Publications

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18 Sep 2012
First Look

First Look: September 18

as consumers and employees (what we buy, how we manage others) to the choices that we make more broadly as human beings (who we date, how we deal with friendships). From my research, we see when a mismatch is most likely to occur between... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

15 Dec 2015
First Look

December 15, 2015

products but erroneously expect others to dislike dissimilar ones (Studies 1 and 2). While people readily select dissimilar items for themselves (particularly if the dissimilar item is of higher quality than a similar one), they fail to predict this View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

12 Dec 2005
Research & Ideas

Using the Law to Strategic Advantage

been the right choice for people with chronic and painful arthritis who could not tolerate other painkillers, but not for someone with a less compelling need for pain relief. Legally astute managers are better equipped to take those... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Legal Services

01 Oct 2012
Research & Ideas

Better by the Bundle?

says. All kinds of products are sold in bundles. Microsoft Office is sold as a bundle of computer software, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Cable companies offer their channels in bundle packages. Even a music CD is essentially a... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

May 2018
Case

Sagacity Tea: What Direction for Growth?

By: John A. Quelch and Amy Handlin

Kate Moran, CEO and cofounder of Sagacity Tea, a small, Vermont-based ready-to-drink tea brand, is considering a consumer-product group (CPG) broker's proposal for the product's launch in several cities along the East Coast of the United States. The commitments in the... View Details

Keywords: Product Launch; Marketing; Distribution; Growth Management; Marketing Channels; Decision Choices and Conditions

February 2024
Case

FIGS: Scrubbing the Status Quo

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Nicole Tempest Keller

In October 2023, FIGS had revolutionized the medical scrubs industry with its fashionable and functional designs, but the venture was at a critical juncture. The digitally native vertical brand (DNVB) had gone public in a successful IPO in 2021 and reached $500 million... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Channels; Corporate Strategy; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Decision Choices and Conditions; Competitive Strategy; Expansion; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Fashion Industry; United States; California; Los Angeles; Europe; Canada

15 Jul 2019
Book

Many Executives Are Afraid of Finance. Here's How They Can Gain Confidence

or as an effort of managers to massage metrics. The salutary effects of activist investors can be appreciated, just as one also appreciates the information and incentive problems that plague their money management industry. The channeling... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

22 Feb 2021
Book

Reaching Today's Omnichannel Customer Takes a New Sales Strategy

last spring, at the height of pandemic lockdowns. And before the pandemic, social media use had been flat for four years as these advertising channels became more cluttered and distrusted, offering marketers diminishing returns. “Managers... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

23 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

Overcoming Nervous Nelly

making bad choices that may harm us. "If people know that everyone feels anxious a lot—including themselves—then they can be more self-aware and able to do things that are likely to improve their decision-making," says Brooks.... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

11 May 2009
Research & Ideas

The IT Leader’s Hero Quest

understand in order to surpass. In the course of the story, Barton first rejects Davies' management approach, then in a more mature fashion, finds ways to "get into the skin" of his opponent, incorporate the useful perspectives he has to offer, and find ways... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

10 Oct 2011
Research & Ideas

Retailing Revolution: Category Killers on the Brink

percent discount, it is not a matter of if but when the category economics will shift. “Can you be an office supply store if you do not sell paper?” With technology making both pricing and assortment choices transparent for the consumer,... View Details

Keywords: by Rajiv Lal & Jose B. Alvarez; Retail

19 Dec 2006
First Look

First Look: December 19, 2006

of all organizational units. Download working paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/07-030.pdf Future Lock-in: Or, I'll Agree to do the Right Thing Next Week Authors:Todd Rogers and Max H. Bazerman Abstract When making decisions a person often thinks that she should... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Mar 2011
First Look

First Look: March 1

channel offers potential benefits in selling to customer segments that value the convenience of online shopping, but it also raises new challenges. These include the higher likelihood of costly product returns when customers' ability to... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

September 1993 (Revised December 1997)
Case

Loctite Corp.: International Distribution

By: John A. Quelch

Loctite Corp., dissatisfied with the sales growth achieved by its independent distributor in Hong Kong, is considering whether to find a new distributor or acquire a controlling interest in a wholly owned subsidiary covering Hong Kong and possibly other markets.... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Marketing; Distribution Channels; Globalization; Market Participation; Industrial Products Industry; Hong Kong

20 Mar 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, March 20, 2018

Purchase this case: https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/918037-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 618-034 McKinsey & Company: Early Career Choices (A) This case profiles the early career choices... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

29 Aug 2006
First Look

First Look: August 29, 2006

the firm-size distribution; controlling for level of economic development, regulation, institutional constraints, and other variables that might affect the business environment; and using different empirical specifications. We further explore various View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

10 Dec 2013
First Look

First Look: December 10

Publications August 2013 Strategic Management Journal Location Choices under Strategic Interactions By: Alcácer, Juan, Minyuan Zhao, and Cristian Dezso Abstract—The literature on location choices has... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Nov 2016
First Look

First Look - November 1, 2016

Behavioral Decision Making The Impact of 'Display-Set' Options on Decision-Making By: Karmarkar, Uma R. Abstract—The way a choice set is constructed can have a significant influence on how individuals perceive and evaluate their options... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 2016 (Revised July 2018)
Case

Selling on Amazon at Tower Paddle Boards

By: Thales S. Teixeira and David Lopez-Lengowski

By June 2012, Stephan Aarstol felt that he had successfully passed the first critical stage of his ecommerce business. As the founder and CEO of a standup paddleboard (SUP) business, he had built a strong relationship with Asian manufacturers, built a small warehouse... View Details

Keywords: Tower Paddle Boards; Amazon; E-commerce; Online Shopping; Distribution; Internet and the Web; Business Growth and Maturation; Marketing Channels; Distribution Channels; Decision Choices and Conditions; Consumer Products Industry; Retail Industry