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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(2,486)
- People (2)
- News (547)
- Research (1,700)
- Events (3)
- Multimedia (9)
- Faculty Publications (945)
- August 2013
- Article
Customer-Driven Misconduct: How Competition Corrupts Business Practices
By: Victor Manuel Bennett, Lamar Pierce, Jason A. Snyder and Michael W. Toffel
Competition among firms yields many benefits but can also encourage firms to engage in corrupt or unethical activities. We argue that competition can lead organizations to provide services that customers demand but that violate government regulations, especially when... View Details
Keywords: Competition; Crime and Corruption; Management Practices and Processes; Ethics; Consumer Behavior; Customer Satisfaction; Service Industry; Service Industry
Bennett, Victor Manuel, Lamar Pierce, Jason A. Snyder, and Michael W. Toffel. "Customer-Driven Misconduct: How Competition Corrupts Business Practices." Management Science 59, no. 8 (August 2013): 1725–1742. (Online Appendix. Lead article. Nominated for "Best Conference Paper Award" and "SMS Best Conference Paper Prize for Practice Implications" at 2012 Strategic Management Society International Conference.)
- Profile
Angela R. Hicks Bowman
went door to door to sign up customers for a paid subscription service that rated local contractors. Her initial efforts were met with distressing indifference. “I’m very shy,” Hicks said in an... View Details
- September 1999 (Revised October 1999)
- Case
Auto Collection: Ford's Better Idea for Selling Cars and Trucks
Ford encourages its independent dealers to consolidate, showing them the benefits size can bring both to themselves and their customers. Now, consolidated dealerships improve customer service and reduce costs. View Details
Hallowell, Roger H. "Auto Collection: Ford's Better Idea for Selling Cars and Trucks." Harvard Business School Case 800-030, September 1999. (Revised October 1999.)
- April 2004
- Tutorial
Yield Curves and Bond Ratings Tutorial
To preview this online product, Authorized Faculty can call our customer service department at 1-800-545-7685 or 617-783-7600. This online tutorial explains what drives the shape of the yield curve for traded debt securities. Also describes the metrics used by rating... View Details
- March 1995 (Revised April 1997)
- Case
Co-operative Bank, The
By: Robert S. Kaplan and Srikant M. Datar
A British bank with strong roots in the cooperative movement encounters declining profitability in an increasingly competitive and deregulated financial services industry. It attempts to grow by broadening its customer base and increasing the range of products and... View Details
Keywords: Product; Competition; Expansion; Cost Management; Activity Based Costing and Management; Profit; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry
Kaplan, Robert S., and Srikant M. Datar. "Co-operative Bank, The." Harvard Business School Case 195-196, March 1995. (Revised April 1997.)
- March–April 1979
- Article
How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy
By: M. E. Porter
Many factors determine the nature of competition, including not only rivals, but also the economics of particular industries, new entrants, the bargaining power of customers and suppliers, and the threat of substitute services or products. A strategic plan of action... View Details
Porter, M. E. "How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy." Harvard Business Review 57, no. 2 (March–April 1979): 137–145.
- July 2003 (Revised December 2003)
- Case
Mitchells/Richards
By: Amy C. Edmondson and Corey B. Hajim
Describes a small, luxury retail chain's operational sophistication achieved through the use of technology and high-touch customer service. A family-run business, Mitchells has built its success with a customer service strategy know internally as "hugging." The term is... View Details
Keywords: Information Technology; Expansion; Family Business; Attitudes; Organizational Culture; Luxury; Customer Focus and Relationships; Retail Industry
Edmondson, Amy C., and Corey B. Hajim. "Mitchells/Richards." Harvard Business School Case 604-010, July 2003. (Revised December 2003.)
- Article
The Perils of Proactive Churn Prevention Using Plan Recommendations: Evidence from a Field Experiment
By: Eva Ascarza, Raghuram Iyengar and Martin Schleicher
Facing the issue of increasing customer churn, many service firms have begun recommending pricing plans to their customers. One reason behind this type of retention campaign is that customers who subscribe to a plan suitable for them should be less likely to churn... View Details
Keywords: Churn/retention; Field Experiment; Pricing; Tariff/plan Choice; Targeting; Customer Relationship Management; Price; Performance Effectiveness
Ascarza, Eva, Raghuram Iyengar, and Martin Schleicher. "The Perils of Proactive Churn Prevention Using Plan Recommendations: Evidence from a Field Experiment." Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) 53, no. 1 (February 2016): 46–60.
- January 2011 (Revised October 2014)
- Case
Dropbox: 'It Just Works'
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann, Michael Pao and Lauren Barley
Dropbox is a venture-backed Silicon Valley startup, founded in 2006, that provides online storage and backup services to millions of customers using a "freemium" (free + premium offers) business model. The case recounts Dropbox's history from conception through... View Details
Keywords: Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Practices and Processes; Distribution; Product Design; Product Development; Internet; Service Industry; California
Eisenmann, Thomas R., Michael Pao, and Lauren Barley. "Dropbox: 'It Just Works'." Harvard Business School Case 811-065, January 2011. (Revised October 2014.)
