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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,076)
- News (346)
- Research (611)
- Events (1)
- Multimedia (7)
- Faculty Publications (338)
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- July 2005 (Revised April 2008)
- Case
The Rise of Kmart Corporation 1962-1987
By: John R. Wells and Travis Haglock
Tracks the development of the Kmart discount store chain from its inception in 1961 to its peak in 1990 and examines the contribution of each Kmart chief executive to the chain's success. In, parallel, compares the performance of Wal-Mart over the same period along a... View Details
Keywords: History; Strategic Planning; Leadership; Competitive Strategy; Performance Evaluation; Retail Industry; United States
Wells, John R., and Travis Haglock. "The Rise of Kmart Corporation 1962-1987." Harvard Business School Case 706-403, July 2005. (Revised April 2008.)
- April 2019 (Revised December 2021)
- Case
Sears: The Demise of an American Icon
By: Kristin Mugford and Sarah L. Abbott
In 2019, ESL Investments’ $5.2 billion offer to purchase Sears Holdings out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, was accepted, despite opposition from the company's unsecured creditors and other parties. ESL, which was led by Eddie Lampert, had acquired a stake in Sears following... View Details
Keywords: Bankruptcy; Reorganization; Bonds; Restructuring; Business Divisions; Transformation; Fairness; Borrowing and Debt; Credit; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Corporate Governance; Motivation and Incentives; Retail Industry; United States
Mugford, Kristin, and Sarah L. Abbott. "Sears: The Demise of an American Icon." Harvard Business School Case 219-106, April 2019. (Revised December 2021.)
- April 2008
- Journal Article
Inventory Record Inaccuracy: An Empirical Analysis
By: Nicole DeHoratius and Ananth Raman
This study explores the systematic variation in inventory record inaccuracy (IRI) observed both within and across stores. Traditional inventory models, with a few exceptions, do not account for the existence of IRI and those that do treat record inaccuracy as random.... View Details
DeHoratius, Nicole, and Ananth Raman. "Inventory Record Inaccuracy: An Empirical Analysis." Management Science 54, no. 4 (April 2008).
- 04 Sep 2007
- Working Paper Summaries
Why Do Intermediaries Divert Search?
Keywords: by Andrei Hagiu & Bruno Jullien
- 2013
- Working Paper
The Operational Consequences of Private Equity Buyouts: Evidence from the Restaurant Industry
By: Albert W. Sheen and Shai Bernstein
What, if anything, do private equity firms do with businesses they acquire? We find evidence of significant operational changes in 101 restaurant chain buyouts between 2002 and 2012. Analysis of health inspections conducted for over 50,000 stores in Florida shows that... View Details
Keywords: Safety; Quality; Private Equity; Food; Management Practices and Processes; Leveraged Buyouts; Performance Efficiency; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Florida
Sheen, Albert W., and Shai Bernstein. "The Operational Consequences of Private Equity Buyouts: Evidence from the Restaurant Industry." Working Paper, June 2013.
- June 2006 (Revised October 2007)
- Case
Takashimaya in Transition
By: Rajiv Lal, Masako Egawa and Chisato Toyama
Takashimaya, the largest department store in Japan, was suffering from declining sales. CEO Koji Suzuki had succeeded in instituting changes to cut costs. However, Suzuki needed to come up with a strategy to increase sales, particularly in apparel, which comprised the... View Details
Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Product Development; Sales; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Japan
Lal, Rajiv, Masako Egawa, and Chisato Toyama. "Takashimaya in Transition." Harvard Business School Case 506-054, June 2006. (Revised October 2007.)
- October 2011
- Case
Levendary Cafe: The China Challenge
By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Arar Han
Just weeks into her new job, Mia Foster, a first time CEO with no international management experience, is faced with a major challenge at Levendary Cafe, a $10 billion US-based fast food chain. Strategically, many of her corporate staff have become concerned that the... View Details
Keywords: Globalization; International Management; Foreign Subsidiaries; General Managers; Strategy; Management Style; Strategic Planning; Business Subsidiaries; Multinational Firms and Management; Adaptation; Entrepreneurship; Relationships; Standards; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; China; United States
Bartlett, Christopher A., and Arar Han. "Levendary Cafe: The China Challenge." Harvard Business School Brief Case 114-357, October 2011.
- November 2009
- Case
METRO Cash & Carry in China, 2008
By: Tarun Khanna
In April 2008, the country head for METRO AG's Cash & Carry wholesaling operations is considering the most appropriate model for expansion in China, where METRO has operated stores for small business professionals for eight years. In addition, METRO is actively... View Details
- March 2010
- Case
Target: Responding to the Recession
By: Ranjay Gulati, Rajiv Lal and Cathy Ross
Within 10 months of Gregg Steinhafel's taking over as CEO at Target, the U.S. was mired in the most significant economic downturn in 50 years. Top competitor Wal-Mart had positioned itself well for the crisis, while Target's same store sales began to slide. While... View Details
Keywords: Financial Crisis; Strategy; Operations; Brands and Branding; Product Launch; Product Positioning; Competition; Retail Industry; United States
Gulati, Ranjay, Rajiv Lal, and Cathy Ross. "Target: Responding to the Recession." Harvard Business School Case 510-016, March 2010.
- May 2020 (Revised July 2022)
- Case
Brand Storytelling at Shinola
By: Jill Avery, Giana M. Eckhardt and Michael B. Beverland
Detroit, Michigan, aka “The Motor City,” is most known as the birthplace of most of the American classic automotive brands. It is a city filled with the rich history of the industrial age, the pride of American manufacturing, and of the soulful sounds of Motown music.... View Details
Keywords: Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Advertising; Luxury; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Detroit; United States; North America
Avery, Jill, Giana M. Eckhardt, and Michael B. Beverland. "Brand Storytelling at Shinola." Harvard Business School Case 520-102, May 2020. (Revised July 2022.)
- March 2019
- Supplement
KITEA (D): Further Changes
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Gamze Yucaoglu
The case opens in February 2016, when the official date of IKEA’s store opening (March 16, 2016) is announced after a five-month delay. It reviews the changes that Amine and Othman Benkirane had made to KITEA’s workforce in the extra five months afforded by the delay... View Details
Keywords: Private Sector; For-Profit Firms; Business Strategy; Strategic Planning; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Retail Industry; Africa; North Africa; Morocco
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and Gamze Yucaoglu. "KITEA (D): Further Changes." Harvard Business School Supplement 719-489, March 2019.
- December 1991 (Revised February 1992)
- Case
Federated Department Stores, Inc.: Managing in a Hurricane
Describes Federated Department Stores following an important infusion of capital and before its subsequent Chapter 11 filing. The questions include how the company can be managed in a period of financial distress, whether it is possible or desirable to avoid Chapter... View Details
Fenster, Steven R. "Federated Department Stores, Inc.: Managing in a Hurricane." Harvard Business School Case 292-079, December 1991. (Revised February 1992.)
- March–April 2025
- Article
Getting Value from Digital Technologies
By: Frank Cespedes and Georg Krentzel
Companies need digital technologies in an omni-channel buying world where online and in-person interactions are complements, not either/or substitutes. Multi-channel hybrid sales solutions are required, but what are the key requirements for using the available... View Details
Cespedes, Frank, and Georg Krentzel. "Getting Value from Digital Technologies." European Business Review (March–April 2025): 6–9.
- September 2013
- Teaching Note
Trader Joe's
By: David L. Ager and Michael A. Roberto
Based on a variety of metrics, Trader Joe's ranked as one of the most successful grocers in the United States in 2013. Experts estimated that the company had the highest sales per square foot of any major grocery chain, even significantly higher than top performer... View Details
- 2015
- Case
Fine Harvest Restaurant Group (cases A and B)
By: Clara (Xiaoling) Chen, Kenneth A. Merchant, Tatiana Sandino and Wim A. Van der Stede
The Fine Harvest Restaurant Group cases A and B examine a company's design of a new system to evaluate the performance (and determine the bonuses) for its restaurant managers. Fine Harvest had traditionally evaluated restaurant managers based on store margins and had... View Details
- April 1986 (Revised June 1986)
- Case
J.C. Penney (B)
Penney's assistant treasurer was considering various capital markets issues to finance store modernizations. This case provides the financing terms available to Penney for domestic, current, and zero coupon debt. Eurodollar debt, and nondollar SFr and Yen issues hedged... View Details
Mason, Scott P. "J.C. Penney (B)." Harvard Business School Case 286-118, April 1986. (Revised June 1986.)
- May 2013 (Revised March 2014)
- Case
Gap, Inc., 2000
By: John R. Wells and Galen Danskin
From humble beginnings as a Levi jeans store, by 2000 Gap, Inc. had grown to become the world's leading specialist clothing retailer. Its CEO, Millard S. Drexler, the "merchant prince," was credited with transforming Gap into a global empire, leading the company... View Details
Keywords: Strategic Change; Fashion; Risk and Uncertainty; Competition; Performance Consistency; Problems and Challenges; Globalized Firms and Management; Competitive Strategy; Business Growth and Maturation; Strategy; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; United States
Wells, John R., and Galen Danskin. "Gap, Inc., 2000." Harvard Business School Case 713-508, May 2013. (Revised March 2014.)
- February 2010 (Revised June 2022)
- Case
Dollarama Inc.
By: Andre F. Perold
Dollarama is the leading operator of dollar stores in Canada. The firm performed extraordinarily well after a leveraged buyout in 2004 and recently executed a highly successful IPO. The company sources its goods primarily from Asia. It has strong brand recognition and... View Details
Keywords: Price; Growth and Development Strategy; Product Positioning; Supply Chain; Competitive Advantage; Valuation; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Canada
Perold, Andre F. "Dollarama Inc." Harvard Business School Case 210-041, February 2010. (Revised June 2022.)
- October 1997
- Case
L'Oreal of Paris: Bringing 'Class to Mass' with Plenitude
By: Robert J. Dolan
L'Oreal's strategy is to "trickle down" technology over time from high-end outlets like department stores to mass-markets, such as drugstores. The mass market brand Plenitude has become the market leader in France, but even eight years after introduction in the United... View Details
Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Globalization; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; France; United States
Dolan, Robert J. "L'Oreal of Paris: Bringing 'Class to Mass' with Plenitude." Harvard Business School Case 598-056, October 1997.
- 22 May 2008
- Working Paper Summaries