Publications

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10 Dec 2007
HBS Case

One Laptop per Child

course, OLPC aspires to many more commitments to fulfill its vision of "one laptop per child." Herein, marketers find much food for thought. According to Quelch, a professor of marketing, the laptop's creation and diffusion are... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Computer

April 2025 (Revised June 2025)
Case

Governing Sustainability in a Shifting Context (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz

In early 2025, boards of directors had to rethink corporate responsibility and sustainability efforts amid rapidly-shifting social, legal, regulatory, and economic forces. While just a few years earlier, calls to address racial justice and climate change reached into... View Details

30 Oct 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, October 30, 2018

that were more responsible and sustainable as well as how these strategies have faced constraints, trade-offs, and challenges of legitimacy. The industries covered range from sustainable finance and solar energy to organic food and wine,... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

August 2024
Case

Lucky Ones Coffee: Employing People with Disabilities

By: Richard S. Ruback, Robin Greenwood, Joe Higgins, Matthew Preble and Dave Habeeb

Katie Holyfield and Taylor Matkins founded The Lucky Ones Coffee in 2017 with a mission to create jobs in Park City, Utah for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The company quickly earned strong support from the local community, and by early 2023... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Selection and Staffing; Growth and Development Strategy; Mission and Purpose; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Utah; United States

07 Dec 2010
First Look

First Look: Dec. 7

the value of their information intermediation function. The Effect of Product Variety and Inventory Levels on Retail Sales: A Longitudinal Study Author:Zeynep Ton and Ananth Raman Publication:Production and Operations Management 19, no. 5... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

19 Jun 2007
First Look

First Look: June 19, 2007

Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/07-036.pdf Cases & Course MaterialsAcademia Barilla Harvard Business School Case 507-001 Barilla, the world's largest pasta company, has introduced a new high-quality, high-priced product line that features a... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

07 Feb 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: February 7

brands and manufacturing network, he intends to reposition the company as a branded retailer of furniture and home fashions. Just as management is poised to implement a new strategy that involves a heavy investment in brand advertising, a... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

14 Aug 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, August 14, 2018

Armarium would need to charge for its one-of-a-kind pieces with retail values that could reach as high as $15,000. The two founders faced significant scaling challenges, from how to establish guardrails around curation of the collection... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

12 Feb 2008
First Look

First Look: February 12, 2007

land and outgrowers for production, the addition of value-added processing to obtain premium prices, and the introduction of global certification to ensure food safety and meet retailer and consumer... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

October 2014
Article

Making Charity Pay

By: Michael I. Norton and Jill Avery

Companies are increasingly experimenting with the use of philanthropy to enhance consumer loyalty, brand awareness, and sales. But even highly creative approaches that garner a lot of buzz often fall short of sales goals, leading many companies to conclude,... View Details

Keywords: Philanthropy; Charitable Giving; Charity; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Advertising; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

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November 2024
Case

Innovation at Master Kong Beverages

By: David E. Bell and Shu Lin

Hong-Chen Wei (HBS MBA 2014), Chairman of KSF Beverage Holding Co., Ltd. (KSFB), was steering the company toward the premium segment with the launch of “InheriTea,” a premium, sugar-free tea product. Traditionally, KSFB’s flagship brand, Master Kong, catered to the... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Trends; Behavior; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Product Launch; Product Development; Segmentation; Organizational Culture; Product Positioning; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Asia; China

12 Feb 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, February 12, 2019

Devices: Challenges and Opportunities for U.S. Regulators and Innovators By: Gordon, William J., and Ariel Dora Stern Abstract— Software has become an increasingly important component of medical device technology. Through legislation like the 21st Century Cures Act as... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

12 Jul 2016
First Look

July 12, 2016

credit constraints, and I find no imbalance in observable characteristics between treatment and control groups. These findings strongly suggest social safety nets have spillover benefits on the supply of firms. Download working paper:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 2011
Case

WrapItUp: Developing a New Compensation Plan

By: W. Earl Sasser Jr. and Rachel Shelton

A restaurant chain based in California offers made-to-order sandwich wraps using fresh, healthy ingredients. The founders of the company take a very active role in day-to-day business and tightly control every aspect of the restaurant operation from hiring store... View Details

Keywords: Empowerment; Middle Management; Human Resource Management; Compensation; Incentives; Motivation; Motivation and Incentives; Change Management; Business Growth and Maturation; Service Delivery; Entrepreneurship; Employees; Compensation and Benefits; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; California

26 Jul 2011
First Look

First Look: July 26

different sources (e.g., food versus fire safety). Up Close and Personal: Developing Foundations for Leader Development through Personalization of Management Learning Authors:Gianpiero Petriglieri, Jack Wood, and Jennifer L. Petriglieri... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

16 Nov 2010
First Look

First Look: November 16, 2010

wholesalers. Going forward, its two main strategic challenges are 1) deciding how much to rely on partnerships with large retailers for growth and 2) deciding whether to continue as a "merchant," i.e., buying and reselling goods... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Article

Positioning Brands Against Large Competitors to Increase Sales

By: Neeru Paharia, Jill Avery and Anat Keinan

We explore the effect of having a large dominant competitor and show the conditions under which focusing on a competitive threat, rather than hiding it, can actually help a brand. We demonstrate through lab and field studies that highlighting a large competitor's size... View Details

Keywords: Brands; Brand Management; Brand Positioning; Competitive Positioning; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; United States