Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(2,477)
- Faculty Publications (621)
- February 2011 (Revised November 2012)
- Case
Product Development at OPOWER
By: Thomas Eisenmann and Rob Go
OPOWER, a software startup that helps utilities engage their customers in ways that reduce energy consumption, is scaling rapidly. The company's new head of product management has designed a system to address a point of constant tension: whether to build custom... View Details
- February 2011
- Article
The Underdog Effect: The Marketing of Disadvantage and Determination Through Brand Biography
By: Neeru Paharia, Anat Keinan, Jill Avery and Juliet B. Schor
We introduce the concept of an underdog brand biography (UBB) to describe an emerging trend in branding in which firms author an historical account of their humble origins, lack of resources, and determined struggle against the odds. We identify two essential... View Details
Keywords: Marketing; Brand Management; Brands; Brand Building; Brand Positioning; Competitive Positioning; Advertising; Marketing Communication; Biography; Brands and Branding; Product Marketing; Emerging Markets; Network Effects; Demand and Consumers; Marketing Communications; Cost vs Benefits; Perspective; Advertising Campaigns; Marketing Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Advertising Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Fashion Industry; Food and Beverage Industry
- January 2011 (Revised November 2014)
- Case
Mochi Media
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Amit Jain
In late 2009, the management of Mochi Media, a venture-backed startup, must decide how to invest scarce resources to achieve continued growth. Mochi has developed a three-sided platform, connecting Flash game developers, sites that aggregate these games, and... View Details
- Article
The Social Utility of Feature Creep
By: Debora V. Thompson and Michael I. Norton
Previous research shows that consumers frequently choose products with too many features that they later find difficult to use. Our research shows that this seemingly suboptimal behavior may in fact confer benefits when factoring in the social context of consumption.... View Details
- 2011
- Case
Xinxing Ductile Iron Pipes: Transforming the Management Control System in Time of Crisis
By: Ning Jia, F. Warren McFarlan and Xiaohui Li
Xinxing Ductile Iron Pipes Co. is a Chinese state-owned enterprise (SOE) that manufactures cast pipe products and steel products. The company had grown to become a dominant player in the ductile iron pipe industry, holding more than 40% domestic market share and nearly... View Details
- 2011
- Teaching Note
Xinxing Ductile Iron Pipes: Transforming the Management Control System in Time of Crisis (TN)
By: Ning Jia, F. Warren McFarlan and Xiaohui Li
Xinxing Ductile Iron Pipes Co. is a Chinese state-owned enterprise (SOE) that manufactures cast pipe products and steel products. The company had grown to become a dominant player in the ductile iron pipe industry, holding more than 40% domestic market share and nearly... View Details
- December 2010
- Case
Leadership, Culture, and Transition at lululemon
By: Michael Tushman, Ruth Page and Tom Ryder
The case examines leadership and organizational change within a strong culture context through a multimedia study of lululemon, a specialty retailer of high-end athletic apparel. Video segments trace the company's history from its founding in 1998 as a single retail... View Details
- December 2010 (Revised March 2013)
- Case
Asian Agri and the Future of Palm Oil
By: David E. Bell and Natalie Kindred
For Asian Agri and other Indonesian palm oil producers, the future promised rising demand from fast-growing Asian populations, but also intensifying criticism from environmental groups. With the highest yield and lowest production cost of any edible oil, palm oil... View Details
- 2010
- Working Paper
Cognitive Barriers to Environmental Action: Problems and Solutions
By: Lisa L. Shu and Max Bazerman
We explore interventions at the individual level and focus on recognized cognitive barriers from behavioral decision-making literature. In particular, we highlight three cognitive barriers that impede sound individual decision making that have particular relevance to... View Details
- November 2010 (Revised December 2010)
- Case
Mid-Missouri Energy: Ethanol from Corn
By: Forest L. Reinhardt, Noel Michele Holbrook, James Weber and Karla Sartor
Mid-Missouri Energy (MME) is a farmer-owned cooperative that produces ethanol from corn. The cooperative has performed well in comparison to other producers, but margins in the industry had declined as industry production levels neared market demand limits. MME farmers... View Details
- November 2010
- Article
Which of These People Is Your Future CEO?
By: Boris Groysberg, Andrew Hill and Toby Johnson
Americans have long believed that U.S. military officers-trained for high-stakes positions, resilience, and mental agility-make excellent CEOs. That belief is sound, but the authors' analysis of the performance of 45 companies led by CEOs with military experience... View Details
- September 2010 (Revised March 2012)
- Teaching Note
China "Unbalanced" (TN)
By: Diego A. Comin and Richard H.K. Vietor
Teaching Note for 711010. View Details
- July 2010 (Revised March 2012)
- Case
China 'Unbalanced'
By: Diego A. Comin and Richard H.K. Vietor
In 2010, Wen Jiabao looked back at the financial crisis with some satisfaction. Using aggressive fiscal and monetary policy, China had weathered the crisis successfully, growing 8.7% annually in 2010. Most of the unemployed workers had returned to work, often... View Details
- July 2010 (Revised March 2016)
- Case
MacroMarkets LLC
By: Robin Greenwood and Luis M. Viceira
MacroMarkets co-founder and CEO Samuel Masucci III is meeting with a strategic partner for his firm. Co-founded with Yale University Professor Robert Shiller, MacroMarkets' main innovation is the "MacroShare," which allows investors to take long or short, levered or... View Details
- July 2010
- Supplement
Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Pricing and Profitability Analysis (CW)
By: Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery
Pricing is one of the most difficult decisions marketers make and the one with the most direct and immediate impact on the firm's financial position. This toolkit will introduce the fundamental terminology and calculations associated with pricing and profitability... View Details
- July 2010 (Revised December 2011)
- Background Note
Marketing Analysis Toolkit: Pricing and Profitability Analysis
By: Thomas J. Steenburgh and Jill Avery
Pricing is one of the most difficult decisions marketers make and the one with the most direct and immediate impact on the firm's financial position. This toolkit will introduce the fundamental terminology and calculations associated with pricing and profitability... View Details
- July – August 2010
- Article
Are You Ignoring Trends That Could Shake Up Your Business?
By: Elie Ofek and Luc Wathieu
Virtually all managers in consumer businesses recognize major social, economic, and technological trends. But many do not consider the profound ways in which trends--especially those that seem unrelated to their core markets--influence consumers' aspirations,... View Details
- June 2010
- Case
FoldRite Furniture Company: Planning to Meet a Surge in Demand
By: Steven C. Wheelwright and Afarin Bellisario
Demand for folding and stackable chairs and tables at FoldRite Furniture Co. is unexpectedly strong. The company spent the previous two years improving manufacturing quality and efficiency, dropping poor-performing product lines, developing new products that are... View Details
- June 2010
- Teaching Note
FoldRite Furniture Company: Planning to Meet a Surge in Demand (Brief Case)
By: Steven C. Wheelwright and Afarin Bellisario
Teaching Note for 4555. View Details
- June 2010
- Teaching Note
Australia: The Riches and Challenges of Commodities (TN)
By: Laura Alfaro and Renee Kim
Teaching Note for 709007. View Details