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- All HBS Web (627)
- Faculty Publications (268)
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- All HBS Web (627)
- Faculty Publications (268)
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- January 2000 (Revised June 2000)
- Case
Alloy.com: Marketing to Generation Y
By: John A. Deighton and Gil McWilliams
A profitable dot com company? Alloy.com retails clothing to teens by catalog. Alloy uses a Web site to convert prospects and build community. The result is a business with the economics of a direct marketer and the market capitalization of an Internet start-up. The... View Details
Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Internet and the Web; Business and Community Relations; Partners and Partnerships; Customer Relationship Management; Decision Choices and Conditions; Business Startups; Information Technology Industry; Consumer Products Industry
Deighton, John A., and Gil McWilliams. "Alloy.com: Marketing to Generation Y." Harvard Business School Case 500-048, January 2000. (Revised June 2000.) (request a courtesy copy.)
- May 2016 (Revised January 2018)
- Case
Improving Repurchase Rates at zulily
By: Thales Teixeira and Sarah McAra
In February 2015, zulily cofounder and CEO Darrell Cavens faced a major challenge in his business, a Seattle-based daily deals site that catered to moms. The more he spent to acquire new customers, the less he retained them in the form of repeat purchases. This was an... View Details
Keywords: Zulily; Repurchase; E-commerce; Online Shopping; Fashion; Customer Relationship Management; Internet and the Web; Digital Marketing; Customer Satisfaction; Fashion Industry; Retail Industry; Seattle
Teixeira, Thales, and Sarah McAra. "Improving Repurchase Rates at zulily." Harvard Business School Case 516-083, May 2016. (Revised January 2018.)
- October 2023 (Revised May 2024)
- Case
Thermo Fisher Scientific: Foray into Contract Research
By: Satish Tadikonda, William Marks and Kevin Emancipator
After publicly declaring that they would not enter the contract research organization (CRO) business in 2017, Thermo Fisher purchased Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD), one of the biggest players in the CRO space, in 2021. Much had changed in the intervening... View Details
Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Customer Focus and Relationships; Corporate Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Biotechnology Industry
Tadikonda, Satish, William Marks, and Kevin Emancipator. "Thermo Fisher Scientific: Foray into Contract Research." Harvard Business School Case 824-073, October 2023. (Revised May 2024.)
- 18 Apr 2007
- HBS Case
How Magazine Luiza Courts the Poor
"Magazine Luiza: Building a Retail Model of 'Courting the Poor.'" "Magazine Luiza has made a business of targeting the bottom of the pyramid and is beloved as a company by employees and customers alike," Frei says.... View Details
- August 2014
- Case
Rent the Runway (Abridged)
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann, Brent Goldfarb and David A. Kirsch
Two months after a successful launch In November 2009, the cofounders of Rent the Runway (RTR), a website that rented designer dresses, are debating whether to grow their startup at a measured pace and focus on improving operational effectiveness, or raise a new round... View Details
Keywords: Lean Startup; Electronic Commerce; Fashion; Expansion; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; E-commerce; Fashion Industry
Eisenmann, Thomas R., Brent Goldfarb, and David A. Kirsch. "Rent the Runway (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Case 815-055, August 2014.
- April 18, 2023
- Article
The Rebirth of Software as a Service
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Jacco van der Kooij
Traditional sales models focus on customer acquisition and the “funnel” or “pipeline” metrics that dominate talk about sales. But this approach falls short when applied to a recurring revenue business, where the customer life cycle looks more like a bowtie, not a... View Details
Cespedes, Frank V., and Jacco van der Kooij. "The Rebirth of Software as a Service." Harvard Business Review (website) (April 18, 2023).
- March 1999 (Revised January 2005)
- Case
Newell Company: Corporate Strategy
By: Cynthia A. Montgomery and Elizabeth Gordon
In 1998, Newell Co., a manufacturer of low-tech, high-volume consumer goods, acquired Calphalon Corp., a high-end cookware company, and Rubbermaid, a $2 billion manufacturer of consumer and commercial plastic products. The case focuses on Newell's strategy and its... View Details
Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Consumer Products Industry
Montgomery, Cynthia A., and Elizabeth Gordon. "Newell Company: Corporate Strategy." Harvard Business School Case 799-139, March 1999. (Revised January 2005.)
