Publications

12 Mar 2021
News

My Favorite Case

oil industry. I came full circle with both of those cases, having spent my career in the oil industry and as CEO of a company involved in the Macondo well disaster in 2010. Going through the Macondo crisis and looking back on the... View Details

Keywords: Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Educational Services

17 Dec 2008
Lessons from the Classroom

‘Ted Levitt Changed My Life’

later: "What business are you really in?" "An industry begins with the customer and his or her needs, not with a patent, a raw material, or a selling skill," wrote Levitt, citing the railroads as one example of a... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Education; Retail

23 Mar 2023
Blog Post

Arla Foods: How Sustainable Can A Dairy Company Be?

essays posted on the HBS Business and Environment Initiative’s Blog that highlights their reflections. Learn more about this IFC course on Decarbonization and Sustainable Production by watching this five minute video summary. Visit Date: January 5, 2023 Arla View Details

August 2015 (Revised March 2017)
Case

Planters Nuts

By: Robert J. Dolan and Donald K. Ngwe

In 2012 Planters had about $1 billion in U.S. annual revenues, but had experienced declining unit sales and household penetration over the past six years. The snack nuts category was growing overall, but household spending was shifting away from peanuts, cashews, and... View Details

Keywords: Product Marketing; Product Positioning; Marketing Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry

08 Mar 2022
Blog Post

Recalling My First Cold Call: A Conversation with Second-Year Students

broad and diverse the world is and how although all these industries are different, great leadership skills are needed for all. LUCIA CUNEO (MBA 2022) Cuneo is a part of the Women’s Student Association, Latin American Club,... View Details

November 2000 (Revised March 2001)
Case

Iggy's Bread of the World

By: Kathleen L. McGinn and Alexis Lefort

In January 1994, Igor and Ludmilla Ivanovic opened the doors of their bakery, Iggy's Bread of the World. This case describes their unusual mission statement and the way in which they try to bring a social consciousness mentality to a for-profit business. Six years... View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Culture; Restructuring; Family Business; Power and Influence; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Massachusetts

15 Jul 2014
First Look

First Look: July 15

(Search-Based Peers or SBPs) are fundamentally similar on multiple dimensions. In direct tests, SBPs dominate GICS6 industry peers in explaining cross-sectional variations in base firms' out-of-sample (a) stock returns, (b) valuation... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

Web

Judges - Alumni

Beekeeper’s Naturals, Hill House Home, Kosas, Olive & June, and Saie. Tina is a thought leader and strategist whose extensive network, hands-on approach, and sharp instincts for commercial opportunities are highly regarded by investors, founders, and View Details

2017
Book

Profits and Sustainability: A History of Green Entrepreneurship

By: Geoffrey Jones

This book explores whether profits and environmental sustainability are compatible through the lens of a global history of green entrepreneurship between the nineteenth century and today. It tells the story of the extraordinary and often eccentric men and women who... View Details

Find at Harvard

01 Jul 2015
Research & Ideas

A Bank That Takes Parmesan as Collateral: The Cheese Stands a Loan

tend to fluctuate wildly, along with market demand. A one-percent difference in demand can equal up to a 10-percent change in price, according to the HBS case. Economic downturns hit the industry especially hard, as the expensive cheese... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Food & Beverage; Food & Beverage

Web

Charts & Statistics - Leadership

Influence: Medium-Low 80 1980 s 19 Software industry booms PC use expands in scale and scope CAD/CAM revolutionizes manufacturing Space shuttle Influence: Medium-High 90 1990 s Boom in connectivity Cloning, stem cell research DVDs... View Details

10 Jan 2022
Research & Ideas

How to Get Companies to Make Investments That Benefit Everyone

does not currently exist,” he writes. “Thus, by writing this code, they obtain a direct benefit while creating a positive externality: Anyone else can also have access to this feature for no (or little) cost.” And this is done on a global platform that’s maintained by... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

Web

Career Support - Business & Environment

industry-focused programs with alumni and student leaders in energy, food and agriculture, and sustainability. Check the MBA Event Calendar for details. (Fall) Climate Symposium Each fall, student clubs host the Climate Symposium,... View Details

May 2019
Case

Whiskey and Cheddar: Ingredient Branding at the Caesan Cheese Cooperative (Brief Case)

By: John A. Quelch and Katherine B. Hartman

The Caesan Cheese Cooperative is considering introducing a new high-quality, high-margin artisan whiskey cheddar cheese. Deidra Kelly, vice president of marketing and product development at Caesan, must recommend to the Board of Directors whether to launch the product... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Product Development; Management; Product Marketing; Product Positioning; Marketing Strategy; Partners and Partnerships; Food and Beverage Industry

2018
Working Paper

Survival of the Fittest: The Impact of the Minimum Wage on Firm Exit

By: Dara Lee Luca and Michael Luca

We study the impact of the minimum wage on firm exit in the restaurant industry, exploiting recent changes in the minimum wage at the city level. We find that the impact of the minimum wage depends on whether a restaurant was already close to the margin of exit.... View Details

Keywords: Wages; Business Exit or Shutdown; Food and Beverage Industry

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May 2016 (Revised September 2017)
Case

Pal's Sudden Service—Scaling an Organizational Model to Drive Growth

By: Gary P. Pisano, Francesca Gino and Bradley R. Staats

Pal's Sudden Service has developed a unique operating model and organizational culture in the quick service restaurant business. With a deep emphasis on process control and improvement, zero defects, extensive training, and a high level of employee engagement, Pal's... View Details

Keywords: Growth Strategy; Corporate Culture; Operations Strategy; Motivation; Values; Motivation and Incentives; Strategy; Values and Beliefs; Service Operations; Organizational Culture; Growth and Development Strategy; Service Industry; Service Industry