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- All HBS Web
(2,382)
- People (7)
- News (235)
- Research (1,906)
- Events (1)
- Multimedia (5)
- Faculty Publications (1,547)
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- April 1988 (Revised October 1996)
- Case
Home Depot, Inc., The
Home Depot, founded in 1978, pioneered the warehouse retailing concept in the home center industry. The company's niche strategy resulted in rapid growth in sales. By 1986, however, the company began experiencing deteriorating profitability. Students are asked to... View Details
Palepu, Krishna G. "Home Depot, Inc., The." Harvard Business School Case 188-148, April 1988. (Revised October 1996.)
- December 2019
- Case
Walmart Ecommerce (B): Omnichannel Pursuits
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Karen Elterman
This case is an abridged version (part 2 of 2) of "Walmart's Omnichannel Strategy: Revolution or Miscalculation?" HBS Case No. 720-370. The (B) case describes Walmart’s omnichannel strategy in 2018 as it battled Amazon for online retail market share. Walmart aimed to... View Details
Keywords: Acquisition; Strategy; Internet and the Web; Distribution; Distribution Channels; Competitive Strategy; Retail Industry; Bentonville; Arkansas; United States
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and Karen Elterman. "Walmart Ecommerce (B): Omnichannel Pursuits." Harvard Business School Case 720-426, December 2019.
- January 2018 (Revised November 2018)
- Case
Index
By: Jose Alvarez and Julia Kelley
In December 2017, Marc Freed-Finnegan and Jonathan Wall, the co-founders of retail technology company Index, had to discuss the company’s direction as they entered 2018. Five years earlier, Freed-Finnegan and Wall had founded Index after observing the technological... View Details
- November 1993 (Revised September 1994)
- Case
Food Distribution in Russia: The Harris Group and the LUX Store
By: David E. Bell, Walter J. Salmon and Dinny Starr
Discusses the challenges facing businesses entering the Russian business environment, especially focusing on food retailing and distribution in that country. Highlights one small, entrepreneurial company, The Harris Group, which, with the help of both Russian partners... View Details
Keywords: Business Ventures; Marketing Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Distribution; Partners and Partnerships; Expansion; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Russia
Bell, David E., Walter J. Salmon, and Dinny Starr. "Food Distribution in Russia: The Harris Group and the LUX Store." Harvard Business School Case 594-059, November 1993. (Revised September 1994.)
- March 2002 (Revised October 2005)
- Case
Wal-Mart in 2002
By: David B. Yoffie and Yusi Wang
In its first quarter of 2002, Wal-Mart became the largest company on the globe (by sales) and expanded into Japan. Was the giant retailer unstoppable? This case explores Wal-Mart's top issues in fueling top- and bottom-line growth: diversification into groceries, new... View Details
Keywords: Diversification; Expansion; Multinational Firms and Management; Corporate Strategy; Global Strategy; Retail Industry; Japan; United States
Yoffie, David B., and Yusi Wang. "Wal-Mart in 2002." Harvard Business School Case 702-466, March 2002. (Revised October 2005.)
- April 2017 (Revised November 2017)
- Case
BlackRock (B): Acquire MLIM? (with video links)
In early 2006, BlackRock, Inc. is considering acquiring Merrill Lynch’s asset management business. The asset management industry was in a state of transition. In the prior year, more than 130 mergers and acquisitions had taken place. The proposed deal between BlackRock... View Details
Keywords: Strategy; Competition; Information Technology; Asset Management; Mergers and Acquisitions; Decision Choices and Conditions; United States
Gulati, Ranjay, Jan W. Rivkin, Stuart C. Gilson, and Aldo Sesia. "BlackRock (B): Acquire MLIM? (with video links)." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Case 717-485, April 2017. (Revised November 2017.)
- February 2017 (Revised March 2018)
- Case
BIM: Finding New Ways to Grow
By: Michael Chu and Gamze Yucaoglu
BIM, Turkey’s giant retailer with a hard-discount model for the popular segments, must decide whether to launch a brand-new format challenging the modern supermarkets. Since its founding in 1995, BIM has adhered to a business model based on a relentless focus on costs... View Details
Keywords: Turkey; Decision; Emerging Markets; Private Sector; For-Profit Firms; Business Model; Business Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Growth and Development Strategy; Value Creation; Change Management; Decisions; Growth Management; Retail Industry; Turkey
Chu, Michael, and Gamze Yucaoglu. "BIM: Finding New Ways to Grow." Harvard Business School Case 317-097, February 2017. (Revised March 2018.)
