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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(4,058)
- People (5)
- News (806)
- Research (2,685)
- Events (20)
- Multimedia (48)
- Faculty Publications (1,847)
- March 2008 (Revised March 2009)
- Case
Purolator Courier Ltd.
By: Rajiv Lal and Catherine Ross
On a fall day in September 2003, Robert Swanborough made his way down a thickly carpeted hallway in Purolator's headquarters in Toronto, Canada, toward a meeting with his two deputies. Several months earlier, Swanborough, then vice-president of Marketing, had been... View Details
Keywords: Conferences; Customer Focus and Relationships; Leading Change; Marketing Strategy; Performance Effectiveness; Strategic Planning; Research; Segmentation; Canada
Lal, Rajiv, and Catherine Ross. "Purolator Courier Ltd." Harvard Business School Case 508-054, March 2008. (Revised March 2009.)
- April 2000 (Revised July 2000)
- Case
Ameritrade Holding Corporation
By: Lisa K. Meulbroek
Some of the senior managers at Ameritrade, an Internet brokerage firm, are selling their holdings in the firm. Why are the managers selling, how will it affect shareholders, and what should the CEO do about it? The CEO is concerned that the market will interpret... View Details
Keywords: Valuation; Internet and the Web; Stock Options; Risk Management; Financial Services Industry
Meulbroek, Lisa K. "Ameritrade Holding Corporation." Harvard Business School Case 200-057, April 2000. (Revised July 2000.)
- September 2019 (Revised July 2021)
- Case
Gap, Inc., 2019
By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock
In 2000, The Gap, Inc. (Gap) was the world’s largest player in specialty fashion retailing, and companies such as Inditex of Spain, H&M of Sweden, and Fast Retailing of Japan were less than a quarter of Gap’s size. But after two decades of growth, Gap’s progress... View Details
Keywords: Strategic Change; Fashion; Multinational; Brands; Fast Fashion; Competition; Multinational Firms and Management; Performance Improvement; Management Teams; Brands and Branding; Change Management; Strategy; Retail Industry; Fashion Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Sweden; Spain; United States
Wells, John R., and Benjamin Weinstock. "Gap, Inc., 2019." Harvard Business School Case 720-377, September 2019. (Revised July 2021.)
- December 2022
- Article
Conflicting Interests and the Effect of Fiduciary Duty: Evidence from Variable Annuities
By: Mark Egan, Shan Ge and Johnny Tang
We examine the variable annuity market to study conflicts of interest and the effect of fiduciary duty in brokerage markets. Insurers typically pay brokers higher commissions for selling more expensive annuities. Our results indicate that sales are four times as... View Details
Keywords: Variable Annuity; Brokers; Fiduciary Duty; Finance; Investment; Insurance; Conflict of Interests; Financial Services Industry; Insurance Industry; United States
Egan, Mark, Shan Ge, and Johnny Tang. "Conflicting Interests and the Effect of Fiduciary Duty: Evidence from Variable Annuities." Review of Financial Studies 35, no. 12 (December 2022): 5334–5386.
Das Narayandas
Das Narayandas is the Edsel Bryant Ford Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. His academic credentials include a Bachelor of Technology degree in Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IITB), a Post-Graduate... View Details
Keywords: advertising; beauty products; biotechnology; computer; electrical equipment; electronics; entertainment; federal government; high technology; industrial goods; information technology industry; internet; management consulting; manufacturing; marketing industry; professional services; retailing; telecommunications; transportation
- January 2012 (Revised August 2020)
- Case
The Swatch Group
By: Rohit Deshpandé, Karol Misztal and Daniela Beyersdorfer
In March 2011, Nicolas Hayek, the CEO of the leading Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch Group, reflected on the positioning of Omega, its revived flagship brand. Which marketing strategy would best allow it to confront its main competitor Rolex? And how would potential... View Details
Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Segmentation; Product Positioning; Manufacturing Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry
Deshpandé, Rohit, Karol Misztal, and Daniela Beyersdorfer. "The Swatch Group." Harvard Business School Case 512-052, January 2012. (Revised August 2020.)
- June 2009
- Supplement
Mary Kay Inc.: Asian Market Entry (B)
By: John A. Quelch
By 2008, over half of Mary Kay Cosmetics' $2.8 billion sales were from outside the U.S. Sales from China exceeded $500 million in 2008 through over 450,000 beauty consultants. China was Mary Kay Cosmetics' second most important national market with revenues growing at... View Details
Keywords: Global Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Emerging Markets; Market Entry and Exit; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Asia; China
Quelch, John A. "Mary Kay Inc.: Asian Market Entry (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 509-067, June 2009.
- October 2012 (Revised May 2014)
- Case
J Sainsbury Plc, Road to Recovery
By: John R. Wells and Galen Danskin
In 2012, J Sainsbury Plc (Sainsbury's), the number three supermarket chain in the UK with £22.3 billion in sales, appeared to have put the troubles of the past behind it. For over 70 years, Sainsbury's had been the UK's largest grocer, but Tesco had overtaken it in... View Details
Keywords: United Kingdom; Retailing; Food; Tesco; Sainsbury; Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Global Strategy; Retail Industry; United Kingdom
Wells, John R., and Galen Danskin. "J Sainsbury Plc, Road to Recovery." Harvard Business School Case 713-453, October 2012. (Revised May 2014.)
- March 27, 2025
- Article
How One Company Used AI to Broaden Its Customer Base
By: Sunil Gupta and Frank V. Cespedes
The software company SAP successfully leveraged AI tools to begin selling to the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) market, which had previously been uneconomical for its in-person sales approach. By mapping the customer journey and deploying over 40 AI tools, SAP... View Details
Gupta, Sunil, and Frank V. Cespedes. "How One Company Used AI to Broaden Its Customer Base." Harvard Business Review (website) (March 27, 2025).
