Consumer Finance - Publications - Faculty & Research

18 Nov 2010
Research & Ideas

GM’s IPO: Back to the Future

alter significantly how people think about the company, its products, and the brand. US consumers have not had a high-quality perception of GM brands over the past few decades. Although driven in part by the company's missteps, the... View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Auto

23 Feb 2009
Research & Ideas

Creative Entrepreneurship in a Downturn

technology, health and consumer care, and renewable energy. His scope of work to date encompasses the United States, the European Union, Brazil, India, Malaysia, South Korea, Philippines, Canada, and multiple African countries. In our... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

13 Oct 2010
First Look

First Look: October 13, 2010

http://hbr.org/2010/10/the-power-of-alumni-networks/ar/1 Prices or Knowledge? What Drives Demand for Financial Services in Emerging Markets? Authors:Shawn A.Cole, Thomas Sampson, and Bilal Zia Publication:Journal of Finance (forthcoming)... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

30 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Big Companies, Big Opportunities—Big Questions

financial officer of Grupo Elektra, Latin America's leading specialty retailer and consumer finance company. Global banks are decreasing their positions in Latin America. Last year alone, he said, major... View Details

Keywords: by Julie Jette

30 Apr 2013
First Look

First Look: April 30

intermediary to divert consumers to its favored destinations. Applied to Internet search engines, we investigate a diversion mechanism based on Google's exclusive award of preferential placement to its own services. Using web traffic data... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

04 Dec 2012
First Look

First Look: December 4

applications available on it. Our model is based on the observation that even if users prefer application variety, applications often also exhibit direct network effects. When there are direct network effects, users prefer to consume the... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

24 Sep 2014
Op-Ed

The ABCs of Addressing Climate Change (From a Business Perspective)

It's Climate Week in New York City. The schedule features a UN Climate Summit, a People's Climate March, the Clinton Global Initiative, substantial criticism of the whole endeavor, and plenty of agitated interaction. There is a lot of noise here. How can businesses cut... View Details

Keywords: by John Macomber; Energy; Utilities

04 Apr 2022
Research & Ideas

Tech Hubs: How Software Brought Talent and Prosperity to New Cities

also benefited, the researchers write. Have tech clusters peaked? Even with the changes, the five biggest US metro areas since 1980 “have remained mostly prosperous and often hold leading positions in important sectors,” such as entertainment media in Los Angeles and... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

22 Sep 2020
Research & Ideas

Recessions Push Some Entrepreneurs to Launch Too Soon

number of additional analyses we conducted confirm that our findings are most likely driven by changes in individuals’ opportunity costs of starting new ventures as a result of worsening labor market conditions and not by changes in skills, or technological and View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

July 2010 (Revised December 2010)
Case

Beohemija's Duel

By: Das Narayandas and Kerry Herman

Vladimir Joksic, Director of Marketing for Serbia's Beohemija, along with his marketing team has managed to grow Duel, the firm's soap powder offering from single digits to almost 40% of the Serbian market in just a few short years. He has used innovative and... View Details

Keywords: Investment; Growth and Development; Innovation Strategy; Management Teams; Marketing; Product Launch; Competition; Consumer Products Industry

Citation

Educators

18 Apr 2005
Research & Ideas

Prosper with Multi-Channel Retailing

of store finance and operations for youth retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, Inc., said his company uses all its channels to magnify its brand message. "For us, it's all about building brands, and branding is just about building an... View Details

Keywords: by Julie Jette; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

26 Jul 2016
First Look

July 26, 2016

coming from an increase in new hires and the balance from an increase in earnings. Importantly, however, we document substantial crowding out of non-treated firms employment, particularly in counties with low rates of unemployment. Our results highlight an important... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

July 2005 (Revised January 2009)
Case

Paper and More (A)

Provides a context and exercise for introducing retail inventory management, including cost optimization, service-level criteria, and forecasting in single and multiproduct settings. The owner of a single-location paper and paper products store considers the... View Details

Keywords: Cost Management; Measurement and Metrics; Logistics; Sales; Expansion; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry

Citation

Educators

Purchase

February 2000 (Revised August 2000)
Case

Priceline.com: Name Your Own Price

By: Robert J. Dolan

Priceline.com is a new concept shifting the setting of price from sellers to buyers. The company aspires to use its patented process of advertising units of demand at named prices to suppliers in many categories. This case focuses on its initial use in the airline... View Details

Keywords: Price; Internet and the Web; Marketing; Emerging Markets; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States

Citation

Educators

Purchase

March 2010 (Revised December 2010)
Case

The Market for Prisoners: Business, Crime and Punishment in the "American Dream"

By: Rafael M. Di Tella and Laura Winig

In 2010, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the largest private prison operator in the U.S., was considering expansion options. The company's largest customers, federal and state governments, were under economic pressure to reduce the incarceration rate and... View Details

Keywords: For-Profit Firms; Crime and Corruption; Profit; Law Enforcement; Growth and Development Strategy; Demand and Consumers; Business and Government Relations; Competitive Strategy; Expansion; United States

Citation

Educators

Purchase

29 Mar 2016
First Look

March 29, 2016

scrutiny in the last decade, with an increased expectation that private profit not come at the expense of consumer welfare. Consumers, Corporations, and Public Health assembles 17 case studies at the intersection of business and public... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

26 Apr 2011
Op-Ed

HBS Faculty Comment on Environmental Issues for Earth Day

5.6 billion people—by 2050), but consume 60-80 percent of the world's annual energy usage. Vast amounts of natural resources are also used each year in building new cities and expanding existing ones through real estate development and... View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Energy; Utilities

November 1978 (Revised June 1985)
Case

Hanson Industries (A)

By: William J. Bruns Jr. and Julie H. Hertenstein

Hanson Industries produces and sells an award-winning design ski boot. Describes the company history from founding through July 1978, the product, production processes, marketing strategy, and background information for related cases on budgeting and finance. View Details

Keywords: Product; Marketing Strategy; Production; Finance; Budgets and Budgeting; Consumer Products Industry

Citation

Find at Harvard

25 Jul 2006
First Look

First Look: July 25, 2006

government work together better and tragic events like the 9/11 attacks become less likely. Purchase this case: http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=706463 Promise (B): Navigating an Entrepreneurial View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

October 2013 (Revised January 2016)
Case

J.C. Penney's 'Fair and Square' Strategy (Abridged)

By: Elie Ofek and Jill Avery

As he gets ready to release 2nd quarter 2012 results, Ron Johnson, the new CEO of department store J.C. Penney, is reconsidering the dramatic changes he initiated for the business model and brand image of his company. A new pricing scheme he put in place in February,... View Details