Publications

March 2006 (Revised September 2006)
Case

Slots, Tables, and All That Jazz: Managing Customer Profitability at the MGM Grand Hotel

By: Dennis Campbell, Francisco de Asis Martinez-Jerez, Marc Epstein and Joshua Bellin

The MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas had detailed information on loyal gaming customers, but could its information systems also be tailored to nongaming customers? As the nongaming business sectors became increasingly profitable both at the MGM Grand and in Las Vegas... View Details

Keywords: Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Value and Value Chain; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Accommodations Industry; Nevada

02 Apr 2008
Research & Ideas

Four Companies that Conquered America

retailer, to enter the U.S. market with the new Fresh & Easy chain of discount grocery stores. Avoiding geographies where Wal-Mart is entrenched, Tesco has so far opened 50 stores in the growth markets of California, Nevada, and... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

02 Sep 2019
What Do You Think?

Are Overlooked Forces Shielding the US from Severe Economic Downturns?

dependable distribution with internet-enabled inventory control extending all the way into consumer households and businesses. The result is that inventory value in relation to sales in the United States has fallen by more than 50 percent... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Service

2011
Book

The Ultimate Question 2.0: How Net Promoter Companies Thrive in a Customer-Driven World

By: Fred Reichheld and Rob Markey

Defines the fundamental concept of Net Promoter, explaining its connection to your company’s growth and sustained success.
*Presents the closed-loop feedback process and demonstrates its power to energize employees and delight customers.
*Shares new and... View Details

Keywords: Customer Centric Initiative; Customer Defection; Customer Engagement; Customer Experience; Customer Focused Organization; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Customer Value and Value Chain; Network Effects

Find at Harvard

20 Apr 2016
Research & Ideas

When CEOs Become Activists

and CEO Dan Schulman was especially vocal: “This decision reflects PayPal’s deepest values and our strong belief that every person has the right to be treated equally, and with dignity and respect,” he wrote in a statement. As the outcry... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Technology; Publishing

02 Nov 2020
News

The First Five Years: Julianne White (MBA 2017)

mind if a colleague has a very compelling argument. On occasion, I would come to class with a strong viewpoint, only to be convinced otherwise by a wise counterargument from a classmate. HBS helped me become a leader who values diverse... View Details

27 Oct 2014
News

Track Customer Service, but Don't Forget the Financials

Keywords: customer satisfaction; financial results; front line employees; decision making

March 2024
Teaching Note

Madrigal: Conducting a Customer-Base Audit

By: Eva Ascarza, Peter S. Fader, Bruce Hardie and Michael Ross

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 524-046. This case presents a scenario where Madrigal, a U.S. retailer with a rich 20-year history and a solid loyalty program, faces a turning point with the arrival of a new CEO. This leadership change reveals a critical gap in... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Analytics and Data Science; Growth and Development Strategy; Customer Value and Value Chain; Retail Industry; United States

August 2000 (Revised February 2003)
Case

Borders Group, Inc.

By: Zeynep Ton and Ananth Raman

Describes Borders Group, a well-known retail chain, in late 1999 and its traditional strengths and rapid growth in the 1990s. By 1990, however, the company had fallen behind Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble in leveraging the Internet for book retailing, although it... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain Management; Customer Value and Value Chain; Distribution Channels; Service Operations; Business Growth and Maturation; Economic Growth; Industry Growth; Growth and Development; Internet; Business Model; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Supply and Industry; Retail Industry; Publishing Industry

03 Oct 2011
Research & Ideas

Transforming Manufacturing Waste into Profit

leather to jet engine lubricant. “You need to ask what are your resources, and how can we organize to maximize the value we create?” But Lee's research extends the concept into industrial processes, using an analytical model to show that... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Manufacturing

17 Jul 2006
Lessons from the Classroom

Developing a Strategy for Digital Convergence

successful along the entire vertical chain in a converging world. In the course, we try to dissect where, and under what conditions, you want to focus on horizontal layers in the value View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Computer; Education

October 1993 (Revised September 1994)
Case

Catalina Marketing Corp.

By: David E. Bell, Walter J. Salmon and Dinny Starr

Catalina Marketing is a very successful marketing service firm. Their current customers include major supermarket retailers and consumer products manufacturers nation-wide. Catalina provides a unique way for these clients to distribute coupons for their products via... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Information Management; Expansion; Product; Salesforce Management; Information Technology; Growth and Development Strategy; Customer Value and Value Chain; Advertising Industry

01 Sep 2006
News

Faculty Books

evolving, mutually beneficial channel strategies. To navigate the complex distribution environment successfully, companies must map the industry channel, build and continually edit their own channel to best serve customers, and align and influence their own channel... View Details

Keywords: Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Educational Services

06 Dec 2021
News

Tipping Point

November and December, these women typically awake before dawn to pick the coffee cherries in the cooler morning air. Then they spend days tending to the drying beans, meticulously sorting them for sale. To ensure that more of the value... View Details

Keywords: April White; Food Manufacturing; Manufacturing

Web

Navigating Tariffs | Working Knowledge

policymakers. Faculty research explores business sentiment and strategies, supply chain shifts, and other ripple effects. 54% Share of leaders of small- to medium-sized businesses who said they opposed tariffs in early 2025. 33% Average... View Details

06 Dec 2021
News

What's the Word?

because the fourth aftershock of an earthquake rarely does,” he explains, “and yet it can still be devastating.” Back to top Re·shor·ing (verb) There were visible cracks in the global supply chain for US firms prior to the pandemic,... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; illustrations by Martha Rich; Manufacturing; Finance; News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; Information

22 Feb 2022
News

An Rx for Small Business Recovery

business can get a loan.” Small Businesses Strengthen US Supply Chains The current global supply chain back-up underscores the importance of valuing and fostering small... View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg

May 2013 (Revised May 2014)
Case

Innovation at the Boston Consulting Group

By: Robert G. Eccles, Das Narayandas and Penelope Rossano

This case is about how the Boston Consulting Group has approached innovation from its founding to the present day. It discusses the role of the firm's talent market and client market in developing these innovations. View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Strategy Consulting; Professional Service Firm; Knowledge Management; Client Management; Product Development; Leadership; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Value and Value Chain; Independent Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Management; Innovation Leadership; Innovation Strategy; Value Creation; Consulting Industry