- July 2005 (Revised January 2009)
- Case
Paper and More (A)
Provides a context and exercise for introducing retail inventory management, including cost optimization, service-level criteria, and forecasting in single and multiproduct settings. The owner of a single-location paper and paper products store considers the... View Details
Keywords: Cost Management; Measurement and Metrics; Logistics; Sales; Expansion; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry
Watson, Noel H. "Paper and More (A)." Harvard Business School Case 606-023, July 2005. (Revised January 2009.)
- February 2001 (Revised December 2002)
- Case
Marshall Field and the Rise of the Department Store
By: Nancy F. Koehn
Analyzes Marshall Field's efforts to develop a market for mass retailing in late 19th-century Chicago. Examines Chicago's expansion in the 1860s and, within this context, how Field struck out on his own to, build a wholesale and retail business. Concentrates on the... View Details
Keywords: Fluctuation; Industry Growth; Corporate Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Brands and Branding; Society; Distribution Industry; Distribution Industry; Chicago
Koehn, Nancy F. "Marshall Field and the Rise of the Department Store." Harvard Business School Case 801-349, February 2001. (Revised December 2002.)
- April 2021 (Revised January 2022)
- Supplement
SA Taxi: A Vehicle for Empowerment? (B)
By: Nien-he Hsieh, Dilyana Karadzhova Botha and F. Christopher Eaglin
SA Taxi was a vertically integrated business that operated in South Africa’s distinctive taxi industry. Despite being plagued by violence, informal structures, unsafe road practices and lack of government support, the taxi industry had grown to become South Africa’s... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Accountability; Ownership; Ownership Stake; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Equality and Inequality; Race; Situation or Environment; Transportation Industry; South Africa; Africa
Hsieh, Nien-he, Dilyana Karadzhova Botha, and F. Christopher Eaglin. "SA Taxi: A Vehicle for Empowerment? (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 321-141, April 2021. (Revised January 2022.)
- September 2023 (Revised May 2025)
- Teaching Note
On
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Karolin Frankenberger, Sascha Mader, Jordan Mitchell and Karen Elterman
Teaching Note for "On," HBS Case No. 723-430. On is a premium performance running shoe company founded in Switzerland in 2010. The company rapidly gained traction through its unique CloudTec cushioning technology, its innovative midsole plate called the Speedboard, and... View Details
Keywords: Brands and Branding; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Startups; Business Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Digital Marketing; Disruptive Innovation; Distribution Channels; Entrepreneurship; Environmental Sustainability; Global Strategy; Initial Public Offering; Innovation and Invention; Innovation Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Marketing Strategy; Product Design; Product Development; Product Marketing; Social Media; Strategy; Supply Chain Management; Technological Innovation; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Europe; Germany; Switzerland; United States
- April 1993 (Revised January 2011)
- Background Note
Note on Store Location
By: David E. Bell and Jose B. Alvarez
Reviews some basic issues to be considered in selecting a new location for a retail store. View Details
Bell, David E., and Jose B. Alvarez. "Note on Store Location." Harvard Business School Background Note 593-112, April 1993. (Revised January 2011.)
- 2022
- Working Paper
The Effect of Employee Lateness and Absenteeism on Store Performance
By: Caleb Kwon and Ananth Raman
We empirically analyze the effects of employee lateness and absenteeism on store performance by examining 25.5 million employee shift timecards covering more than 100,000 employees across more than 500 U.S. retail grocery store locations over a four year time period.... View Details
Kwon, Caleb, and Ananth Raman. "The Effect of Employee Lateness and Absenteeism on Store Performance." Working Paper, August 2022.
