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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(12,711)
- People (50)
- News (3,141)
- Research (7,058)
- Events (30)
- Multimedia (176)
- Faculty Publications (4,903)
- November 2004 (Revised September 2007)
- Case
The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards
By: Amy C. Edmondson, John A. Davis, Corey B. Hajim and Kelly Mulderry
Describes a small, luxury retail chain's operational sophistication achieved through the use of technology and "high-touch" customer service. A family-run business, Mitchells has built its success with a customer service strategy known internally as "hugging." The term... View Details
Keywords: Family Business; Customer Relationship Management; Knowledge Management; Service Delivery; Organizational Culture; Expansion; Information Technology; Retail Industry
Edmondson, Amy C., John A. Davis, Corey B. Hajim, and Kelly Mulderry. "The Mitchell Family and Mitchells/Richards." Harvard Business School Case 605-047, November 2004. (Revised September 2007.)
Hedgehogs and Foxes: Character, Leadership, and Command in Organizations

- October 2016 (Revised April 2018)
- Case
JCPenney: Back in Business
By: Elie Ofek, K. Shelette Stewart and Christine Snively
In 2016, JCPenney was in the midst of a multi-year turnaround after coming dangerously close to bankruptcy. Under CEO Marvin Ellison, the company had identified three strategic objectives—a focus on omnichannel, private label goods, and increasing revenue per... View Details
Keywords: Retail; Customer Management; Omnichannel; Turnarounds; Private Label; Promotions; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Customer Relationship Management; Goals and Objectives; Competition; Retail Industry; United States
Ofek, Elie, K. Shelette Stewart, and Christine Snively. "JCPenney: Back in Business." Harvard Business School Case 517-037, October 2016. (Revised April 2018.)
- 2011
- Case
The Haidilao Company
By: F. Warren McFarlan, Zheng Xiaoming and Ziqian Zhao
Haidilao Hot Pot brings customers delightful dining experiences. Like most restaurants, its workforce is mostly composed of young employees born in underdeveloped suburban areas. Instilled with the founder's unique entrepreneurial values, they are enthused and... View Details
Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Customer Service; Employee Empowerment; Global Corporate Cultures; Organizational Values; Transformations; China; Restaurants; China
McFarlan, F. Warren, Zheng Xiaoming, and Ziqian Zhao. "The Haidilao Company." Tsinghua University Case, 2011.
- 20 Jul 2020
- Op-Ed
It's Time for a Bipartisan Health Plan for Employers and Employees
propose a way to alter our health insurance benefits universe for insured employees and the self-insured by combining the best of Republican and Democratic ideas about health insurance. More choice,... View Details
- 01 Dec 2011
- News
At Your Service
Frei and Morriss: No heroics, please—partner with customers to make strategic service choices instead of trying to be the best at everything. In their new book, Uncommon Service: How to Win by Putting View Details
Keywords: Deborah Blagg; customer service; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
- September 2019
- Supplement
pymetrics (B)
By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock
In March 2013, pymetrics CEO Frida Polli visited Harvard Business School to listen to a section of MBA students from the class of 2013 discuss her business plan and provide feedback on the tests they had taken to identify career opportunities. Polli had developed a... View Details
Keywords: BrainTech; Hiring; Hiring Of Employees; Recruiting; Personality; Personality Traits; Startup; Start-up; Startups; Start-ups; Employment; Strategic Evolution; Psychodynamics; Psychology; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Business Startups; Strategy; Personal Characteristics
Wells, John R., and Benjamin Weinstock. "pymetrics (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 720-375, September 2019.
- February 2001 (Revised September 2005)
- Case
Howard Schultz and Starbucks Coffee Company
By: Nancy F. Koehn
Investigates the entrepreneur's strategic initiatives to develop a mass market for specialty coffee in the 1980s and 1990s. These initiatives included the development of premium products, rapid expansion of company-owned stores--each with attractive retail environments... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Groups and Teams; Brands and Branding; Growth Management; Employee Relationship Management; Consumer Behavior; Organizational Design; Leadership Style; Customer Relationship Management; Competitive Advantage; Vertical Integration; Food and Beverage Industry
Koehn, Nancy F. "Howard Schultz and Starbucks Coffee Company." Harvard Business School Case 801-361, February 2001. (Revised September 2005.)
- 2020
- Working Paper
Overcoming the Cold Start Problem of CRM Using a Probabilistic Machine Learning Approach
By: Eva Ascarza
The success of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) programs ultimately depends on the firm's ability to understand consumers' preferences and precisely capture how these preferences may differ across customers. Only by understanding customer heterogeneity, firms can... View Details
Keywords: Customer Management; Targeting; Deep Exponential Families; Probabilistic Machine Learning; Cold Start Problem; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Value and Value Chain; Consumer Behavior; Analytics and Data Science; Mathematical Methods; Retail Industry
Padilla, Nicolas, and Eva Ascarza. "Overcoming the Cold Start Problem of CRM Using a Probabilistic Machine Learning Approach." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 19-091, February 2019. (Revised May 2020. Accepted at the Journal of Marketing Research.)
