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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,504)
- People (1)
- News (184)
- Research (1,200)
- Events (7)
- Multimedia (2)
- Faculty Publications (549)
- November 1990 (Revised June 1993)
- Background Note
Price-Quantity Determination
Examines the important economic considerations affecting a firm's price-quantity decision for a product. Begins with a discussion of the appropriate decision criterion. Next, it motivates the concept of a demand curve for a product and defines demand elasticity.... View Details
Dhebar, Anirudh S. "Price-Quantity Determination." Harvard Business School Background Note 191-093, November 1990. (Revised June 1993.)
Platform Envelopment
Due to network effects and switching costs in platform markets, entrants generally must offer revolutionary functionality. Platform envelopment offers a second entry path: one that does not rely upon Schumpeterian innovation. Examples of successful envelopment... View Details
- October 1993 (Revised October 1996)
- Case
Paragould City Cable
Unhappy with the prices provided by the local, privately owned cable television operator, the city of Paragould, Arkansas constructs a competing municipally owned cable system. Once in operation, Paragould City Cable faces vigorous competition from the incumbent... View Details
Keywords: Business Strategy; Television Entertainment; Competitive Strategy; Distribution Channels; Media; Public Sector; Programs; Growth and Development Strategy; Cost; Performance Improvement; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Arkansas
Emmons, Willis M., III. "Paragould City Cable." Harvard Business School Case 794-030, October 1993. (Revised October 1996.)
- June 2025
- Article
Collusion in Brokered Markets
By: John William Hatfield, Scott Duke Kominers and Richard Lowery
High commissions in the U.S. residential real estate agency market present a puzzle for economic theory because brokerage is not a concentrated industry. We model brokered markets as a game in which agents post prices for customers and then choose which other agents to... View Details
Keywords: Real Estate Agents; Real Estate; Realtors; Broker Networks; Brokerage; Brokerage Commissions; "Brokerage Industry; Brokered Markets; Brokering; Brokers; Industrial Organization; Repeated Game Framework; "Repeated Games"; Collusion; Antitrust; Microeconomics; Market Design; Theory; Game Theory; Real Estate Industry
Hatfield, John William, Scott Duke Kominers, and Richard Lowery. "Collusion in Brokered Markets." Journal of Finance 80, no. 3 (June 2025): 1417–1462.
- February 1998 (Revised May 2007)
- Case
Airborne Express
By: Jan W. Rivkin
In the wake of a highly successful quarter, senior managers of Airborne Express, the third largest player in the express mail industry, review the firm's competitive position. Airborne has survived, and recently prospered, in an industry with significant economies of... View Details
Keywords: Competition; Business Strategy; Partners and Partnerships; Global Strategy; Rank and Position; Service Industry
Rivkin, Jan W. "Airborne Express." Harvard Business School Case 798-070, February 1998. (Revised May 2007.)
- 2020
- Working Paper
Collusion in Brokered Markets
By: John William Hatfield, Scott Duke Kominers and Richard Lowery
The U.S. residential real estate agency market presents a puzzle for economic theory: commissions on real estate transactions have remained high for decades even though entry is frequent and costs are low. We model the real estate agency market, and other brokered... View Details
Keywords: Real Estate; "Repeated Games"; Collusion; Antitrust; Brokered Markets; Game Theory; Real Estate Industry
Hatfield, John William, Scott Duke Kominers, and Richard Lowery. "Collusion in Brokered Markets." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-023, September 2019. (Revised July 2020.)
- June 2019
- Article
Brokers vs. Retail Investors: Conflicting Interests and Dominated Products
By: Mark Egan
I study how brokers distort household investment decisions. Using a novel convertible bond dataset, I find that consumers often purchase dominated bonds—cheap and expensive versions of otherwise identical bonds coexist in the market. The empirical evidence suggests... View Details
Keywords: Brokers; Fiduciary Standard; Consumer Finance; Structured Products; Household; Investment; Decisions; Motivation and Incentives; Conflict of Interests
Egan, Mark. "Brokers vs. Retail Investors: Conflicting Interests and Dominated Products." Journal of Finance 74, no. 3 (June 2019): 1217–1260.
