Publications
Publications
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(3,788)
- Faculty Publications (1,198)
- May 2015
- Case
Pricing in a Digital World (2015)
By: John Gourville
Dynamic pricing, especially as practiced by Uber and Lift, seems to be all the rage. In this case, we look at five interesting applications of dynamic price and price customization, each made possible by advances in digital technology. These range from the online... View Details
- 2015
- Working Paper
'Be Careless with That!' Availability of Product Upgrades Increases Cavalier Behavior Toward Possessions
By: Silvia Bellezza, Joshua M. Ackerman and Francesca Gino
Consumers are often faced with the opportunity to purchase a new, enhanced product (e.g., a new phone), even though the device they currently own is still fully functional. We propose that consumers act more recklessly with their current products and are less concerned... View Details
Keywords: Carelessness; Product Upgrade; Justification; Loss; Consumer Behavior; Attitudes; Product; Ownership
- 2017
- Working Paper
Internalizing Global Value Chains: A Firm-Level Analysis
By: Laura Alfaro, Pol Antràs, Davin Chor and Paola Conconi
In recent decades, advances in information and communication technology and falling trade barriers have led firms to retain within their boundaries and in their domestic economies only a subset of their production stages. A key decision facing firms worldwide is the... View Details
- March 2015 (Revised April 2015)
- Case
The Heat Is On: Emerging Ecosystems in the Thermostat Industry
By: David Collis and Ashley Hartman
Beth Wozniak, President of Honeywell Environmental and Combustion Controls (ECC) at Honeywell International Inc., spun around in her office chair, reflecting about how the classic, mature thermostat industry was rapidly evolving. In February 2014, Google paid $3.2... View Details
Keywords: Honeywell; Thermostats; Internet Of Things; Smart Thermostats; Google; Nest; Apple; HomeKit; SmartThings; Partnerships; Platforms And Ecosystems; Linkages; Communication Protocols; Strategy; Technology; Home Automation; Connected Home; Buildings and Facilities; Energy; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Internet and the Web; Digital Platforms; Partners and Partnerships; Industrial Products Industry; Industrial Products Industry; Industrial Products Industry; Industrial Products Industry; Industrial Products Industry
- March 2015
- Case
Unilever: Combatting Global Food Waste
By: David F. Drake, Janice H. Hammond and Matthew G. Preble
The global consumer goods company Unilever was on pace to hit a number of aggressive targets by 2020 as part of the Unilever Sustainable Living Project, including a goal to halve the waste associated with the disposal of its products. Unilever's chief supply chain... View Details
Keywords: Food Waste; Sustainable Business And Innovation; Sustainable Supply Chains; Sustainable Operations; Organization Alignment; Environmental Sustainability; Operations; Supply Chain Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Food; Agribusiness; Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; North and Central America; Europe; Asia; Africa; Latin America; India
- February 2015 (Revised September 2016)
- Teaching Note
Making stickK Stick: The Business of Behavioral Economics
By: Leslie K. John and Michael Norton
Email mking@hbs.edu for a courtesy copy.
This Teaching Note explains the theory of the case and teaching plan for the case: Making sticK Stick: The Business of Behavioral Economics (514019). The case focuses on a... View Details
This Teaching Note explains the theory of the case and teaching plan for the case: Making sticK Stick: The Business of Behavioral Economics (514019). The case focuses on a... View Details
Keywords: Behavioral Economics; Behavior Change; B2B Vs. B2C; Human Resource Management; Marketing Of Innovations; Health ＆ Wellness; Weight Loss; Charitable Giving; Marketing; Consumer Behavior; Entrepreneurship; Internet and the Web; Health; Business Model; Sales; Human Resources; Health Industry; United States
- 2014
- Other Teaching and Training Material
Marketing Reading: Creating Customer Value
By: Sunil Gupta
This Reading explores how firms can create value for their customers. The goal of any business is to delight customers by understanding its customers' needs and to provide products and services to meet those needs. As a result, it is critical to understand what... View Details
- 2014
- Other Teaching and Training Material
Marketing Reading: Segmentation and Targeting
By: Sunil Gupta
This Reading introduces two of the integral parts of any marketing strategy: segmentation and targeting. It covers, first, all of the methods, techniques, and variables with which a business first uncovers the full range of its potential customers and then... View Details
- Article
Positioning Brands Against Large Competitors to Increase Sales
By: Neeru Paharia, Jill Avery and Anat Keinan
We explore the effect of having a large dominant competitor and show the conditions under which focusing on a competitive threat, rather than hiding it, can actually help a brand. We demonstrate through lab and field studies that highlighting a large competitor's size... View Details
- December 2014
- Article
Second Thoughts About a Strategy Shift
By: Elie Ofek and Jill Avery
A retail guru attempts to reposition an established brand and introduce an entirely new pricing scheme. Early financial results from the strategic shift are not favorable. Based on the experience of U.S. retailer J.C. Penney, the piece raises fundamental questions... View Details
- November 2014
- Teaching Note
Marketing Marijuana in Colorado
By: John A. Quelch
The case, set in the middle of 2014, reviews the first six months of marketplace activity in Colorado, following the legalization of marijuana for recreational use and the expansion of marijuana retailing from medical dispensaries to recreational stores. The case... View Details
Keywords: Marketing Innovations; Retail Government Services; Public Health; Agribusiness; Customers; Goods and Commodities; Government and Politics; Health; Marketing; Society; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; North and Central America
- November 2014 (Revised January 2017)
- Case
Micromax: Scaling the Largest Indian Mobile Handset Company
By: Ranjay Gulati, Rachna Tahilyani and Alicia DeSantola
It is January 2014 and Rahul Sharma, cofounder of Micromax Informatics (Micromax), the largest Indian mobile handset company, is preparing for an emergency conference call with his private equity investors. In the last six years, Micromax had grown its annual product... View Details
- Article
The Upside to Large Competitors
By: Neeru Paharia, Anat Keinan and Jill Avery
Large companies are often viewed as a major threat for startups and small companies; big companies have more financial resources and greater scale, market power, and brand awareness than small ones. However, our research finds that a smaller brand can actually benefit... View Details
- October 2014
- Teaching Note
Financial Policy at Apple, 2013 (A) and (B)
By: Mihir A. Desai and Elizabeth Meyer
This is the teaching note to HBS case 214-085: Financial Policy at Apple, 2013 (A). View Details
Keywords: Apple; Steve Jobs; Forecast; Forecasting; Forecasting And Prediction; Shareholder Activism; Share Repurchase; Dividends; Financial Ratios; Preferred Shares; Cash Distribution; Corporate Finance; Borrowing and Debt; Financial Management; Financial Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States; Republic of Ireland
- October 2014
- Supplement
Financial Policy at Apple, 2013 Powerpoint Supplement
By: Mihir Desai and Elizabeth A. Meyer
This is the PowerPoint supplement to the teaching note: Financial Policy at Apple, 2013 (A) - (B), number 215-022. View Details
Keywords: Apple; Steve Jobs; Forecast; Forecasting; Forecasting And Prediction; Shareholder Activism; Share Repurchase; Dividends; Financial Ratios; Preferred Shares; Cash Distribution; Corporate Finance; Borrowing and Debt; Financial Management; Financial Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States; Republic of Ireland
- October 2014
- Case
Teckentrup: A Door to Managing Difference
By: Clayton Rose, Jerome Lenhardt and Daniela Beyersdorfer
For Kai Teckentrup, the owner and co-CEO of the German "Mittelstand" door manufacturer Teckentrup, balancing competitive pressures, demographic realities and values were at the heart of the diversity program that he had started and championed at the company. Beyond... View Details
Keywords: Diversity Management; Corporate Values; Competitiveness; Demographics; Change Management; Transformation; Diversity; Ethnicity; Gender; Literacy; Nationality; Race; Residency; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Organizational Culture; Economic Growth; Fairness; Moral Sensibility; Values and Beliefs; Immigration; Employee Relationship Management; Civil Society or Community; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Europe; Germany; Russia; Turkey
- October 2014
- Article
Making Charity Pay
By: Michael I. Norton and Jill Avery
Companies are increasingly experimenting with the use of philanthropy to enhance consumer loyalty, brand awareness, and sales. But even highly creative approaches that garner a lot of buzz often fall short of sales goals, leading many companies to conclude,... View Details
- September 2014 (Revised April 2016)
- Case
Cree Inc.: Introducing the LED Light Bulb
By: John Gourville and Michael Norris
Cree, a North Carolina-based maker of light emitting diodes (LEDs), has just introduced its first consumer product—an LED light bulb. It is designed as an energy efficient replacement for the ubiquitous incandescent light bulb. But given that it is an unfamiliar... View Details
- September 2014 (Revised November 2017)
- Case
Sustainability at IKEA Group
By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Michael W. Toffel, Vincent Dessain and Jerome Lenhardt
By 2014, IKEA Group was the largest home furnishing company, with EUR28.5 billion of sales, and planned to reach EUR50 billion by 2020, mainly from emerging markets. At the same time, IKEA Group had adopted in 2012 a new sustainability strategy that focused the... View Details
- August 2014
- Technical Note
Conjoint Analysis: A Do it Yourself Guide
By: Elie Ofek and Olivier Toubia
Conjoint Analysis has become one of the most commonly used quantitative market research methods. It has been successfully employed across a wide variety of industries to quantify consumer preferences for products and services. This technical note is intended to provide... View Details