Customer Centric Initiative - Publications - Faculty & Research

01 Sep 2012
News

An Intellectual Capital: Some Influential HBS Ideas, at a Glance

In “Marketing Myopia” in HBR, Ted Levitt (below) famously asks “What business are you in?” and insists that customer focus be paramount. 1977 Abraham Zaleznik raises a provocative, game-changing question in “Managers and Leaders: Are They... View Details

Keywords: Professor Elton Mayo: Professor Fritz Roethlisberger; George M. Moffett Professor of Agriculture and Business, Professor Emeritus Ray A. Goldberg; Professor Abraham Zaleznik; Professor Alfred Chandler; Professor Michael Porter; Professor Robert S. Kaplan; Professor Michael C. Jensen; Professor C. Roland Christensen; Professor Robert Menton; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

01 Mar 2008
News

Negotiating with Wal-Mart

joint vision and problem-solving process, information sharing, and generally moving away from the “lowest common denominator” pricing issues that had defined their interactions previously. From 1987, when Muccio initiated the changes, to... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; General Merchandise Stores; Retail Trade

06 Aug 2020
News

Defining Flex Work

estimated that some 30 percent of women would leave the professional world to become caregivers, but that 70 percent would have stayed if they had access to a flexible schedule. It was an “aha” moment for Auerbach. She initially launched... View Details

01 Dec 2000
News

Core Values Keep Airline Flying High

Airline Industry Program at MIT, an initiative examining how major commercial airline carriers are facing the challenges of their rapidly changing industry. Staying on top of an industry facing more regulation (including the Airline... View Details

Keywords: Margie Kelley; Air Transportation; Transportation

01 Jun 2022
News

Ink: Start Small, Rise Above

Nourish: We built a great line of formula-ready baby bottles, and we found a solid customer base. The unit economics made sense. The branding was great, and we were seemingly successful. Then we got a big order with Whole Foods, the dream... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint

01 Apr 2002
News

Student Conferences Spark Discussion, Promote Interaction

we think about everything," he remarked. "Information technology has to march in lockstep with business," agreed Verizon CIO Shaygan Kheradpir. Software that automates complex transactions and expanding customer service on the Web are... View Details

Keywords: H Naylor Fitzhugh; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

01 Jan 2005
News

Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., MBA 1965

twenty years ago the company was unprepared for changes in the marketplace as competitors emerged that offered clients individual pieces of the technology package, such as a database program or storage device. This brought about increased options and lower prices for... View Details

01 Sep 2011
News

Charged Up

out of MIT, A123’s patented rechargeable batteries include a breakthrough Nanophosphate powder that increases conductivity, providing higher power levels and longer battery life. With initial applications for commercial View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; batteries; Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing; Manufacturing

01 Jun 1996
News

New Releases

Initiative at Arthur Andersen, in their new book, Broken Promises: An Unconventional View of What Went Wrong at IBM. Based on interviews with IBM executives, company records, and surveys of the company's customers, Broken Promises is a... View Details

01 Oct 1997
News

Expanded Elective Curriculum Offers Students A Wealth of Choices

Management and Entrepreneurial Finance, continue to broaden their scope and impact on entrepreneurial studies at HBS. The EC also now offers many small, innovative courses such as Professor Elon Kohlberg's Analytical Reasoning, Professor Gerald Zaltman's View Details

25 Feb 2020
News

How Artificial Intelligence is Changing Business

improve customer targeting, streamline supply chains, and develop new products and services are addressed in the 70 cases published by HBS faculty. The School’s Digital Initiative serves as a hub for this... View Details

Keywords: Susan Young

01 Jun 1998
News

Diversity and Community

imperative. (photograph by Jamie Tanaka) "At IBM," Gerstner said at the ceremony, "we're diverse by design, not mandate. With customers in more than 160 countries, our workforce has to reflect the rich array of cultures, perspectives, and... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons

04 Sep 2019
News

Clicks and Mortar

has to create a branded experience that goes beyond the purely transactional—one that aims to build a relationship with the customer and communicate the brand in an experiential way. There’s still a purpose for physical shopping in... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Retail Trade

01 Dec 1997
News

Growing Together

Since its official launch four years ago, the School's Initiative on Social Enterprise has flourished, providing ever-greater support and know-how for HBS students, alumni, and nonprofit leaders who are keen on bringing their expertise to... View Details

Keywords: Marguerite Rigoglioso and Nancy O. Perry

25 Aug 2022
News

Labs Enable Large-scale Research

are focusing on retraining (upskilling/reskilling) initiatives aimed at either equipping “at-risk” workers with skills relevant to new digital technologies, or helping them leverage existing skills across different occupations enabled by... View Details

23 Oct 2019
News

Preparing Leaders to Leverage Artificial Intelligence

learning techniques to draw conclusions that weren’t possible with traditional methods, and creating new machine learning approaches and algorithms. They have published more than 70 cases that address AI uses such as how to improve View Details

Keywords: Intellectual Ambition; Pathbreaking Research; Artificial Intelligence

01 Feb 1997
News

OPM Celebrates 21st Anniversary at Gala Florida Reunion

H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking. Drawing on his extensive research on a subject he calls his "passion" - customer loyalty - Sasser led a lively discussion on the topic of customer retention that... View Details

01 Sep 2018
News

Ask the Expert: Delivering the Goods

expectations with promises of same-day delivery, the logistics industry is looking to completely new models, like crowdsourcing, autonomous technology, and on-demand delivery. Robert Reisner (MBA 1971), who led the Postal Service’s technology and strategic planning... View Details