Publications

06 Nov 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, November 6, 2018

strategies for the social media age, and launching a startup for a targeted audience. Students learn to analyze macro and micro economic data of an industry, synthesize consumer demographics and purchase behavior data, and create pro... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

19 Jun 2012
First Look

First Look: June 19

negotiated a deal to use it, and if it were adopted by Lauder's key brands. If the new packaging functioned as promised, the consumer would not perceive any change in the high quality, stylish packaging that was essential to the luxury... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

20 Aug 2001
Research & Ideas

Making an Ally of Uncle Sam

may not involve government. Value-net games have to do with cooperation and competition among businesses. 7 Public interest games pit coalitions of businesses, and even entire industries, against nonbusiness organizations like unions, View Details

Keywords: by Michael Watkins, Mickey Edwards & Usha Thakrar

12 Jun 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, June 12, 2018

practices is important for understanding financial decision-making of households in dire circumstances as well as for setting appropriate consumer protection policies. We conduct a simple experiment in three sites in which we paid off... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

16 Sep 2008
First Look

First Look: September 16, 2008

those recalls were perceived by consumers and responded to by Mattel, as well as what effect they had on the toy industry, consumer safety, and manufacturing in China in general. Purchase this case:... View Details

16 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Researchers Contribute Globalization of Markets Papers

predictor of events, but the power and sometimes outrageous language used by Levitt changed the nature of debate on the issue, and created new perspectives for managers to consider as they approach world markets. Levitt's key insight endures: View Details

Keywords: by Working Knowledge editors

22 Aug 2011
Research & Ideas

Getting to Eureka!: How Companies Can Promote Creativity

themselves to open source, however, mainstream companies are learning to incorporate users in a way that benefits everyone. Apple, for example, tightly controls the software that runs its iPhone, as well as the technology through which View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

18 Sep 2007
First Look

First Look: September 18, 2007

http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=808045 Retail Shopping in 2007: The Net versus the Mall Harvard Business School Note 707-566 Provides an overview of the retail sector within the United States as online shopping captures an increased... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

November 2020 (Revised April 2021)
Case

Roll-Ups and Surprise Billing: Collisions at the Intersection of Private Equity and Patient Care

By: Trevor Fetter and Kira Seiger

This case describes the increasing investment by private equity (PE) firms in patient care and other healthcare services. The case focuses on investments in physician staffing firms and roll-up strategy investments in physician practice management (PPM). Included in... View Details

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Confronting the Challenges that Face Bricks-and-Mortar Stores

technologies. Lesson 1: Use Technology To Create An Immediate, Tangible Benefit For The Consumer. If consumers don't see how technology is going to help them, they often assume that it's going to be used against them. When UPC scanners... View Details

Keywords: by Raymond Burke; Retail

August 2010 (Revised July 2012)
Case

Cork'd: Building a Social Network for Wine Lovers

Lindsay Ronga and Gary Vaynerchuk are launching Cork'd, an online social network for wine lovers. Despite Gary's status as a celebrity wine connoisseur, the team faces a significant challenge: several other wine social networks are well established and already have... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Product Launch; Network Effects; Market Entry and Exit; Social and Collaborative Networks; Competitive Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry

16 Dec 2011
Research & Ideas

Reintroducing Intellectual Ambition to the Study of Business History

industries, consumer finance, and business and imperialism. We welcome proposals for further ambitious special issues that seek to move the discipline forward, employ rigorous methodologies, and engage wide audiences. We believe it is... View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones & Walter Friedman

January 2023
Case

Kavnia Coffee

By: Lindsay N. Hyde, Thomas R. Eisenmann, Kumba Sennaar, Sarah Mehta and Jiyoon Han

Case on a coffee hardware startup where a series of experiments and pivots led founder to conclude that the venture was no longer viable. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Operations; Business Startups; Failure; Business Exit or Shutdown; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States

September 2020 (Revised March 2022)
Case

JOANN: Joannalytics Inventory Allocation Tool

By: Kris Ferreira and Srikanth Jagabathula

Michael Joyce, Vice President of Inventory Management at JOANN, championed an effort to develop and implement an inventory allocation analytics tool that used advanced analytics to predict in-season demand of seasonal items for each of JOANN’s nearly 900 stores and... View Details

Keywords: Analytics; Machine Learning; Optimization; Inventory Management; Mathematical Methods; Decision Making; Operations; Supply Chain Management; Resource Allocation; Distribution; Technology Adoption; Applications and Software; Change Management; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States; Ohio

June 2020
Teaching Note

Shiseido Acquires Drunk Elephant

By: Jill Avery

On October 7, 2019, the Shiseido Group announced that it would acquire clean skincare brand Drunk Elephant for $845 million, a valuation of 8.5 times sales. Did Shiseido pay too much or too little for this brand asset? How much was the Drunk Elephant brand worth and... View Details

May 2020
Teaching Note

Shiseido: Reinvesting in Brand

By: Jill Avery

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 519-026. Shiseido was in the midst of a six year corporate turnaround, trying to reverse the effects of decades of under-investment in R&D and marketing that had led to a vicious cycle of declining customer support and brand value. Would... View Details

Keywords: Brand Management; Marketing ROI; Brand Portfolio Strategy; Growth Strategy; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Growth and Development Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Japan; Asia

May 2020
Teaching Note

Kraft Heinz: The $8 Billion Brand Write-Down

By: Jill Avery

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 519-076. On Friday, February 22, 2019, following an unexpected and disappointing earnings report, The Kraft Heinz Company’s stock price fell 27%, wiping out $16 billion in market value. CEO Bernardo Hees had announced that the company had... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States

April 2019
Case

GE Appliances: Implementing Haier's Made-In-China Management System

By: Dennis Campbell, Marshall Meyer, Bonnie Yining Cao and Dawn H. Lau

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; China; United States

May 24, 2016
Article

Build a Culture of Health

By: John A. Quelch

Every company, large and small, has an impact on health. It does so in four ways: first, through the healthfulness and safety of the products and services it sells; second, through its attention to employee health and well-being in its work practices and benefits;... View Details