Publications

28 Sep 2011
Research & Ideas

The Profit Power of Corporate Culture

concept," he says. "Its impact on profit can be measured and quantified." Heskett finds that as much as half of the difference in operating profit between organizations can be attributed to... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

June 2024
Supplement

Pal's Sudden Service (B)

By: Gary P. Pisano, Francesca Gino and Ruth Page

Pre-Abstract: Instructors should consider the timing of making videos available to students, as they may reveal key case details.

Abstract: Pal's Sudden Service has developed a unique operating model and organizational culture in the quick service... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Culture; Motivation and Incentives; Service Operations; Service Industry; Service Industry

January 2005 (Revised November 2009)
Case

Tata Consultancy Services

By: Rohit Deshpande and Seth Schulman

As CEO of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), S. "Ram" Ramadorai had grown the company into an emerging IT services powerhouse, with marquee clients such as General Electric, offices in 32 countries, and revenues of nearly $2 billion dollars. Now, he was about to steer... View Details

Keywords: Initial Public Offering; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Labor; Competitive Strategy; Information Technology; Consulting Industry; India; United States

01 Mar 2013
News

A Healthy Profit

of Antares is to harness the power of private enterprise to promote public health." As part of its research and educational activity, Antares deploys joint HBS and HSPH student field-study teams around the world to work with health products and View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; Educational Services; Educational Services; Educational Services

Research Summary

Quality in Service Operations

Rogelio Oliva is interested in understanding how the operational characteristics of service delivery processes interact with human resource and marketing policies to determine the long term productivity, quality, and profitability of a service operation. Specifically,... View Details

Fall 2013
Article

Engaging Supply Chains in Climate Change

By: Chonnikarn Fern Jira and Michael W. Toffel

Suppliers are increasingly being asked to share information about their vulnerability to climate change and their strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Their responses vary widely. We theorize and empirically identify several factors associated with suppliers... View Details

Keywords: Knowledge Sharing; Motivation and Incentives; Risk Management; Climate Change; Supply Chain Management; Environmental Sustainability

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07 Aug 2023
Video

Technology, Race, and Profits

March 1993 (Revised April 1995)
Case

IBM After-Sales Service

By: Janice H. Hammond

IBM has established a service delivery system to provide service and maintenance parts for its installed base of computers. The case outlines the competitive pressures IBM faces from alternative providers of maintenance services (e.g. other OEMs, third-party... View Details

Keywords: Service Delivery; Service Operations; Supply Chain; Supply Chain Management; Logistics; Operations; Distribution; Customer Focus and Relationships; Competitive Strategy; Computer Industry

Research Summary

Managing Marketspace Service Interfaces

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport

Jeffrey F. Rayport is focusing on the strategic challenges that face businesses selling information-intensive products and services. A key strategic issue in such businesses is the dematerialization of information-intensive products and services as a consequence of... View Details

October 1983
Case

Chemical Bank: Allocation of Profits

Describes a conflict between the metropolitan (branch banking) and treasury groups at the bank. The issue is which group should receive the profits generated by a product involving both: Due bills. It is a form of transfer pricing problem, but in a unique (i.e.,... View Details

Keywords: Profit; Conflict and Resolution; Banks and Banking; Service Industry

August 2023
Case

WayCool: Reimagining the Food Supply Chain

By: Paul Gompers and Kairavi Dey

Founded in 2015, WayCool, is an Indian agri-tech start-up that built a B2B operation acquiring fruits and vegetables from product-specific agriculture companies and small-holding farmers. It sold them to business customers, such as local retail stores, restaurants, and... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Digital Transformation; Operations; Business Strategy; Supply Chain; Performance; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Technology Industry; Web Services Industry; Asia; South Asia

01 Mar 2017
News

A Healthy Profit

Quelch. New energy efficiency initiatives also saw their greenhouse gas footprint drop by 19 percent between 2005 and 2012. COMMUNITY HEALTH “Royal Caribbean donates a lot of used furniture and household goods in the ports where they call,” says Quelch. “They’ll also... View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell

March 2002 (Revised May 2003)
Case

Supply Chain Close-Up: The Video Vault

By: V.G. Narayanan and Lisa Brem

The owners of the Video Vault struggle to determine the optimal stocking levels of home videos in an industry fraught with new technology, new pricing paradigms, and stiff competitive pressure from large national chains. Teaching Purpose: To demonstrate the role of... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain Management; Competition; Motivation and Incentives; Price; Technological Innovation; Service Delivery; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

October 1990
Case

Manufacturers Hanover Corp.: Customer Profitability Report

By: Robert S. Kaplan

Banking company noting declining profitability from its traditional lending activities has started to measure the total profitability of its lending relationships. A loan pricing model estimates the profit and return-on-equity from commercial loans. Additional work was... View Details

Keywords: Investment Return; Revenue; Commercial Banking; Banks and Banking; Customer Value and Value Chain; Banking Industry

08 Jul 2016
Video

Human-Centered Service Design Professor Ryan Buell

03 Oct 2011
Research & Ideas

Transforming Manufacturing Waste into Profit

product, the by-product, cost of waste disposal, and cost of raw materials. In the first scenario, where the by-product is of low value, a company might maximize profit by only turning some of the waste into a new by-product, while still... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Manufacturing

July 2005 (Revised January 2011)
Case

Understanding Customer Profitability at Charles Schwab

By: Francisco de Asis Martinez-Jerez

Charles Schwab is transforming into a customer-centric organization. Central to this cultural and organizational change is the utilization of customer profitability at different decision-making levels. Examines several technical aspects of the ABC cost system, as well... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Motivation and Incentives; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Value and Value Chain; Activity Based Costing and Management; Decision Making; Organizational Culture; Profit; Performance Evaluation; Budgets and Budgeting

08 Aug 2005
Research & Ideas

A Balanced Scorecard Approach To Measure Customer Profitability

expecting that the margin from a comprehensive set of services will transform the customer into a profitable relationship. Figure 1 shows how one insurance company managed its customer relationships once it... View Details

Keywords: by Robert S. Kaplan

2014
Other Teaching and Training Material

Marketing Reading: Creating Customer Value

By: Sunil Gupta

This Reading explores how firms can create value for their customers. The goal of any business is to delight customers by understanding its customers' needs and to provide products and services to meet those needs. As a result, it is critical to understand what... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Consumer Marketing; Customer Experience; Network Effects; Service Profit Chain; Total Customer Value