Publications

11 May 2010
First Look

First Look: May 11

Standard theories of corporate ownership assume that because markets are efficient, insiders ultimately bear agency costs and therefore have a strong incentive to minimize conflicts of interest with outside investors. We show that if... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 Sep 2004
News

Joe Toplyn (MBA 1979)

position that would blend my creative and management interests. Although I love dogs, it turned out that marketing dog food didn’t provide me with enough creative exercise. So I sidestepped into working for... View Details

Keywords: comedy writing; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Arts, Entertainment; Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries; Information

01 Nov 2019
Blog Post

Confronting Climate Change in the Classroom and Beyond

sources. Barclays estimates that markets for alternative meat could be worth $140 billion in 10 years. Here at HBS, business and the environment have a rich history and trajectory that distinguish us as a business school. BEI has 31... View Details

13 Feb 2017
Research & Ideas

Paid Search Ads Pay Off for Lesser-Known Restaurants

just on clicks and not on calls and direction requests, I’d be less inclined to think that Yelp ads work for these businesses.” Ad effectiveness best for small businesses In recent years, internet advertising has become the fastest-growing View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Food & Beverage

July 2022
Case

FIJI Water: Carbon Negative? (Abridged)

By: Michael W. Toffel, George Serafeim, Francesca Gino, Stephanie Van Sice and Tom Quinn

In the midst of increasing press scrutiny of the bottled water industry’s environmentally harmful practices, FIJI Water made a series of sustainability promises. The boldest of these was a pledge to go “carbon negative.” The company said that not only would they offset... View Details

Keywords: Carbon Footprint; Carbon Offsetting; Environmental Accounting; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Pollution; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Misleading and Fraudulent Advertising; Non-Governmental Organizations; Brands and Branding; Food and Beverage Industry; Fiji; United States

July 2024 (Revised January 2025)
Case

Dynamic Pricing at Wendy’s: Where’s the Beef?

By: Elie Ofek, Alicia Dadlani and Martha Hostetter

In early 2024, Wendy’s new CEO announced on an earnings call that the company would install digital menus in its US locations so it could begin testing dynamic pricing—changing prices up or down in response to shifts in supply and demand – as well as allow engaging in... View Details

Keywords: Dynamic Pricing; Marketing Strategy; Price; Technology Adoption; Consumer Behavior; AI and Machine Learning; Customer Focus and Relationships; Policy; Food and Beverage Industry

June 1993 (Revised December 1995)
Case

Frito-Lay, Inc.: The Navigator Project (A)

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Richard O. Mason and Melinda Conrad

Provides an overview of the company's recent organizational changes followed by a discussion of the company's new sales promotion software, "Promotion Planner." The president of Frito-Lay's central division must decide how he should proceed with the rollout of this new... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Technology Adoption; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Trends; Innovation Strategy; Marketing Communications; Decision Choices and Conditions; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

Find at Harvard

September 1974 (Revised April 1975)
Case

Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. (A)

At the conclusion of a small-scale pilot survey, management must decide whether to invest in a larger survey or terminate the project. The objective of the study is to use psychographic measurement techniques to study the alternative positions of cranberry sauce.... View Details

Keywords: Surveys; Product Positioning; Mathematical Methods; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

01 Oct 2000
News

Mario A. Corti: Global Reconnaissance

economic battlefield, emerging markets like Russia -- where Nestlé is active -- represent valuable new territory for the highly competitive consumer foods business. Nestlé, the world's largest packaged-food... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons

October 2008 (Revised September 2011)
Supplement

PepsiCo's Bid for Quaker Oats (C)

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin

Third in a series of PepsiCo's bid for Quaker Oats. Describes the auction for Quaker Oats including terms of the bids. After winning the auction, Coke's stock price fell dramatically. Coke's Board then refused to approve the deal and withdrew. Quaker then approached... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Stocks; Governing and Advisory Boards; Auctions; Bids and Bidding; Negotiation Tactics; Valuation; Food and Beverage Industry

December 2010
Teaching Note

VeeV on the Rocks? (TN)

By: Christopher Marquis, Joshua D. Margolis and Bobbi Thomason

Teaching Note for 410006. View Details

Keywords: Quality; Ownership Stake; Growth and Development; Problems and Challenges; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Brands and Branding; Food and Beverage Industry

07 Aug 2017
Research & Ideas

'Be Yourself (Within Reason)' and Other Job Search Survival Tips

their first response isn’t, “That’s so cool!” Silverthorne: I was surprised by your emphasis on physical training and food strategies. Is the academic job market that rigorous? Rouen: To be fair, I have no... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Accounting; Education

26 Sep 2013
Research & Ideas

Behind India’s Economic and Political Woes

of all, I'll say that this isn't a crisis, but a significant correction. It's the result of a general reduction in confidence in the Indian economy and, in turn, has fed further angst. The fall of the rupee comes at a time of corrections to other emerging View Details

Keywords: by Zeenat Potia

October 1996 (Revised November 1996)
Case

Boston Beer Company: Samuel Adams, Brewmaster Leading a Revolution

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Mollie H. Carter

Boston Beer Co. revolutionized the beer industry by identifying and responding to a new consumer segment. Using the excess capacity in the brewing industry to establish contract brewing arrangements and an extremely capable sales force, the company opened the... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Leadership; Product Marketing; Product Development; Production; Quality; Salesforce Management; Segmentation; Food and Beverage Industry