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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(2,341)
- People (7)
- News (235)
- Research (1,912)
- Events (1)
- Multimedia (5)
- Faculty Publications (1,550)
- February 2001 (Revised December 2002)
- Case
Marshall Field and the Rise of the Department Store
By: Nancy F. Koehn
Analyzes Marshall Field's efforts to develop a market for mass retailing in late 19th-century Chicago. Examines Chicago's expansion in the 1860s and, within this context, how Field struck out on his own to, build a wholesale and retail business. Concentrates on the... View Details
Keywords: Fluctuation; Industry Growth; Corporate Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Brands and Branding; Society; Distribution Industry; Distribution Industry; Chicago
Koehn, Nancy F. "Marshall Field and the Rise of the Department Store." Harvard Business School Case 801-349, February 2001. (Revised December 2002.)
- Research Summary
Research Questions
By: Anita Elberse
One overarching question drives my research: What are effective marketing strategies for managers in creative industries?
I focus on three sub-questions:
- How can managers in creative industries effectively manage products and product... View Details
- 18 Apr 2005
- Research & Ideas
Tips to Reinvent the Department Store
Here's a snapshot of department stores today: Regional brands have all but disappeared; larger players like Federated and May are merging their multi-brand companies, and consolidation continues. Meanwhile, all sorts of retailers from... View Details
- January 1973 (Revised September 1990)
- Case
Carrefour S.A.
Involves a very rapidly growing retail chain that is financing itself in an unusual (and at first glance) risky fashion. View Details
Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Financing and Loans; Risk and Uncertainty; Retail Industry
Fruhan, William E., Jr. "Carrefour S.A." Harvard Business School Case 273-099, January 1973. (Revised September 1990.)
- March 2000 (Revised May 2000)
- Case
Spec's Music (A)
By: John A. Davis and Susan Harmeling
Presents the story of a music retailer in Miami which started in the late 1940s, grew throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and went public in 1985 before experiencing a deep industry crisis in the mid-1990s. At issue in 1996 is whether the company should attempt to sell... View Details
Keywords: History; Family Business; Business Exit or Shutdown; Decision Choices and Conditions; Management Succession; Entrepreneurship; Crisis Management; Performance Improvement; Music Industry; Miami
Davis, John A., and Susan Harmeling. "Spec's Music (A)." Harvard Business School Case 800-336, March 2000. (Revised May 2000.)
- September 2023 (Revised September 2023)
- Supplement
On
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Karolin Frankenberger, Sascha Mader, Jordan Mitchell and Karen Elterman
Slides to support the teaching of the On case, 723-430. On is a premium performance running shoe company founded in Switzerland in 2010. The company rapidly gained traction through its unique CloudTec cushioning technology, its innovative midsole plate called the... View Details
Keywords: Brands and Branding; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Startups; Business Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Digital Marketing; Disruptive Innovation; Distribution Channels; Entrepreneurship; Environmental Sustainability; Global Strategy; Initial Public Offering; Innovation and Invention; Innovation Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Marketing Strategy; Product Design; Product Development; Product Marketing; Social Media; Strategy; Supply Chain Management; Technological Innovation; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Retail Industry; Sports Industry; Europe; Germany; Switzerland; United States
- July 1999 (Revised June 2000)
- Case
Edward Jones
By: Michael E. Porter and Gregory C. Bond
Edward Jones is a leading, highly profitable retail brokerage firm with a unique strategy very different from those of its rivals. The case describes Jones's activities and allows a rich discussion of its positioning choices, supporting activities, and tradeoffs. Jones... View Details
Keywords: Financial Institutions; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Banking Industry; Banking Industry
Porter, Michael E., and Gregory C. Bond. "Edward Jones." Harvard Business School Case 700-009, July 1999. (Revised June 2000.)
- October 2022
- Case
Cost Plus Drugs
By: Alexander MacKay and James Barnett
In September 2022, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs Company CEO Alex Oshmyansky considered the future of the company. Cost Plus Drugs was a retailer for more than 340 generic oral medications, selling their drugs at significantly lower prices than typical pharmacies.... View Details
Keywords: Business Ventures; Decision Making; Entrepreneurship; Ethics; Health; Markets; Social Enterprise; Society; Strategy; Health Care and Treatment; Business Divisions; Factories, Labs, and Plants; Health Industry; Health Industry; United States; Texas
MacKay, Alexander, and James Barnett. "Cost Plus Drugs." Harvard Business School Case 723-362, October 2022.
- 2013
- Working Paper
Improving Store Liquidation
By: Nathan Craig and Ananth Raman
Store liquidation is the time-constrained divestment of retail outlets through an in-store sale of inventory. The retail industry depends extensively on store liquidation, not only as a means for investors to recover capital from failed ventures, but also to allow... View Details
Craig, Nathan, and Ananth Raman. "Improving Store Liquidation." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 13-096, May 2013.
