Publications

October 2016 (Revised April 2018)
Case

JCPenney: Back in Business

By: Elie Ofek, K. Shelette Stewart and Christine Snively

In 2016, JCPenney was in the midst of a multi-year turnaround after coming dangerously close to bankruptcy. Under CEO Marvin Ellison, the company had identified three strategic objectives—a focus on omnichannel, private label goods, and increasing revenue per... View Details

Keywords: Retail; Customer Management; Omnichannel; Turnarounds; Private Label; Promotions; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Customer Relationship Management; Goals and Objectives; Competition; Retail Industry; United States

April 2010
Case

Bill Nichol Negotiates with Walmart: Hard Bargains over Soft Goods (A)

By: James K. Sebenius and Ellen Knebel

CEO Bill Nichol must somehow negotiate a surprise ultimatum from Walmart, his largest customer, about his largest and most profitable product line: “We're dropping it.” Among its hosiery products, the Kentucky Derby Hosiery Co. produces and sells a branded line of... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Crisis Management; Negotiation Tactics; Conflict Management; Apparel and Accessories Industry; North America

2008
Working Paper

Using Financial Innovation to Support Savers: From Coercion to Excitement

By: Peter Tufano

We review a wide variety of programs that support savings by families, in particular by low- and moderate-income families. These programs range from ones that literally compel families to save, to those that make it hard not to save, make it easier to save, provide... View Details

Keywords: Saving; Motivation and Incentives; Programs; Income; Personal Finance; Family and Family Relationships; Performance Effectiveness

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September 2004 (Revised January 2005)
Case

IBM: Ordering Midrange Computers in Europe

IBM Europe is trying to expand business-to-business (B2B) efforts with its large distributors of midrange systems. These efforts aim to automate many transactions and business processes, removing the need for human involvement. IBM has completed an initial project with... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Information Technology; Information Infrastructure; Marketing Channels; Distribution Channels; Information Technology Industry; Computer Industry; Germany; United States

01 Mar 2003
News

Waxing Philosophical

openly explores his difficult relationship with his late father and how alcoholism has affected him and generations of his family. He also examines these issues in a film, Carnauba: A Son’s Memoir, that aired on the Hallmark Channel in... View Details

01 Sep 2008
News

Entrepreneurship Program in Fourth Year

of the relationships formed between HBS faculty and participants from abroad. “This program has had a tremen-dous impact in Europe,” says Bert Twaalfhoven (MBA ’54), founder and president of the European Foundation for Entrepreneurship... View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

01 Oct 1999
News

Historic Gift from HBS to New Radcliffe Institute

venerable history, I recognize the significance of support at the early stages of a new venture." In response, Wilson noted, "Dean Clark's gift is deeply valued for the colleagueship it represents as well as the innovative capacity it provides. The productive View Details

01 Mar 2014
News

W50 Next Steps

experiences about relationships among women at work, with a particular focus on building effective, supportive collaborations across differences in race, generation, and geography. WHILE EXPANDED ANALYSIS continues and a new report is... View Details

Keywords: W50; Educational Services; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

07 Dec 2015
News

Nurturing a Healthy Food System for Producers and Consumers

staff nearly 6 million meals per year. Through a multi-year grant, the school has developed new relationships with local growers, processors, and distributors and funded educational and marketing efforts to create an engaged campus... View Details

01 Sep 2003
News

Jeanne Jackson

strengths. “During the go-go Internet years, there was pressure at Gap and Wal-Mart to treat the online operation as a separate business,” she recalls. “What we learned is that our e-commerce function needed to be an extension of what we were already doing well.”... View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

Profile

Marc Wilson

young people into science careers. Beyond HBS, Marc plans on joining an established firm before starting his own consultancy. "I want to gain experience bringing in business," he says, "and develop relationships that will... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit/Government/Education

Profile

Jonathon Bunt

“another close-knit group of friends like that again.” But, he says, “I found a terrific community at HBS. Some of us have similar backgrounds, some have very different backgrounds. But these are all lasting relationships I don’t see... View Details

01 Sep 2024
News

Fueling Innovation

By giving to the HBS Fund, alumni and friends support the School’s core priorities and help catalyze the launch of new programs and initiatives and sustain their growth. Featured here are a few key examples of innovations at HBS that would not have been possible... View Details

01 Sep 2012
News

HBS Is Committed to Increasing Alumni Engagement

Skeete Tatum HBS has taken on a major initiative to deepen its connection to alumni by increasing engagement and participation. To better understand the relationships that currently exist between alumni and HBS, the School has launched a... View Details

Keywords: Lisa Skeete Tatum; engagement; Educational Support Services; Educational Services

01 Dec 2018
News

Researching Business and Politics in China and Southeast Asia

Associate Professor Meg Rithmire The dynamic relationship between a country’s political system and its business environment is a topic that intrigues Meg Rithmire, the F. Warren McFarlan Associate Professor of Business Administration. An... View Details

01 Mar 2007
News

Gore All Business at HBS

challenge we face,” he said, “is changing the way we think about our relationship with the environment.” Business, Gore asserted, must conduct itself with a greater appreciation for the long-term consequences of present actions, with... View Details

Keywords: Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services; Scientific Research and Development Services

December 2007 (Revised February 2012)
Case

John and Andrea Rice: Entrepreneurship and Life

By: Howard H. Stevenson, Janet Kraus and Shirley Spence

The case follows the professional and personal lives of John and Andrea Rice, illustrating the challenge of "juggling" the multiple aspects of life (career, family, community, self) in the pursuit of a personal vision of success. Particular attention is paid to the... View Details

Keywords: For-Profit Firms; Entrepreneurship; Work-Life Balance; Family and Family Relationships; Nonprofit Organizations

May 2006 (Revised July 2007)
Case

Creating Meaning for the Customer: The Case of GMACI

Excellence in exploiting customer information and leveraging its affiliation to the GM group are among the strategic options that GMAC Insurance CEO Gary Kusumi is considering. GMAC Insurance, the wholly-owned auto insurance subsidiary of General Motors, formed through... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Decision Choices and Conditions; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Strategy; Auto Industry; Insurance Industry

March 1999 (Revised June 2004)
Case

United States Agency for International Development (USAID): Campfire Program in Zimbabwe

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Jay Sinha

Raises the issue of customer definition in economic development. Because of the multiple stakeholders and their varying interests, understanding where and how value is created is critical to understanding the customer. View Details

Keywords: Customer Focus and Relationships; Development Economics; Marketing Strategy; Programs; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Value Creation; Zimbabwe; United States