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- All HBS Web (1,863)
- Faculty Publications (337)
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- 2025
- Working Paper
The Hidden Costs of Flexible Labor Models: How Working Multiple Jobs Affects Employees
By: Paige Tsai and Ryan W. Buell
As operations increasingly rely upon flexible labor models—such as gig, part-time, and remote work—it has become commonplace for individuals to work multiple jobs. Across three studies, relying on a combination of transaction-level data from 90,548 customers of a... View Details
Keywords: Behavioral Operations; Employee Behavior; Job Design; Sustainable Operations; Wellbeing; Job Design and Levels; Personal Finance; Well-being; Happiness; Satisfaction; Wages
Tsai, Paige, and Ryan W. Buell. "The Hidden Costs of Flexible Labor Models: How Working Multiple Jobs Affects Employees." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 25-036, January 2025. (Revised June 2025.)
- January 2014
- Other Article
The Answer is 9,142: Understanding the Influence of Disruption Risk on Inventory Decision Making
By: Mark Cotteleer, Maria Ibanez and Geri Gibbons
The question was how many units of inventory a manager should order when faced with a possible disruption in supply. The correct answer is not guesswork, but based on 150 years of theory and practice. We examine individual choices made in this critical situation—and... View Details
Cotteleer, Mark, Maria Ibanez, and Geri Gibbons. "The Answer is 9,142: Understanding the Influence of Disruption Risk on Inventory Decision Making." Deloitte Review 14 (January 2014).
- 2024
- Working Paper
The Operational Impact of Customer Location in On-Demand Services
By: Natalie Epstein, Santiago Gallino and Antonio Moreno
The rapid growth of on-demand delivery services, particularly in the food and grocery sectors, has driven the expansion of hyperlocal fulfillment centers (FCs). This paper uses data from an on-demand grocery delivery platform in Latin America to assess how customer... View Details
Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Logistics; Geographic Location; Service Delivery; Quality; Retail Industry; Latin America
Epstein, Natalie, Santiago Gallino, and Antonio Moreno. "The Operational Impact of Customer Location in On-Demand Services." Working Paper, September 2024.
- Forthcoming
- Article
Mitigating the Negative Effects of Customer Anxiety Through Access to Human Contact
By: Michelle A. Kinch and Ryan W. Buell
Prior research in social psychology has shown that when people feel anxious, they seek advice from others. However, companies that operate in high-anxiety settings (like financial services, health care, and education) are increasingly deploying self-service... View Details
Keywords: Anxiety; Self-service; Empirical Operations; Behavioral Operations; Communication Technology; Behavior; Customer Focus and Relationships; Trust; Satisfaction; Financial Services Industry
Kinch, Michelle A., and Ryan W. Buell. "Mitigating the Negative Effects of Customer Anxiety Through Access to Human Contact." Management Science (forthcoming). (Pre-published online March 31, 2025.)
- Teaching Interest
Harvard Business Analytics Program: Operations and Supply Chain Management
By: Dennis Campbell
Digital technologies and data analytics are radically changing the operating model of an organization and how it connects to its broader supply chain and ecosystem. This course emphasizes managing product availability, especially in a context of rapid product... View Details
- September 2011
- Article
The Labor Illusion: How Operational Transparency Increases Perceived Value
By: Ryan W. Buell and Michael I. Norton
A ubiquitous feature of even the fastest self-service technology transactions is the wait. Conventional wisdom and operations theory suggests that the longer people wait, the less satisfied they become; we demonstrate that due to what we term the labor illusion, when... View Details
Keywords: Internet and the Web; Perception; Valuation; Service Delivery; Consumer Behavior; Performance Effectiveness; Customer Satisfaction; Service Industry
Buell, Ryan W., and Michael I. Norton. "The Labor Illusion: How Operational Transparency Increases Perceived Value." Management Science 57, no. 9 (September 2011): 1564–1579.
- 2024
- Working Paper
Operational Impact of Communication Channels: Evidence from Last-Mile Delivery Services
By: Natalie Epstein, Santiago Gallino and Antonio Moreno
Communication channels are often used to improve customer satisfaction and behavior. This paper studies
how they can be used to enhance operational performance.
We partner with a last-mile delivery company and, through natural and field experiments, explore... View Details
We partner with a last-mile delivery company and, through natural and field experiments, explore... View Details
Epstein, Natalie, Santiago Gallino, and Antonio Moreno. "Operational Impact of Communication Channels: Evidence from Last-Mile Delivery Services." Working Paper, August 2024.
- Research Summary
Overview
My research uses a combination of lab experiments and empirical methods to understand how organizations can design their operations in order to inspire trust. View Details
- Research Summary
Overview
By: Ryan W. Buell
From creating flight itineraries online, to interacting with tellers to complete complex banking transactions, to engaging with the government to address civic problems, customers are playing an increasingly vital role in the performance of operations in a broadening... View Details
Keywords: Service Operations; Customer Satisfaction; Customer Retention; Customer Behavior; Operational Transparency; Customer Compatibility; Engagement; Customers; Decision Making; Design; Management; Operations; Quality; Relationships; Social Psychology; Technology; Value; Banking Industry; Service Industry; Travel Industry; Web Services Industry; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry
- March 2021
- Article
Last Place Aversion in Queues
By: Ryan W. Buell
This paper documents the effects of last place aversion in queues and its implications for customer experiences and behaviors as well as for operating performance. An observational analysis of customers queuing at a grocery store, and four online studies in which... View Details
Keywords: Behavioral Operations; Queues; Reference Effects; Last Place Aversion; Transparency; Customers; Behavior; Satisfaction; Service Operations
Buell, Ryan W. "Last Place Aversion in Queues." Management Science 67, no. 3 (March 2021): 1430–1452.
- 10 Sep 2009
- Working Paper Summaries
Feeling Good about Giving: The Benefits (and Costs) of Self-Interested Charitable Behavior
- 31 Jan 2012
- Working Paper Summaries
Observation Bias: The Impact of Demand Censoring on Newsvendor Level and Adjustment Behavior
Keywords: by David F. Drake
- Article
Discouraging Opportunistic Behavior in Collaborative R&D: A New Role for Government
The traditional role attributed to government in collaborative R&D has been one of funding. This paper explores a new role for government in facilitating collaborative R&D, one of discouraging opportunistic behavior. Given the nature of R&D, concerns about... View Details
Keywords: Behavior; Government and Politics; Managerial Roles; Research and Development; Framework; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Opportunities; Italy
Tripsas, M., S. Schrader, and M. Sobrero. "Discouraging Opportunistic Behavior in Collaborative R&D: A New Role for Government." Research Policy 24, no. 3 (May 1995): 367–389.
- Summer 2017
- Article
Measuring Consumer Preferences for Video Content Provision via Cord-Cutting Behavior
By: Jeffrey Prince and Shane Greenstein
The television industry is undergoing a generational shift in structure; however, many demand-side determinants are still not well understood. We model how consumers choose video content provision among over-the-air (OTA), paid subscription to cable or satellite, and... View Details
Keywords: Information Technology; Service Delivery; Consumer Behavior; Television Entertainment; Service Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry
Prince, Jeffrey, and Shane Greenstein. "Measuring Consumer Preferences for Video Content Provision via Cord-Cutting Behavior." Journal of Economics & Management Strategy 26, no. 2 (Summer 2017): 293–317.
- December 2002
- Article
Something Old, Something New: A Longitudinal Study of Search Behavior and New Product Introduction
By: Riitta Katila and Gautam Ahuja
We examine how firms search, or solve problems, to create new products. According to organizational learning research, firms position themselves in a unidimensional search space that spans a spectrum from local to distant search. Our findings in the global robotics... View Details
Keywords: Problem Solving; New Products; Organizational Learning; Uncertainty; Organizational Research; Knowledge Management; Robotics; Organizational Behavior; Organizational Effectiveness; Innovation Adoption; Strategy; Product Design; Business Processes; Product Development
Katila, Riitta, and Gautam Ahuja. "Something Old, Something New: A Longitudinal Study of Search Behavior and New Product Introduction." Academy of Management Journal 45, no. 6 (December 2002): 1183–1194.
- January 2008 (Revised January 2008)
- Case
Two Brattle Center: A Mental-Health Clinic in Search of a Viable Operating Model
By: Robert G. Eccles
Two Brattle Center (TBC) is a struggling for-profit private mental health clinic based in Harvard Square. Its founder, Dr. Joan Wheelis, is a nationally recognized practicing psychiatrist who has developed outpatient treatment programs based on Dialectical Behavior... View Details
Keywords: Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Decision Choices and Conditions; Financial Strategy; Health Care and Treatment; Health Disorders; Medical Specialties; Nonprofit Organizations; Emotions; Health Industry; United States
Eccles, Robert G. "Two Brattle Center: A Mental-Health Clinic in Search of a Viable Operating Model." Harvard Business School Case 408-103, January 2008. (Revised January 2008.)
- 2009
- Working Paper
Feeling Good about Giving: The Benefits (and Costs) of Self-Interested Charitable Behavior
By: Lalin Anik, Lara B. Aknin, Michael I. Norton and Elizabeth W. Dunn
While lay intuitions and pop psychology suggest that helping others leads to higher levels of happiness, the existing evidence only weakly supports this causal claim: Research in psychology, economics, and neuroscience exploring the benefits of charitable giving has... View Details
Keywords: Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Research; Behavior; Happiness; Motivation and Incentives
Anik, Lalin, Lara B. Aknin, Michael I. Norton, and Elizabeth W. Dunn. "Feeling Good about Giving: The Benefits (and Costs) of Self-Interested Charitable Behavior." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 10-012, August 2009.
- 2010
- Chapter
Feeling Good about Giving: The Benefits (and Costs) of Self-interested Charitable Behavior
By: L. Anik, L. B. Aknin, M. I. Norton and E. W. Dunn
While lay intuitions and pop psychology suggest that helping others leads to higher levels of happiness, the existing evidence only weakly supports this causal claim: research in psychology, economics, and neuroscience exploring the benefits of charitable giving has... View Details
Keywords: Advertising; Cost vs Benefits; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Outcome or Result; Relationships; Research; Behavior; Happiness; Motivation and Incentives
Anik, L., L. B. Aknin, M. I. Norton, and E. W. Dunn. "Feeling Good about Giving: The Benefits (and Costs) of Self-interested Charitable Behavior." In The Science of Giving: Experimental Approaches to the Study of Charity, edited by D. M. Oppenheimer and C. Y. Olivola. Psychology Press, 2010.
- 2015
- Working Paper
'Be Careless with That!' Availability of Product Upgrades Increases Cavalier Behavior Toward Possessions
By: Silvia Bellezza, Joshua M. Ackerman and Francesca Gino
Consumers are often faced with the opportunity to purchase a new, enhanced product (e.g., a new phone), even though the device they currently own is still fully functional. We propose that consumers act more recklessly with their current products and are less concerned... View Details
Keywords: Carelessness; Product Upgrade; Justification; Loss; Consumer Behavior; Attitudes; Product; Ownership
Bellezza, Silvia, Joshua M. Ackerman, and Francesca Gino. "'Be Careless with That!' Availability of Product Upgrades Increases Cavalier Behavior Toward Possessions." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 15-077, April 2015.
- May 2014
- Article
Observation Bias: The Impact of Demand Censoring on Newsvendor Level and Adjustment Behavior
By: Nils Rudi and David Drake
In an experimental newsvendor setting we investigate three phenomena: level behavior—the decision-maker's average ordering tendency; adjustment behavior—the tendency to adjust period-to-period order quantities; and observation bias—the tendency to... View Details
Rudi, Nils, and David Drake. "Observation Bias: The Impact of Demand Censoring on Newsvendor Level and Adjustment Behavior." Management Science 60, no. 5 (May 2014): 1334–1345.