- January 2014
- Case
Entrepreneurial Finance Lab: Scaling an Innovative Start-up Financing Venture
By: Joan Farre-Mensa, William R. Kerr and Alexis Brownell
EFL provides credit-scoring services in developing countries using psychometric assessment, but the potential loss of a large customer makes them reconsider their scaling narrative. View Details
Keywords: Finance; Developing Countries; Lending; Psychometrics; Scaling; Entrepreneurship; Credit; Developing Countries and Economies; Growth and Development Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; Africa; Latin America
Farre-Mensa, Joan, William R. Kerr, and Alexis Brownell. "Entrepreneurial Finance Lab: Scaling an Innovative Start-up Financing Venture." Harvard Business School Case 814-073, January 2014.
- July 2002 (Revised January 2003)
- Case
Harrah's Entertainment, Inc: Rewarding Our People
By: Thomas J. DeLong and Vineeta Vijayaraghavan
Marilyn Winn, head of human resources at Harrah's Entertainment, must make a recommendation to the company's president and CEO about whether the existing bonus payout program is effective at motivating employees or whether it should be revised and/or replaced. A recent... View Details
Keywords: Customer Satisfaction; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Compensation and Benefits; Employees; Human Capital; Management Style; Motivation and Incentives; Alignment; Entertainment and Recreation Industry
DeLong, Thomas J., and Vineeta Vijayaraghavan. "Harrah's Entertainment, Inc: Rewarding Our People." Harvard Business School Case 403-008, July 2002. (Revised January 2003.)
- May 2007 (Revised April 2009)
- Case
Netflix
By: Willy C. Shih, Stephen P. Kaufman and David Spinola
Reed Hastings founded Netflix with a vision to provide a home movie service that would do a better job satisfying customers than the traditional retail rental model. But as it encouraged challenges it underwent several major strategy shifts, ultimately developing a... View Details
Keywords: Business Model; Film Entertainment; Disruptive Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Distribution Channels; Service Delivery; Renting or Rental; Competitive Strategy; Motion Pictures and Video Industry
Shih, Willy C., Stephen P. Kaufman, and David Spinola. "Netflix." Harvard Business School Case 607-138, May 2007. (Revised April 2009.)
- October 1984
- Case
NIKE (A1)
Presents a specific marketing policy decision on the servicing of large, important chain store customers versus giving priority to small specialty running equipment stores. View Details
Keywords: Decisions; Marketing Strategy; Distribution Channels; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Sports Industry
Christensen, C. Roland. "NIKE (A1)." Harvard Business School Case 385-026, October 1984.
- March 1990
- Supplement
OTISLINE (B)
Provides a brief update about the OTISLINE application and service center concept. Includes discussions of the chairman's perception of the impact of OTISLINE on customer service and the field organization's response to the OTISLINE service. Includes a description of a... View Details
Balaguer, Nancy S. "OTISLINE (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 190-149, March 1990.
- July 2016 (Revised January 2019)
- Case
Cyber Breach at Target
By: Suraj Srinivasan, Lynn S. Paine and Neeraj Goyal
In November and December of 2013, Target Corporation suffered one of the largest cyber breaches to date. The breach that occurred during the busy holiday shopping season resulted in personal and credit card information of approximately 110 million Target customers... View Details
Keywords: Safety; Credit Cards; Customer Relationship Management; Internet and the Web; Governing and Advisory Boards; Crisis Management; Retail Industry
Srinivasan, Suraj, Lynn S. Paine, and Neeraj Goyal. "Cyber Breach at Target." Harvard Business School Case 117-027, July 2016. (Revised January 2019.)
- August 2014 (Revised March 2015)
- Case
Optimization and Expansion at OpenTable
By: Benjamin Edelman and Karen Webster
OpenTable considers adjustments to increase its benefits to merchants, including a novel payments service that lets customers skip the multi-step process of using a credit card. View Details
Keywords: Payments; Pricing; Mobile; Rollout; Incrementality; Innovation Strategy; Credit Cards; Accommodations Industry; Information Technology Industry; United States
Edelman, Benjamin, and Karen Webster. "Optimization and Expansion at OpenTable." Harvard Business School Case 915-003, August 2014. (Revised March 2015.) (request courtesy copy.)
W. Earl Sasser
Earl Sasser is a Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School and has been a member of the faculty there since 1969. He received a B.A. in Mathematics from Duke University in 1965, an MBA from the University of North Carolina in 1967, and a Ph.D. in... View Details
Keywords: service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry; service industry
- August 2000 (Revised December 2003)
- Case
Dell's Working Capital
By: Richard S. Ruback and Aldo Sesia
Dell Computer Corp. manufactures, sells, and services personal computers. The company markets its computers directly to its customers and builds computers after receiving a customer order. This build-to-order model enables Dell to have much smaller investment in... View Details
Ruback, Richard S., and Aldo Sesia. "Dell's Working Capital." Harvard Business School Case 201-029, August 2000. (Revised December 2003.)
- August 2001 (Revised March 2003)
- Case
PassAct, Inc.
PassAct is a virtual distributor for high-tech R&D components and products, taking orders from researchers within companies, passing them on to appropriate suppliers, and monitoring fulfillment. Customers order from a Web-based catalog with built-in work-flow... View Details
McAfee, Andrew P. "PassAct, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 602-026, August 2001. (Revised March 2003.)