Publications

March 1992 (Revised July 1993)
Supplement

Sale of Semi-Gas Systems (B)

March 1992 (Revised July 1993)
Case

Sale of Semi-Gas Systems (A)

January 2019
Case

Accenture's Code of Business Ethics

By: Eugene Soltes

Leaders of Accenture’s compliance and ethics program are seeking to design a new code of business ethics for its global workforce of over 400,000 employees. The case explores the decision-making process that went into the design process and ultimately how they created... View Details

Keywords: Code Of Conduct; Compliance; Ethics; Law; Leadership; Governance Compliance

January 2019 (Revised October 2019)
Case

Commercial Sales Transformation at Microsoft

By: Doug J. Chung

Industry leaders should adapt to changes in the business context and consider different ways to grow. Advances in technology had shifted software demand to the cloud. As a result, Microsoft announced a strategic shift in direction from its existing ‘Windows first’... View Details

Keywords: Sales; Strategy; Transformation

24 Jan 2022
News

How B2B Businesses Can Get Omnichannel Sales Right

October 2014
Article

Putting Sales at the Center of Strategy

By: Frank Cespedes

Research indicates that relatively few firms execute their strategies effectively, and, on average, companies deliver just 50% to 60% of the financial performance that their strategies promise. One reason is a disconnect between strategic goals and field implementation... View Details

24 Aug 2013
Panel Discussion

Global Responsibilities of Business

By: Lynn S. Paine, Wang Shi and Steve Luckzo

Keywords: Sustainability; Business Ethics; Ethics; Environmental Sustainability

September 2018
Article

Assembling the Sales Team

By: Frank V. Cespedes

Data and analytical tasks have lengthened productivity ramp-up times in many sales contexts, making each hire a bigger sunk cost for a longer time. Most companies adopt two common practices: They hire on the basis of “experience” and/or look at their best reps and try... View Details

Keywords: Sales; Selection and Staffing

Article

Sales Managers Must Manage

By: Frank V. Cespedes

A common complaint from C-level executives about their sales colleagues concerns the latter’s ability to manage, not sell. Nearly every firm has examples of successful salespeople who are poor managers because they persist in their behaviors as reps rather than... View Details

Keywords: Sales; Management Skills

Read Now

October 1989
Background Note

Aspects of Sales Management: Key Themes

By: Frank V. Cespedes

Keywords: Salesforce Management

2019
Chapter

Origins and Development of Global Business

By: Geoffrey Jones

This chapter explores how business enterprises have been powerful actors in the spread of global capitalism between 1840 and the present day. Emerging out of the industrialized Western economies, global firms created and co-created markets and ecosystems through their... View Details

Keywords: Global Business; Multinational; Globalization; Business History; Strategy; Africa; Asia; Europe; Latin America; Middle East; North and Central America; Oceania

16 Oct 2011
News

Home sales trending up

Research Summary

Strategy Implementation: Role and Management of the Sales Force

My research concerns the role and management of the sales force as agents of a firm's business strategy and not only as individual or team contributors to profitable growth. This work takes the form of course development, teaching and workshops in HBS executive... View Details

21 Oct 2011
News

Homes sales trending up

12 PM – 1 PM EST, 11 Feb 2016
Webinars: Career

Sales Skills Everyone Needs

Are you a sales professional looking to break through the noise? Could you use some insight into leveraging social dynamics and modern persuasion techniques? Whether you are a seasoned sales rep looking to sharpen your skills, or an entrepreneur looking to unravel... View Details

18 Jul 2009
News

Non-stop season of sales for shoppers

Fast Answer

Entrepreneurial Sales

Suggested starting points for your research. Articles Business Source Complete: Access relevant academic journals, such as Journal of... View Details

1991
Chapter

Aspects of Sales Management: Key Themes

By: Frank V. Cespedes

Keywords: Sales; Management

April 2006 (Revised April 2012)
Background Note

The Company Sale Process

By: William E. Fruhan Jr.

Lays out the steps, the timeline, and the process by which a company is sold. Focuses on the sale of companies with enterprise values greater than $100 million. These transactions are large enough to require the help of a financial adviser and attract both strategic... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Auctions; Bids and Bidding; Agreements and Arrangements; Sales