- 23 Nov 2019
- News
Big Tech and Data Privacy
- 22 Jun 2021
- Research & Ideas
The COVID-19 Mutiny: When Teams Leave and Take Their Clients
micromanage. Create an inclusive environment and express interest in team members’ success and personal well-being. Be productive and... View Details
- June 2012
- Case
Aman Resorts (Abridged)
By: Eugene Soltes and Aldo Sesia
This case describes the operating model and philosophy of this high-end set of global properties. Aman relies on employees taking considerable initiative to deliver the highest quality personalized service in the hospitality industry. The case also highlights Aman's... View Details
Keywords: Global Business; Management Skills; Performance Appraisals; Customer Service; Incentives; Hospitality; Globalized Firms and Management; Business Model; Employees; Service Delivery; Customer Focus and Relationships; Business Strategy; Accommodations Industry
Soltes, Eugene, and Aldo Sesia. "Aman Resorts (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Case 112-100, June 2012.
- November 2005 (Revised December 2016)
- Case
Bally Total Fitness (A): The Rise, 1962–2004
By: John R. Wells, Elizabeth A. Raabe and Gabriel Ellsworth
From a single, modest club in 1962, Bally Total Fitness had grown to become—in management’s words—the “largest and only nationwide commercial operator of fitness centers” in the United States in 2004. Bally had faced its share of challenges, but the last couple of... View Details
Keywords: Bally Total Fitness; Fitness; Gyms; Health Clubs; Chain; Securities And Exchange Commission; Paul Toback; Weight Loss; Exercise; Contracts; Personal Training; Retention; Accounting; Accounting Audits; Accrual Accounting; Finance; Advertising; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; For-Profit Firms; Customers; Customer Satisfaction; Public Equity; Financing and Loans; Revenue; Revenue Recognition; Geographic Scope; Multinational Firms and Management; Health; Nutrition; Business History; Lawsuits and Litigation; Management; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing; Operations; Service Delivery; Service Operations; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Business and Shareholder Relations; Business Strategy; Competition; Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Segmentation; Trends; Cost Management; Profit; Growth and Development; Leadership Style; Five Forces Framework; Private Ownership; Opportunities; Motivation and Incentives; Competitive Strategy; Health Industry; United States; Illinois; Chicago
Wells, John R., Elizabeth A. Raabe, and Gabriel Ellsworth. "Bally Total Fitness (A): The Rise, 1962–2004." Harvard Business School Case 706-450, November 2005. (Revised December 2016.)
- 2008
- Book
Hedgehogs and Foxes: Character, Leadership, and Command in Organizations
By: Abraham Zaleznik
In this compelling look at charismatic leaders and their leadership styles, Abraham Zaleznik asserts that leaders are either "hedgehogs," who view leadership as a single-minded track driven by unwavering rules, or "foxes," who assess and re-evaluate their... View Details
Keywords: Attitudes; Leadership Style; Government and Politics; Power and Influence; Innovation and Invention
Zaleznik, Abraham. Hedgehogs and Foxes: Character, Leadership, and Command in Organizations. Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
- June 2005 (Revised November 2005)
- Case
Hale and Dorr (A)
Highlights how word-of-mouth is crucial in the acquisition of new customers. Specifically, it shows the existence of both internal (to the firm) and external markets for customer leads. View Details
Godes, David B. "Hale and Dorr (A)." Harvard Business School Case 505-005, June 2005. (Revised November 2005.)
- June 2020
- Teaching Note
Armarium: Luxury Fashion Brands for Rent
By: Jill Avery and David Fubini
Armarium, a two-sided digital platform that offered consumers the opportunity to rent the most coveted, current season high fashion clothing and accessories from the top global luxury brands, had emerged from its first sales season with two distinct customer segments:... View Details
Keywords: Luxury Brand; Fashion; Sharing Economy; Two-sided Marketplace; Target Market; Customer Selection; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Luxury; Two-Sided Platforms; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Customer Value and Value Chain; Fashion Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States; North America
- March 1996 (Revised January 1997)
- Case
Scott Cook and Intuit
By: James L. Heskett
Scott Cook has just learned that Microsoft has withdrawn its $2 billion offer for his company Intuit. Because of his company's prospects, he is elated. But he now must decide the direction in which to take his company while continuing to focus on the formula of... View Details
Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Entrepreneurship; Business or Company Management; Marketing Strategy; Product Development
Heskett, James L. "Scott Cook and Intuit." Harvard Business School Case 396-282, March 1996. (Revised January 1997.)
- October 2021
- Article
Overcoming the Cold Start Problem of CRM Using a Probabilistic Machine Learning Approach
By: Nicolas Padilla and Eva Ascarza
The success of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) programs ultimately depends on the firm's ability to understand consumers' preferences and precisely capture how these preferences may differ across customers. Only by understanding customer heterogeneity, firms can... View Details
Keywords: Customer Management; Targeting; Deep Exponential Families; Probabilistic Machine Learning; Cold Start Problem; Customer Relationship Management; Programs; Consumer Behavior; Analysis
Padilla, Nicolas, and Eva Ascarza. "Overcoming the Cold Start Problem of CRM Using a Probabilistic Machine Learning Approach." Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) 58, no. 5 (October 2021): 981–1006.
- 2012
- Chapter
The Relational Roles of Brands
By: Jill Avery
In contemporary culture, brands play important relational roles, linking consumers to others and serving as relational partners. This chapter provides an understanding of the relational roles of brands to illuminate why and how consumers connect with brands and how... View Details
Keywords: Brands; Brand Management; Brand Equity; Brand Building; Customer Relationship Management; CRM; Customers; Customer Focus and Relationships; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Consumer Products Industry
Avery, Jill. "The Relational Roles of Brands." Chap. 9 in Marketing Management: A Cultural Perspective, edited by Lisa Penaloza, Nil Toulouse, and Luca M. Visconti, 147–163. Routledge, 2012.