Publications

October 2003 (Revised February 2010)
Case

The Duke Heart Failure Program

By: Richard M.J. Bohmer and Laura Feldman

Duke University Health System has for the past five years operated a specialized clinic for the management of congestive heart failure, a very common and costly condition in the surrounding community. Nurse practitioners, whose work is guided by highly specified... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Health Disorders; Medical Specialties; Time Management; Service Delivery; Service Operations; Outcome or Result; Health Industry

Web

VBHCD Initiative - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

Health Delivery Project The Institute for Cancer Care Innovation MOC Network ICIC U.S. Cluster Mapping Project U.S. Competitiveness Project FSG Shared Value Initiative Social Progress Imperative AllWorld Network VBHCD Initiative VBHCD... View Details

15 Oct 2019
News

Innovative Thinking Fuels Nascent Startup Scene

Amira Rashad (MBA 1998) Amira Rashad (MBA 1998) When Amira Rashad (MBA 1998) cofounded the grocery delivery platform BulkWhiz in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in spring 2017, she joined a nascent startup scene in the Middle East and... View Details

October 2000 (Revised May 2001)
Case

Editora Abril S.A.

By: Michael Y. Yoshino and Perry Fagan

Brazil's media conglomerate Editora Abril S.A. is Latin America's largest publishing and printing company; it publishes books, and comic books, videos, maps, travel guides, music, and textbooks. It also owns Brazil's largest database marketing company, its... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Investment; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing Communications; Market Design; Media; Service Delivery; Private Ownership; Expansion; Web Sites; Service Industry; Service Industry; Brazil

May 2003
Module Note

Building Capabilities for Experimentation, Learning, and Prototyping

By: Stefan H. Thomke

Describes the conceptual foundations and pedagogy for a module on managing experimentation, learning, and prototyping in the development of products and services. Can also be used as part of a more general course on Managing Technology and Innovation. Shows how... View Details

Keywords: Service Delivery; Product Development; Learning; Technological Innovation; Information Technology; Management

August 2011
Teaching Note

Exeter Group, Inc. (TN)

By: Robert G. Eccles and Penelope Rossano

Teaching Note for 409001. View Details

Keywords: Markets; Projects; Resource Allocation; Corporate Strategy; Goals and Objectives; Performance Capacity; Service Delivery; Information Technology Industry; Consulting Industry

July 2010 (Revised March 2013)
Case

Heidrick & Struggles and Standard Chartered Bank: Managing Global Key Accounts

By: Robert G. Eccles and Kerry Herman

Daren Kemp, a partner at leadership consultancy and executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles, is responsible for the firm's relationship with Standard Chartered Bank (Standard Chartered). Standard Chartered is one of 94 companies in Heidrick's strategic partners... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Service Delivery; Partners and Partnerships; Business Strategy; Consulting Industry; Employment Industry

June 1977 (Revised September 1992)
Case

Sorenson Research Co. (Abridged)

By: Steven C. Wheelwright

Presents the issues facing a high volume, high margin (but lightweight) medical products business. The company is trying to improve its inventory control to reduce inventory investment and improve service. The present multi-site inventory system is described and major... View Details

Keywords: Business Earnings; Investment; Volume; Service Delivery; Supply Chain; Performance Improvement; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

08 Dec 2008
Research & Ideas

Thinking Twice About Supply-Chain Layoffs

increasing the amount of labor at a store is associated with an increase in profit margin. This did not come about through the impact of more labor on service quality, but through its impact on conformance quality—those "boring... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

01 Sep 2013
News

The New Rules of E-Commerce

Mikitani (MBA 1993) is not shy about pursuing the big idea, in this case a belief that English is the lingua franca of business and learning it would give his organization a competitive edge. Rakuten, founded in 1997, operates an online mall and related View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne; e-commerce; News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; News, Library, Internet, and Other Services

December 1980 (Revised June 2006)
Case

University Health Services: Walk-In Clinic

The walk-in clinic for general outpatient care at a major university experiences complaints about excessive waiting times. The system is changed to provide for initial screening of arriving patients in order to route them to appropriate health care providers. The... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Service Delivery; Health Care and Treatment; Performance Evaluation; Health Industry

01 Mar 2010
News

A Helping Hand for Health Care

The HBS Buffalo Club continued its tradition of sponsoring community leaders for HBS Executive Education courses by sending senior management teams from two of the area’s health-care providers to the School’s new Managing Health- care View Details

Keywords: Educational Services; Educational Services; Educational Services; Educational Services; Educational Services

01 Dec 2004
News

Getting Personal

marketing themselves? Many mature service industries are in a service “arms race” in which they keep adding more and more services cumulatively over time. But consumers don’t... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; Educational Services; Educational Services

December 2001 (Revised May 2003)
Background Note

Queueing Theory

By: V.G. Narayanan and George Batta

Explains the assumptions behind and the insights from a simple queueing model. View Details

Keywords: Mathematical Methods; Theory; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Motivation and Incentives; Service Delivery

April 2021
Supplement

Buy Online, Pickup in Store: Vice President of E-Commerce Supplement

By: Antonio Moreno, Santiago Gallino and Amy Klopfenstein

In April 2019, Sylvarella VP of E-Commerce Charla Limont must review an analysis of her department’s sales data to determine the impact of the company’s Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPS) program. The program implementation created significant problems for the... View Details

Keywords: Operations; Service Delivery; Logistics; Infrastructure; Distribution Channels; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Analysis; Retail Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States; Canada

02 Jan 2018
News

Reconsidering Retirement

store in New Jersey; the son accompanied him on buying trips to New York and watched him negotiate for the best merchandise and price. He had even launched his own successful business before arriving at HBS: a birthday cake delivery View Details

Keywords: April White; Securities, Commodities, and Other Financial Investments; Finance

April 2021
Supplement

Buy Online, Pickup in Store: CEO Supplement

By: Antonio Moreno, Santiago Gallino and Amy Klopfenstein

In April 2019, Sylvarella CEO Sylvia Coparella must assess the impact of the company’s Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPS) program on her company’s overall sales. To do so, she must review analyses of both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar sales data and compare the... View Details

Keywords: Operations; Service Delivery; Logistics; Infrastructure; Distribution Channels; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Analysis; Retail Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States; Canada

April 2021
Case

Buy Online, Pickup in Store: Evaluating an Omnichannel Intervention in Retail

By: Antonio Moreno, Santiago Gallino and Amy Klopfenstein

In October 2018, fashion, wellness, and beauty retailer Sylvarella implemented a Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPS) program in an attempt to counteract a sales decline. While BOPS had the potential to meet customer expectations for a seamless order and fulfillment... View Details

Keywords: Operations; Service Delivery; Logistics; Infrastructure; Distribution Channels; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Analysis; Retail Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States; Canada