Positioning; Brand Equity; Internet; Social Media; Customers; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Auto Industry