Publications

Find at Harvard

12 Mar 2006
Research & Ideas

Global Poverty Needs a Global Answer

fulfillment of community needs. (Of course, Friedman's formulation leaves the manager with two problems: the sum of consumer desires does not necessarily equal community need, and many—perhaps most—governments to not define or View Details

Keywords: by Cynthia Churchwell

April 2009
Case

Supply Chain Optimization at Hugo Boss (A)

By: Ananth Raman, Nicole DeHoratius and Zahra Kanji

We evaluate the impact of a supply chain pilot implemented at Hugo Boss. This pilot entailed altering the way in which Hugo Boss orders from its suppliers. We explore the challenge of assessing the impact of supply chain change, the link between operational performance... View Details

Keywords: Order Taking and Fulfillment; Logistics; Supply Chain Management; Performance Evaluation; Sales; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Retail Industry; Europe

11 Jun 2001
Research & Ideas

E-Commerce Unplugged

experiences they seek to fulfill their identity). Companies will need to assemble the components of a total solution, some elements of which might be far from their traditional businesses. Unleashing the value of m-commerce requires... View Details

Keywords: by Nitin Nohria & Marty Leestma

April 2021
Supplement

Buy Online, Pickup in Store: Vice President of E-Commerce Supplement

By: Antonio Moreno, Santiago Gallino and Amy Klopfenstein

In April 2019, Sylvarella VP of E-Commerce Charla Limont must review an analysis of her department’s sales data to determine the impact of the company’s Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPS) program. The program implementation created significant problems for the... View Details

Keywords: Operations; Service Delivery; Logistics; Infrastructure; Distribution Channels; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Analysis; Retail Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States; Canada

June 2010
Case

FoldRite Furniture Company: Planning to Meet a Surge in Demand

By: Steven C. Wheelwright and Afarin Bellisario

Demand for folding and stackable chairs and tables at FoldRite Furniture Co. is unexpectedly strong. The company spent the previous two years improving manufacturing quality and efficiency, dropping poor-performing product lines, developing new products that are... View Details

Keywords: Manufacturing; Production Capacity; Production Scheduling; Risk Management; Growth Management; Production; Logistics; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Business Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States; Europe

September – October 2011
Article

The Manufacturer's Incentive to Reduce Lead Times

By: Santiago Kraiselburd, Richard Pibernik and Ananth Raman

It is generally a well acknowledged fact that, ceteris paribus, reducing the lead times between downstream and upstream parties in a supply chain is desirable from an overall system perspective. However, an upstream party (e.g., a manufacturer) may have strong... View Details

Keywords: Cost; Demand and Consumers; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Production; Supply Chain Management; Sales; Manufacturing Industry; Retail Industry

Find at Harvard

September 1999 (Revised November 1999)
Case

Explore, Inc.

By: Allen S. Grossman, James E. Austin, Myra M. Hart and Sharon Peyus

Documents the creation of a national before and after-school day care program aimed at bridging the gap between school and parents' work schedules. This high-growth, for-profit social enterprise organization operated in what was historically the domain of nonprofit or... View Details

Keywords: Microeconomics; Growth and Development; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Mission and Purpose; Performance Expectations; Quality; Social Enterprise; Travel Industry

August 2000 (Revised February 2003)
Case

Borders Group, Inc.

By: Zeynep Ton and Ananth Raman

Describes Borders Group, a well-known retail chain, in late 1999 and its traditional strengths and rapid growth in the 1990s. By 1990, however, the company had fallen behind Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble in leveraging the Internet for book retailing, although it... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain Management; Customer Value and Value Chain; Distribution Channels; Service Operations; Business Growth and Maturation; Economic Growth; Industry Growth; Growth and Development; Internet; Business Model; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Supply and Industry; Retail Industry; Publishing Industry

09 Oct 2001
Research & Ideas

Five Questions for Paul Lawrence and Nitin Nohria

What managers must take away from this book is that the jobs in their organization will only be fulfilling to their employees if they provide opportunities to reasonably satisfy all four drives. Jobs must be designed so that people can... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

23 Jul 2001
Research & Ideas

Looking for CEOs in All the Wrong Places

not really that of a broker, as described by existing research on third-party behavior. Rather, their task in fulfilling an assignment at this level tends to be limited to that of facilitator and communicator." It's the company's... View Details

Keywords: by Peter K. Jacobs; Employment

17 Dec 2001
Research & Ideas

Becoming the Next Real Estate Mogul

the firm's people was the most fulfilling of all. You need to know how to work with people, and that skill is largely experiential and driven by personality.—Kevin McCall Peter Palandjian (HBS MBA '93), chairman and CEO of... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Construction; Real Estate

March 1993
Case

Liz Claiborne, Inc. and Ruentex Industries, Ltd. (Abridged)

By: Roy D. Shapiro and Marie-Therese M. Flaherty

Details the evolution of a value-creating supplier-buyer partnership. Describes the buyer's (Liz Claiborne) manufacturing and marketing strategy, and details the workings of the firm's relationship with an important Taiwanese supplier of piece goods (Ruentex Industries... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Production; Supply Chain Management; Alliances; Value Creation; Manufacturing Industry

03 Mar 2010
What Do You Think?

To What Degree Does “Identity” Affect Economic Performance?

read more: Timothy Kieningham and Lerzan Toksoy, Loyalty Matters: The Groundbreaking Approach to Rediscovering Happiness, Meaning and Lasting Fulfillment in Your Life and Work. Benbella Books, 2009. Original Article Recently I have... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

14 Jul 2003
Research & Ideas

Keeping Your Balance With Customers

the customer has no need to look elsewhere. Therefore, ensuring high-quality service is fundamental. The consumer bank monitored the service levels ("request fulfillment time") for its HVCs, surveyed its customers every six... View Details

Keywords: by Robert S. Kaplan & David P. Norton

22 Apr 2002
Research & Ideas

Work, Family, Private Life: Why Not All Three?

How should men and women strike a balance between work and personal life in order to feel as happy and fulfilled as possible? In a packed auditorium, three speakers at the Möbius Leadership forum session titled "Walking the Tight... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

10 Jul 2000
Research & Ideas

The State of the Markets

for truly independent regulators is of considerable importance. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) fulfills that function in the United States, but regulatory bodies abroad lack the clout of subpoena power and can be swayed by... View Details

Keywords: by James E. Aisner

February 2016 (Revised March 2022)
Case

Express Scripts: Promoting Prescription Drug Home Delivery (B)

By: John Beshears, Patrick Rooney and Jenny Sanford

The pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) sector processes prescription drug claims on behalf of companies that offer a prescription drug benefit to their employees. This case follows Bob Nease, Chief Scientist at Express Scripts, as he considers methods to promote home... View Details

Keywords: Pharmaceuticals; Prescription Drugs; Pharmacy Benefit Manager; PBM; Healthcare; Behavioral Economics; Choice Architecture; Active Choice; Health Care and Treatment; Service Delivery; Decision Choices and Conditions; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Compensation and Benefits

August 2009
Case

The TSMC Way: Meeting Customer Needs at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

By: Willy C. Shih, Chen-Fu Chien, Chintay Shih and Jack Chang

When L.C. Tu receives an emergency order, he is confronted with a range of production scheduling choices, each of which has unique costs and trade-offs. The case was designed to help students understand job-shop style production and the impact of disruptions and... View Details

Keywords: Disruption; Customer Relationship Management; Decision Choices and Conditions; Cost; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Production; Semiconductor Industry; Taiwan