- April 2019
- Case
Afterpay U.S.: The Omnichannel Dilemma
By: Antonio Moreno, Donald Ngwe and George Gonzalez
In 2018, Nick Molnar, the founder of the Australia-based online payment service Afterpay began its expansion to the U.S. market. The service had gained a loyal following in Australia by enabling customers to pay for online purchases through four interest-free... View Details
Keywords: Omnichannel Retail; Multi-sided Platforms; Value Creation; Business Model Innovation; Fintech; Digital Marketing; Disruptive Innovation; Business Startups; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Change Management; Customer Value and Value Chain; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Satisfaction; Financing and Loans; Microfinance; Global Strategy; Marketing Channels; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Digital Platforms; Product Development; Supply Chain Management; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Networks; Network Effects; Internet and the Web; Financial Services Industry; Retail Industry; Technology Industry; United States; Australia
Moreno, Antonio, Donald Ngwe, and George Gonzalez. "Afterpay U.S.: The Omnichannel Dilemma." Harvard Business School Case 519-086, April 2019.
- April 2012 (Revised March 2013)
- Case
Social Strategy at American Express
By: Mikolaj Jan Piskorski and David Chen
American Express has developed a number of strategic partnerships with Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter to improve their card members experience and lower its customer acquisition cost. The case details the history of these partnerships, examines American Express' own... View Details
Piskorski, Mikolaj Jan, and David Chen. "Social Strategy at American Express." Harvard Business School Case 712-447, April 2012. (Revised March 2013.)
- March 2012
- Case
Schuberg Philis
By: Thomas J. DeLong and Daniela Beyersdorfer
The Dutch professional service firm Schuberg Philis has within a few years grown into a well-known player in the Dutch IT outsourcing market and regularly wins high customer- satisfaction marks. The growing workload and 100% promise to customers have increased the... View Details
Keywords: Growth Management; Organizational Culture; Management Style; Alignment; Information Technology Industry; Netherlands
DeLong, Thomas J., and Daniela Beyersdorfer. "Schuberg Philis." Harvard Business School Case 412-092, March 2012.
- September 2016 (Revised September 2017)
- Case
Collage.com: Scaling a Distributed Organization
By: Christopher Stanton and Shikhar Ghosh
Kevin Borders and Joe Golden, co-founders and co-CEOs of Collage.com, must decide how to grow their custom photo-products startup in the face of fierce competition. From 2011 through 2016, the business evolved from a hobby to a startup with $22 million in revenue and... View Details
Keywords: Remote Work; Internet and the Web; Organizational Structure; Competitive Strategy; Employees; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Service Industry
Stanton, Christopher, and Shikhar Ghosh. "Collage.com: Scaling a Distributed Organization." Harvard Business School Case 817-038, September 2016. (Revised September 2017.)
