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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(562)
- News (89)
- Research (410)
- Events (4)
- Multimedia (1)
- Faculty Publications (259)
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- September 1991 (Revised October 1991)
- Background Note
LIFO or FIFO? That Is the Question
By: William J. Bruns Jr.
Excerpts from annual reports of Blount, Inc., Penn Central Corp., and Quaker Oats. Shows changes in inventory valuation from FIFO to LIFO and LIFO to FIFO. Intended to promote a discussion of assumed cost flows through inventory accounts, accounting method changes, the... View Details
Keywords: Accounting
Bruns, William J., Jr. "LIFO or FIFO? That Is the Question." Harvard Business School Background Note 192-046, September 1991. (Revised October 1991.)
- Research Summary
Information and Control in Modern Manufacturing
Ratna Sarkar's research in management accounting focuses on the effect of information and incentives on performance. She has investigated the role of worker empowerment, training and inventory in modern manufacturing settings and her findings suggest that these... View Details
- August 2014
- Case
Three Jays Corporation
By: Paul Marshall and Mark Davis
Brodie Arens is an MBA student and summer intern at Three Jays Corporation, a jam and jelly manufacturer in Michigan. Brodie's first assignment as an intern is to update the inventory and production planning system. Initially, he begins by updating the Economic Order... View Details
Marshall, Paul, and Mark Davis. "Three Jays Corporation." Harvard Business School Brief Case 915-531, August 2014.
- March 2001 (Revised July 2001)
- Case
Rent-Way, Inc. (B)
By: David F. Hawkins
The company acquires RentaVision, Inc. and writes inventory down as part of acquisition accounting. View Details
Hawkins, David F. "Rent-Way, Inc. (B)." Harvard Business School Case 101-090, March 2001. (Revised July 2001.)
- October 1981 (Revised June 1985)
- Case
Walton Instruments Manufacturing--1980
Provides an opportunity for students to examine the impact of different manufacturing control methods on the manufacturing infrastructure. Information flow, inventory control, quality control and process flows interact and different trade-offs are examined. Introduces... View Details
Jaikumar, Ramchandran. "Walton Instruments Manufacturing--1980." Harvard Business School Case 682-027, October 1981. (Revised June 1985.)
- July 2005 (Revised January 2009)
- Case
Paper and More (A)
Provides a context and exercise for introducing retail inventory management, including cost optimization, service-level criteria, and forecasting in single and multiproduct settings. The owner of a single-location paper and paper products store considers the... View Details
Keywords: Cost Management; Measurement and Metrics; Logistics; Sales; Expansion; Consumer Products Industry; Retail Industry
Watson, Noel H. "Paper and More (A)." Harvard Business School Case 606-023, July 2005. (Revised January 2009.)
- May 1997 (Revised May 2004)
- Case
Precision Worldwide, Inc.
By: William J. Bruns Jr.
A competitor has developed and introduced a superior product that is less costly to manufacture. Precision Worldwide must decide whether to match the competitor's product, when to do so, and how to price, given that it holds a large inventory of its now inferior... View Details
Bruns, William J., Jr. "Precision Worldwide, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 197-103, May 1997. (Revised May 2004.)
- November–December 2018
- Article
Online Network Revenue Management Using Thompson Sampling
By: Kris J. Ferreira, David Simchi-Levi and He Wang
We consider a network revenue management problem where an online retailer aims to maximize revenue from multiple products with limited inventory constraints. As common in practice, the retailer does not know the consumer's purchase probability at each price and must... View Details
Keywords: Online Marketing; Revenue Management; Revenue; Management; Marketing; Internet and the Web; Price; Mathematical Methods
Ferreira, Kris J., David Simchi-Levi, and He Wang. "Online Network Revenue Management Using Thompson Sampling." Operations Research 66, no. 6 (November–December 2018): 1586–1602.
- March 1998 (Revised October 2015)
- Case
Hamptonshire Express
By: V. G. Narayanan and Ananth Raman
Presents a series of problems that face a newspaper publisher, including inventory level, effort level, subsidy for unsold inventory, and commission for sales. Each problem is accompanied by one or more spreadsheets. Students must make various operational decisions. View Details
Keywords: Marketing Channels; Motivation and Incentives; Performance; Operations; Problems and Challenges; Decision Making; Sales; Demand and Consumers; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Publishing Industry; United States
Narayanan, V. G., and Ananth Raman. "Hamptonshire Express." Harvard Business School Case 698-053, March 1998. (Revised October 2015.)
- March 2018 (Revised July 2018)
- Case
Whole Foods Under Amazon
By: Dennis Campbell, Tatiana Sandino, James Barnett and Christine Snively
In August 2017, Amazon acquired Whole Foods Market for $13.7 billion. Whole Foods was struggling with high costs and faced growing competition from traditional supermarkets offering more organic products. Prior to the acquisition, Whole Foods began rolling out a new... View Details
Keywords: Performance Efficiency; Performance Improvement; Employee Relationship Management; Acquisition; Change Management; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry
Campbell, Dennis, Tatiana Sandino, James Barnett, and Christine Snively. "Whole Foods Under Amazon." Harvard Business School Case 118-074, March 2018. (Revised July 2018.)
- August 2000 (Revised September 2001)
- Case
Bausch & Lomb, Inc. (A)
Bausch & Lomb (B&L) instituted an aggressive sales program in the final weeks of its 1993 fiscal year that pushed a large amount of inventories onto distributors. The company recognized revenues on these products when they were shipped. A rewritten version of an... View Details
Miller, Gregory S., and Christopher F. Noe. "Bausch & Lomb, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 101-010, August 2000. (Revised September 2001.)
- 08 Jul 2013
- Research & Ideas
Everything Must Go: A Strategy for Store Liquidation
dollars of inventory sold during the liquidation of chains such as Borders (2012), Circuit City (2009), and Linens 'n Things (2008) is considered. Their technique optimizes key decision variables, such as the markdown of products; View Details
- April 1989
- Case
Norton Auto Supply
Describes a multiechelon distribution system for the distribution of automobile spare parts. An analyst has been hired by the Norton Auto Supply Co. to improve the company's inventory planning and control techniques. Includes demand, cost, weight, and supplier lead... View Details
Keywords: Business or Company Management; Operations; Distribution Channels; Management Practices and Processes; Management; Strategy; Industrial Products Industry; Auto Industry
Hammond, Janice H. "Norton Auto Supply." Harvard Business School Case 689-084, April 1989.
- September 1990 (Revised April 1993)
- Case
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
By: William J. Bruns Jr.
Following the company's purchase as a part of a leveraged buyout, the new management team of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. had to decide what to do about the build-up of excess inventory of its independent wholesale customers. The case introduces students to the problems... View Details
Keywords: Activity Based Costing and Management; Customer Satisfaction; Business or Company Management; Business Growth and Maturation; Consumer Products Industry
Bruns, William J., Jr. "R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co." Harvard Business School Case 191-038, September 1990. (Revised April 1993.)
- November 2011 (Revised December 2012)
- Case
Rent the Runway
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Laura Winig
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., and Laura Winig. "Rent the Runway." Harvard Business School Case 812-077, November 2011. (Revised December 2012.)
- February 2008
- Case
Campbell Soup Company: Selling Channel Innovation to Customers
Campbell Soup, like most food manufacturers, faced grocery chain and wholesale demand for its goods driven by Campbell's own promotional pricing structure rather than retail consumer demand. Former policies to encourage overstock created huge swings in production and... View Details
Keywords: Information Technology; Distribution Channels; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Manufacturing Industry; Food and Beverage Industry
Ton, Zeynep. "Campbell Soup Company: Selling Channel Innovation to Customers." Harvard Business School Case 608-141, February 2008.
- September 2010 (Revised April 2013)
- Case
Gazelle in 2012
By: Andrei Hagiu and James Weber
Gazelle has pioneered a reCommerce intermediation model: it buys used electronics from consumers and resells them on eBay or to wholesalers. Going forward, its two main strategic challenges are 1) deciding how much to rely on partnerships with large retailers for... View Details
Keywords: Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Markets; Two-Sided Platforms; Partners and Partnerships; Business Strategy; Retail Industry; Service Industry
Hagiu, Andrei, and James Weber. "Gazelle in 2012." Harvard Business School Case 711-446, September 2010. (Revised April 2013.)
- March 2004 (Revised March 2007)
- Case
Paper and More
Provides a context and exercise for introducing retail inventory management, including cost optimization, service-level criteria, and forecasting in single and multiproduct settings. The owner of a single-location paper and paper products store considers the... View Details
Keywords: Management; Expansion; Logistics; Forecasting and Prediction; Pulp and Paper Industry; Retail Industry
Watson, Noel H. "Paper and More." Harvard Business School Case 604-093, March 2004. (Revised March 2007.)
- September 2007 (Revised February 2010)
- Case
Compass Box Whisky Company
Compass Box Whisky Company is facing a changing supply situation and is evaluating switching to a business model with high inventory and long lead times. The company must consider what the change will mean for operations, risk, and measuring profitability. View Details
Keywords: Financial Statements; Business Model; Profit; Product; Supply Chain; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Risk and Uncertainty
Autrey, Romana L., and Devin M. Shanthikumar. "Compass Box Whisky Company." Harvard Business School Case 108-032, September 2007. (Revised February 2010.)
- October 1994
- Case
Campbell Soup Company: A Leader in Continuous Replenishment Innovations
Campbell Soup, like most food manufacturers, faced grocery chain and wholesale demand for its goods driven by Campbell's own promotional pricing structure rather than retail consumer demand. Former policies to encourage overstock created huge swings in production and... View Details
McKenney, James L., and Theodore H. Clark. "Campbell Soup Company: A Leader in Continuous Replenishment Innovations." Harvard Business School Case 195-124, October 1994.