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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,047)
- News (342)
- Research (612)
- Events (1)
- Multimedia (7)
- Faculty Publications (339)
- November 2015
- Case
Katherine Schuler at Boxes & Bins, Inc.
By: Linda A. Hill and James Kindley
This case is about Katherine Schuler, soon to become senior vice president of marketing at a fast-growing retail organization, Boxes & Bins (B&B). Part of Schuler's success has been due to her "fit" into a company with clear values and principles. In particular, B&B... View Details
Keywords: Change Management; Personal Development and Career; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry
Hill, Linda A., and James Kindley. "Katherine Schuler at Boxes & Bins, Inc." Harvard Business School Brief Case 916-501, November 2015.
- December 1995 (Revised February 1999)
- Case
Toys "R" Us Japan
By: Debora L. Spar
Documents the American retailer's process of entry into the Japanese toy market. Discusses the history of Toys "R" Us in the United States as well as the history of the Japanese toy market, distribution, wholesaling, and retailing systems. Eager to enter the world's... View Details
Keywords: Market Entry and Exit; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Retail Industry; Japan; United States
Spar, Debora L. Toys "R" Us Japan. Harvard Business School Case 796-077, December 1995. (Revised February 1999.)
- 2024
- Working Paper
Human-Computer Interactions in Demand Forecasting and Labor Scheduling Decisions
By: Caleb Kwon, Ananth Raman and Jorge Tamayo
We investigate whether corporate officers should grant managers discretion to override AI-driven demand forecasts and labor scheduling tools. Analyzing five years of administrative data from a large grocery retailer using such an AI tool, encompassing over 500 stores,... View Details
Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Forecasting and Prediction; Working Conditions; Performance Productivity
Kwon, Caleb, Ananth Raman, and Jorge Tamayo. "Human-Computer Interactions in Demand Forecasting and Labor Scheduling Decisions." Working Paper, April 2024.
- October 2022 (Revised December 2022)
- Case
Aphro Beverages
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Amram Migdal
This case focuses on distribution, sales, and product decisions as Aphro Beverages reaches an inflection point in its growth trajectory. In 2020, Aphro Beverages, based in Accra, Ghana, successfully launched its brand and brought two new alcoholic spirits products to... View Details
Keywords: Agribusiness; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Business Ventures; Business Growth and Maturation; Entrepreneurship; Food; Geography; Geographic Scope; Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Resource Allocation; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Digital Marketing; Product Marketing; Product Launch; Product Positioning; Social Marketing; Operations; Distribution; Distribution Channels; Product; Product Design; Product Development; Supply Chain; Sales; Salesforce Management; Food and Beverage Industry; Africa; Ghana
Cespedes, Frank V., and Amram Migdal. "Aphro Beverages." Harvard Business School Case 823-044, October 2022. (Revised December 2022.)
- January 2005 (Revised April 2005)
- Case
Wal-Mart, 2005
By: David B. Yoffie and Barbara Mack
Wal-Mart has been expanding, both domestically and internationally. Covers recent developments at Wal-Mart, including new stores, new store formats, and international expansion. View Details
Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Competition; Expansion; Innovation and Invention; Retail Industry; United States
Yoffie, David B., and Barbara Mack. "Wal-Mart, 2005." Harvard Business School Case 705-460, January 2005. (Revised April 2005.)
- February 2020
- Article
Effects of a Tournament Incentive Plan Incorporating Managerial Discretion in a Geographically Dispersed Organization
By: Carolyn Deller and Tatiana Sandino
Using retail chain data, we study the effects of a tournament incentive plan based primarily on objective performance, but incorporating managerial discretion in the selection of winners. In principle, such plans could motivate employees to perform both at a high... View Details
Keywords: Tournaments; Subjectivity; Motivation and Incentives; Fairness; Performance Improvement; Geographic Location
Deller, Carolyn, and Tatiana Sandino. "Effects of a Tournament Incentive Plan Incorporating Managerial Discretion in a Geographically Dispersed Organization." Management Science 66, no. 2 (February 2020): 911–931.
- June 2013 (Revised March 2014)
- Case
Hennes & Mauritz, 2000
By: John R. Wells and Galen Danskin
In 2000, Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) was the second-largest and most global player in the fashion retail business. It operated 682 stores, 80% of them outside its home country of Sweden, and achieved revenues of $3.0 billion and operating profits of $375 million. In 1999,... View Details
Keywords: Strategy; Strategy Alignment; Strategic Planning; Fashion; Risk Management; Competition; Problems and Challenges; Management Teams; Globalized Firms and Management; Expansion; Distribution Channels; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Sweden
Wells, John R., and Galen Danskin. "Hennes & Mauritz, 2000." Harvard Business School Case 713-509, June 2013. (Revised March 2014.)
- November 2006
- Case
Organics: Coming Center Stage?
By: James E. Austin and Reed Martin
The organics movement has certainly come a long way. From hippie farming communes and a scattering of natural food stores in the 1960s, organics outgrew its origins as a counterculture curiosity of the 1970s to become the fastest growing segment of the food industry in... View Details
- 16 Jun 2011
- Working Paper Summaries
Search Diversion, Rent Extraction and Competition
- August 2017 (Revised January 2020)
- Case
Berkshire Partners: Party City
By: Victoria Ivashina and Jeffrey Boyar
In 2005, Berkshire Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm specializing in growth equity, was one year into their ownership of Amscan, the market leader of designed, manufactured, and distributed decorated party goods and accessories. However, Amscan's primary... View Details
Keywords: Turnaround; Fundraising; Cross-fund Investment; Private Equity; Vertical Integration; Governance; Valuation; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; United States
Ivashina, Victoria, and Jeffrey Boyar. "Berkshire Partners: Party City." Harvard Business School Case 218-028, August 2017. (Revised January 2020.)
