Publications

Find at Harvard

Read Now

14 Apr 2021
Research & Ideas

The High Cost of the Slow COVID Vaccine Rollout

months of the pandemic writing about marketplace design tactics that could provide support—for example, by leveraging delivery marketplaces to bring food to the elderly or by distributing hand sanitizer more... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health

January 2021 (Revised March 2021)
Supplement

E-Commerce Analytics for CPG Firms (A): Estimating Sales

By: Ayelet Israeli and Fedor (Ted) Lisitsyn

The E-Commerce Analytics group at the traditional CPG firm was in charge of compiling various online sales reports, as well as making data-driven recommendations for sales and marketing tactics. In a series of exercises, students address different data challenges for... View Details

March 2024 (Revised May 2025)
Case

Governing OpenAI (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine, Suraj Srinivasan and Will Hurwitz

In late November 2023, OpenAI’s new board of directors took stock of the situation. The company, which sought to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI)—computer systems with capabilities exceeding human abilities—was looking to regain its footing after a chaotic... View Details

17 Sep 2001
Research & Ideas

Why E-commerce Didn’t Die With the Fall of Webvan

in its marketing. In the period since the Internet boom, there have been a large number of very conspicuous successes.—John A. Deighton Physical distribution of groceries in... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Consumer Products; Retail

October 2000 (Revised November 2018)
Exercise

Web-Based Beer Game Exercise

By: Janice H. Hammond

The Web-based beer game is an exercise that demonstrates supply channel dynamics. Simulates the flow of material and information in a simplified channel of beer production and distribution, focusing on the linkages between a beer manufacturer, its distributors, a... View Details

Keywords: Distribution Channels; Production

11 Jun 2014
Research & Ideas

In the Future of Sports Investing, Media Is the Best Bet

media” But TV is no longer the only game in town when it comes to watching sports. Yes, in 2013, 94 percent of fans watched games on TV, but 71 percent also viewed sports online, and 49 percent got their fix on mobile devices. "What... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Sports; Financial Services

18 Sep 2006
Research & Ideas

When Words Get in the Way: The Failure of Fiscal Language

accounting does, and in terms that are the same no matter what labeling convention one adopts. "We aren't being nihilistic," says Kotlikoff. "There are real government policies that affect the distribution View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

August 2014
Case

Netflix in 2011

By: Willy Shih and Stephen Kaufman

Reed Hastings founded Netflix to provide a home movie service that would do a better job satisfying customers than the traditional retail rental model. But as it encountered challenges it underwent several major strategy shifts, ultimately developing a business model... View Details

April 1998 (Revised January 2007)
Case

Arrow Electronics, Inc.

By: Das Narayandas

Deals with the issue of cross-selling and managing a portfolio of products and services in business markets. Arrow/Schweber (A/S), a subsidiary of electronic parts distributor Arrow Electronics, has a portfolio of products that differ in the amount of value added by... View Details

Keywords: Distribution Channels; Internet and the Web; Problems and Challenges; Change Management; Electronics Industry

November 1989 (Revised February 1992)
Case

Ford Motor Co.: Dealer Sales and Service

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger

Since Henry Ford founded Ford Motor Co., Ford vehicles have been sold and serviced the same way. By the late 1980s Ford began to consider making changes in its sales and service process. Two developments forced Ford to reconsider these processes. First, Ford found... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Distribution Channels; Customer Focus and Relationships; Service Industry; Auto Industry; Retail Industry; United States

29 Jul 2009
Working Paper Summaries

Firsthand Experience and the Subsequent Role of Reflected Knowledge in Cultivating Trust in Global Collaboration

Keywords: by Mark Mortensen & Tsedal Neeley

09 Dec 2015
Research Event

When Hosts Attack: The Competitive Threat of Online Platforms

In the online marketplace, oodles of retailers and developers rely on “platforms” such as Amazon.com, the Apple App Store, Facebook, and Twitter to get their products and services into the hands of users.... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Retail; Technology; Web Services

21 Jan 2020
Research & Ideas

Lessons for Retailers from the Rebirth of Indie Bookstores

inventory without the need to step foot in a bookstore; and then Amazon launched the Kindle e-book service in 2007, challenging the very idea of a physical book. “Not only had the traditional buying channels... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Entertainment & Recreation

August 1983 (Revised March 1995)
Case

Nineteenth Century Retailing and the Rise of the Department Store

By: Richard S. Tedlow

Discusses changes in retailing in the nineteenth century. View Details

Keywords: History; Distribution; Change; Retail Industry