Publications

October 2014 (Revised June 2016)
Case

MasterCard: Driving Financial Inclusion

By: Sunil Gupta, Rajiv Lal and Natalie Kindred

MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga was investing significant time and attention to increase financial inclusion among individuals with historically no access to banking or financial services in countries around the world with large underserved populations. The effort included... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Financial Services; Financial And Social Return; Financial Inclusion; Strategic Management; South Africa; Nigeria; Ajay Banga; Marketing Strategy; Social Marketing; Financial Services Industry; Banking Industry; South Africa; Nigeria

February 2025 (Revised April 2025)
Case

Shake Shack's Playbook for the Digital Era

By: Christopher Stanton, Allison Ciechanover and George Gonzalez

This case examines Shake Shack’s journey from a single New York City hot dog cart to a global fast-casual restaurant chain renowned for both premium quality and a culture of “enlightened hospitality.” As the company expands worldwide, it pilots digital ordering... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Customer Satisfaction; Technology Adoption; Brands and Branding; Organizational Culture; Customization and Personalization; Expansion; Digital Transformation; Food and Beverage Industry

April 2023 (Revised April 2025)
Case

Eike Batista: Making or Breaking Brazil

By: Geoffrey Jones, Pedro Magalhães, Daniel Tong and Marcel Anduiza

This case explores the meteoric rise and fall of Eike Batista, once Brazil’s richest person and the world’s seventh wealthiest in 2012. Batista began his career by investing in gold mining in the Amazon, using the network his father had built after years serving as... View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Entrepreneurship; Investment; Energy Industry; Mining Industry; Brazil

07 Nov 2012
HBS Case

HBS Cases: Sir Alex Ferguson--Managing Manchester United

Alex, I jumped at the chance. I figured I would undoubtedly learn a great deal about what it takes to lead and manage a sports team, and that indeed proved to be the case. Q: The case reads as if you were able to attend some matches in View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Sports; Entertainment & Recreation

December 2014 (Revised May 2019)
Case

Bhutan: Governing for Happiness

By: Sophus A. Reinert, Thomas Humphrey and Benjamin Safran

Unique among the world’s countries, the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan had abandoned the traditional policy goal of increasing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in favor of pursuing Gross National Happiness (GNH). Famously, Bhutan ranked highly on lists of the happiest... View Details

Keywords: Happiness; Economic Growth; Governance; Cost vs Benefits; Bhutan

January 2011
Case

AIC Netbooks: Optimizing Product Assembly

By: Steven C. Wheelwright and Sunru Yong

AIC Systems, located in Taichung, Taiwan, is a manufacturer of printed circuit boards, primarily for motherboards and video cards for personal computers. The firm is considered an original design manufacturer (ODM) and takes an active role in innovating and designing... View Details

Keywords: Performance Management; Quantitative Analysis; Manufacturing; Production Planning; Production Management; Diversification; Production; Performance Efficiency; Product Design; Performance Improvement; Mobile Technology; Manufacturing Industry; Electronics Industry; Taiwan

12 Feb 2008
First Look

First Look: February 12, 2007

of financial assets, that explains the boom in global asset markets as well as the recent upsurge of leveraged buy-out activity. Effect of Personal Taxes on Managers' Decisions to Sell Unrestricted Equity Author:Li Jin Periodical:Journal... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

March 2008
Case

Patel Food and Chemicals Private Limited (A)

By: Felda Hardymon and Ann Leamon

Alok Patel, the founder and chairman of a Gujarat-based, privately held edible oils processor, must decide whether to hire a CFO candidate. Previously, his company's book-keeping has been done by an uncle, who has mentioned that he may retire soon. Patel could hire his... View Details

Keywords: Selection and Staffing; Family Business; Managerial Roles; Emerging Markets; Diversity; Finance; Food and Beverage Industry; Gujarat

Find at Harvard

Career Coach

Nicola Pugliese

Nicola Pugliese (Wharton ’93) leverages her experience in global marketing and brand management to support students and alumni pursuing careers in marketing, product management, business development, general management and sales across a... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products; Entrepreneurship; Publishing / Communications / Advertising; Retail

20 May 2025
Blog Post

How Student-Proposed Internships Can Create Value

passionate I was personally about the space and the brand, and that I was very eager to learn.” Over the summer, Jessica worked on three strategy projects: one focused on international expansion, one on retail strategy, and one on... View Details

02 Aug 2022
Blog Post

From HBS to Cutting-Edge Tech

internationally-recognized brand was a deciding factor too. HBS was the only one that fit the bill. A lot of schools prepare you for your first post-MBA job, but the HBS case method goes further. HBS classroom discussions simulate the... View Details

04 Dec 2014
Working Paper Summaries

The Air War versus The Ground Game: An Analysis of Multi-Channel Marketing in US Presidential Elections

Keywords: by Doug J. Chung & Lingling Zhang

28 Oct 2015
Research & Ideas

A Dedication to Creation: India's Ad Man Ranjan Kapur

class grew with large disposable income, and these foreign brands returned, it pushed the local brands to improve their quality and services. Competition rose and consumers benefitted. Q: So at this very... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Advertising

28 Feb 2022
Blog Post

Making an Impact on the Media Industry with my MBA

experiential learning experiences by taking the Short Intensive Program (SIP), Personal Branding and Business Storytelling, taught by Francesca Gino. I had previously read her book, Rebel Talent: Why It Pays... View Details

July 2018
Case

Hironobu Tsujiguchi and His Sweet Revolution

By: Boris Groysberg and Naoko Jinjo

Hironobu Tsujiguchi, a Japanese chocolatier, had chosen an unusual path to success as a pastry chef. Instead of spending most of his time in his kitchen and focusing on one or two confectionery categories like most pastry chefs, he chose to work on diverse projects and... View Details

Keywords: Relevance; Entrepreneurship; Diversification; Personal Development and Career; Decision Making; Food and Beverage Industry; Japan

01 May 2008
Research & Ideas

The Marketing Challenges of the China Olympics

as official sponsors and unofficial free-riders attach themselves to the Olympic logo, to particular sports, national teams, or individual athletes. Global brands, in particular, see the Olympics and World Cup soccer as the two most important international sporting... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Sports

01 Aug 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, August 1

Brand (in)fidelity: When Flirting with the Competition Strengthens Brand Relationships By: Consiglio, I., D. Kupor, F. Gino, and M.I. Norton Abstract—We document the existence and consequences of View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

28 Oct 2022
Blog Post

Latina Women in Leadership: Shirley Verónica Cardona (MBA 2012)

other as we reach personal milestones. What are you doing now? How has your MBA prepared you for your post-HBS career? I have the honor of serving as Vice President of Marketing at Ellevation Education, the nation’s leading K-12 software... View Details

August 2008
Supplement

Lenovo Chief Marketing Officer and Senior VP E-Commerce, Deepak Advani, Interviewed by Professor John Quelch

By: John A. Quelch

Professor John Quelch interviewed Lenovo CMO, Deepak Advani, regarding Lenovo's buy-out of IBM's personal computer business, and Lenovo's marketing strategy leading up to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Leveraged Buyouts; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Hardware; Computer Industry; China