Publications

Educators

2007
Working Paper

Retail Market Structure and Dynamics: A Three Country Comparison of Japan, the U.K. and the U.S.

By: Jonathan Haskel, Ron S. Jarmin, Kazuyuki Motohashi and Raffaella Sadun

This paper compares structure and dynamics of the Retail Trade Sectors in Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. This is done using confidential establishment and firm level data for each country. By using micro data we are able to perform much more detailed comparisons than... View Details

Keywords: Industry Structures; Market Entry and Exit; Jobs and Positions; Size; Performance Productivity; Japan; United Kingdom; United States

Read Now

July 2023 (Revised April 2024)
Case

Zurich Insurance (A): Re-establishing a Leading Market Position in Retail

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Stefano Brusoni, Claudio Feser, Karolin Frankenberger and Ana Procopio Schoen

Educators

fall 2007
Article

Store Manager Incentive Design and Retail Performance: An Exploratory Investigation

By: Nicole DeHoratius and Ananth Raman

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Management; Design; Performance; Information

1999
Working Paper

Marshall Field, 1834-1906: The Retail Brand as a Customer Experience

By: Nancy F. Koehn

September 1990 (Revised July 1992)
Case

May Department Stores Co.: David Farrell's Search for Retailing Excellence

21 Jun 2022
News

Asian Grocery Retailers Hit Hard by Import Costs and Delays

March 2019
Technical Note

Control or Flexibility? Structured Empowerment Offers Both—Lessons from Retail & Service Chains (Abridged)

By: Tatiana Sandino

This note explains how several retail and service organizations use a practice described here as “structured empowerment” to balance control and flexibility as they grow. I define structured empowerment as a practice that grants employees both (a) the power to make... View Details

Keywords: Service Operations; Standards; Employees; Service Delivery; Decision Making; Power and Influence; Retail Industry; Retail Industry

Educators

Research Summary

Overview

By: Antonio Moreno

One major theme of Professor Moreno’s research has been retail channel integration and so-called “omnichannel retail.” In omnichannel retail, retailers provide their customers with a shopping experience that may involve different channels in a way that aims to be... View Details

31 Aug 2023
News

Legendary Retail CEO Hubert Joly’s Playbook for Navigating the Culture Wars

14 Jul 2014
News

After Kickstarter Failure, Tiggly Finds Success in Apple Store, Other Retailers

14 Mar 2014
Blog Post

Looking to the Next Decade of Change: A Recap of the 10th Annual Retail & Luxury Goods Conference

On the evening of Saturday, February 22, 2014 and all day Sunday, February 23, 2014, the Retail & Luxury Goods Club hosted a record number of nearly 400 students and professionals from Harvard and the surrounding community for its... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products / Retail

1982
Book

The New Videotex Technology and Its Impact on Retailers in Canada

By: S. Ash and J. Quelch

2019
Book

Operations in an Omnichannel World

By: Santiago Gallino and Antonio Moreno

The world of retailing has changed dramatically in the past decade. Sales originating at online channels have been steadily increasing, and even for sales transacted at brick-and-mortar channels, a much larger fraction of sales is affected by online channels in... View Details

Keywords: Omnichannel; Omnichannel Retail; Retail; Operations; Management; Supply Chain Management; Business Model; Organizational Change and Adaptation

February 1987 (Revised July 1987)
Case

Sears, Roebuck and Co. and the Retail Financial Services Industry (A)

19 Mar 2024

The Value of an MBA in Manufacturing, Consumer Products, and Retail

Attention to all young professionals shaping the future in manufacturing, consumer products, or retail: whether you're already excelling in these vibrant sectors or aiming to carve your path, we extend an invitation to join a panel of HBS students and alumni who share... View Details

16 Feb 2023

The Value of an MBA in Manufacturing, Consumer Products, and Retail

Have you ever wondered what an MBA could do to help you accomplish your personal and professional goals? Join us to hear more about why an MBA degree can be of value to students interested in working in Manufacturing, Consumer Products, and Retail prior to their... View Details

January 2007
Article

Introducing the First Management Control Systems: Evidence from the Retail Sector

By: Tatiana Sandino

Focusing on a sample of US retailers, I study the management control systems (MCS) that firms introduce when they first invest in controls, and identify four categories of initial MCS, which are defined in terms of the purposes these MCS fulfill. The first category,... View Details

Keywords: Management Control Systems; Entrepreneurial Organizations; Firm Growth; Corporate Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Management Systems; Growth and Development Strategy

SSRN

June 2009 (Revised March 2010)
Teaching Note

Finland's S Group: Competing with a Cooperative Approach to Retail (TN)

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Jordan Mitchell and Samuli Skurnik

Teaching Note for [709409]. View Details

Keywords: Groups and Teams; Competition; Cooperation; Retail Industry