Consumer Goods - Publications - Faculty & Research

Summer 2018
Article

Why High-Tech Commoditization Is Accelerating

Knowledge embedded within state-of-the-art production and design tools is a powerful force that is leveling the global technology playing field. It democratizes innovation and makes future competition more challenging. This paper describes the knowledge flows through... View Details

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17 Apr 2017
News

Panera-bred Leaders Have Risen Throughout the Restaurant Industry

offer. Shaich will remain as CEO of the operation. “Most people [here], they’ve been pushed to think in ways they’ve never been pushed to think about before,” Shaich told the Globe. Though those lessons add up to good management... View Details

Keywords: Food Services and Drinking Places; Hospitality

12 Jun 2006
Research & Ideas

The Promise of Channel Stewardship

the chain best positioned to create a process that benefits all. In this excerpt, Rangan discusses the promise of channel stewardship. (Look for an HBS Working Knowledge interview with Rangan next month.)Senior managers of most of the companies involved in moving View Details

Keywords: by V. Kasturi Rangan & Marie Bell; Consumer Products

16 May 2011
Research & Ideas

What Loyalty? High-End Customers are First to Flee

industry's rich array of data made it a prime subject for such a study. "Banks maintain customer data at a very fine grade level, and the government captures competitive data, so we have a very good picture of when competitors enter... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna

17 Jun 2016
Op-Ed

Companies Need to Start Marketing Security to Customers

on financial controls, not on risks to consumers and brand reputations. That's not good enough" Even marketers who pay special attention to safety are reluctant to tout their superiority. You never see... View Details

Keywords: by John A. Quelch; Entertainment & Recreation

Career Coach

Rachel Oh

Rachel brings a wealth of experience from the retail and consumer product goods (CPG) industry, with a specialized focus in marketing. She navigated MBA internship recruiting in both CPG/retail marketing and... View Details

30 Sep 2002
Research & Ideas

Use the Psychology of Pricing To Keep Customers Returning

Dilip Soman, we look at how different pricing strategies affect the consumption of a product. We find that people are more likely to consume a product when they feel "out of pocket." When the price paid for a product is very... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Mahoney

01 Sep 2008
News

Negative Ad Power

that is out of bounds in the consumer marketplace. — John A. Quelch is senior associate dean at HBS and a marketing expert. Katherine E. Jocz is an HBS research associate. They are the authors of Greater Good: How View Details

Keywords: John A. Quelch;Katherine E. Jocz; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

Profile

Irina Gerry

With passion comes the energy needed to stand out among many qualified candidates. How has HBS prepared you for your new job? HBS provided me with tools and support to make a career switch from management consulting to brand management at a premier global View Details

21 Jun 2004
Research & Ideas

Music Downloads: Pirates—or Customers?

they sample only a few songs. One possibility is that the current patterns of file sharing reflect consumer preferences. Consumers do not know the quality of new music and sampling one or two songs is View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Entertainment & Recreation; Music

11 Feb 2019
Research & Ideas

The Business of Saving the Planet

in domains such as customer service, finance, operations, and business history are coming together to explore the many facets of how sustainability and business management might mix. Here is a sample of that work with implications for managers. The Background: A View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Energy; Green Technology

12 May 2015
Blog Post

A Summer Internship in General Management

experiences. I was invited to interview during the January interview period and received my offer at the end of the week. What surprised you the most about your internship? I was truly surprised by the nature of the general manager role. At General Mills, and at many... View Details

23 Jul 2014
Lessons from the Classroom

Innovation Is Magic. Really

the question is as important as the answer," Thomke says. When Apple Buys Your Company In teaching a case study about Apple, Thomke asks a thought-provoking question to conclude the discussion: Imagine that Apple takes over your company. What would it change? "One... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Consumer Products

11 Jun 2001
Research & Ideas

E-Commerce Unplugged

behavior. Good examples of such companies are leaders in the consumer packaged-goods industry such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble and Kraft Foods—or retail organizations such as Wal-Mart and... View Details

Keywords: by Nitin Nohria & Marty Leestma

05 Feb 2007
Research & Ideas

Business and the Global Poor

at the end of the day is all about having a job. So you could say that the drive to sell consumer products to the unemployed and underpaid may be putting the cart before the horse. We are not arguing the fact that, in some cases,... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

01 Jun 2004
News

Luxe Redux

Cashing in on the $60 billion global luxury goods market has never been tougher — or more rewarding. Competition is keen. And consumer preferences are constantly shifting, causing the concept of luxury... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; luxury; Retail Trade

01 Jun 2014
News

@Soldiers Field

Famed designer Donna Karan's keynote closed the Retail & Luxury Goods Club's annual conference, but some of the 400 attendees wanted more: Karan reportedly stuck around to chat with students for more than an hour and a half. Former US... View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

13 Feb 2006
Research & Ideas

Turning High Potential into Real Reward

it's understanding the path to the mainstream market and being smart enough to, A) pick a good mainstream market and, B) assemble the people and partners who give you a disproportionate likelihood of getting there. It's very important not... View Details

Keywords: Re: Joseph B. Lassiter; Consumer Products

December 2007 (Revised March 2013)
Case

Queensland Sugar Limited

By: David E. Bell and Mary L. Shelman

Until industry deregulation in 2006, Queensland Sugar ran Australia's single desk marketing system for raw sugar exports. Since deregulation, eight of the ten Queensland sugar millers have elected to continue collective marketing through QSL. However, several millers... View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Goods and Commodities; Trade; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Competition; Marketing Strategy; Supply Chain; Network Effects; Supply and Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Australia