Many consumers feel powerless in the face of big industry’s interests. And the dominant view of economic regulators (influenced by Mancur Olson’s book The Logic of Collective Action, published in 1965) agrees with them. According to this... View Details
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- All HBS Web
(1,187)
- People (6)
- News (310)
- Research (747)
- Events (1)
- Multimedia (6)
- Faculty Publications (186)
Naked Wines: The Profit vs. Growth Decision
Nick Devlin faced a difficult strategic decision in October 2022. As the CEO of a UK-based subscription business connecting wine drinkers in the US, UK, and Australia with winemakers from around the world (which one journalist called the “Netflix of Wine”), he had... View Details
- 07 Jan 2025
- Blog Post
Revolutionizing Wellness: Kate Twist (MBA 2008) Shapes the Future of Consumer Health Brands
If there were a theme to Kate Twist’s (MBA 2008) career, it would be building brands known for the emotional connection they foster with their consumers. Twist is experienced in directing powerful consumer... View Details
- 2012
- Book
Strength in Numbers: The Political Power of Weak Interests
By: Gunnar Trumbull
This book investigates the sources of interest group influence on public policy. Trumbull argues that diffuse groups like consumers are more influential, and industry less influential, than we commonly assume. View Details
Trumbull, Gunnar. Strength in Numbers: The Political Power of Weak Interests. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012.
- September 2017 (Revised June 2021)
- Supplement
Tempur Sealy International (C)
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Lauren G. Pickle
Analyzes the commercial relationship between Tempur Sealy and Mattress Firm following the events discussed in the (B) case. View Details
Keywords: Porter's 5 Forces; Bargaining Power; Buyer Power; Customer Power; Supplier Power; Negotiations; Value Capture; Consumer Durables; Consumer Discretionary; Mattresses; B-2-B; Industry Dynamics; Compensation; Corporate Strategy; Business Strategy; Value Creation; Competition; Cooperation; Private Equity; Distribution; Negotiation; Industry Structures; Leadership; Customers; Relationships; Distribution Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States; South Africa
Esty, Benjamin C., and Lauren G. Pickle. "Tempur Sealy International (C)." Harvard Business School Supplement 718-424, September 2017. (Revised June 2021.)
- September 2017 (Revised June 2021)
- Supplement
Tempur Sealy International (B)
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Lauren G. Pickle
Analyzes the commercial relationship between Tempur Sealy and Mattress Firm following the events discussed in the (A) case. View Details
Keywords: Porter's 5 Forces; Bargaining Power; Buyer Power; Customer Power; Supplier Power; Negotiations; Value Capture; Consumer Durables; Consumer Discretionary; Mattresses; B-2-B; Industry Dynamics; Compensation; Corporate Strategy; Business Strategy; Value Creation; Competition; Cooperation; Private Equity; Distribution; Negotiation; Industry Structures; Customers; Relationships; Leadership; Distribution Industry; Manufacturing Industry
Esty, Benjamin C., and Lauren G. Pickle. "Tempur Sealy International (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 718-423, September 2017. (Revised June 2021.)
- December 2019 (Revised December 2022)
- Case
TXU (A): Powering the Largest Leveraged Buyout in History
By: Trevor Fetter, Erik Snowberg and Rebecca M. Henderson
This case is designed to support a lively discussion about the relative merits of shareholder vs. stakeholder perspectives in the context of a company that provides a vital public service that has important environmental implications. The 2007 purchase of TXU, the... View Details
Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Transformation; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Environmental Sustainability; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Energy Generation; Non-Renewable Energy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Utilities Industry; Energy Industry; Texas
Fetter, Trevor, Erik Snowberg, and Rebecca M. Henderson. "TXU (A): Powering the Largest Leveraged Buyout in History." Harvard Business School Case 320-064, December 2019. (Revised December 2022.)
- 2011
- White Paper
Brands Are People Too! Harnessing the Power of Brand Warmth and Competence
By: Chris Malone, Jill Avery and S. T. Fiske
Research in customer behavior has revealed that the way humans respond to brands is simply an extension of the way they instinctively perceive, judge, and behave towards one another. Understanding how consumers judge brands using social processes akin to those used in... View Details
Keywords: Brands; Brand Management; Customer Relationship Management; CRM; Brand Positioning; Brand Equity; Customers; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Products Industry
Malone, Chris, Jill Avery, and S. T. Fiske. "Brands Are People Too! Harnessing the Power of Brand Warmth and Competence." White Paper Series, Relational Capital Group, Newtowne Square, PA, 2011.
- March 1995 (Revised March 2001)
- Case
The Black & Decker Corporation (A): Power Tools Division
By: Robert J. Dolan
Presents Black & Decker's performance against a Japanese competitor and others in the power tools market. Black & Decker is anxious to regain its market share leadership in particular segments of the market. View Details
Keywords: Brands and Branding; Product Positioning; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Competition; Globalization; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry
Dolan, Robert J. "The Black & Decker Corporation (A): Power Tools Division." Harvard Business School Case 595-057, March 1995. (Revised March 2001.)
