Publications

October 1982 (Revised August 1999)
Case

Johnson Wax: Enhance (A)

Johnson Wax has produced a new hair conditioner for problem hair. Before committing themselves to test market, they analyze the new product using a field based, pretest-market procedure called ASSESSOR. The testing reveals product positioning, advertising, and... View Details

Keywords: Product Positioning; Analysis; Marketing Communications; Advertising; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

April 2005 (Revised September 2005)
Case

Pegasus Capital: The Musimundo Decision

By: Michael Chu and Barbara Zepp Larson

The five managing directors of Pegasus Capital were meeting in June 2003 to make a go/no-go decision regarding the investment of Musimundo, one of the largest entertainment retailers in Argentina. Just four days before the planned closing of the sale, Pegasus' 50%... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Debates; Decision Choices and Conditions; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Financial Crisis; Music Entertainment; Investment; Business or Company Management; Risk and Uncertainty; Opportunities; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Argentina

November 1995 (Revised April 1996)
Case

ENTel and the Privatization of Argentine Telecommunications

By: Willis M. Emmons III

Growing fiscal deficits, persistent economic recession, and underinvestment in the nation's telecommunications infrastructure lead the Argentine government to privatize its state-owned monopoly provider of telecommunications services, ENTel, in late 1990. The... View Details

Keywords: Opportunities; Risk and Uncertainty; Communication Technology; Privatization; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Competition; Development Economics; Policy; Government and Politics; Performance Effectiveness; Telecommunications Industry; Argentina

28 Sep 2015
Research & Ideas

Six Lessons from Mobile Money Ventures in Developing Countries

one hand, this is not rocket science, and yet you see hundreds of applications not doing well.” Lal’s research delved into five successful mobile money deployments: Telesom ZAAD in Somaliland, Dialog eZ Cash in Sri Lanka, Econet EcoCash in Zimbabwe, SMART View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Financial Services; Telecommunications

02 Jul 2015
Op-Ed

The Future of the Greek Economy

reducing corruption. A finance minister who will lead this challenging reform needs to communicate clearly, consistently, and specifically regarding the financial condition and future targets of the country. It's essential to build trust... View Details

Keywords: by Laura Alfaro, Dante Roscini & George Serafeim; Banking

18 Nov 2010
Research & Ideas

GM’s IPO: Back to the Future

the doubt as it progresses with the IPO, GM must not only follow through with products that deliver higher quality and reliability but also clearly communicate these advances to consumers, even If that means focusing on just a small... View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Auto

22 Jan 2007
Research & Ideas

The Immigrant Technologist: Studying Technology Transfer with China

circles. Q: What makes technology transfer happen? Is it entrepreneurial opportunity in the home country, a loyalty to the home country, or government policies that encourage or require people to come home? A: It's all of those. Surveys of these diasporic View Details

Keywords: Re: William R. Kerr; Technology; Computer

20 Sep 2012
Research & Ideas

US Competitiveness at Risk

findings of this project is the enormous readiness of many in the business community to roll up their sleeves and do things in their communities and companies to make America more competitive. JR: An... View Details

Keywords: Re: Michael E. Porter & Jan W. Rivkin

March–April 2020
Article

Avoid the Pitfalls of A/B Testing

By: Iavor I. Bojinov, Guillaume Sait-Jacques and Martin Tingley

Online experiments measuring whether “A,” usually the current approach, is inferior to “B,” a proposed improvement, have become integral to the product-development cycle, especially at digital enterprises. But often firms make serious mistakes in conducting these... View Details

Keywords: A/B Testing; Experiment Design; Social Networks; Product Development; Performance Improvement; Measurement and Metrics; Social Media

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February 2015
Article

Risk, Information, and Incentives in Online Affiliate Marketing

By: Benjamin Edelman and Wesley Brandi

We examine online affiliate marketing programs in which merchants oversee thousands of affiliates they have never met. Some merchants hire outside specialists to set and enforce policies for affiliates, while other merchants ask their ordinary marketing staff to... View Details

Keywords: Affiliate Marketing; Incentives; Fraud; Advertising; Internet and the Web; Marketing Communications; Ethics; Digital Marketing

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August 2004 (Revised February 2006)
Case

Marketing James Patterson

By: John A. Deighton

Can a successful novelist use direct-to-consumer marketing to grow his brand? The author, who in a previous career ran a major advertising agency, uses advertising with great success to build his stature as a crime fiction writer. Further, he applies his experience at... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Debates; Surveys; SWOT Analysis; Brands and Branding; Marketing Channels; Product Marketing; Consumer Behavior; Outcome or Result; Sales

December 2019
Case

Gary Vaynerchuk: #GaryVee

By: Laura Huang and Sarah Mehta

Fresh out of a public social media debacle, Gary Vaynerchuk needs to reconsider the approach he takes in leading his digital media agency, VaynerMedia. Founded in 2009 by Gary and his brother AJ, VaynerMedia has grown into an unconventional creative marketing agency.... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Leadership Style; Personal Characteristics; Business Growth and Maturation; Marketing; Social Media

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

June 2024 (Revised June 2025)
Case

Dylan Mulvaney and Bud Light

By: Jill Avery and Celine Chammas

On April 1, 2023, social media content creator and influencer Dylan Mulvaney recorded a promotional post. It featured a video of herself drinking from a can of Bud Light beer, offering a virtual toast to her followers. Alongside the video, she posted a photograph of a... View Details

Keywords: Brand Crises; Brand Management; Influencer Marketing; Boycott; Marketing Strategy; Marketing Communications; Brands and Branding; Consumer Behavior; Social Media; Advertising; Social Issues; Public Opinion; Consumer Products Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

08 May 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, May 8, 2018

unexpected networking opportunities, generating a tight community of German businesspeople in India. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=54465 How Scheduling Can Bias Quality Assessment: Evidence from Food... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

10 Feb 2009
First Look

First Look: February 10, 2009

considered the communication he had just received. It was from Permira, the leading European buyout fund, and concerned its fourth fund, to which Altoona had made a $100 million commitment. The memorandum offered investors a chance to... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

25 Sep 2006
Research & Ideas

How Software Platforms Revolutionize Business

relevant management skills are: Knowing the community and being able to identify and attract the third-party producers who can build the most valuable innovations. Knowing how to manage the ecosystem: Deciding the right balance between... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Video Game; Web Services

Forthcoming
Article

Asymmetric Mass Mobilization and the Vincibility of Democracy in Hungary

By: Laura Jakli, Béla Greskovits and Jason Wittenberg

Using an original dataset of partisan protest events in Hungary (n = 4836) spanning 1989 to 2011, we argue that left-liberal parties’ neglect in cultivating civil society during the post-communist period had deleterious downstream effects on Hungarian liberal... View Details

Keywords: Voting; Political Elections; Civil Society or Community; Government Administration; Hungary

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March 2022
Teaching Note

Tomorrow.io Goes To Space

By: Joshua Lev Krieger, Abhishek Nagaraj and James Barnett

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 822-005. In March 2021, the weather company Tomorrow.io announced a new project to develop satellites equipped with radar for weather monitoring and launch them into Earth’s orbit. Company leadership considers execution strategies. View Details

Keywords: Communication; Competency and Skills; Decision Making; Design; Engineering; Globalization; Innovation and Invention; Performance; Technological Innovation; Aerospace Industry