- December 2013 (Revised November 2015)
- Case
(Re)Building a Global Team: Tariq Khan at Tek
By: Tsedal Neeley
Tariq Khan arrived home after a nearly 16-hour meeting. He was grappling with whether to take the global sales and marketing team manager position that had been offered to him, and had spent the entire day with the senior leadership of his potential new team. He wanted... View Details
Keywords: Global Teams; Language; Personal Development and Career; Decision Making; Problems and Challenges
Neeley, Tsedal. "(Re)Building a Global Team: Tariq Khan at Tek." Harvard Business School Case 414-059, December 2013. (Revised November 2015.)
- May 2008
- Case
Thomas Green: Power, Office Politics and a Career in Crisis
By: W. Earl Sasser Jr. and Heather Beckham
The case describes the dilemma of a marketing manager, Thomas Green, who, after being rapidly promoted, is harshly criticized by his boss, Frank Davis. Green and Davis disagree on work styles and market projections. Green believes the sales goals set by Davis are based... View Details
Keywords: Superior & Subordinate; Performance Management; Personal Strategy & Style; Management Style; Conflict Management; Communication; Rank and Position; Personal Characteristics; Power and Influence
Sasser, W. Earl, Jr., and Heather Beckham. "Thomas Green: Power, Office Politics and a Career in Crisis." Harvard Business School Brief Case 082-095, May 2008.
- October 2015
- Case
Bigbelly
By: Mitch Weiss and Christine Snively
To accelerate Bigbelly's sales growth and its "smart cities" positioning, its CEO planned to shift his company from equipment sales to a subscription service. Jack Kutner hoped to re-position Bigbelly's solar-powered trash compacting stations beyond trash and recycling... View Details
Keywords: Public Entrepreneurship; Smart Cities; Government Innovation; Internet Of Things; IoT; Anything As A Service; Platform As A Service; Infrastructure As A Service; PaaS; Xaas; Bigbelly; Jack Kutner; B2G; Civic Innovation; City Innovation; Government Technology; Govtech; Civic Technology; Entrepreneurship; Sales; Innovation and Invention; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Information Technology Industry; Public Administration Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Web Services Industry; Industrial Products Industry; Massachusetts; United States; Boston; Chicago; Philadelphia; New York (city, NY)
Weiss, Mitch, and Christine Snively. "Bigbelly." Harvard Business School Case 816-005, October 2015.
- October 2010
- Case
The iPhone at IVK
By: Richard L. Nolan and Robert D. Austin
The CIO addresses a decision to replace salesmen netbook PC's with iPhones, including converting the company's sales and customer applications to the iPhone platform View Details
Keywords: Mobile and Wireless Technology; Digital Platforms; Salesforce Management; Transition; Technology Adoption; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Change Management
Nolan, Richard L., and Robert D. Austin. "The iPhone at IVK." Harvard Business School Case 911-413, October 2010.
- 28 Jul 2011
- News
The Main Highway of Commerce
- January 1983 (Revised June 1985)
- Case
Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.: Marketing Communications
By: John A. Quelch
Marketing executives at the company are considering the merits of a variety of communications programs designed to increase the effectiveness of the company's sales force of beauty consultants. View Details
Keywords: Marketing Communications; Salesforce Management; Decision Making; Performance Effectiveness; Management Teams; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States
Quelch, John A. "Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.: Marketing Communications." Harvard Business School Case 583-068, January 1983. (Revised June 1985.)
- December 2015
- Case
Stephen Richards: Addressing FAQ
By: Eugene Soltes
Stephen Richards, former global head of sales at Computer Associates, addresses frequently asked questions from "A Letter from Prison." View Details
Soltes, Eugene. "Stephen Richards: Addressing FAQ." Harvard Business School Case 116-036, December 2015.
- August 1995 (Revised October 1996)
- Case
IDS Financial Services (Condensed)
By: John A. Deighton
Highlights the decision that must be made on balancing customer acquisition and retention and de-emphasizing the structural issues involved in administering the independent contractor sales force. View Details
Keywords: Customers; Customer Focus and Relationships; Decisions; Corporate Governance; Salesforce Management; Financial Services Industry
Deighton, John A. "IDS Financial Services (Condensed)." Harvard Business School Case 596-045, August 1995. (Revised October 1996.) (request a courtesy copy.)
- February 2008
- Supplement
Avaya (C): Implementing Demand Generation in Brazil
Avaya's top management wants to improve demand generation. This requires an improvement in the relationship between Sales and Marketing. This case series (Avaya (A)-(D)) walks the student through each phase of this process. The (A) case begins with background on the... View Details
Godes, David B. "Avaya (C): Implementing Demand Generation in Brazil." Harvard Business School Supplement 508-050, February 2008.
- February 2008
- Supplement
Avaya (B)
Avaya's top management wants to improve demand generation. This requires an improvement in the relationship between Sales and Marketing. This case series (Avaya (A)-(D)) walks the student through each phase of this process. The (A) case begins with background on the... View Details
Godes, David B. "Avaya (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 508-049, February 2008.
- July–August 2018
- Article
From Niche to Mainstream (HBR Case Study)
By: Elie Ofek
A large Japanese snack maker faces challenges in marketing products in the US. Several options for jumpstarting sales are presented. View Details
Keywords: New Product Marketing; Retail Trade; Private Label; International Expansion; Cultural Branding; Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG); Product Marketing; Expansion; Global Range; Brands and Branding; Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry
Ofek, Elie. "From Niche to Mainstream (HBR Case Study)." Harvard Business Review 96, no. 4 (July–August 2018).