- 03 Oct 2005
- Research & Ideas
The Box Office Power of Stars
buyers? And in an interesting plot twist, Elberse decided to design her research not around actual box office receipts, but rather around a Hollywood simulation game that has over half a million players. The results were published in her working paper, "The View Details
- 14 Oct 2013
- Research & Ideas
Blockbuster! Why Star Power Works
consumers make choices: We like to talk about the latest films we've seen, or the latest books we've read, which makes us converge on the same choices. Finally, big bets become self-fulfilling prophecies in that they attract the best... View Details
- February 2010 (Revised June 2012)
- Case
"Plugging In" the Consumer: The Adoption of Electrically Powered Vehicles in the U.S.
By: Elie Ofek and Polly Ribatt
How will U.S. consumers respond to the proliferation of alternative-fuel vehicles, such as cars powered partially or completely by electricity, in the coming decade? After a century in which fossil fuel-powered vehicles dominated the market, it appeared consumers would... View Details
Keywords: Energy Sources; Policy; Marketing; Demand and Consumers; Business and Government Relations; Natural Environment; Pollutants; Adoption; Auto Industry; United States
Ofek, Elie, and Polly Ribatt. "Plugging In" the Consumer: The Adoption of Electrically Powered Vehicles in the U.S. Harvard Business School Case 510-076, February 2010. (Revised June 2012.)
- 12 Dec 2012
- Research & Ideas
Power to the People: The Unexpected Influence of Small Coalitions
caps. "These measures were not put in place because of the concentrated lobbying power of France's consumer lending sector," Trumbull says. Instead, French politicians worked closely with industry and family... View Details
Keywords: by Kim Girard
- February 2024
- Article
Pricing Power in Advertising Markets: Theory and Evidence
By: Matthew Gentzkow, Jesse M. Shapiro, Frank Yang and Ali Yurukoglu
Existing theories of media competition imply that advertisers will pay a lower price in equilibrium to reach consumers who multi-home across competing outlets. We generalize, extend, and test this prediction. We find that television outlets whose viewers watch more... View Details
Gentzkow, Matthew, Jesse M. Shapiro, Frank Yang, and Ali Yurukoglu. "Pricing Power in Advertising Markets: Theory and Evidence." American Economic Review 114, no. 2 (February 2024): 500–533.
- February 21, 2024
- Article
The NFT Staircase: How Digital Ownership Benefits Brands and Consumers
By: Scott Duke Kominers and Steve Kaczynski
One of our goals with our new book, The Everything Token: How NFTs and Web3 Will Transform the Way We Buy, Sell, and Create, is to unlock the power of nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, for business. National and international brands are already using NFTs in some of... View Details
Keywords: Non-fungible Tokens; NFTs; Brand; Brand Building; Digitization; Metaverse; Tokenization; Crypto Economy; Blockchain; Market Design; Brands and Branding; Value Creation
Kominers, Scott Duke, and Steve Kaczynski. "The NFT Staircase: How Digital Ownership Benefits Brands and Consumers." a16zcrypto.com (February 21, 2024).
- 25 May 2016
- Research & Ideas
How Consumers and Businesses are Reshaping Public Health
explore interactions between private business and public health, and demonstrate how consumers can create better and less expensive care for themselves. Book Excerpt: Consumer View Details
- December 1994 (Revised February 1995)
- Case
Anne Livingston and Power Max Systems (A): Interviewing with the PowerPlayer Software Engineering Team
Follows the entry and early experiences of engineer Anne Livingston, an African American woman, as she joins Power Max Systems in 1991 as software engineering manager for the new product development group. Power Max is facing stiff competition and wants to be first to... View Details
Keywords: Race; Personal Development and Career; Organizational Culture; Gender; Information Technology Industry
Gentile, Mary C., and Pamela J. Maus. "Anne Livingston and Power Max Systems (A): Interviewing with the PowerPlayer Software Engineering Team." Harvard Business School Case 395-067, December 1994. (Revised February 1995.)
- 07 Mar 2000
- Research & Ideas
Putting Health Care Consumers in the Driver’s Seat
U.S. consumers more power over decisions related to health care. Those who advocate consumer-driven health care—including conference chair Professor Regina E. Herzlinger—believe that shifting control of... View Details
- 12 Oct 1999
- Research & Ideas
Bright Ideas: The Creative Power of Groups
The camel has long been the punch line of the riddle, "Name the animal designed by a committee." But taking a closer look at the features that allow this oddly shaped creature to survive in harsh desert conditions, one can draw a much kinder conclusion about... View Details
Keywords: by Laurie Joan Aron
- 25 Jan 2017
- HBS Case
How Should Advertisers Respond to Consumer Demand for Whiter Skin?
has no business interfering with products that aren’t breaking laws and, more importantly, are clearly meeting a real consumer need. “It was a powerful argument that played out strongly,” Deshpandé says of... View Details