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- Faculty Publications (109)
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- All HBS Web (586)
- Faculty Publications (109)
- November 2016 (Revised October 2018)
- Case
Formlabs: Selling a New 3D Printer
By: Frank V. Cespedes, Olivia Hull and Amram Migdal
Headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, Formlabs manufactures 3D printers used to print everything from prototypes and models to jewelry, dental, and sculpture molds. As Formlabs prepares to ship its latest model, the Form 2, Head of Customer Development and... View Details
Keywords: 3D Printing And Manufacturing; Sales Channel Development; Sales Strategy; Entrepreneurial Management; Product Engineering; Prototype; Prototyping; Entrepreneurship; Product Launch; Information Infrastructure; Business Startups; Customers; Technological Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Adoption; Marketing Channels; Marketing Strategy; Product Positioning; Demand and Consumers; Sales; Salesforce Management; Technology Industry; Computer Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States; Massachusetts; Europe; Asia
Cespedes, Frank V., Olivia Hull, and Amram Migdal. "Formlabs: Selling a New 3D Printer." Harvard Business School Case 817-001, November 2016. (Revised October 2018.)
- January 2016
- Case
Acxiom
By: John Deighton
Acxiom built the market for personal data, yet sales have been flat for a decade during which marketing's appetite for data has exploded. Will the acquisition of a digital data onboarder LiveRamp give marketers what they want from a data broker? View Details
- November 2012 (Revised September 2013)
- Case
Learning Resources: A Hands-On Toy Company Deals with New Challenges and Opportunities
By: Boris Groysberg and Anahita Hashemi
Learning Resources is a family-owned educational toy company that, by late 2011, was facing a myriad of challenges, including increased competition, entry into new markets, new distribution methods, rising costs of production in China, and changing customer behavior.... View Details
Keywords: Leading Teams; Strategy Formulation; Strategy And Execution; Innovation; Corporate Culture; Industry Analysis; Organizational Alignment; Entrepreneurs; Sales Channels; Leadership; Strategy; Change Management; Innovation Leadership; Family Business; Entrepreneurship; Product Design; Sales; Retail Industry; United States
Groysberg, Boris, and Anahita Hashemi. "Learning Resources: A Hands-On Toy Company Deals with New Challenges and Opportunities." Harvard Business School Case 413-086, November 2012. (Revised September 2013.)
- July 2005 (Revised February 2009)
- Case
Eureka Forbes Ltd.: Managing the Selling Effort (A)
By: Das Narayandas and Kerry Herman
The CEO of EFL (India), a direct sales organization, must decide which changes to the sales compensation systems would better motivate his sales reps and improve their sales performance. View Details
Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Management; Performance Improvement; Sales; Motivation and Incentives; India
Narayandas, Das, and Kerry Herman. "Eureka Forbes Ltd.: Managing the Selling Effort (A)." Harvard Business School Case 506-003, July 2005. (Revised February 2009.)
- May 2013
- Case
Eureka Forbes Ltd.: Managing the Selling Effort (A) (Photonovel Version)
By: Das Narayandas, Kallol Das and Kerry Herman
The CEO of EFL (India), a direct sales organization, must decide which changes to the sales compensation systems would better motivate his sales reps and improve their sales performance. View Details
Narayandas, Das, Kallol Das, and Kerry Herman. "Eureka Forbes Ltd.: Managing the Selling Effort (A) (Photonovel Version)." Harvard Business School Case 513-015, May 2013.
- November 1984 (Revised May 1989)
- Case
Wright Line, Inc. (A)
The Wright Line division of Barry Wright sells accessories used to store, protect, and provide access to computer media such as cards, tapes, and diskettes. With the explosive growth in the business computer market and the pronounced trend toward decentralized use, the... View Details
Corey, E. Raymond. "Wright Line, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 585-135, November 1984. (Revised May 1989.)
