Publications

April 2024
Case

Managing AI Risks in Consumer Banking

By: Suraj Srinivasan, Satish Tadikonda, Paul Dongha, Manoj Saxena and Radhika Kak

In early 2024, Ruth Jones, head of digital banking at Signa Bank, a (fictitious) European consumer bank, was thinking about how to best incorporate GenAI capabilities to improve efficiencies and create new ways to improve the customer experience. Where were the biggest... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; AI and Machine Learning; Risk Management; Opportunities; Customization and Personalization; Banking Industry; Europe

January 1979 (Revised February 1987)
Background Note

Note on Market and Consumer Research

Discusses scope of market and consumer research, steps in the research process, and how managers use research in marketing and decision-making. View Details

Keywords: Research; Marketing; Decision Making

June 2021
Case

Mobileye 2021: Robotaxi and/or Consumer AV?

By: David B. Yoffie, Danielle Golan and Nicole Tempest Keller

In March 2021, Amnon Shashua, co-founder and CEO of Israel-based Mobileye, was preparing to meet with Intel’s new CEO, Pat Gelsinger, to review plans for the future. Mobileye had been acquired by California-based Intel in 2017, but still operated independently.... View Details

Keywords: Technology Companies; Robotics; Autonomous Vehicles; Strategy; Decision Making; Transportation; Technological Innovation; Technology Industry; Auto Industry; Transportation Industry; Israel

2015
Book

The Cambridge Handbook of Consumer Psychology

By: Michael I. Norton, Derek D. Rucker and Cait Lamberton

Why do consumers make the purchases they do, and which ones make them truly happy? Why are consumers willing to spend huge sums of money to appear high status? This handbook addresses these key questions and many more. It provides a comprehensive overview of consumer... View Details

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February 1987 (Revised January 1989)
Case

SmithKline Consumer Products: The Contac Relaunch

In March 1986, a tamperer contaminated CONTAC Cold Capsules, SmithKline Consumer Product's most popular product. To relaunch CONTAC after withdrawing it from the market, the management team had to present a plan of action to the corporation board. They knew CONTAC's 25... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Crisis Management; Product Launch; Pharmaceutical Industry

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November 1996 (Revised October 1998)
Case

Reynolds Metals Company: Consumer Products Division

Reynolds Consumer Products Division must decide whether to discontinue its program of case allowances in favor of discretionary trade dollars targeted for market development. View Details

Keywords: Marketing Channels; Consumer Products Industry

Research Summary

Relative Thinking and Consumer Choice

By: Joshua R. Schwartzstein

Fixed differences appear smaller when compared to large differences. Professor Schwartzstein has proposed a model of relative thinking, in which a person weighs a given change by less when he compares it to a larger range. Relative thinking implies that a person is... View Details

May 2020 (Revised August 2022)
Teaching Note

Direct to Consumer Brands

By: Sunil Gupta

In recent years, we have seen a dramatic rise of direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands. Many of these brands, such as Dollar Shave Club, Harry’s, Glossier, and Allbirds, entered mature markets dominated by established companies, and yet they grew rapidly to attain valuations... View Details

Keywords: Direct-to-consumer; Digital Marketing; Industry Evolution; Business Startups; Internet and the Web; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Change; Consumer Behavior

21 May 2018
News

Consumers Care About CEO-Employee Pay Ratios

Fast Answer

Health care: consumer expenditure

Where can I find data on health care consumer expenditure? You may browse or search the following resource by using keywords: health care consumer spending: United States: Statista CMS National... View Details

Web

Consumer Information | MBA

Consumer Information The following links on a variety of subjects are designed to help visitors to the site locate important information about Harvard Business School (HBS). Presentation of the information complies with the Higher... View Details

August 1995 (Revised January 1997)
Exercise

Consumer Behavior Exercise (E)

By: John A. Deighton and Susan M. Fournier

Students are instructed to interview a recent purchaser of a high-involvement product or service in depth about his/her ownership and usage experiences. The exercise provides students with first-hand understanding of important concepts in consumption domain (e.g.,... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior

1981
Article

A Consumer Based Approach for Establishing Priorities in Consumer Information Programs: Implications for Public Policy

By: Rohit Deshpandé and S. Krishnan

Although there exists substantial research on the style and format of consumer information programs, little attention has been devoted to the critical issue of whether consumers need new information at all. A conceptual approach to systematically assess this... View Details

Keywords: Information; Consumer Behavior; Research

Read Now

26 Feb 2011
News

Consumers Hold On to Products Longer

September 2015 (Revised February 2020)
Case

Managing Consumer Touchpoints at Nissan Japan

By: Thales Teixeira, Nobuo Sato and Akiko Kanno

In 2015, Nissan was third place in the Japanese auto market, behind Toyota and Honda. The challenge of increasing market share was that 80% of car shoppers who were non-Nissan owners did not consider Nissan during their purchase process. This process involved three... View Details

Keywords: Nissan; Automobiles; Cars; Touch Points; Digital Marketing; Internet and the Web; Marketing Channels; Advertising; Auto Industry; Japan

August 1995 (Revised January 1997)
Exercise

Consumer Behavior Exercise (F)

By: John A. Deighton and Susan M. Fournier

Students are instructed to interview a recent purchaser of a high-involvement/ego-expressive product or service in depth about his/her ownership and usage experiences. The exercise provides students with first-hand understanding of important concepts in consumption... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior

August 1995 (Revised January 1997)
Exercise

Consumer Behavior Exercise (D)

By: John A. Deighton and Susan M. Fournier

Students are instructed to interview a recent purchaser of a low-involvement product or service in depth about his/her ownership and usage experiences. The exercise provides students with first-hand understanding of important concepts in consumption domain (e.g.,... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior