Publications

January 2019 (Revised February 2019)
Supplement

The a2 Milk Company

By: Benjamin C. Esty, Daniel Fisher and Greg Saldutte

The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) became the most valuable company listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in 2018 by capitalizing on a biochemical discovery related to the protein composition of cow's milk. Because many people find the A1 protein difficult to digest, and... View Details

17 Oct 2019
Research & Ideas

‘Chick Beer’ for Women? Why Gender Marketing Repels More Than Sells

Chick Beer tried to entice weight-conscious women with the brew’s 97 calories and 3.5 carbs per bottle, “about the same as half of a carrot.” And Clutch, a brand of dryer sheets, encourages men to “grab your manliness,” promising that “girls will like the way your... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Consumer Products

25 Apr 2023
Op-Ed

How SHEIN and Temu Conquered Fast Fashion—and Forged a New Business Model

under globally recognized brand names, including the private labels of mass merchants such as Walmart, Costco, and Target. Most of those profits accrued to the brands, rather than the Chinese suppliers.... View Details

Keywords: by John Deighton; Fashion; Retail; Consumer Products

June 2011 (Revised May 2012)
Case

Reckitt Benckiser: Fast and Focused Innovation

By: Rebecca M. Henderson and Ryan Johnson

Since its 1999 merger Reckitt Benckiser (RB), a global consumer goods company, led by its CEO Bart Becht, RB developed a reputation for rapid product innovation and industry leading profit margins. RB's stated strategy was to focus on its Powerbrands and high growth... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Global Strategy; Innovation Leadership; Leadership Style; Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Product Development; Performance Improvement; Commercialization; Consumer Products Industry

22 Feb 2023
Blog Post

Meet the Disability Advocacy and Affinity Group (DAAG)

VP of Marketing and Events I’m a first-year student at Harvard Business School and my primary focus within DAAG is developing comprehensive branding View Details

07 Nov 2012
HBS Case

HBS Cases: Sir Alex Ferguson--Managing Manchester United

is a British soccer club manager who turns out to be as incredible a performer as any of the lot. For 26 years, Sir Alex Ferguson has kept his Manchester United soccer club either at or near the top of competition, both in England and... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Sports; Entertainment & Recreation

20 May 2025
Blog Post

How Student-Proposed Internships Can Create Value

contemporary women’s fashion brand that blends European simplicity with California energy. Known for its elevated essentials and modern aesthetic, the company has carved out a niche in the affordable-luxury... View Details

December 1994
Case

Intel's Pentium: When the Chips Are Down (A)

By: Stephen A. Greyser and Norman Klein

Intel, the largest-selling manufacturer of microprocessor computer chips, finds itself in a brand-threatening situation when a flaw is revealed in its top-of-the-line Pentium chip. The story is front-page news for weeks. The company invested tens of millions of dollars... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Engineering; Crisis Management; Brands and Branding; Production; Failure; Semiconductor Industry

25 Feb 2019
News

Who Is Writing, & Who Is Teaching, The Best MBA Cases?

10 Jul 2014
News

"Companies are Throwing Money at Social Media"

October 2005 (Revised June 2006)
Case

The Turnaround of Chris-Craft

By: William A. Sahlman, Geremy Connor, Brian Doherty, Andrew Murphy and Taylor Smith

Describes a set of issues confronting the owners of Chris-Craft, a manufacturer of high-end boats. The company can invest in new monobrand stores, new boat designs, and brand extensions (e.g., apparel). The owners have also recently purchased Indian Head Motorcycle out... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Luxury; Brands and Branding; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

Find at Harvard

2015
Working Paper

Misconduct in Financial Services: Differences across Organizations

By: Jennifer Brown and Dylan Minor

We examine misconduct in financial services. We propose a theory in which experts extract surplus based on the value of their firm's brand and their own skills. Using sales complaint data for insurance agents, we find that agents working exclusively for large branded... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Insurance; Sales; Financial Services Industry; Insurance Industry

SSRN

Read Now

13 Apr 2016
Blog Post

3 Reasons Why Company Conversations Might Be Right For Your Organization

Participating in HBS recruiting events builds brand awareness and provides organizations the opportunity to connect with students. Here are 3 reasons why Company Conversations can be an effective recruiting... View Details

Keywords: All Industries

07 Nov 2007
Op-Ed

How Marketing Hype Hurt Boeing and Apple

damage to Apple brand equity among its core customers. After heavy blogging complaints about Apple exploiting its loyal followers, Steve Jobs had to apologize publicly (after a curt "That's technology" response fueled the fire)... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Aerospace; Consumer Products

12 Mar 2014
Research & Ideas

Entrepreneurship and Multinationals Drive Globalization

global standard. This was historically contingent on the unique circumstances prevailing at that time, but once the standard was in place, the marketing and branding strategies of firms helped to make it... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Beauty & Cosmetics; Manufacturing; Consumer Products; Pharmaceutical

Blog

HBS Online and Executive Education Leadership: Q+A with Patrick Mullane and Luis Viceira

organizations are working together well. That's the objective. This is not about restructuring; it's about getting the two organizations integrated. So HBS Online and Executive Education will maintain their own organizational structures?... View Details

May 2000
Case

To Trim or Not to Trim: That Is the Question

By: Srikant M. Datar

Should Novartis drop 20% of its global pharmaceutical product brands that account for only 3% of its pharmaceutical revenues? View Details

Keywords: Business Earnings; Cost vs Benefits; Business Strategy; Investment Return; Problems and Challenges; Pharmaceutical Industry

June 2008 (Revised April 2013)
Case

Bernd Beetz: Creating the New Coty

By: Geoffrey Jones and David Kiron

Considers the creation of the world's largest fragrance company by Bernd Beetz, appointed chief executive of Coty Inc. in 2001. In 1990 the German consumer goods company Benkiser began acquiring fragrance and cosmetics brands with the intent of developing a beauty... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Entrepreneurship; Globalized Firms and Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Germany; United States