- June 2012
- Article
The Economic Value of Celebrity Endorsements
By: Anita Elberse and Jeroen Verleun
What is the payoff to enlisting celebrity endorsers? Although effects on stock returns are relatively well documented, little is known about any impact on sales—arguably a metric of more direct importance to advertising practitioners. In this study of athlete... View Details
Keywords: Stocks; Value; Advertising; Sales; Brands and Branding; Decisions; Economics; Marketing Strategy; Investment Return
Elberse, Anita, and Jeroen Verleun. "The Economic Value of Celebrity Endorsements." Journal of Advertising Research 52, no. 2 (June 2012): 149–165.
- March 2025
- Supplement
Wasabi Technologies (B)
By: Lou Shipley and Stacy Straaberg
Set in 2019, the “Wasabi Technologies (A)” case centers on Wasabi Technologies (Wasabi), a successful hot cloud storage company based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founder and CEO David Friend is ready to scale the four-year-old venture rapidly. Wasabi had so far focused... View Details
Keywords: Information Management; Sales; Product Development; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Strategy; Information Technology Industry; United States; Massachusetts; Boston
Shipley, Lou, and Stacy Straaberg. "Wasabi Technologies (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 825-035, March 2025.
- May 2012
- Article
Adding Bricks to Clicks: Predicting the Patterns of Cross-Channel Elasticities over Time
By: Jill Avery, Thomas J. Steenburgh, John Deighton and Mary Caravella
The authors propose a conceptual framework to explain whether and when the introduction of a new retail store channel helps or hurts sales in existing direct channels. A conceptual framework separates short- and long-term effects by analyzing the capabilities of a... View Details
Keywords: Marketing; Channels; Channels Of Distribution; Distribution; Retailing; Channel Management; Channel Migration; Multichannel Retailing; Framework; Customers; Marketing Channels; Sales; Internet and the Web; Demand and Consumers; Competency and Skills; Distribution Channels; E-commerce; Retail Industry; United States
Avery, Jill, Thomas J. Steenburgh, John Deighton, and Mary Caravella. "Adding Bricks to Clicks: Predicting the Patterns of Cross-Channel Elasticities over Time." Journal of Marketing 76, no. 3 (May 2012): 96–111.
- March 2025
- Teaching Plan
Wasabi Technologies (A) and (B)
By: N. Louis Shipley and Stacy Straaberg
Teaching Plan for HBS Case Nos. 823-021 and 825-035. Set in 2019, the “Wasabi Technologies (A)” case centers on Wasabi Technologies (Wasabi), a successful hot cloud storage company based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founder and CEO David Friend is ready to scale the... View Details
- 13 Feb 2007
- First Look
First Look: February 13, 2007
Working PapersAdding Bricks to Clicks: The Effects of Store Openings on Sales through Direct Channels Authors:Jill Avery, Mary Caravella, John Deighton, and Thomas Steenburgh Abstract We assess the effect... View Details
Keywords: Martha Lagace
- November 2, 2015
- Article
The Best Ways to Hire Salespeople
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Daniel Weinfurter
Companies typically spend more on hiring in sales than they do anywhere else in the firm. Average annual turnover in sales is 25% to 30%, while direct replacement costs for a telesales employee ranges from $75,000 to $90,000 and other sales positions cost as much as... View Details
Cespedes, Frank V., and Daniel Weinfurter. "The Best Ways to Hire Salespeople." Harvard Business Review (website) (November 2, 2015).
- April 1993 (Revised July 1994)
- Case
MathSoft, Inc. (A)
MathSoft's VP of sales has doubled the size of the company's direct field sales force to support the launch of a new, high-end workstation software product priced at almost $9,000. However, sales of the new product are far below plan. At the same time, the VP of... View Details
Keywords: Information Technology; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Applications and Software; Communication Strategy; Salesforce Management; Marketing Channels; Advertising; Product Launch; Information Technology Industry; Industrial Products Industry; United States
Rangan, V. Kasturi. "MathSoft, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 593-094, April 1993. (Revised July 1994.)
Adding Bricks to Clicks
The authors propose a conceptual framework to explain whether and when the introduction of a new retail store channel helps or hurts sales in existing direct channels. A conceptual framework separates short- and long-term effects by analyzing the capabilities of... View Details
- March 2021 (Revised March 2024)
- Case
M-KOPA: Empowering Lives
By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Wale Lawal and Pippa Tubman Armerding
The Pay As You Go solar power company in East Africa had sales of $71 million in 2019. It wished to grow to $300 million by 2025. M-KOPA, founded by three entrepreneurs in 2011, had grown nicely in Kenya and Uganda to reach nearly 750,000 households with an innovative... View Details
Keywords: Mobile Payment; Go-to-market Strategy; Business At The Base Of The Pyramid; Business Growth; Social Entrepreneurship; Renewable Energy; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Expansion; Marketing Strategy; Developing Countries and Economies; Kenya; Uganda; Nigeria
Rangan, V. Kasturi, Wale Lawal, and Pippa Tubman Armerding. "M-KOPA: Empowering Lives." Harvard Business School Case 521-085, March 2021. (Revised March 2024.)
- December 1999 (Revised April 2001)
- Case
Avon Products China (A)
By: Lynn S. Paine and Jennifer Gui
In April 1998, when the Chinese central government bans all forms of direct selling in China in April 1998, executives at Avon China must decide how to respond. The first direct sales company to enter China after its opening to outsiders, Avon sparked widespread... View Details
Keywords: Crisis Management; Sales; Trade; Business and Government Relations; Government and Politics; Market Participation; China
Paine, Lynn S., and Jennifer Gui. "Avon Products China (A)." Harvard Business School Case 300-053, December 1999. (Revised April 2001.)
- October 2000 (Revised April 2005)
- Case
Z Corporation
By: Joseph B. Lassiter III, Matthew C. Lieb and Tom Clay
Tom Clay, president of Z Corp., and founder/CEO Marina Hatsopolous must decide between using a direct sales force or using a value-added reseller to begin selling the company's new 3-D printing prototype manufacturing system. View Details
Keywords: Technological Innovation; Salesforce Management; Distribution Channels; Conflict and Resolution; Technology Industry
Lassiter, Joseph B., III, Matthew C. Lieb, and Tom Clay. "Z Corporation." Harvard Business School Case 801-210, October 2000. (Revised April 2005.)
- August 2012
- Case
Jess Westerly at Kauflauf GmbH
By: John J. Gabarro and Colleen Kaftan
Jess Westerly is the assistant product owner of CRM applications for computer and office supply wholesalers and retailers at Kauflauf, a fast-growing provider of subscription enterprise software headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany. Only months into her job, outsider... View Details
Keywords: Applications and Software; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Leading Change; Behavior; Salesforce Management; Social and Collaborative Networks; Planning; Web Services Industry; Germany
Gabarro, John J., and Colleen Kaftan. "Jess Westerly at Kauflauf GmbH." Harvard Business School Brief Case 913-527, August 2012.
- September 1986
- Case
BOC Group: Ohmeda (A)
The president of Ohmeda, a wholly owned company of the BOC Group, plans to grow the company's medical equipment sales from $95 million in 1985 to $158 million in five years by focusing on the sale of "high-tech" equipment. At the same time, the president expects to... View Details
Keywords: Marketing Communications; Salesforce Management; Marketing Channels; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry
Moriarty, Rowland T., Jr. "BOC Group: Ohmeda (A)." Harvard Business School Case 587-080, September 1986.
- August 2006 (Revised October 2012)
- Case
Natura: Global Beauty Made in Brazil
By: Geoffrey G. Jones and Ricardo Reisen de Pinho
Explores the globalization strategies of Natura, Brazil's largest cosmetics company. Founded in 1969, Natura grew using a direct selling model. Led by its three founders, the firm made distinctive use of Brazil's diversity and became characterized by high ethical and... View Details
Keywords: Global Strategy; Globalized Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Brazil
Jones, Geoffrey G., and Ricardo Reisen de Pinho. "Natura: Global Beauty Made in Brazil." Harvard Business School Case 807-029, August 2006. (Revised October 2012.)