Publications

11 Jan 2017
Research & Ideas

The Paradoxical Quest to Make Food Look 'Natural' With Artificial Dyes

Historians.) Hisano’s paper looks at how industry players and regulators collectively decided what any given food is supposed to look like—and redefined the marketing meaning of “natural.” The quest for summery butter and orange oranges... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

June 2018 (Revised January 2019)
Case

Membership Rewards® from American Express

By: Shelle Santana, Frances X. Frei and Lauren G. Pickle

Credit and charge card issuer American Express (Amex) had developed a strong reputation among consumers due in part to its Membership Rewards (MR) loyalty program, first established in 1991. Through MR, all Amex cardholders could accumulate and redeem “points” based on... View Details

Keywords: Financial Services; Customer Loyalty; Credit Cards; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Brands and Branding; Customer Value and Value Chain; Value Creation; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; North America; United States

Program

Developing Yourself as a Leader—Virtual

applications for this program, the Admissions Committee seeks a balance of organization and industry representation, as well as candidates' professional experience and current organizational responsibilities. Read More Answering Your... View Details

June 1982 (Revised May 1995)
Case

Ellis Manufacturing Co.

By: Roy D. Shapiro

Ellis finds itself in a weakening competitive position largely due to the lack of rationalization in its plants. Driven by a strong traditionally decentralized sales organization, Ellis finds that all plants want control over all product lines. As a result, overall... View Details

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Cost; Analytics and Data Science; Brands and Branding; Performance Capacity; Competitive Strategy; Construction Industry

October 2012
Case

Monsanto

By: Ray A. Goldberg

Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant must guide his global agribusiness technology company into an uncertain future where food security, food safety, sustainability, and climate change will all impact the global food system. View Details

Keywords: Technology; Risk and Uncertainty; Information Technology; Food; Social and Collaborative Networks; Global Strategy; Agribusiness; Globalized Markets and Industries; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

21 Jan 2020
Blog Post

Meet the AFAA Club

welcome service members and veterans from all military branches and nations. While HBS admits outstanding and talented individuals from numerous industries, perhaps no group of students has more experience leading and managing people than... View Details

Keywords: All Industries

December 2015 (Revised April 2019)
Case

Chicken Republic

By: Jose Alvarez and Natalie Kindred

Deji Akinyanju, founder of Nigerian fast-food chain Chicken Republic, and Ayo Oduntan, founder of an integrated Nigerian poultry operation (Amo Byng Group), are among a growing cadre of skilled food-industry entrepreneurs for whom the opportunities to serve the... View Details

December 2017 (Revised May 2018)
Case

Amazon Buys Whole Foods

By: José B. Alvarez, David Lane and Joni Coughlin

The June 2017 news that e-commerce giant Amazon was paying $13.7 billion for organic supermarket chain Whole Foods precipitated a broad sell-off in the shares of grocery retailers and suppliers. Behind the precipitous declines lay recognition that Amazon’s bold move... View Details

Keywords: Amazon; Whole Foods; Grocery; Grocery Delivery; Mergers ＆ Acquisitions; Business Models; Food Value Chain; Agribusiness; Mergers and Acquisitions; Operations; Competitive Strategy; E-commerce; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Retail Industry; Web Services Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

27 Jun 2017
Blog Post

Why I Would Have Applied to the MS/MBA: Engineering Sciences Program

curriculum, are frameworks I now think about all the time in my work, and it's a night-and-day difference in how effective I am with my teammates and customers." What do you think the benefits are to being in the Boston tech... View Details

30 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Big Companies, Big Opportunities—Big Questions

Domingo, managing director of O&V Associates, said established Latin American companies face a situation in which their markets are no longer protected by national interests and suddenly face competition on all sides. Andres Obregon... View Details

Keywords: by Julie Jette

08 Dec 2020
Blog Post

Keep Your Weary Workers Engaged

We plan on bringing them all back as soon as we are allowed to reopen, but for now they have no income from the company. Many in our industry laid off their employees, we did not.” “How to keep executives... View Details

09 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

The Benefits of “Not Invented Here”

those small companies accounted for over 22 percent of all industrial R&D spending, while the largest companies' share of spending declined to just over 40 percent. These data reflect the changing... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

14 Feb 2005
Research & Ideas

Desktop Search and Revenue Streams

and other types of data are still locked away from Internet users. It's really going to be about great execution.— Mark Kroese, MSN "Rather than leave someone behind, the approach we at Google take is, 'Let's make all that... View Details

Keywords: by Julie Jette

Program

Investment Management Workshop

changes could affect your strategies and your business. You will emerge better prepared to navigate the industry landscape, make optimal investments, manage risk, and create value. Read More Gain strategic insight into View Details

30 Nov 2016
Op-Ed

Where Could More Regulation Help Small Businesses? Online Lending.

charter permitting preemption of state law. The Internet is not bound by any one state, and the market for loans online is no exception—regulation must reflect this new reality. However, regulators should not simply mandate all federal... View Details

Keywords: by Karen Mills and Brayden McCarthy; Financial Services

November 2018 (Revised January 2022)
Case

JUUL and the Vaping Revolution

By: Michael W. Toffel, John Masko and Sarah Mehta

In late 2019, San Francisco-based electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) maker JUUL Labs (pronounced “jewel”) faced intense pressure. Sales of JUUL products exceeded $1 billion in 2018, dominating the e-cigarette category. While JUUL Labs’ stated goal was to help current... View Details

2007
Book

An Experiment in Fair Value Accounting? The State of the Art in Research and Thought Leadership on Accounting for Life Assurance in the UK and Continental Europe

By: Joanne G Horton, Richard H. Macve and George Serafeim

"Fair value" is currently the central topic of debate in the development of accounting standards. While it has now been defined to mean an exit price in US GAAP, the IASB is still considering its own definition, and some commentators are arguing for versions of entry... View Details

Keywords: Transition; Financial Instruments; Framework; Market Entry and Exit; Insurance; Revenue Recognition; Fair Value Accounting; Standards; United Kingdom

Read Now

August 2012 (Revised August 2024)
Case

ABC Pharmaceuticals

By: Regina E. Herzlinger and Erik R. Sparks

This case asks students to price a new drug that is in Stage II of its clinical trials. It contains detailed estimates of the time required and costs for all the steps needed to commercialize a drug in the U.S. Students will learn virtually all the steps required to... View Details

Keywords: Drug Development; Price; Product; Product Launch; Health Industry; Health Industry; Health Industry