Publications

February 1987 (Revised August 1988)
Case

Gillette Personal Care Division: Marketing Planning and Control

Bill Ryan, president of the Gillette Co.'s Personal Care Division, is considering changing the division's planning and control system for marketing. White Rain, the division's most recent success, had been launched by taking shortcuts through the system, while other... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Management Systems; Consumer Products Industry; United States

November 1992 (Revised June 1994)
Case

Packaged Products Company: Handy-Pak Introduction

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Laura Goode

The product manager and the market research director for a new line of snacking nuts are reviewing options concerning the upcoming roll-out of the product. These options include changes in pricing, promotional plans, and salesforce incentives intended to build support... View Details

Keywords: Price; Marketing; Marketing Channels; Product Launch; Distribution; Planning; Research and Development; Sales; Salesforce Management; Alignment; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry

Find at Harvard

August 1985
Case

Peripheral Products Co.

By: Frank V. Cespedes

Keywords: Distribution Channels; Distribution; Planning

Find at Harvard

May 2011
Teaching Note

The Morrison Company (Brief Case)

By: Steven C. Wheelwright and Paul Meyers

Teaching Note for 4564. View Details

Keywords: Quantitative Analysis; Technology; Operations Management; Product Lines; Manufacturing; Capacity Planning; Production Planning; Information Technology; Production; Mathematical Methods; Performance Capacity; Product Development; Planning; Manufacturing Industry

January 1997 (Revised March 1998)
Case

Oscar Mayer: Strategic Marketing Planning

By: John A. Quelch

The marketing director of Oscar Mayer faces a series of strategic marketing options regarding established and new products, including budget and capacity allocation decisions. View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Product Development; Manufacturing Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

21 Oct 2019
Blog Post

Know Your Audience: Recruiting HBS Students for Consumer Products

products before joining the CPD team in 2003 as a career coach and sector lead for the consumer products industry. Katja brings a wealth of operational knowledge from her experience in logistics and event... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products / Retail

November 2011
Teaching Note

WrapItUp: Developing a New Compensation Plan (Brief Case)

By: W. Earl Sasser, Jr. and Rachel Shelton

Teaching Note for Product #4362 View Details

Keywords: Empowerment; Middle Management; Human Resource Management; Compensation; Incentives; Motivation; Management; Motivation and Incentives; Compensation and Benefits

October 2011 (Revised March 2012)
Supplement

Cottle-Taylor: Expanding the Oral Care Group in India, Student Spreadsheet (Brief Case)

By: John A. Quelch and Alisa Zalosh

Keywords: Forecasting; Budgeting; International Marketing; Product Planning ＆ Policy; Sales Promotions; Marketing Plans; Products; Consumer Behavior; Marketing; Product Design; Emerging Markets; Forecasting and Prediction; Budgets and Budgeting

01 Dec 2014
News

Instilling Production with Principles

clean out their closets and earn some cash or score discounted used clothing and lighten fashion’s carbon footprint. Revitalizing Bricks and Mortar Under the guidance of product manager Soufi Esmaeilzadeh (MBA 2010), Google Maps comes... View Details

Keywords: April White; fashion; Manufacturing

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

How to Write a Great Business Plan

about people revolve around three issues: What do they know? Whom do they know? and How well are they known? As for opportunity, the plan should focus on two questions: Is the market for the venture's View Details

Keywords: Re: William A. Sahlman

October 2004 (Revised July 2010)
Case

Product Team Cialis: Getting Ready to Market

By: Elie Ofek

Lilly and ICOS are preparing for the launch of a new drug, Cialis, to compete against Viagra. To position against the incumbent firm Pfizer, which developed and markets Viagra, and other newcomers into the erectile dysfunction market, they must determine how best to... View Details

Keywords: Communication Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Product Launch; Product Positioning; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Segmentation; Pharmaceutical Industry

28 Apr 2011
News

Harvard Business School Holds 15th Annual Business Plan Contest

01 Dec 2009
News

An Action Plan for Economic Recovery

POZEN: Offers a plan for overhauling the U.S. financial system to avoid a repeat of the recent market meltdown. Most books about the nation’s financial crisis tell us what happened. In his new book, HBS senior lecturer Robert Pozen tells... View Details

Keywords: Roger Thompson; Finance

January 2019 (Revised February 2020)
Case

Roush Performance: How to Design a Sales Force Compensation Plan

By: Doug J. Chung

Roush Performance manufactured and marketed factory-modified performance vehicles and high-end aftermarket automotive performance parts. Since its inception, Roush Performance had focused on building its engineering technology competency and diversifying its product... View Details

Keywords: Sales Force Management; Motivation; Compensation; Salary; Commissions; Bonuses; Quotas; Salesforce Management; Compensation and Benefits; Motivation and Incentives