Publications

23 Oct 2006
Research & Ideas

Will the “Long Tail” Work for Hollywood?

long-tail and superstar effects take place—but that each comes with a twist," Elberse says. "Consumers can find videos online that they can't find anywhere else. And yes, there is a shift in sales to the tail—but there is also... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Entertainment & Recreation

February 1985 (Revised April 1991)
Case

Computervision-Japan (A)

The CAD/CAM market in Japan is about to take off. Computervision wants its exclusive distributor to dramatically expand its sales and service coverage. The distributor wants a joint venture with Computervision before expanding. Several distribution alternatives... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Channels; Distribution Channels; Information Technology Industry; Japan

24 Oct 2011
News

In Hiring and Promoting, Look Beyond Results

Thomas R. Eisenmann

Thomas R. Eisenmann is the Howard H. Stevenson Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School; Peter O. Crisp Faculty Chair, Harvard Innovation Labs; and Unit Head of the HBS Entrepreneurial... View Details

September 2020 (Revised June 2021)
Case

Gong: Resonating Conversational Insights

By: Alison Wood Brooks and Trevor Spelman

In 2015, Amit Bendov was struck by a realization about a new technology that might be able to transcribe musical notation in real-time, which eventually became known as Gong. Gong’s business proposition was simple: provide software that automatically captures,... View Details

Keywords: Applications and Software; Technological Innovation; Communication; Performance Effectiveness; Sales; Customer Satisfaction; Competitive Strategy

March 2024
Supplement

Teamworks: Tackling a Forecasting Fumble (B)

By: N. Louis Shipley, Stacy Straaberg and Tom Quinn

In late March 2018, Teamworks CEO Zach Maurides learned Q1 2018 sales were at risk for a large forecasting miss. Founded in 2004, Teamworks’s software application assisted support staff in messaging, scheduling, and sharing documents with collegiate and professional... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Business Growth and Maturation; Communication Strategy; Decisions; Forecasting and Prediction; Business Cycles; Technological Innovation; Sports; Growth and Development Strategy; Resource Allocation; Marketing; Sales; Business Strategy; Expansion; Valuation; Sports Industry; Technology Industry; United States; North Carolina

July 2012 (Revised August 2015)
Case

SOHO China: Design, Development, and Social Harmony

By: Arthur I Segel and Mukti Khaire

Founded in 1995 by Zhang Xin and her husband Mr. Pan Shiyi, SOHO China has developed into a world-class real estate development firm that has consistently delivered high-quality projects known for their cutting-edge designs and investment potential. Despite the... View Details

Keywords: Real Estate; Organizational Culture; Leasing; Design; Asset Management; Salesforce Management; Sales; Real Estate Industry; China

November 2007
Case

Differences at Work: Erica (A)

By: Sandra J. Sucher and Rachel Gordon

In Differences at Work: Erica (A) HBS Case No. 9-408-015 Erica, a junior sales person, has just been offered the opportunity to attend an important client dinner. Later, Erica learns that she received the invitation because of her race. View Details

Keywords: Race; Employees

09 Aug 2013
Research & Ideas

Read All About It: Digital CEO Buys Traditional Media!

With the sale of the Washington Post to Jeff Bezos, the newspaper enters a crucial phase in its 136-year history amid disruptive changes in communications, technology, and reader habits. According to HBS professors Bharat Anand and David... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Aisner; Journalism & News; Publishing

October 2009 (Revised July 2013)
Case

Gilead Sciences, Inc.: Access Program

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Katharine Lee

Gilead Sciences, the U.S. leader in HIV/AIDS medicines, with global sales of $5.4 billion in 2009, had undertaken several innovative actions to make its anti-viral products available to over 100 low- and middle-income countries. Having reached nearly 680,000 patients... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Emerging Markets; Product; Sales; Competitive Strategy; Biotechnology Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry

July 1996 (Revised June 1998)
Case

Gillette Indonesia

By: John A. Quelch

The country manager of Gillette Indonesia is reviewing his 1996 marketing plan and considering whether the pace of market development and mix of product sales can be impacted by the level and type of Gillette expenditures in the market. View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Emerging Markets; Forecasting and Prediction; Product Marketing; Manufacturing Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Indonesia

28 Jul 2008
Research & Ideas

Making the Decision to Franchise (or not)

Organizational Design And Performance The impact of organizational design choices on performance will be considered in other papers; Campbell notes that early evidence indicates that unit sales are lower for firms that expand into... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

October 1984 (Revised July 2003)
Case

At the T. Rowe Price Trading Desk (A)

By: Andre F. Perold

Describes the events surrounding the sale of a particular large block of a thinly traded stock. Brings the situation to the point at which the seller has received an offer, and must now decide what to do. View Details

Keywords: Asset Management; Stocks; Financial Services Industry

April 2010 (Revised November 2011)
Case

Soren Chemical: Why Is the New Swimming Pool Product Sinking?

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Sunru Yong

Topics include distribution channels, pricing, and new product marketing. Jen Moritz, the marketing manager for Soren Chemical Co. is struggling with the poor sales performance of Coracle, a new clarifier for residential swimming pools. The performance is puzzling... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Mix; New Product Marketing; Pricing; Branding; Price; Marketing Strategy; Marketing Channels; Product Launch; Brands and Branding; Communication Strategy; Chemical Industry

January 2022
Case

Walmart USA—Searching for Growth

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Maria P. Roche

In 2022, Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart, and his team looked back at a difficult but ultimately successful past year. The global pandemic had posed enormous challenges, but the company had weathered the storm successfully, raising same-store sales growth,... View Details

Keywords: Health Pandemics; Growth and Development Strategy; Sales; Business Strategy; Business and Shareholder Relations; Retail Industry

June 1999 (Revised May 2001)
Case

CardioThoracic Systems

CardioThoracic Systems, a company that has developed a new system for performing heart surgery on a beating heart, is facing marketing challenges. Discusses the numerous reasons for the system's low penetration (including existing techniques, surgeon resistance, and a... View Details

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Technological Innovation; Situation or Environment; Marketing Strategy; Sales; Health Care and Treatment; Technology Industry; Health Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; United States

January 2016
Case

Acxiom

By: John Deighton

Acxiom built the market for personal data, yet sales have been flat for a decade during which marketing's appetite for data has exploded. Will the acquisition of a digital data onboarder LiveRamp give marketers what they want from a data broker? View Details

Keywords: Big Data; Direct Marketing; Personal Data; Privacy; Digital Marketing; Retargeting; Rights; Analytics and Data Science; Ethics; Marketing; United States

08 Feb 2021
News

How To Successfully Pull Off a Dramatic Career Switch

March 2005 (Revised May 2005)
Case

Ito-Yokado: The Challenge of Apparel

By: Rajiv Lal and Arar Han

Ito-Yokado, the 16th largest retail conglomerate in the world, has struggled with the declining performance in the apparel division of its superstores for over a decade. Apparel sales are slipping, eating hard-won gains in the retailer's food division. CEO Toshifumi... View Details

Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Transformation; Performance; Problems and Challenges; Sales; Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Retail Industry; Japan