Publications

January 2002
Case

Banco Solidario: The Business of Microfinance

Examines the founding and evolution of a for-profit microlending organization in Bolivia. Explores the mechanics of microlending, nonprofit and for-profit approaches to serving the informal sector, and how the industry evolves over a 15-year period. View Details

Keywords: Microfinance; Emerging Markets; Bolivia

March 2014
Background Note

Setting Price Effectively

By: Nava Ashraf and Kristin Johnson

Price is one of the most powerful instruments a manager can use to influence the take-up of her product, especially in a subsidized and noncompetitive market as is common for global health products. However, the question of whether and how to price has been the subject... View Details

17 Aug 2006
Working Paper Summaries

Corporate Governance and Networks: Bankers in the Corporate Networks of Brazil, Mexico, and the United States circa 1910

Keywords: by Aldo Musacchio

20 Nov 2012
Working Paper Summaries

Pay Harmony: Peer Comparison and Executive Compensation

Keywords: by Claudine Gartenberg & Julie Wulf

07 Aug 2000
Research & Ideas

Rocket Science Retailing

that have not been shipped. This process of reading and reacting to market signals has improved CompUSA's ability to match supply with demand. Finally, book and music retailer Borders Group uses historical sales data to customize the... View Details

Keywords: by Marshall L. Fisher, Ananth Raman & Anna Sheen McClelland; Retail

05 Apr 2004
What Do You Think?

Should We Brace Ourselves for Another Era of M&A Value Destruction?

enterprise market values as well as greater disparities between them suggests that an upturn in mergers and acquisitions can't be far behind. Unfortunately, if research is any guide, the operative question is whether more or less value... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

June 2021
Case

uBiome

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Olivia Graham

uBiome provided clinical tests that sequenced the DNA of human microbiome samples, providing data on health conditions directly to consumers or to prescribing physicians. Founded in 2012, the San Francisco-based startup raised $105 million from top-tier venture capital... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Crime and Corruption; Insolvency and Bankruptcy

Article

All Eyes on Them: A Field Experiment on Citizen Oversight and Electoral Integrity

By: Natalia Garbiras-Díaz and Mateo Montenegro

Can information and communication technologies help citizens monitor their elections? We analyze a large-scale field experiment designed to answer this question in Colombia. We leveraged Facebook advertisements sent to over 4 million potential voters to encourage... View Details

Keywords: Social Influence; Electoral Behavior; Election Outcomes; Economics; Economy; Governance; Government and Politics; Social Media; Social Marketing; Society; Political Elections; Advertising

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February 2021 (Revised February 2021)
Background Note

eGrocery and the Role of Data for CPG Firms

By: Ayelet Israeli, Fedor (Ted) Lisitsyn and Mark A. Irwin

This notes provides information about the eGrocery industry and how traditional CPG companies handle this channel and potential data. It is recommended to use together with a series of exercises entitled: "E-Commerce Analytics for CPG Firms (A), (B), and (C)." View Details

October 2003 (Revised January 2016)
Exercise

The BCPC Internet Strategy Team: An Exercise

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Laura Feldman

This short fictional case forms the basis of a team decision-making exercise. The case, inspired by a real decision facing a major telecommunications company, describes a cross-functional management team convened by the CEO for the purpose of developing a... View Details

Keywords: Groups and Teams; Decision Making; Risk and Uncertainty; Information Management; Perspective; Product Launch; Internet and the Web; Knowledge Sharing; Telecommunications Industry

André Perold is a Founder, Partner, and Chief Investment Officer of HighVista Strategies, a Boston-based investment firm. HighVista focuses on investing in structurally inefficient public and private markets, including in life sciences, lower middle market private... View Details

Keywords: information; information; information; information; information

June 1998 (Revised September 1998)
Case

Case for Brand Loyalty, A

Brand loyalty is one of the core concepts of the marketing discipline that has enjoyed practical and academic attention for over 75 years. The era of relationship marketing, with its focus on retaining customers for life, has instilled yet greater interest in the... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Brands and Branding

February 2000 (Revised June 2002)
Case

Development of the Internet in China (A), The: Challenges and Opportunities

Explores the development of the Internet in China. Starts with background information on China, the Internet, and several common Internet business models. Discusses regulatory and business obstacles to the growth of e-commerce in China. Finally, presents forecasts and... View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Emerging Markets; Retail Industry; China

July 1996 (Revised July 2009)
Background Note

Antitrust and Competitive Strategy from the 1990s to 2008 (Condensed)

Describes U.S. antitrust policy, including major judicial decisions and their impact on competitive strategy. Omits information on the history of antitrust policy and on the specific prohibitions of the various acts. View Details

Keywords: Judgments; Policy; Laws and Statutes; Monopoly; Business and Government Relations; Competitive Strategy; United States

2023
Working Paper

Beyond the Hype: Unveiling the Marginal Benefits of 3D Virtual Tours in Real Estate

By: Mengxia Zhang and Isamar Troncoso

3D virtual tours (VTs) have become a popular digital tool in real estate platforms, enabling potential buyers to virtually walk through the houses they search for online. In this paper, we study home sellers’ adoption of VTs and the VTs’ relative benefits compared to... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; AI and Machine Learning; Technology Adoption; Real Estate Industry

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2014
Working Paper

The Global Agglomeration of Multinational Firms

By: Laura Alfaro and Maggie Chen

The explosion of multinational activities in recent decades is rapidly transforming the global landscape of industrial production. But are the emerging clusters of multinational production the rule or the exception? What drives the offshore agglomeration of... View Details

Keywords: Geographic Location; Multinational Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Market Entry and Exit; Industry Clusters

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03 Feb 2015
First Look

First Look: February 3

Publications February 2015 Journal of Finance The Effect of Providing Peer Information on Retirement Savings Decisions By: Beshears, John, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian, and Katherine L. Milkman Abstract—Using a... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2018
Chapter

Competing Interests

By: Joel Goh

Book Abstract: The editors, aided by a team of internationally acclaimed experts, have curated this timely volume to help newcomers and seasoned researchers alike to rapidly comprehend a diverse set of thrusts and tools in this rapidly growing cross-disciplinary field.... View Details

Keywords: Healthcare; Analytics; Health Care and Treatment; Research; Competition

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December 2008
Article

The Teaching of Strategy: From General Manager to Analyst and Back Again?

By: Joseph L. Bower

Courses in strategy are an outgrowth of the business policy course first taught at Harvard Business School in 1912. This article examines how the teaching of a course concerned with the development and implementation of the goals and policies of a firm changed during... View Details

Keywords: Business Education; Curriculum and Courses; Teaching; Policy; Business History; Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy