Publications

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Resources - Christensen Center for Teaching & Learning

advantages of the "choreography" method from the point of view of students' learning. Concludes with a description of that method and some tips on how to use it. 1984, rev. 1985 Hints for Case Teaching by View Details

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Business, Government & the International Economy - Faculty & Research

a unique integration of high-frequency retail pricing data, product-level country-of-origin information, and detailed tariff classifications. By linking daily prices from major U.S. retailers to Harmonized System (HS) codes and import... View Details

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Placement - Doctoral

studies, are uniquely individualized. Factors like departmental fit, location preferences, dual career choices, and family needs shape these decisions. We celebrate when students secure a position that brings them joy! Students are supported throughout their job search... View Details

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Students on the Job Market - Doctoral

many migrants. The restrictions decreased annual welfare by $292m NZD — 30% of migrants' earnings — largely because migrants could not move to firms which they preferred for non-pecuniary reasons. Faculty Advisor(s): Jesse View Details

January 2014 (Revised August 2017)
Case

StepSmart Fitness

By: Robert J. Dolan, Benson P. Shapiro and Alisa Zalosh

StepSmart Fitness, a manufacturer of exercise equipment, is undergoing a sweeping reorganization. The new CEO has terminated the District Sales Director and Regional VP and promoted 30-year-old Benjamin Cooper to manage the underperforming New England district. A... View Details

Keywords: Analysis; Restructuring; Salesforce Management; Management Succession; Performance Improvement; Manufacturing Industry; Sports Industry; New England

July 1975
Background Note

Introduction to the Case Method

Guidelines to aid the student in analyzing a case situation by casting himself or herself in the role of protagonist, developing criteria for alternative decisions, and generalizing to other situations. View Details

Keywords: Cases

August 1996 (Revised October 1996)
Case

Howard, Shea & Chan Asset Management(C): Recruiting and Selecting a Salesperson

Goes to the heart of the sales strategy issues by asking discussion participants to: 1) develop a salesperson recruiting process, 2) choose among four resumes, and 3) develop a sales compensation approach. View Details

Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Recruitment; Salesforce Management; Strategy

September 1988 (Revised December 1998)
Case

Donner Co.

By: Roy D. Shapiro

The management of a small manufacturer of circuit boards faces a number of production and operations management problems. The first day on this case is used to analyze the production capacity of various stages in the process and to examine bottlenecks and key... View Details

Keywords: Information Management; Management; Management Practices and Processes; Production; Performance Capacity; Problems and Challenges; Semiconductor Industry

March 1984 (Revised August 1990)
Case

Petite Playthings, Inc.--1984 (A)

Provides background information for the (B) case, in which a young sales person is asked for a bribe by an experienced children's wear buyer. View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Ethics; Information; Sales; Apparel and Accessories Industry

Web

Entrepreneurial Management - Faculty & Research

account data linking small businesses to their owner households, we examine how business owners’ consumption responded to changes in business revenues during the COVID-19 crisis. In the first two months following the National Emergency, business revenues declined View Details

December 2005 (Revised March 2010)
Case

William Levitt, Levittown and the Creation of American Suburbia

By: Nitin Nohria, Anthony Mayo and Mark Benson

Demand for low-cost housing after World War II far exceeded supply. Was this a profitable new market? New York developer William Levitt had to decide. During World War II, Levitt was eager to build basic housing for the working class—otherwise, Levitt & Sons would have... View Details

Keywords: Demographics; Construction; Business History; Housing; Leadership; Growth and Development Strategy; Product Development; Business and Government Relations; Construction Industry; Real Estate Industry; United States; New York (state, US)

November–December 2022
Article

Can AI Really Help You Sell?: It Can, Depending on When and How You Implement It

By: Jim Dickie, Boris Groysberg, Benson P. Shapiro and Barry Trailer

Many salespeople today are struggling; only 57% of them make their annual quotas, surveys show. One problem is that buying processes have evolved faster than selling processes, and buyers today can access a wide range of online resources that let them evaluate products... View Details

Keywords: Sales; AI and Machine Learning; Customers

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Faculty & Research - Entrepreneurship

owners’ consumption responded to changes in business revenues during the COVID-19 crisis. In the first two months following the National Emergency, business revenues declined by 40 percent, large... More Research June 2025 Article... View Details

Web

HBS - The year in Review

Frank, Jaume Plensa, John Safer, and Joel Shapiro in the School’s permanent collection. Pictured: Wind Sculpture (SG) V, 2019, by Yinka Shonibare CBE RA. Stainless steel armature with hand painted glass... View Details

March 1987 (Revised April 1987)
Background Note

Specialties vs. Commodities: The Battle for Profit Margins

Explains the differences between commodities and specialties and defines four different types of specialty products. The analysis is customer oriented. Special attention is given to the distinctions between functions (product- ) and relationship (vendor-oriented)... View Details

Keywords: Goods and Commodities

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Human Behavior & Decision-Making - Faculty & Research

that implicitly activating the construct of time, rather than money, leads individuals to behave more ethically by cheating less. We further found that priming time reduces cheating by making people reflect... View Details

April 2008
Supplement

Ti-Tech (B)

By: Benson P. Shapiro and John T. Gourville

This case concerns the selection and scheduling of orders by a small industrial titanium fabricator that recently has been plagued by poor deliveries and a lack of capacity. At the time of the case, Ti-Tech must decide which of four orders to accept, with capacity... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Production; Performance Capacity; Marketing Strategy; Bids and Bidding; Manufacturing Industry; Industrial Products Industry; United States

Web

Business History - Faculty & Research

Business History Business History 2014 Book Business History By: Walter A. Friedman and Geoffrey Jones This volume contains a selection of 42 foundational articles on the discipline of business history written between 1934 and the present day View Details

May 1992 (Revised November 1992)
Case

Fabtek (A)

By: Rowland T. Moriarty Jr., Benson P. Shapiro and Craig E. Cline

Concerns the selection and scheduling of orders by a small industrial titanium fabricator that in recent months has been plagued by poor deliveries and a lack of capacity. Four orders are offered, from which the student must select one. Each order represents different... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Business or Company Management; Time Management; Performance Capacity