Publications

December 2022
Case

Mission Produce in 2022

By: Forest Reinhardt, Jose B. Alvarez and Natalie Kindred

Founded by CEO Steve Barnard in 1983, California-based Mission Produce was a leading supplier of Hass avocados with a global sourcing, marketing, and distribution network and $892 million in 2021 sales. Barnard had been influential in the global avocado trade’s... View Details

Keywords: Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States; California; Peru; Guatemala; Colombia; Mexico; Chile

Web

Confronting Climate Change - Business & Environment

largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and the largest contributor to climate change. Food & Agriculture Focusing on regenerative agriculture Food View Details

01 Mar 2024
News

Unlocking the Power of Community

When Tara Fung (MBA 2016) explains Co:Create, the company she cofounded in 2022 and now leads as CEO, she doesn’t mention Web3 first. “We help innovative brands and creators unlock the power of community,” she explains. Co:Create does this with a new, gamified approach... View Details

Keywords: April White

January 2010 (Revised July 2011)
Case

Hindustan Unilever Limited

By: Thomas J. DeLong and Mona Srivastava

This case illustrates Hindustan Unilever Limited's conflict resolution and people development policies using a “leading from the middle” example. The story centers on the challenges faced by an HR manager at a factory who must meet organizational objectives while... View Details

Keywords: Employee Relationship Management; Labor Unions; Leadership; Goals and Objectives; Managerial Roles; Conflict Management; Food and Beverage Industry; India

Web

Topics - HBS Working Knowledge

Financial Markets (22) Financial Reporting (7) Financial Statements (1) Financial Strategy (11) Financing and Loans (22) Food (12) For-Profit Firms (1) Forecasting and... View Details

22 Mar 2013
Research & Ideas

Pulling Campbell’s Out of the Soup

Douglas Conant is an introvert. But when he took over as president and CEO of struggling Campbell Soup Co., he realized he had to break out of his comfort zone, get in front of his staff, and make some bold... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Food & Beverage

17 Dec 2008
Lessons from the Classroom

‘Ted Levitt Changed My Life’

later: "What business are you really in?" "An industry begins with the customer and his or her needs, not with a patent, a raw material, or a selling skill," wrote Levitt, citing the... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Education; Retail

11 Jul 2019
Sharpening Your Skills

Deconstructing 'Customer Experience'

Legendary Harvard Business School marketing professor Theodore Levitt warned his students and industry executives against “marketing myopia”—that is, adopting an insular marketing approach where the business... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail; Service

September 1983 (Revised December 1985)
Case

Dunkin' Donuts (C): Growth Strategy

By: Hirotaka Takeuchi

Dunkin' Donuts franchises and operates retail donut shops for take-home and in-shop consumption. Looks at three growth alternatives: 1) More shops (owned or franchised); 2) A broader product line; and 3) More advertising. Raises important issues related to franchise... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Brands and Branding; Logistics; Franchise Ownership; Relationships; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

13 Mar 2018
First Look

March 13, 2018

of firm-level total factor productivity (TFP), sales and cash-flow, higher probabilities to engage in R&D, and export. We find no significant effects for firms from View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

11 Nov 2014
First Look

First Look: November 11

Publications November 2014 Harvard Business Review Cooks Make Tastier Food When They Can See Their Customers By: Buell, Ryan W., Tami Kim, and Chia-Jung Tsay Abstract—While existing theory suggests that... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

13 Mar 2023
Op-Ed

How Leaders Should Leave

want to acknowledge the value you have added to the organization and publicly wish you success in your endeavors. It’s important that you ask your boss if you can see and contribute to the announcement... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

December 2018 (Revised December 2019)
Case

Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters

By: Alexander MacKay and Ramon Casadesus-Masanell

At the end of 2016, the leadership team of Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters—Robert Peck, Chase Damiano, and Jeremy Martin—had begun an ambitious retail expansion strategy in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for their specialty coffee business. That October, they... View Details

Keywords: Cold Brew Coffee; Specialty Coffee; On-premise Coffee Market; Retail Expansion Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Business Model; Brands and Branding; Expansion; Strategy; Decision Making; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry