Publications

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September 1999 (Revised February 2004)
Case

WebSpective Software, Inc. (A)

By: Michael J. Roberts, Joseph B. Lassiter III, John T. Gourville and Sun Ming Wong

Describes the situation at WebSpective, a software company that develops products to help companies manage the network of servers that support their Websites. Describes the use of "concept engineering" tools to interview customers, determine their needs and the... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Management Practices and Processes; Customers; Customer Focus and Relationships; Communication Intention and Meaning; Product Development; Product Marketing; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Customer Satisfaction; Marketing Strategy; Information Technology Industry

12 Mar 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, March 12, 2019

place diminishes wait satisfaction while increasing the probabilities of switching and abandoning queues, with detrimental implications for service capacity. The research suggests that last place aversion can lead to maladaptive customer... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

12 Jul 2010
Research & Ideas

Rocket Science Retailing: A Practical Guide

customer satisfaction and sales growth. Q: What typical errors do you see retailers make assessing and investing in new technologies? How can retailers overcome these errors? A: Retailers make several errors concerning new technologies,... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Retail; Auto

20 Dec 2018
Cold Call Podcast

Using Fintech to Disrupt Eastern Bank from Within

Keywords: Re: Karen Mills; Banking; Financial Services

18 Sep 2012
First Look

First Look: September 18

initial socialization focused on personal identity (emphasizing newcomers' authentic best selves) led to greater customer satisfaction and employee retention after six months, compared to (a) socialization that focused on organizational... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

05 May 2011
Research & Ideas

How ‘Political Voice’ Empowers the Powerless

for the respondents. Further, data showed that women display greater satisfaction in their interactions with the police when they live in villages with a female council head (Table VIII, Panel B in the working paper). Women are slightly... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish

08 Mar 2004
Research & Ideas

Secret to Success: Go for “Just Enough”

satisfaction of "just enough." It's a classic dilemma. The ancient Greeks pondered the same question at the height of Athens' artistic and political strength in the Periclean Age of the fifth century B.C.E. The tragedian... View Details

Keywords: by Laura Nash & Howard Stevenson

31 Jul 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, July 31, 2018

doctor, palliative care specialist, nurse coordinator, clinical pharmacy specialist, and behavioral and social service specialists. The team focuses on the highest-risk patients to see if the new, proactive care model can improve patient, family, and provider View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

March 2011
Exercise

Customer Intelligence Advantage: Module 2 Assignment

By: F. Asis Martinez Jerez

This exercise directs students to analyze a customer-centric firm by first understanding the elements that characterize a customer-centric organization, then by capturing and comparing this firm's approach to customer-centricity. Students interview three levels in the... View Details

Keywords: Business Units; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Employees; Knowledge Sharing; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Leadership; Competitive Advantage

Find at Harvard

January 2025
Case

A Tiger in the Tank: Exxon Sues Investors

By: Clayton S. Rose, Sarah Sasso and James Weber

In June 2024, investors were trying to make sense of ExxonMobil’s (Exxon) lawsuit against two impact investors, Arjuna Capital (Arjuna) and Follow This, that had just been dismissed by the U.S. District Court of Northern Texas. Exxon’s suit challenged the rights of two... View Details

01 Jul 2008
First Look

First Look: July 1, 2008

analysis of the drivers of customer satisfaction and branch network profitability and, based on the results, must decide how to change TD-Canada Trust's branch compensation and performance reporting systems to consistently, and... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

08 Oct 2015
Research & Ideas

Four Questions Fundraisers Must be Prepared to Answer

say no and turn down the opportunity to make a gift, said Stevenson, who also highlighted the rewards of philanthropy—namely, the satisfaction of “partnering with others to accomplish things that have a positive impact on the world around... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

26 Mar 2019
Working Paper Summaries

Mitigating the Negative Effects of Customer Anxiety Through Access to Human Contact

Keywords: by Michelle A. Shell and Ryan W. Buell; Health

January 2014 (Revised November 2021)
Case

Filene's Basement: Inside a Fired Customer's Relationship

By: Jill Avery and Susan Fournier

How, in a business climate in which building relationships with customers has dominated both managerial thought and marketing budgets, could Filene's Basement have fired a loyal customer, one who was formally and informally recognized as a best customer? This case... View Details

Keywords: CRM; Retailing; Marketing; Consumer Behavior; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Retail Industry; United States

October 1994 (Revised March 1999)
Case

Ritz-Carlton: Using Information Systems to Better Serve the Customer

By: W. Earl Sasser, Thomas O. Jones and Norman Klein

Explores the interface of an information system that keeps track of guests and their preferences, and the people systems that deliver multiple services at Ritz-Carlton hotels. The luxury hotel chain's unique service credo and commitment to quality principles are... View Details

Keywords: Competency and Skills; Customer Satisfaction; Training; Recruitment; Service Delivery; Supply Chain Management; Luxury; Balance and Stability; Information Technology

14 May 2012
Research & Ideas

Breaking the Smartphone Addiction

PTO experiments. These team members were much more likely than their colleagues on teams not participating in PTO to rate their overall satisfaction with work and work-life positively. For example: 51 percent (versus 27 percent) were... View Details

Keywords: by Leslie A. Perlow

18 Dec 2007
First Look

First Look: December 18, 2007

Working PapersHappiness, Contentment and Other Emotions for Central Banks Authors:Rafael Di Tella and Robert MacCulloch Abstract We show that data on satisfaction with life from over 600,000 Europeans are negatively correlated with the... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

08 Dec 2008
Research & Ideas

Thinking Twice About Supply-Chain Layoffs

inventory to distribution centers. "I call these people supply-chain foot soldiers." Having items in storage areas but not on the selling floor didn't count at all in their evaluations, but it counts a lot in customer satisfaction and... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

September 1999 (Revised September 1999)
Case

Convergys Corporation

By: Stephen P. Bradley and Kelley Porter

Focuses on the important issue of capturing the synergies between the two sides of the business, Information Management Group (IMG) and Customer Management Group (CMG). In addition, the case also addresses strategic issues from each of the individual businesses. For... View Details

Keywords: Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Practices and Processes; Service Delivery; Service Operations; Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Information Industry; Service Industry