Willy C. Shih
Willy Shih is the Robert and Jane Cizik Professor of Management Practice in Business Administration. He is part of the Technology and Operations Management Unit, and he teaches in the MBA and Executive Education Programs. His expertise is in manufacturing, product... View Details
- September 2023 (Revised May 2025)
- Teaching Note
On
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Karolin Frankenberger, Sascha Mader, Jordan Mitchell and Karen Elterman
Teaching Note for "On," HBS Case No. 723-430. On is a premium performance running shoe company founded in Switzerland in 2010. The company rapidly gained traction through its unique CloudTec cushioning technology, its innovative midsole plate called the Speedboard, and... View Details
Keywords: Brands and Branding; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Startups; Business Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Digital Marketing; Disruptive Innovation; Distribution Channels; Entrepreneurship; Environmental Sustainability; Global Strategy; Initial Public Offering; Innovation and Invention; Innovation Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Marketing Strategy; Product Design; Product Development; Product Marketing; Social Media; Strategy; Supply Chain Management; Technological Innovation; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Europe; Germany; Switzerland; United States
- December 2010
- Case
Leadership, Culture, and Transition at lululemon
By: Michael Tushman, Ruth Page and Tom Ryder
The case examines leadership and organizational change within a strong culture context through a multimedia study of lululemon, a specialty retailer of high-end athletic apparel. Video segments trace the company's history from its founding in 1998 as a single retail... View Details
Keywords: Leading Change; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Transition; Growth Management; Management Teams; Organizational Structure; Governing and Advisory Boards; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Vancouver; United States
Tushman, Michael, Ruth Page, and Tom Ryder. "Leadership, Culture, and Transition at lululemon." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Case 410-705, December 2010.
- December 2015
- Article
Does Planning Regulation Protect Independent Retailers?
By: Raffaella Sadun
Regulations aimed at curbing the entry of large retail stores have been introduced in many countries to protect independent retailers. Analyzing a planning reform launched in the United Kingdom in the 1990s, I show that independent retailers were actually harmed by the... View Details
Sadun, Raffaella. "Does Planning Regulation Protect Independent Retailers?" Review of Economics and Statistics 97, no. 5 (December 2015): 983–1001.
- 04 May 2023
- Blog Post
Sustainability: Career Advice from HBS Career Coach Hillary Mann
Hillary Mann is a former Corporate Relations Director with the HBS Career and Professional Development office, covering Consumer Products, Retail & Luxury Goods, Hospitality, Agribusiness, and Sustainability. This article was written... View Details
- May 1975 (Revised October 1985)
- Case
Marks and Spencer Ltd.
By: Joseph L. Bower
This business policy and retailing strategy case focuses on the unique corporate strategy and philosophy of a leading English retailer. Emphasizes expansion plans. View Details
Bower, Joseph L. "Marks and Spencer Ltd." Harvard Business School Case 375-358, May 1975. (Revised October 1985.)
- May 1994 (Revised March 2008)
- Case
Barilla SpA (A)
Barilla SpA, an Italian manufacturer that sells to its retailers largely through third-party distributors, experienced widely fluctuating demand patterns from its distributors during the late 1980s. This case describes a proposal to address the problem by implementing... View Details
Keywords: Order Taking and Fulfillment; Logistics; Supply Chain; Technology; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Italy
Hammond, Janice H. "Barilla SpA (A)." Harvard Business School Case 694-046, May 1994. (Revised March 2008.)
- August 2023
- Case
Reimagining Hindustan Unilever (A)
By: Sunil Gupta and Rachna Tahilyani
In the fall of 2019, the CEO and MD of Hindustan Unilever (HUL), India’s largest fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) firm, is wondering what to do about their experiments to digitize distribution. Despite three years of intense efforts, their apps to empower retailers... View Details
Keywords: Experimentation; Digital Transformation; Digital Strategy; Leading Change; Distribution; Decisions; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Consumer Behavior; E-commerce; Competition; Performance; Business Strategy; Marketing; Transformation; Consumer Products Industry; Asia; India
Gupta, Sunil, and Rachna Tahilyani. "Reimagining Hindustan Unilever (A)." Harvard Business School Case 524-020, August 2023.
- September 2005 (Revised March 2007)
- Case
Lifefont: The Case for RetailDriver
Examines how Lifefont (pseudonym), a multidivisional consumer packages goods company, develops a system to manage and measure the impact of promotional events in retail outlets. View Details
Keywords: Framework; Change Management; Compensation and Benefits; Cost vs Benefits; Growth Management; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Customer Relationship Management; Product Marketing; Salesforce Management; Advertising; Management Systems; Information Technology; Retail Industry
Martinez-Jerez, Francisco de Asis, and Karim Fakhry. "Lifefont: The Case for RetailDriver." Harvard Business School Case 106-005, September 2005. (Revised March 2007.)
- September 2012
- Supplement
United Capital Partners (B)
By: Paul A. Gompers, J. Daniel Kim and Vladimir Mukharlyamov
This case continues the discussion started in the (A) case about a proposed growth equity investor in a Russian fashion retail chain. View Details
Keywords: Fashion; Growth Equity; Private Equity; Fashion Industry; Fashion Industry; Fashion Industry; Russia
- June 1998 (Revised January 2000)
- Case
Egghead.com
Egghead Software, an entrenched traditional chain retailer specializing in computer software and peripherals, had established a nationwide chain of mall and shopping center stores and a well-organized national brand. In early 1998, management made a highly unusual, and... View Details
Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Applications and Software; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry
Rayport, Jeffrey F., Jeremy Dann, and Robert C Schmults. "Egghead.com." Harvard Business School Case 898-283, June 1998. (Revised January 2000.)