Consumer Finance - Publications - Faculty & Research

01 Mar 2015
News

Ask the Expert: Inside the Fed

(MBA 1981) I wouldn’t say there’s a big focus on “media speculation” per se, but Fed officials have to be attuned to market sentiment, and they consume a great deal of information. Fed policies work through financial markets. Sometimes it... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Finance; Finance; Finance

15 Mar 2019
News

A Model of Drive and Impact

Pablo Fernandez Alvarez (GMP 17, 2014) is cofounder of Clicars, an e-commerce platform in Spain that allows users to buy and finance refurbished cars hassle-free. In this interview, Fernandez explains the business model, the reasons... View Details

Keywords: Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers; Retail Trade

24 Feb 2014
Research & Ideas

Busting Six Myths About Customer Loyalty Programs

There are three ways to differentiate in retailing: location, location, and location. The problem is that as markets mature, location becomes less potent as a competitive advantage because the consumer has a growing abundance of... View Details

Keywords: by Marcel Corstjens & Rajiv Lal; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

26 Jan 2021
Research & Ideas

A New Way to Cut Credit Card Debt: Pay Off One Purchase at a Time

A novel approach to repaying debt could help consumers free themselves from crushing credit card balances faster, according to new research. Rather than asking borrowers to make payments toward their total balances, Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Financial Services

November 2024
Article

Price Discounts and Cheapflation During the Post-Pandemic Inflation Surge

By: Alberto Cavallo and Oleksiy Kryvtsov

We study how within-store price variation changes with inflation, and whether households exploit it to attenuate the inflation burden. We use micro price data for food products sold by 91 large multi-channel retailers in ten countries between 2018 and 2024. Measuring... View Details

Keywords: Macroeconomics; Inflation and Deflation; Price; Consumer Behavior; Personal Finance; Product Positioning

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November 23, 2022
Article

The Sinister Logic of Hidden Online Fees

By: Michael Luca

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; E-commerce; Price

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18 Feb 2011
Working Paper Summaries

A Behavioral Model of Demandable Deposits and Its Implications for Financial Regulation

Keywords: by Julio J. Rotemberg; Financial Services

01 Dec 2014
News

Making Big Data Fashionable

get designs to consumers in as little as four weeks—and at an affordable price. In 2012, Moon—who has a background in fashion design, investment banking, corporate strategy, and social commerce startups—launched Trendalytics, a visual... View Details

Keywords: Christine Lejeune; fashion; Market Research, Photo, Translation, Veterinary and Other Services; Professional Services

01 Oct 1998
News

Beyond the Numbers

Robinson in 1986 as assistant controller for their international consumer businesses, including bank cards and retail banking. His first task, he recalls, was to "take a look around and advise my boss what his group should be doing... View Details

Keywords: Eileen K. McCluskey

25 Aug 2022
News

The Exchange: The Road Ahead for Crypto

banking. There’s a long way to go in terms of consumer protection. Charles C.Y. Wang: Aside from the logistical issues that Scott has mentioned, a couple things stand in the way of mainstream adoption. For people to use cryptocurrencies... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Finance; Finance

01 Dec 2009
News

Hope for Reform Dims

excessive consumer and corporate debt. “Regulatory structures failed to keep up” with innovations in the marketplace, he added. Thain took the top spot at Merrill Lynch in December 2007, resigning as CEO of the NYSE Euronext. Previously,... View Details

Keywords: Finance; Finance; Finance; Finance

November–December 2020
Article

Lifting the Veil: The Benefits of Cost Transparency

By: Bhavya Mohan, Ryan W. Buell and Leslie K. John

Firms do not typically disclose information on their costs to produce a good to consumers. However, we provide evidence of when and why doing so can increase consumers’ purchase interest. Specifically, building on the psychology of disclosure and trust, we posit that... View Details

Keywords: Cost Transparency; Disclosure; Field Experiment; Cost; Trust; Consumer Behavior

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03 Sep 2020
Op-Ed

Why American Health Care Needs Its Own SEC

Employers, insurers, taxpayers, and individual consumers pay widely varying prices for treatments, medical technology, and for digital information of fluctuating quality. One patient may receive a small charge for a treatment, while... View Details

Keywords: by Regina E. Herzlinger; Health

March 1989 (Revised August 1994)
Case

Avon Products

Avon Products announced both a change in its business focus and a reduction of its dividend in June 1988. To offset the likely stock price effect of the dividend reduction, Avon announced at the same time an unusual exchange offer, under which it would take up to 25%... View Details

Keywords: Diversification; Capital Markets; Corporate Finance; Consumer Products Industry

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Educators

Purchase

Point Foundation mentor, and a Harvard Business School Entrepreneur-in-Residence. He earned his AB and MBA from Harvard University and lives in Brooklyn and Boston with his husband, Michael. Jon can be particularly helpful with: - Brick-and-mortar businesses -... View Details

Keywords: Travel, Tourism, & Hospitality;#56;#Personal Health & Wellness;#16;#Consumer Products & Packaged Goods

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Maya Burhanpurkar | MBA

Fund. What began as a research project at the University of Toronto developed into a finished product: an autonomous wheelchair for both hospital and consumer markets. My work as a Venture Partner with Contrary Capital and an intern at... View Details

December 2018 (Revised October 2020)
Case

Shiseido: Reinvesting in Brand

By: Jill Avery and Nobuo Sato

Shiseido was in the midst of a six year corporate turnaround, trying to reverse the effects of decades of under-investment in R&D and marketing which had led to a cycle of declining customer support and brand value. Would the CEO’s VISION 2020 plan, centered on four... View Details

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Educators

Purchase

01 Dec 2019
News

Capitalizing the Corner Shop

more product and move to the next level? There are very few places to turn.’ ” The data backed up Kehinde’s experiences: Last year, the International Finance Corporation estimated the credit gap for small businesses in Nigeria to be at... View Details

Keywords: Dan Morrell

16 Sep 2015
News

Rethink pricing to create shared—and expanded—value

revenue and increased consumer satisfaction and loyalty. First, focus on relationships rather than transactions (see customers as “people, not wallets”). Be proactive by setting prices that benefit both the firm and its customers. Design... View Details