Publications

February 2005 (Revised November 2006)
Case

Hewlett-Packard (A)

By: Rohit Deshpande and Seth Schulman

Since its controversial merger with Compaq, Hewlett-Packard had been under pressure by analysts and some stockholders to divest itself of its low-margin PC business. For CEO Carly Fiorina and others on HP's management team, however, PCs seemed integral to the company's... View Details

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Customer Focus and Relationships; Mergers and Acquisitions; Information Infrastructure; Business Strategy; Price; Computer Industry

18 Apr 2025
Video

HBS Alumni Career Video | Camron Yarber (MBA 2016)

21 Aug 2015
Blog Post

My Fear of Student Debt: Funding the HBS/HKS Joint Degree

How do you decide whether taking on student debt outweighs the professional and personal benefits of graduate school? This decision was hard for me. I spent four years after my undergraduate studies working... View Details

May 2007 (Revised January 2011)
Case

Bankinter: Deploying the Mortgage Simulator to the Branches

Describes how Bankinter, a mid-sized Spanish bank, altered the information set available to its customer-facing employees. In the spring of 2003, Bankinter introduced an Excel-based program called the Mortgage Simulator that helped branch managers calculate the price... View Details

Keywords: Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Value and Value Chain; Banks and Banking; Mortgages; Employees; Motivation and Incentives; Spain

16 Jul 2007
Research & Ideas

Understanding the ‘Want’ vs. ’Should’ Decision

analyzed a year of individual-level data from a North American online grocer to determine how the delay between when a person's order was completed and when it was delivered affected the content of the order. In general, as the delay... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Retail; Entertainment & Recreation

26 Feb 2014
Research & Ideas

How Grocery Bags Manipulate Your Mind

out that an everyday item has the power to act as both angel and devil every time we go to the grocery store. It lurks in car trunks and pantries all over the world, waiting to guide us simultaneously down... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Retail

October 1999 (Revised March 2000)
Case

Credit Suisse (A)

Credit Suisse is looking for ways to differentiate itself from current and likely competitors. After two years of restructuring, the bank's leadership wants profitable growth. It has decided to emphasize customer service. View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Competitive Advantage; Customer Focus and Relationships; Banking Industry; Switzerland

Find at Harvard

December 1981 (Revised February 2010)
Case

Mike Miller (A)

Mike Miller, Harvard MBA '78, resigned his first job out of HBS within six months because he believed his personal values and learning objectives could not be accommodated. Students may discuss the problems of anticipating corporate culture, learning the ropes,... View Details

Keywords: Experience and Expertise; Values and Beliefs; Jobs and Positions; Organizational Culture; Personal Development and Career; Personal Characteristics

Dr. Jill Avery is a Senior Lecturer of Business Administration and C. Roland Christensen Distinguished Management Educator in the marketing unit at Harvard Business School. She is a respected authority on branding and brand management, customer relationship... View Details

Keywords: consumer products; arts; advertising; automobiles; retailing; fashion; hotels ＆ motels; food; beverage

Career Coach

Kate Swain-Smith

Kate comes to HBS from a career is strategy and operations in government, both at the local and federal level. She enjoys assisting students who come from non-traditional MBA backgrounds, or those who are... View Details

14 Feb 2014
News

Playing Cupid makes us happy

09 Mar 2014
News

Conflict brews as Keurig tries ‘lock-out’ technology

11 Jun 2013
News

For companies to grow, they have to sell you more

March 2016 (Revised May 2018)
Case

Reinventing Best Buy

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

On March 1, 2017, Best Buy Company, Inc., North America’s largest retailer of consumer electronics and appliances, announced a third year of comparable-store sales increases and a 20.8% increase in domestic comparable online sales. These results were in marked contrast... View Details

June 1990 (Revised October 1991)
Supplement

Lake Pleasant Bodies Case (B)

By: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.

Describes how the attorney resolved the dilemma he faced, the reasons for his decision, and the consequences he suffered. Displays vividly the personal toll that moral conflicts can create for professionals with role obligations. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Moral Sensibility; Managerial Roles; Outcome or Result; Problems and Challenges

January 1988 (Revised March 1995)
Supplement

Digital Equipment Corp.: The Endpoint Model (B1)

By: David A. Garvin

Should follow Digital Equipment Corp.: The Endpoint Model (A). The plant manager has been promoted and students must decide what kind of individual--background, training, personal style, etc.--they would like to replace him. View Details

Keywords: Training; Leadership Style; Management Succession; Identity; Technology; Technology Industry

November 1999
Case

Reshaping Apple Computer's Destiny 1992 (Abridged)

By: Clayton M. Christensen and Tara Donovan

Examines John Sculley's management approach toward transforming Apple Computer during the personal computer industry crisis in 1992. Focuses on Sculley's management style, his creation of a new management team, and his efforts to create a professional management system... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Crisis Management; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Management Style; Management Systems; Management Teams; Computer Industry; California