- March 2021 (Revised February 2025)
- Teaching Note
Afterpay U.S.: The Omnichannel Dilemma
By: Antonio Moreno and Anibha Singh
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 519-086. In 2018, Nick Molnar, the founder of the Australia-based online payment service Afterpay began its expansion to the U.S. market. The service had gained a loyal following in Australia by enabling customers to pay for online... View Details
Keywords: Omnichannel Retail; Digital Marketing; Business Startups; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Change Management; Customer Value and Value Chain; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Satisfaction; Financing and Loans; Microfinance; Global Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Digital Platforms; Product Development; Supply Chain Management; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Networks; Network Effects; Internet and the Web; Financial Services Industry; Technology Industry; United States; Australia
- September 2010
- Case
Angie's List
Angie's List is a paid subscription-based service that gives consumers online access to member-submitted reviews of plumbers, electricians, and other home service providers. Customer and revenue growth are strong, but customer acquisition costs are high and the company... View Details
- August 2019
- Case
ClearScore, 2018
By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock
In October 2017, Experian, one of the “Big Three” consumer credit reporting agencies in the United Kingdom made an offer to acquire ClearScore for a total consideration of £293 million. Founded by Justin Basini, Dan Cobley, and Nigel Morris in 2014, ClearScore was the... View Details
Keywords: Fintech; Financial Services; Credit Card; Credit Scores; Startup; Start-up; Startup Financing; Startup Marketing; "Marketing Analytics"; Regulation; Lending; Television Advertising; Entrepreneur; Entrepreneurial Mindset; Entrepreneurial Ventures; Entrepreneurs; Global Business; Rapid Growth Stage; Risk; Net Present Value; Testing; Testing Strategy; Geographies; Mergers & Acquisitions; Finance; Strategy; Credit; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Expansion; Mergers and Acquisitions; Financial Services Industry; United Kingdom; South Africa
Wells, John R., and Benjamin Weinstock. "ClearScore, 2018." Harvard Business School Case 720-369, August 2019.
- 02 Apr 2001
- Research & Ideas
Not All M&As Are Alike—and That Matters
however. The thousands of deals that academics, consultants, and businesspeople lump together as mergers and acquisitions actually represent very different strategic activities. Acquisitions occur for five... View Details
Keywords: by Joseph L. Bower
- May 2024
- Supplement
HubSpot and Motion AI (B): Generative AI Opportunities
By: Jill Avery
The technologies driving artificial intelligence (AI) had progressed significantly since HubSpot’s acquisition of Motion AI in 2017. Generative AI was the newest major development. Software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies such as HubSpot were analyzing how generative AI... View Details
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; CRM; Chatbots; Sales Management; Generative Ai; SaaS; Marketing; Sales; AI and Machine Learning; Customer Relationship Management; Applications and Software; Technological Innovation; Competitive Advantage; Technology Industry; United States
Avery, Jill. "HubSpot and Motion AI (B): Generative AI Opportunities." Harvard Business School Supplement 524-088, May 2024.
- December 2000
- Background Note
Online Retailers
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Alastair Brown
Describes online retailers, companies that use the Internet to sell physical goods. Defines online retailers and describes different ways to categorize them. Explores their economic model and value proposition for consumers in comparison with offline retailers. Next,... View Details
Eisenmann, Thomas R., and Alastair Brown. "Online Retailers." Harvard Business School Background Note 801-306, December 2000.
- October 2016 (Revised February 2019)
- Case
PTC: A Transformation to IoT
By: Rajiv Lal and Sarah McAra
In the 2010s, PTC, a leading provider of software for discrete manufacturers, faced maturing markets and changing customer needs as smart, connected products took hold—the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT). PTC saw a first mover advantage in entering the IoT space... View Details
- September 2007 (Revised December 2008)
- Case
Michael Fernandes at Nicholas Piramal
By: Michel Anteby and Nitin Nohria
Michael Fernandes, the Director of Custom Manufacturing Operations at the pharmaceutical company Nicholas Piramal India Limited (NPIL), schedules a meeting with three of his reports, whose interpersonal conflicts with one another are causing his business development... View Details
Keywords: Interpersonal Communication; Management Skills; Groups and Teams; Conflict Management; Cooperation; Pharmaceutical Industry; India; United Kingdom; Canada
Anteby, Michel, and Nitin Nohria. "Michael Fernandes at Nicholas Piramal." Harvard Business School Case 408-001, September 2007. (Revised December 2008.)
- April 2003 (Revised December 2003)
- Background Note
Winning the Influence Game: Corporate Diplomacy and Business Strategy
Provides a framework for influencing key outside players--businesses, governments, and NGOs--in support of business strategy. This could mean negotiating contracts with major customers and suppliers, concluding acquisitions and alliances, and securing financing from... View Details
Watkins, Michael D. "Winning the Influence Game: Corporate Diplomacy and Business Strategy." Harvard Business School Background Note 903-096, April 2003. (Revised December 2003.)