Publications

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Behavioral Finance & Financial Stability

investor sentiment measures that it makes available to researchers and the broader public. Please visit our About page for more information about the project. Data Research Invisible Primes: Fintech Lending with Alternative Data By: Marco... View Details

Arthur Schleifer

Keywords: automotive; computer; consumer products; financial services; grocery; insurance industry; manufacturing; marketing industry; restaurant; retailing; software; tire; tobacco; wine

14 May 2018
Research & Ideas

Amazon vs. Whole Foods: When Cultures Collide

other hand, always prided itself on its personal touch, empowering individual stores—even individual employees—to make decisions about products that emphasize high quality, healthy, and local foods. That decentralization, however, caused... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Food & Beverage

March 2013
Case

An Entrepreneur's New Product Development Journey

By: Elie Ofek

This case tracks the new product development process undertaken by Gauri Nanda, the founder and CEO of Nanda Home, as she ventures to innovate beyond her initial product launches. Having achieved commercial success with her first product Clocky, a roll away alarm clock... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Decision Making; Product Development; Manufacturing Industry; Consumer Products Industry

29 Sep 2014
Research & Ideas

Why Do Outlet Stores Exist?

says both about companies' selling strategy and about their customers' buying preferences. His latest research explores grocery stores—a much more complicated and competitive environment than apparel. "I want to see what happens, for... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Apparel & Accessories; Fashion; Retail

Article

Sales Productivity, Not Just Sales Technology

By: Frank V. Cespedes

This article discusses the reasons behind the rapidly increasing investments in “Sales Enablement” (SE) technology, including the declining costs of that technology, a change in company cost structures, and a consequent shift in the focus of productivity improvements... View Details

Keywords: Sales; Information Technology; Performance Productivity

24 Jan 2023
Research & Ideas

Passion at Work Is a Good Thing—But Only If Bosses Know How to Manage It

have to be this way? How could we make it better?" You Might Also Like: When Your Passion Works Against You More Proof That Money Can Buy Happiness (or a Life with Less Stress) Income Inequality Is Rising.... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

January 2023
Case

The END Fund: To Eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Courtney Han

Founded in 2012, the END fund focused on eliminating five Neglected Tropical Diseases that accounted for 80% of the tropical diseases affecting nearly 1.5 billion people worldwide. Its roughly $25 million/year annual budget was fully committed when it got news that the... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit Organizations; Health Disorders; Health Care and Treatment; Resource Allocation; Global Range; Decisions; Investment Funds

26 Sep 2023
Book

Digital Strategy: A Handbook for Managing a Moving Target

time has come to produce a wide-ranging book about current research on digital strategy. Simultaneously, the inception of the digital age, with all its multiple remarkable fallouts, contributes to making the received body of strategy... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Information Technology; Technology

May 2020
Article

Sales Leadership During and After the Crisis

By: Frank V. Cespedes

Because customer acquisition and retention are the lifeblood of a for-profit enterprise, sales activities establish foundational conditions for a business. In turn, sales managers’ responsibilities in a crisis extend beyond keeping the lights on. Their leadership makes... View Details

Keywords: Sales; Leadership; Health Pandemics; Crisis Management

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December 1992 (Revised November 1994)
Case

Becton Dickinson Division: Marketing Organization

By: Frank V. Cespedes

The marketing director for the largest division of a health care products company is reviewing the structure and staffing of the division's marketing organization. The division has authorization to hire an additional marketing manager. Hence, the immediate case... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Health Care and Treatment; Human Resources; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Managerial Roles; Product Marketing; Measurement and Metrics; Organizational Structure; Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Health Industry

18 Mar 2013
HBS Case

HBS Cases: LEGO

great," he says. Thomke, the William Barclay Harding Professor of Business Administration, wrote the case with Harvard Business School's Jan W. Rivkin, the Bruce V. Rauner Professor of Business Administration, and Daniela... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish; Entertainment & Recreation

01 Jun 2023
HBS Case

A Nike Executive Hid His Criminal Past to Turn His Life Around. What If He Didn't Have To?

business leaders recognize that just because an individual makes a mistake does not mean they cannot be valuable within an organization.” Yet as soon as he opened up about his incarceration, the previously jovial meeting with the senior... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Apparel & Accessories

19 Dec 2022
Research & Ideas

The 10 Most Popular Articles of 2022

collaboration. 1. Scrap the Big New Year's Resolutions. Make 6 Simple Changes Instead. Self-improvement doesn't need to be painful. Rather than set yet another gym goal, look inward, retrain your brain, and get outside, says Hirotaka... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

June 2018 (Revised January 2020)
Case

Renegotiating NAFTA

By: Laura Alfaro, Haviland Sheldahl-Thomason and Sarah Jeong

January 1, 2019 marked the 25th anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Twenty-five years after the landmark trade pact was signed by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, considerable debate surrounded it. Trade and trade agreements were a... View Details

Keywords: Trade; Negotiation; Agreements and Arrangements; Cost vs Benefits; Auto Industry; United States; Mexico; Canada

29 Aug 2011
Research & Ideas

Decoding Insider Information and Other Secrets of Old School Chums

spent several years unlocking the power of school ties, studying how these social connections affect important decisions and, ultimately, help shape the economy. Their research shows that it's possible to make better stock picks simply by... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Financial Services

16 Nov 2021
HBS Case

How a Company Made Employees So Miserable, They Killed Themselves

can make extreme means seem justifiable.” A company spiraling into debt France Télécom’s troubles started in the late 1990s, after the French government turned the national telephone monopoly into a publicly traded company, now known as... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

Article

How B2B Companies Can Win Back Customers They've Lost

By: Frank V. Cespedes and León Poblete

Most research and training in sales focus on acquiring new customers. But winning back previous customers is increasingly important: mergers, choice in supply chains, and uncertainty about trade wars mean that B2B customers are constantly re-evaluating relationships... View Details

Keywords: B2B; Customer Reacquisition; Customer Relationship Management

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January 2023 (Revised September 2024)
Supplement

The END Fund (B)

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Courtney Han

Founded in 2012, the END fund focused on eliminating five Neglected Tropical Diseases that accounted for 80% of the tropical diseases affecting nearly 1.5 billion people worldwide. Its roughly $25 million/year annual budget was fully committed when it got news that the... View Details

Keywords: Health Disorders; Investment Funds; Global Range; Nonprofit Organizations; Resource Allocation; Decisions; Health Care and Treatment; Mission and Purpose