- April 2025
- Supplement
Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion PowerPoint Supplement
By: Michael W. Toffel, Ken Pucker and Stacy Straaberg
The Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion (A) case introduces Allbirds as a footwear startup not only focused on simple design, comfort, and sustainable natural materials but on decarbonizing the wider fashion industry. Background material highlights the growing... View Details
Keywords: Decarbonization; Climate Impact; Environmental Strategy; Innovation; Product Design; Supply Chain Management; Innovation Strategy; Innovation and Management; Product Development; Climate Change; Environmental Management; Environmental Sustainability; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Fashion Industry; United States; California
- August 2015 (Revised December 2016)
- Case
Apple Pay
By: Sunil Gupta, Shelle Santana and Margaret L. Rodriguez
On September 9, 2014, in front of a packed audience in Cupertino, CA, Tim Cook, the chief executive officer of Apple, announced the much anticipated launch of Apple Pay. "Our vision is to replace this [wallet] and we are going to start with payments." Cook then invited... View Details
Keywords: Technology; Digital Services And Strategy; Launch; Mobile; Mobile Payments; Apple; Payments; Smartphone; Apple Pay; Eddy Cue; Jennifer Bailey; iOS; Iphone; Marketing; Product; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Product Launch; Finance; Credit Cards; Technology Industry; Banking Industry; United States; United Kingdom
Gupta, Sunil, Shelle Santana, and Margaret L. Rodriguez. "Apple Pay." Harvard Business School Case 516-027, August 2015. (Revised December 2016.)
- April 2025
- Teaching Note
Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion (A) and (B)
By: Michael W. Toffel, Ken Pucker and Stacy Straaberg
Teaching Note for HBS Case Nos. 622-024, 625-004, 625-005, and 625-702. The Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion (A) case introduces Allbirds as a footwear startup not only focused on simple design, comfort, and sustainable natural materials but on decarbonizing the wider... View Details
Keywords: Decarbonization; Climate Impact; Environmental Strategy; Innovation; Product Design; Supply Chain Management; Innovation Strategy; Innovation and Management; Product Development; Climate Change; Environmental Management; Environmental Sustainability; Business Startups; Initial Public Offering; Knowledge Sharing; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Fashion Industry; United States; California
- 18 Mar 2014
- Blog Post
BaubleBar Brought to Life, and Other Tales of Joining a Start-up
It’s Tuesday afternoon, March 4th. A lively group of HBS students passionate about retail entrepreneurship sit in Aldrich 108, waiting. Then “ping!” – up pop Julia Straus (HBS ’11) and Katharine Hill (HBS ’12) who both work at BaubleBar,... View Details
- 20 Aug 2018
- Research & Ideas
Bargain Hunters Beware: A Store's 'Original Price' Might Not Be After All
bought that product at that price even if they tried” Some of the products on display were designed specifically to sell at the outlet stores and had never appeared on retail shelves. Those products,... View Details
- May 2021
- Article
The Firm Next Door: Using Satellite Images to Study Local Information Advantage
By: Jung Koo Kang, Lorien Stice-Lawrence and Forester Wong
We use novel satellite data that track the number of cars in the parking lots of 92,668 stores for 71 publicly listed U.S. retailers to study the local information advantage of institutional investors. We establish car counts as a timely measure of store-level... View Details
Keywords: Satellite Images; Store-level Performance; Institutional Investors; Local Advantage; Overweighting; Processing Costs; Alternative Data; Big Data; Emerging Technologies; Information; Quality; Institutional Investing; Decision Making; Behavioral Finance; Analytics and Data Science
Kang, Jung Koo, Lorien Stice-Lawrence, and Forester Wong. "The Firm Next Door: Using Satellite Images to Study Local Information Advantage." Journal of Accounting Research 59, no. 2 (May 2021): 713–750.
- 10 Jul 2018
- First Look
New Research and Ideas, July 10, 2018
Teixeira Abstract—Online retail accounts for a rapidly growing proportion of revenues in many industries. While selling online broadens firms’ access to consumers, operating margins are often lower in online View Details
Keywords: Dina Gerdeman
- June 2004 (Revised September 2007)
- Case
Zara: IT for Fast Fashion
In 2003, Zara's CIO must decide whether to upgrade the retailer's IT infrastructure and capabilities. At the time of the case, the company relies on an out-of-date operating system for its store terminals and has no full-time network in place across stores. Despite... View Details
Keywords: Business Model; Customer Value and Value Chain; Information Management; Infrastructure; Supply Chain Management; Information Technology; Retail Industry
McAfee, Andrew P., Vincent Dessain, and Anders Sjoman. "Zara: IT for Fast Fashion." Harvard Business School Case 604-081, June 2004. (Revised September 2007.)
- 26 Feb 2014
- Research & Ideas
How Grocery Bags Manipulate Your Mind
did something good for the environment, so you can have a cookie.” New experimental research shows that shoppers are more likely to buy virtuous organic items when they bring their own reusable bags to the store than when they opt for... View Details
- March 2017 (Revised April 2017)
- Case
OXXO's Turf War Against Extra (A)
By: Tatiana Sandino, Gerardo Pérez Cavazos and Annelena Lobb
In 2006, Mexican convenience store chain OXXO faced a threat from a formidable competitor, the rival convenience chain Extra. OXXO had embarked on an initiative to fortify its corporate culture and operating system, but the threat of Extra raised the question of... View Details
Keywords: Organizational Culture; Organizational Design; Competitive Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry; Mexico
Sandino, Tatiana, Gerardo Pérez Cavazos, and Annelena Lobb. "OXXO's Turf War Against Extra (A)." Harvard Business School Case 117-021, March 2017. (Revised April 2017.)