Publications

26 Apr 2016
First Look

April 26

April 2016 Review of Economic Studies Landing the First Job: The Value of Intermediaries in Online Hiring By: Stanton, Christopher, and Catherine Thomas Abstract—Online markets for remote labor services allow workers and firms to contract with each other directly.... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Web

Systems Integration - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

treatment can be done in a regional facility closer to a patient’s home. The financial relationships in regional expansion programs has been trending toward increasing use of affiliation agreements and away from full mergers and View Details

July 2009 (Revised August 2011)
Case

What Happened at Citigroup? (A)

By: Clayton S. Rose and Aldo Sesia

What went wrong at Citigroup? In 1998, the Travelers Group and Citicorp merged to create Citigroup Inc., considered the first true global "financial supermarket" and a business model to be envied, feared, and emulated. By year-end 2006 the firm had a market... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Model; Decision Choices and Conditions; Globalized Firms and Management; Leadership; Risk Management; Failure; Financial Services Industry

19 Jan 2015
Research & Ideas

Is Wikipedia More Biased Than Encyclopædia Britannica?

For more than a century, the long, stately rows of Encyclopædia Britannica have been a fixture on the shelves of many an educated person's home—the smooshed-together diphthong in the first word a symbol of old-world erudition and gravitas. So it was a shock to many... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Publishing

12 Dec 2005
Research & Ideas

Using the Law to Strategic Advantage

acquisition or negotiate a contract to try to settle. If a case goes to litigation, you have already lost. As Priceline founder Jay Walker put it, it's not a matter of who wins, it's a matter of who loses less. If the initial settlement... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Legal Services

August 2018 (Revised February 2023)
Case

Hubble Contact Lenses: Data Driven Direct-to-Consumer Marketing

By: Jill Avery and Ayelet Israeli

As its Series A extension round approaches, the founders of Hubble, a subscription-based, social-media fueled, direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand of contact lenses, are reflecting on the marketing strategies that have taken them to a valuation of $200 million and debating... View Details

March 2020 (Revised March 2022)
Case

Wachtell Lipton: Focused Excellence

By: Ashish Nanda and Margaret Cross

For years, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz—a small, New York City law firm—has consistently boasted the highest profits per partner and one of the highest “prestige” ratings among U.S.-based law firms. The firm has remained loyal to a distinctive strategy ever since its... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Law; Mergers and Acquisitions; Legal Services Industry; New York (city, NY)

20 Oct 2023
News

Highlights from the Fall 2023 Alumni Board Meeting

a cost of customer acquisition that has more than doubled. In addition to managing those challenges, HBS Online is focused on staying engaged in the market, experimenting with emerging trends like AI, and launching new products. Notable... View Details

16 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Strategy and the Internet

structure of their industries, hastened competitive convergence, and reduced the likelihood that they or anyone else will gain a competitive advantage. A destructive, zero-sum form of competition has been set in motion that confuses the View Details

Keywords: by Michael E. Porter

March 2014
Case

Jurlique: Globalizing Beauty from Nature and Science

By: Geoffrey Jones and Andrew Spadafora

Considers the marketing and strategic challenges faced by natural beauty brands using the case of Australian-based Jurlique, which was acquired by Pola of Japan in 2011. The case opens two years later in July 2013 when Sam McKay, the chief executive officer, on a visit... View Details

Keywords: Australia; China; Environmental Strategies; Green Business; Marketing; Entrepreneurship; Globalization; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; China; Australia; United States

25 Jul 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas: July 25, 2017

forthcoming Journal of Political Economy Reserve Design: Unintended Consequences and the Demise of Boston's Walk Zones By: Dur, Umut, Scott Duke Kominers, Parag A. Pathak, and Tayfun Sönmez Abstract—Admissions policies often use reserves to grant certain applicants... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

04 Feb 2002
Research & Ideas

How a Juicy Brand Came Back to Life

Even now, mere mention of Quaker Oats' acquisition of Snapple causes veteran dealmakers to shudder. For good reason. In 1993, Quaker paid $1.7 billion for the Snapple brand, outbidding Coca-Cola, among other interested parties. In 1997,... View Details

Keywords: by John Deighton; Food & Beverage

30 May 2005
Research & Ideas

Six Steps for Making Your Threat Credible

would love to bid but only if your competitor stays out of the game. Rumors suggest that your competitor is willing to counter your bid, but you believe these are strategic leaks designed to scare you off. You know that your competitor probably doesn't have the... View Details

Keywords: by Deepak Malhotra

01 Jun 2023
News

Pet Project

data will confirm. The relative investment in driving new customer acquisition via retail is much lower than ecommerce, where driving site traffic is costly, and even SEO and referrals require investment. So a true apples-to-apples... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Retail Trade; Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, and Book Stores; Retail Trade

February 2008 (Revised December 2011)
Case

Weber Shandwick: The Client Relationship Leader Program

By: Robert G. Eccles and Kerry Herman

In 2002 Weber Shandwick, a leading global public relations agency, instituted a Client Relationship Leader (CRL) Program for its top 32 global accounts. The purpose of the program is to ensure that all of the firm's resources across geographies, practice areas, and... View Details

Keywords: Blogs; Competency and Skills; Customer Relationship Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Design; Social and Collaborative Networks; Competitive Advantage; Public Relations Industry