Publications

March 2005 (Revised May 2005)
Case

Noodles & Company (Abridged)

By: Linda A. Cyr

Aaron Kennedy has successfully grown Noodles & Co. from a single global noodle shop to a chain of 58 restaurants spanning six states in seven years. In the face of increasing competition, Kennedy has plans to roll out 240 new stores in the next four years. He must... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Entrepreneurship; Franchise Ownership; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; United States

2007
Working Paper

Mental Accounting and Small Windfalls: Evidence from an Online Grocer

By: Katherine L. Milkman, John Beshears, Todd Rogers and Max H. Bazerman

We study the effect of small windfalls on consumer spending decisions by examining the purchasing behavior of a sample of online grocery shoppers over the course of a year. We compare the purchases customers make when redeeming a $10-off coupon they received from their... View Details

Keywords: Spending; Consumer Behavior; Mathematical Methods; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

Read Now

August 1991 (Revised December 1994)
Supplement

Marks and Spencer Ltd. (C)

By: Cynthia A. Montgomery

Describes post-acquisition activity in Brooks Brothers and Kings Supermarkets from 1988 to 1991. View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Retail Industry; Retail Industry

March 1999 (Revised August 1999)
Case

Coop, The: Market Research

By: Ruth Bolton and Youngme E. Moon

Daryl Buckmeister, CEO of The Chicken Coop, must decide whether to invest in market research, how much money to spend, and which programs to fund. His two vice presidents (of quality and marketing) have presented very different proposals. View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Cost; Research; Markets; Quality; Decisions; Management Teams; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

May 1978 (Revised June 1978)
Case

Campbell Warehouse Supermarkets

By: Walter J. Salmon

Keywords: Retail Industry; Retail Industry

Find at Harvard

October 1997 (Revised May 1998)
Case

Asda (A1)

By: Michael Beer and James Weber

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Crisis Management; Management Teams; Business Strategy; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; United Kingdom

November 1990 (Revised June 2004)
Case

McDonald's and the Environment

McDonald's decides to withdraw its polystyrene plastic packaging for sandwiches and hamburgers after years of defending itself against environmental critics. The decision occurs in the midst of a six-month Joint Task Force study, with the nonprofit Environmental... View Details

Keywords: Announcements; Change Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; United States

03 Nov 2015
First Look

November 3, 2015

Complexity By: Célérier, Claire, and Boris Vallée Abstract—This paper investigates the rationale for issuing complex securities to retail investors. We focus on a large market of investment products targeted exclusively at households:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 2011
Case

WrapItUp: Developing a New Compensation Plan

By: W. Earl Sasser Jr. and Rachel Shelton

A restaurant chain based in California offers made-to-order sandwich wraps using fresh, healthy ingredients. The founders of the company take a very active role in day-to-day business and tightly control every aspect of the restaurant operation from hiring store... View Details

Keywords: Empowerment; Middle Management; Human Resource Management; Compensation; Incentives; Motivation; Motivation and Incentives; Change Management; Business Growth and Maturation; Service Delivery; Entrepreneurship; Employees; Compensation and Benefits; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; California

09 Apr 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, April 9, 2019

company. Purchase this case:https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/719456-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 518-038 Index In December 2017, Marc Freed-Finnegan and Jonathan Wall, the co-founders of retail technology company Index, had to... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

16 Jun 2015
Blog Post

Military Alumna Reflects on Time at HBS

were a dynamic experience from start to finish. I found myself surrounded by so many smart and inspiring people who collectively brought such diverse perspectives. My first seat-mates were-- on my left,-- a young man from Baltimore who had been a leader in the View Details

19 Dec 2017
First Look

New Research and Ideas, December 19, 2017

of organic wine, which provides a case study of failed category creation. The modern organic wine industry emerged during the 1970s in the United States and Western Europe, but it struggled to gain traction compared to other organic food... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

27 Aug 2019
Blog Post

Meet the PRIDE Club

Who is PRIDE? The Class of 2020 students of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Student Association (LGBTSA) pitched an idea to change the club name to be more inclusive of the full spectrum of queer identities to the club leadership. They felt that some... View Details

Web

For Guests - Commencement 2025

(HBS graduates get four guest tickets for lunch, but unlimited guests at the Diploma Ceremony). All retail dining locations on campus will be open. Children Harvard Yard Ceremony For events that require tickets (morning ceremonies in... View Details

22 May 2012
First Look

First Look: May 22

chicken and value-added chicken products in Pakistan. This position has been built through a strategy of vertical integration, product innovation, and branding. K&N's has also developed its own chain of retail "Chicken... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

04 Feb 2014
First Look

First Look: February 4

organization, selling 46 products, including pouched milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, and infant food through a million retailers across the country as well as being the market leader in almost all the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthlorne

January 2014 (Revised January 2014)
Case

Showdown at Cracker Barrel

By: Suraj Srinivasan and Tim Gray

In the fall of 2011, activist investor, Sardar Biglari, has acquired nearly 10% ownership in the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain. He believes that the board and senior management have failed and the company has underperformed relative to its peers. When he is denied a... View Details