Publications

June 1993 (Revised October 1993)
Supplement

McDonald's and the Environment (B)

McDonald's announces its decision to change from polystyrene "clamshells" for its sandwich packaging to a new paper wrap. View Details

Keywords: Communication; Environmental Sustainability; Food and Beverage Industry

November 2003 (Revised November 2005)
Case

Arcor: Global Strategy and Local Turbulence

Argentine confectionery manufacturer, Arcor Group, seeks to implement an international strategy but in 2003, recovering from the Argentine financial crisis, thwarts globalization plans. Already Latin America's leading candy producer and an exporter to over 100... View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Decision Making; Global Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; Argentina

December 2024 (Revised March 2025)
Case

Strategy and CEO Succession at Starbucks

By: Krishna G. Palepu and David Lane

On August 13, 2024, Starbucks announced that Laxman Narasimhan who was appointed as the CEO only in September 2023, was stepping down as CEO and board director “with immediate effect.” Laxman would be replaced on September 9 by Brian Niccol, CEO since 2018 of Chipotle... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Corporate Governance; Leadership; Management Succession; Cost Management; Labor Unions; Working Conditions; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Service Operations; Investment Activism; Governing and Advisory Boards; Resignation and Termination; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

September 1994 (Revised October 1994)
Case

Guinness PLC

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Grant Kelley

Changing demographics, new types of competition, and new attitudes toward alcoholic beverages force the company to rethink priorities. View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Demographics; Product Positioning; Competitive Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry

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2017
Working Paper

Creating the Market for Organic Wine: Sulfites, Certification, and Green Values

By: Geoffrey Jones and Emily Grandjean

This working paper examines the history of organic wine, which provides a case study of failed category creation. The modern organic wine industry emerged during the 1970s in the United States and Western Europe, but it struggled to gain traction compared to other... View Details

Keywords: Product Launch; Failure; Problems and Challenges; Complexity; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

SSRN

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1979
Book

Global Malnutrition and Cereal Fortification

By: James E. Austin

Keywords: Nutrition; Food

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September 1998
Case

Anheuser-Busch and the U.S. Brewing Industry

Presents an analytical report on the company's competitive position and on the industry structure in 1991. Used to show how a company can generate value through steady, incremental investment over a long period in a business model tailored to the industry context. Also... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Industry Structures; Growth and Development Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

Fast Answer

Sustainability in CPG and Retail

Background readings Consulting firm reports McKinsey: Direct Google search for the firm's reports on sustainability and packaging (e.g., Sustainability in packaging: Inside the Minds of US Consumers. October 2020). Working... View Details

05 Nov 2021
Op-Ed

Is the Business World Finally Ready for the Wisdom of Shibusawa?

Eiichi Shibusawa continues to gain influence in Japan—even though he died almost a century ago. Japan’s government announced earlier this year that the 19th century business leader would be the face on 10,000 yen ($90) bank notes—the highest value denomination in... View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones and Rei Morimoto; Financial Services; Retail

Web

Published CSV Cases - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

locally produced raw materials, and work with local farmers to increase productivity. By the late 1990s, however, the entire processed food and View Details

2017
Article

Refugees Misdirected: How Information, Misinformation and Rumors Shape Refugees’ Access to Fundamental Rights

By: Melissa Carlson, Laura Jakli and Katerina Linos

The global refugee regime represents one of the few generous commitments governments offer to outsiders. Indeed, few persons fleeing armed conflict actually claim international protection upon first arriving in Europe, even though the benefits of legal protection are... View Details

Keywords: Refugees; Knowledge Dissemination; Trust; Risk and Uncertainty; Rights; Europe

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October 1995 (Revised January 1998)
Case

Heineken N.V.: Global Branding and Advertising

By: John A. Quelch

Heineken managers are evaluating the results of the research projects designed to identify the values of the Heineken brand and to translate these into effective advertising messages. View Details

Keywords: Value; Advertising Campaigns; Globalization; Brands and Branding; Food and Beverage Industry

11 Jan 2016
Blog Post

Meet the Business and Environment Initiative

showcase the latest in HBS research on business and the environment to a wide audience. Do you host conferences during the year? Yes, we do. For instance, last March, we worked with Alumni Relations to put on Business View Details

01 Jun 2018
News

Ink: Alumni Books and Recommendations

introduction in the early ’90s of low-fat cookies and other healthier snack foods under the SnackWell’s brand for Nabisco. In the first year, SnackWell’s grew to a $400 million business. Store managers had... View Details

February 2001 (Revised September 2002)
Teaching Note

Howard Schultz and Starbucks Coffee Company (TN)

By: Nancy F. Koehn and William Grundy

Teaching Note for (9-801-361). View Details

Keywords: Food; Food and Beverage Industry

February 2001 (Revised May 2001)
Teaching Note

Balance, Inc. (A) and (B) TN

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Michele Lutz

Teaching Note for (9-801-169) and (9-801-170). View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Food and Beverage Industry

10 Jan 2024
Research & Ideas

Technology and COVID Upended Tipping Norms. Will Consumers Keep Paying?

If you’ve recently ordered food or coffee on an app, you’re probably familiar with the prompt to tip your barista, delivery driver, or sandwich maker. Or even more commonly, when ordering at a casual dining counter, you’ve been asked to... View Details

Keywords: by Anna Lamb, Harvard Gazette

December 2011
Case

Keurig and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters

By: Paul W. Marshall, Thomas R. Eisenmann, Shikhar Ghosh and Lauren Barley

Provides background information for a negotiations exercise in which students will represent either Keurig, a startup that has developed an innovative "portion pack" coffee brewing solution, or Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR), a fast-growing premium coffee... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Food and Beverage Industry