- March 2002 (Revised May 2010)
- Case
Apple Stores
This case reveals the genesis of the Apple Stores, a revolutionary retail concept launched by Ron Johnson, Apple Computer's senior vice president of retail. In January 2002, Apple Computer was at the eve of one of the most stunning commercial successes ever known in... View Details
Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Marketing Channels; Consumer Behavior; Innovation and Invention; Computer Industry; Computer Industry
Wathieu, Luc R., and Kevin Morris. "Apple Stores." Harvard Business School Case 502-063, March 2002. (Revised May 2010.)
- February 1997 (Revised May 1998)
- Case
Tire City, Inc.
By: W. Carl Kester
A small, rapidly growing retail distributor of automotive tires must present a set of forecasted financial statements to a bank in order to obtain a five-year loan. Expected growth rates given in the case and historical financial ratios derived from recent financial... View Details
Keywords: Financial Statements; Forecasting and Prediction; Financing and Loans; Price; Supply Chain; Distribution Industry; Distribution Industry
Kester, W. Carl. "Tire City, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 297-091, February 1997. (Revised May 1998.)
- February 2001 (Revised November 2009)
- Case
Amazon.com (D)
By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Dickson Louie and William A. Sahlman
At the end of 1999, Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos--just named Time Magazine's Man of the Year--ponders the next moves for his company. Having expanded into numerous categories in 1999, ranging from Z-shops to Auctions to E-cards as well as increasing the number... View Details
Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Competitive Advantage; Expansion; Online Technology; Retail Industry
Rayport, Jeffrey F., Dickson Louie, and William A. Sahlman. "Amazon.com (D)." Harvard Business School Case 901-022, February 2001. (Revised November 2009.)
- October 2005
- Case
Kinko's
Over the decades, Kinko's had forged a deep emotional bond with consumers by easing their anxiety and helping them solve pressing document processing problems. By 2003, however, consumer research revealed that a confusing retail experience had eroded some of this good... View Details
- February 2007
- Case
Behavioral Finance at JP Morgan
By: Malcolm P. Baker and Aldo Sesia
Following a successful model in Europe, JP Morgan has introduced a set of five U.S. retail mutual funds with an investment philosophy and marketing strategy grounded in behavioral finance. The asset management group believes that understanding investor biases like... View Details
Keywords: Banks and Banking; Investment Funds; Behavioral Finance; Competitive Advantage; Asset Management; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Customer Focus and Relationships; Banking Industry; Banking Industry; United States; Europe
Baker, Malcolm P., and Aldo Sesia. "Behavioral Finance at JP Morgan." Harvard Business School Case 207-084, February 2007.
- July 1999 (Revised June 2000)
- Case
Edward Jones
By: Michael E. Porter and Gregory C. Bond
Edward Jones is a leading, highly profitable retail brokerage firm with a unique strategy very different from those of its rivals. The case describes Jones's activities and allows a rich discussion of its positioning choices, supporting activities, and tradeoffs. Jones... View Details
Keywords: Financial Institutions; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Banking Industry; Banking Industry
Porter, Michael E., and Gregory C. Bond. "Edward Jones." Harvard Business School Case 700-009, July 1999. (Revised June 2000.)
- June 2022 (Revised August 2022)
- Case
Sustainability Reporting at Dollar Tree, Inc.
By: Suraj Srinivasan and Li-Kuan Ni
The cases discusses the ESG strategy of Dollar Tree Inc., a U.S. Fortune 500 company in the deep discount retail industry and the and shareholder pressure faced by the company. In 2022, the company faced a shareholder resolution from a renowned shareholder advocacy... View Details
Keywords: ESG; Sustainability; Shareholder Activism; Dollar Tree; Sustainability Reporting; ESG Reporting; Board Of Directors; Shareholder Engagement; GHG; Environmental Accounting; Integrated Corporate Reporting; Trends; Communication; Announcements; Voting; Environmental Management; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Values and Beliefs; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Disclosure; Corporate Governance; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Policy; Reports; Business or Company Management; Risk Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Outcome or Result; Strategic Planning; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Situation or Environment; Opportunities; Civil Society or Community; Social Issues; Public Opinion; Strategy; Adaptation; Alignment; Business Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Value Creation; Retail Industry; United States; Virginia
Srinivasan, Suraj, and Li-Kuan Ni. "Sustainability Reporting at Dollar Tree, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 122-044, June 2022. (Revised August 2022.)