- 2007
- Working Paper
Platform Envelopment
By: Thomas Eisenmann, Geoffrey Parker and Marshall Van Alstyne
Due to network effects and switching costs in platform markets, entrants generally must offer revolutionary functionality. We explore a second entry path that does not rely upon Schumpeterian innovation: platform envelopment. Through envelopment, a provider in one... View Details
Eisenmann, Thomas, Geoffrey Parker, and Marshall Van Alstyne. "Platform Envelopment." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 07-104, June 2007. (Revised September 2008, October 2009, July 2010.)
- May–June 2021
- Article
Eliminate Strategic Overload
As companies respond to intensifying competitive pressures and challenges, they ask more and more of their employees. But organizations often have very little to show for the efforts of their talented and engaged workers. By selecting fewer initiatives with greater... View Details
Keywords: Strategic Initiatives; Value-based Strategy; Organizational Effectiveness; Strategy; Value Creation
Oberholzer-Gee, Felix. "Eliminate Strategic Overload." Harvard Business Review 99, no. 3 (May–June 2021): 88–97.
- October 2001 (Revised June 2004)
- Case
Harrah's Entertainment Inc.
By: Rajiv Lal and Patricia Carrolo
Describes a situation facing Philip Satre, chairman and CEO of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. Satre was reading a May 2000 Wall Street Journal story that discussed the company's marketing success in targeting low rollers, the 100% growth in stock price and profits in the... View Details
Keywords: Budgets and Budgeting; Marketing; Marketing Reference Programs; Performance Evaluation; Motivation and Incentives; Competitive Strategy
Lal, Rajiv, and Patricia Carrolo. "Harrah's Entertainment Inc." Harvard Business School Case 502-011, October 2001. (Revised June 2004.)
Elie Ofek
Elie Ofek is a Professor in the Marketing unit at the Harvard Business School. Professor Ofek's research focuses on new product strategies in technology-driven business environments as well as in consumer-oriented companies in general. He explores interactions... View Details
- November 2009 (Revised December 2009)
- Case
DaChan Food (Asia) in China
By: Ray A. Goldberg and David Lane
DaChan Food in China is providing leadership in the quality, health, and environmental needs of the Chinese consumer as poultry consumption increases there. Continuing to provide that leadership as global and national competition increase becomes more and more... View Details
- 06 Mar 2018
- First Look
First Look at Research and Ideas, March 6, 2018
trade-off between competitive price discovery and convenience. Evidence from eBay fits the theory: auctions are favored by less experienced sellers and for idiosyncratic products, and auction listings sell... View Details
Keywords: Sean Silverthorne
- 2022
- Working Paper
Markups to Financial Intermediation in Foreign Exchange Markets
By: Jonathan Wallen
On average from 2013 to 2020, foreign asset managers in net sold forward 1.1 trillion U.S. dollars. This forward sale of dollars hedges the currency mismatch of foreign investment in U.S. dollar assets. By accommodating this demand, U.S. and European banks earn an... View Details
Keywords: Foreign Exchange; Financial Intermediation; Arbitrage; Market Power; Regulations; Currency; Assets; Interest Rates; Banking Industry
Wallen, Jonathan. "Markups to Financial Intermediation in Foreign Exchange Markets." Working Paper, March 2022.
- 09 Jul 2009
- News
Limited Choices
- 2015
- Working Paper
Service Quality, Inventory and Competition: An Empirical Analysis of Mobile Money Agents in Africa
By: Karthik Balasubramanian and David F. Drake
The use of electronic money transfer through cellular networks ("mobile money") is rapidly increasing in the developing world. The resulting electronic currency ecosystem could improve the lives of the estimated 2 billion people who live on less than $2 a day by... View Details
Keywords: Operations Strategy; Base Of The Pyramid; Mobile Money; Inventory Management; Competition; Currency; Service Operations; Mobile and Wireless Technology
Balasubramanian, Karthik, and David F. Drake. "Service Quality, Inventory and Competition: An Empirical Analysis of Mobile Money Agents in Africa." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 15-059, January 2015. (Revised October 2015.)
- October 2005 (Revised August 2006)
- Case
Haier: Taking a Chinese Company Global
By: Krishna G. Palepu, Tarun Khanna and Ingrid Vargas
In 2005, Haier, China's leading appliance manufacturer, had over $12 billion in worldwide sales and was the third-ranked global appliance brand behind Whirlpool and GE. Describes Haier's rise from a defunct refrigerator factory in China's Qingdao province to an... View Details
Keywords: Global Strategy; Brands and Branding; Manufacturing Industry; Consumer Products Industry; China
Palepu, Krishna G., Tarun Khanna, and Ingrid Vargas. "Haier: Taking a Chinese Company Global." Harvard Business School Case 706-401, October 2005. (Revised August 2006.)
- September 1984 (Revised December 1992)
- Case
Federated Industries (A)
By: Robert J. Dolan
The market leader in an overcapacity industry with a commodity product is trying to restore industry price levels. Price cutting has hurt overall industry price levels and the leader must determine whether (and how) to bring up price levels or exit the market. View Details
Keywords: Supply and Industry; Market Entry and Exit; Price; Goods and Commodities; Competition; Consumer Products Industry; United States
Dolan, Robert J. "Federated Industries (A)." Harvard Business School Case 585-104, September 1984. (Revised December 1992.)
- September 2017 (Revised December 2017)
- Case
Hulu: Redefining the Way People Experience TV
By: Henry W. McGee and Christine Snively
In May 2017, Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins announced the launch of Hulu Live TV, a new offering that would "change the way people experience TV." The new service would allow consumers to bypass traditional cable and satellite delivery and use the Internet to access live... View Details
Keywords: Television Industry; Internet; Television Entertainment; Internet and the Web; Disruptive Innovation; Competitive Strategy; Price; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry
McGee, Henry W., and Christine Snively. "Hulu: Redefining the Way People Experience TV." Harvard Business School Case 318-002, September 2017. (Revised December 2017.)
- November 2005 (Revised December 2016)
- Case
Bally Total Fitness (A): The Rise, 1962–2004
By: John R. Wells, Elizabeth A. Raabe and Gabriel Ellsworth
From a single, modest club in 1962, Bally Total Fitness had grown to become—in management’s words—the “largest and only nationwide commercial operator of fitness centers” in the United States in 2004. Bally had faced its share of challenges, but the last couple of... View Details
Keywords: Bally Total Fitness; Fitness; Gyms; Health Clubs; Chain; Securities And Exchange Commission; Paul Toback; Weight Loss; Exercise; Contracts; Personal Training; Retention; Accounting; Accounting Audits; Accrual Accounting; Finance; Advertising; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Customers; Customer Satisfaction; Public Equity; Financing and Loans; Revenue; Revenue Recognition; Geographic Scope; Multinational Firms and Management; Health; Nutrition; Business History; Lawsuits and Litigation; Management; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing; Operations; Service Delivery; Service Operations; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business Strategy; Competition; Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Segmentation; Trends; Cost Management; Profit; Growth and Development; Leadership Style; Five Forces Framework; Private Ownership; Opportunities; Motivation and Incentives; Competitive Strategy; Health Industry; United States; Illinois; Chicago
Wells, John R., Elizabeth A. Raabe, and Gabriel Ellsworth. "Bally Total Fitness (A): The Rise, 1962–2004." Harvard Business School Case 706-450, November 2005. (Revised December 2016.)