Consumer Choice - Publications - Faculty & Research

01 Dec 2003
News

Selling Digital Privacy

those companies, not to the individuals. The companies in turn resell that information to others, leaving the source of the information — the individual — out of the loop. Today, consumers face a stark View Details

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

29 Mar 2017
News

Randy Day Named Perdue Farms CEO

Randy Day (AMP 165, 2003) has been named the new CEO of Perdue Farms, the fourth largest chicken producer in the United States. Day, only the fourth person to hold the CEO role in the company’s 100-year history, started with Perdue in 1980 and most recently held the... View Details

07 Aug 2000
Research & Ideas

Rocket Science Retailing

double their profits—especially retailers of products with short life cycles, such as clothing, consumer electronics, books, and music. But despite the potentially high payoff—and a commonly accepted belief among retailers that early... View Details

Keywords: by Marshall L. Fisher, Ananth Raman & Anna Sheen McClelland; Retail

March 1990 (Revised May 1993)
Case

Pennzoil Co.

Focuses on Pennzoil's motor oil business. Designed to address the business strategy issues of how a firm chooses its scope to create competitive advantage in its core business. "Scope" can be broadly defined to include vertical scope (forward and backward integration),... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Competitive Advantage; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry

Citation

Educators

Purchase

10 Apr 2006
Research & Ideas

Lessons from the Browser Wars

the brand choice made by users, "distribution played a larger role than did technical progress in determining the market outcomes," the scholars conclude in the paper "Economic and Technical Drivers of Technology Choice:... View Details

Keywords: by Sara Grant; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

24 Aug 2016
Research & Ideas

Can Obamacare Be Saved?

single-payer system. Few national politicians are working to uncover why the public exchanges aren’t working for either insurers or consumers. While it’s difficult, the question everyone should be working to answer is: How can the system produce an adequate level of... View Details

Keywords: by John A. Quelch and Emily Boudreau; Insurance; Health

01 Dec 2006
News

2006 MBAs Go to Work

Martin, associate director of MBA Recruiting Services, notes that 88 percent of students report that the job they accepted was their first choice in terms of function. “We ask students to prioritize their career search relative to three... View Details

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

24 Feb 2014
Research & Ideas

Busting Six Myths About Customer Loyalty Programs

There are three ways to differentiate in retailing: location, location, and location. The problem is that as markets mature, location becomes less potent as a competitive advantage because the consumer has a growing abundance of... View Details

Keywords: by Marcel Corstjens & Rajiv Lal; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

Student-Profile

Ximena Garcia-Rada

which suggested that research would be a good fit for me.” Ximena put her theory to the test by accepting a position as a Research Associate at the Center for Advanced Hindsight at Duke University, working with Professor Dan Ariely on issues related to View Details

20 Jun 2016
Research & Ideas

When Predicting Other People's Preferences, You're Probably Wrong

implications for anyone looking to impress others, for those who are tasked with forecasting consumer behavior, or for salespeople who consult with customers on prospective purchases. In short, it’s dangerous to predict what others will... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Retail

12 Jul 2004
Research & Ideas

Michael Porter’s Prescription For the High Cost of Health Care

to give price estimates in advance of service. Such estimates would not only improve consumer choice but would also spur providers to learn about their real costs. [ ] Accessible Information. Under... View Details

Keywords: by Michael E. Porter; Health

2008
Working Paper

Where Does It Go? Spending by the Financially Constrained

By: Shawn A. Cole, John Thompson and Peter Tufano

In this paper, we analyze the spending decisions of over 1.5 million Americans who vary in their degree of revealed credit constraints. Specifically, we analyze how these Americans spend their income tax refunds, using transaction-level data from a stored-value card... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Credit; Personal Finance; Spending; Taxation; Consumer Behavior; United States

Citation

Read Now

10 Jan 2020
Blog Post

Know Your Audience - Recruiting HBS Students for Retail

of students has a passion for the dynamic retail space across different segments including luxury, specialty, and mass market brands. Retail Tech in particular has had a major impact on the industry and students’ focus. “Digital shopping platforms have really changed... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products / Retail

24 Jun 2013
Research & Ideas

Is Your iPhone Turning You Into a Wimp?

monitor? The answer may determine whether you'll play the wimp or the hero in your next office meeting. The body posture inherent in operating everyday gadgets affects not only your back, but your demeanor, reports a new experimental study entitled iPosture: The Size... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

01 Dec 2011
News

Faculty Research Online

HBS Cases: Lady Gaga What goes into creating the world’s largest pop star? Before her fame hit, Lady Gaga’s manager faced decisions that could have derailed the performer’s career. A new case by Associate Professor Anita Elberse examines the strategic marketing View Details

Keywords: Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Arts, Entertainment; Hospitals; Health, Social Assistance

18 Oct 2021
Blog Post

How Much is Freedom Worth? For Gig Workers, a Lot.

drivers would likely quit dashing; the researchers estimate that a strict assignment to the most frequently worked delivery shifts would result in more than 30 percent of drivers leaving DoorDash entirely. Understanding dashers and their View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products

12 Sep 2012
Research & Ideas

The Unexpected Link Between Cadavers and Careers

process." That said, the study's implications extend beyond cadaver donations. To Anteby, who teaches the MBA elective Managing Human Capital, the findings offer proof that our career choices directly affect other major life... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Education; Health

01 Sep 2008
News

Negative Ad Power

Political candidates are often said to be marketed just like consumer products. But there’s a big difference. Consumer marketers such as Coke and Pepsi or Toyota and Ford focus on building up their brand,... View Details

Keywords: John A. Quelch;Katherine E. Jocz; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

Web

Industrial Production & Materials - Business & Environment

Sustainability Associate and Advisor to BEI Gina Pak HBS MBA 2015 Founding Member / Marketing, Blueland “Our mission is to make it easy for people to make the environmentally responsible choice in the products they buy and View Details

24 Apr 2014
News

Betting big on star power can be a winning strategy in business—not just show business

to subsidize less popular offerings. And now these strategies are pervading other industries from consumer electronics to fashion. “Although risky, betting heavily on the most likely blockbusters and spending considerably less on the... View Details

Publications