Publications

28 Mar 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research, March 28

Shippo, prepares her pitch for a Series A funding round following a successful seed round. Customer adoption of Shippo’s e-commerce dashboard application, which allows small and medium retailers to compare delivery rates between View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

28 Oct 2014
First Look

First Look: October 28

October 2014 Quarterly Journal of Economics Waves in Ship Prices and Investment By: Greenwood, Robin, and Samuel G. Hanson Abstract—We study the link between investment boom... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

January 2018
Supplement

Jumia Nigeria PowerPoint Supplement

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell

Founded in 2012, Jumia Nigeria, a startup effort by Germany-based Rocket Internet, aimed to become an African Amazon. The company entered the nascent market and immediately enjoyed an uptick in consumer spending fueled by the strength of Nigeria’s oil-based economy. By... View Details

Keywords: Retail; Marketplace; Inventory; Nigeria; Africa; Ecommerce; Funding; Business Ecosystems; Business Ecosystem; Competition; Business Model; Globalization; Emerging Markets; Expansion; Logistics; E-commerce; Retail Industry; India; Nigeria; Africa

February 1990 (Revised August 2001)
Case

Merloni Elettrodomestici SpA: The Transit Point Experiment

By: Janice H. Hammond and Maura G Kelly

Merloni Elettrodomestici is a leading Italian manufacturer of domestic appliances. In 1986, an exposition for Merloni customers is scheduled at its Milano regional warehouse. During the two-month period preceding the event, when the warehouse must be free of inventory,... View Details

Keywords: Logistics; Marketing Channels; Planning; Time Management; Distribution Channels; Competitive Advantage; Customer Relationship Management; Information Technology; Consumer Products Industry; Italy

Profile

Mira Mehta

conversation with a man who worked for the Chancellor of Texas Tech University, a woman who worked for a small logistics company in Minnesota, and a man who worked at a Private Equity fund in New York. I... View Details

01 Jun 2016
News

Case Study: On the Table

choices among payment vendors and difficulties finding employees with e-commerce experience, necessitating extensive training. The Question: Cahuzac and his cofounders had planned to run a furniture company,... View Details

13 May 2021
Blog Post

HBS Got Talent

rockstar team of RC (first-year) Service Reps to help drum up enthusiasm and recruit section talent. We were overwhelmed by their dedication, helpfulness, and overall excitement for the event. Emily Keeley... View Details

08 May 2022
Blog Post

The Territory of Motherhood: A Reflection in Honor of Mother’s Day

I was anticipating how helpful this community of moms would be to ease the logistical challenges of an early, quick delivery without family in town, I greatly underestimated how important their emotional support View Details

November 2022
Supplement

Arcos Dorados’ Quest for the Digitalization of Last-Mile Delivery in Colombia (B)

By: Jorge Tamayo, Jenyfeer Martinez Buitrago and Mariana Cal

In 2020, Francisco Staton, president of Arcos Dorados’ Caribbean Division, and Héctor Orozco, Managing Director of Arcos Dorados Colombia, were looking into Arcos Dorados’ options to consolidate its food delivery service in Colombia. This time the matter at hand hinged... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Decision Making; Decision Choices and Conditions; Global Strategy; Technological Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Agreements and Arrangements; Negotiation Tactics; Logistics; Service Delivery; Organizational Culture; Performance Improvement; Partners and Partnerships; Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; Latin America; South America; Colombia

December 1995 (Revised January 2008)
Case

Lenzing AG: Expanding in Indonesia

By: Debora L. Spar

In 1994, Lenzing AG, the world's largest rayon manufacturer, is deciding whether to expand production in South Pacific Viscose, its Indonesian subsidiary. Indonesia is a booming market for rayon, but management still has some concerns about the expansion. First, for... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Production; Expansion; Logistics; Manufacturing Industry; Indonesia

26 Jun 2020
Blog Post

(PPE)ople First: Bringing Critical Personal Protective Equipment to Boston Hospitals

ever-evolving customs clearance guidelines. Our logistics experts – Elaine and Matt – work with third parties including Flexport and Grossman Marketing to oversee this process.... View Details

18 May 2015
Research & Ideas

Advertisers Get Serious About Playing With Their Brands

At last year's Grammy Awards, singer Pharrell Williams wore such an outlandish hat—a cross between Smokey the Bear's forest-brown lid and The Sorting Hat at Gryffindor—that it quickly received its own Twitter account. Then some marketing... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Advertising

May 2024
Supplement

DRSi (B)

By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff

Pre-Abstract: Instructors should consider the timing of making videos available to students, as they may reveal key case details.

Abstract: In March of 2019, Jen Ransom Fuller purchased DRSi. DRSi, located in Bellevue, Washington, printed and reproduced... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Small Business; Cost vs Benefits; Decisions; Business Education; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Business or Company Management; Problems and Challenges; Health Pandemics; Selection and Staffing; Employee Relationship Management; Production; Logistics; Safety; Washington (state, US); United States

11 Dec 2018
Research & Ideas

Free Trade Needs Nurturing—and Other Lessons from History

Question: What patterns emerge from history that can help us better understand where we are today? Sophus Reinert: To many people, globalization is teleological, something that necessarily becomes stronger over time and leads to an... View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Shipping; Shipping; Shipping; Shipping; Shipping; Shipping; Shipping; Shipping; Shipping; Shipping

December 2018
Case

Choosy

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Julia Kelley

Founded in 2017, Choosy is a data-driven fashion startup that uses algorithms to identify styles trending on social media. After manufacturing similar items using a China-based supply chain, Choosy sells them to consumers through its website and social media pages.... View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools

21 Oct 2010
News

Hell? Maybe Not.

part of the 25 employees of MBA Career and Professional Development. “It’s an all-hands-on-deck situation,” says Director of Employer Relations Kristen Fitzpatrick (MBA ’03). Logistics View Details

January 2010
Case

DR Corporation

By: Roy D. Shapiro

DR Corporation is a manufacturer of major appliances. The traffic manager is facing a decision of selecting a carrier for the inbound movement of motors. The primary case decisions are 1) what factors are critical to the decision; 2) how to calculate the tradeoffs... View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Decision Choices and Conditions; Managerial Roles; Logistics; Supply Chain Management; Truck Transportation; Consumer Products Industry

August 2020 (Revised March 2021)
Supplement

Migros Turkey: Scaling Online Operations (B)

By: Antonio Moreno and Gamze Yucaoglu

The case opens in February 2020 as Ozgur Tort and Mustafa Bartin, CEO and chief large-format and online retail officer of Migros Ticaret A.S. (Migros), Turkey’s oldest and one of its largest supermarket chains, are looking over the results of the fulfillment pilot the... View Details

Keywords: Grocery; Business Model; Strategy; Digital Platforms; Information Technology; Technology Adoption; Value Creation; Globalization; Competition; Expansion; Logistics; Profit; Resource Allocation; Corporate Strategy; Retail Industry; Turkey

February 1985
Case

General Electric--Thermocouple Manufacturing (B)

By: David A. Garvin

Describes what has happened since the introduction of just-in-time production techniques were developed to reduce inventory. Reviews the progress to date in such areas as process rationalization; set-up reduction; quality improvement and leveling the scheduling; and... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain; Logistics; Production; Business Processes; Technological Innovation; Quality; Performance Improvement; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Manufacturing Industry