Publications

May 2020
Teaching Note

Kraft Heinz: The $8 Billion Brand Write-Down

By: Jill Avery

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 519-076. On Friday, February 22, 2019, following an unexpected and disappointing earnings report, The Kraft Heinz Company’s stock price fell 27%, wiping out $16 billion in market value. CEO Bernardo Hees had announced that the company had... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States

May 2017
Article

Psychologically Informed Implementations of Sugary-Drink Portion Limits

By: Leslie John, Grant Donnelly and Christina Roberto

In 2012, the New York City Board of Health prohibited restaurants from selling sugary drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces. Although a state court ruled that the Board of Health did not have the authority to implement such a policy, it remains a legally viable... View Details

Keywords: Nutrition; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Public Administration Industry; Public Administration Industry; New York (city, NY)

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April 2014
Case

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.: Taking on Seasonal Starvation in Latin America

By: Christopher Marquis and Zoe Yang

A company with a strong commitment toward corporate social responsibility since its founding days, Green Mountain faced an ethical decision point in 2007 as new information from the field uncovered a chronic dire problem facing coffee communities—seasonal starvation.... View Details

Keywords: Fair Trade; Coffee; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Latin America; Central America; Mexico; Guatemala; Nicaragua

April 2011
Teaching Note

Cork'd: Building a Social Network for Wine Lovers (TN)

Teaching Note for 911026. View Details

Keywords: Social and Collaborative Networks; Internet and the Web; Competitive Strategy; Web Services Industry; Web Services Industry

September 2008
Supplement

Mr. Nelson Peltz, Founding Partner, Trian Partners. Interviewed by Professor John Quelch

By: John A. Quelch

Professor John Quelch interviewed Mr. Nelson Peitz, Founding Partner of Trian Partners on events and decisions leading up to the decision to acquire the Snapple brand and the results of that corporate decision. View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Decision Choices and Conditions; Private Equity; Investment; Brands and Branding; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry

May 2008
Teaching Note

Lion Capital and the Blackstone Group: The Orangina Deal (TN)

By: G. Felda Hardymon, Josh Lerner and Ann Leamon

Teaching Note for [807005]. View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Bids and Bidding; Negotiation Deal; Valuation; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry

December 2006 (Revised August 2009)
Case

Disney Consumer Products: Marketing Nutrition to Children

By: David E. Bell and Laura Winig

In an effort to capture market share in the children's foods category, Disney Consumer Products (DCP) debuted a broad line of "better for you" foods, ranging from fresh fruits and vegetables to frozen meals, through a partnership with Kroger supermarkets. In answer to... View Details

Keywords: Age; Nutrition; Brands and Branding; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Partners and Partnerships; Social Issues; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry

April 1978
Case

General Foods: Opportunities in the Dog Food Market

Illustrates uses of various sources of market and consumer behavior data, including psychographics, product positioning, and market segmentation decisions for a new dog food product. Based on cases by E.T. Popper and L.S. Ward. View Details

Keywords: Product Positioning; Consumer Behavior; Product Development; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry

2022
Book

Les multinationales suisses dans l'arène politique (1942–1993) [Swiss Multinationals in the Political Arena (1942–1993)]

By: Sabine Pitteloud

En décembre 2020, les Suisses votaient sur l’initiative populaire « pour des multinationales responsables ». Cet épisode récent a rappelé que la régulation de l’activité des sociétés multinationales fait l’objet de luttes politiques, auxquelles participent les... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Enterprise; Multinational Companies; Multinational Corporations; Lobbying; Business ＆ Government Relations; Labor Relations; Relocation; Offshoring And Outsourcing; Corporate Regulation; Transnational Regulation; Multinational Firms and Management; Business and Government Relations; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; International Relations; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Switzerland

November 2011
Case

WrapItUp: Developing a New Compensation Plan

By: W. Earl Sasser Jr. and Rachel Shelton

A restaurant chain based in California offers made-to-order sandwich wraps using fresh, healthy ingredients. The founders of the company take a very active role in day-to-day business and tightly control every aspect of the restaurant operation from hiring store... View Details

Keywords: Empowerment; Middle Management; Human Resource Management; Compensation; Incentives; Motivation; Motivation and Incentives; Change Management; Business Growth and Maturation; Service Delivery; Entrepreneurship; Employees; Compensation and Benefits; Service Industry; Service Industry; Service Industry; California

April 2025 (Revised June 2025)
Case

Governing Sustainability in a Shifting Context (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz

In early 2025, boards of directors had to rethink corporate responsibility and sustainability efforts amid rapidly-shifting social, legal, regulatory, and economic forces. While just a few years earlier, calls to address racial justice and climate change reached into... View Details

April 1982 (Revised March 1986)
Case

Standard Fruit Co. in Nicaragua (B)

By: James E. Austin

Keywords: Business and Government Relations; Developing Countries and Economies; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Nicaragua

June 1989 (Revised January 1992)
Teaching Note

RJR Nabisco, Teaching Note

By: Richard S. Ruback

Teaching Note for (9-289-056). View Details

Keywords: Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

December 2019
Supplement

Mãe Terra and Unilever (B)

By: Lynn S. Paine, Ruth Costas and Mariana Cal

Unilever is making strides to integrate the operations of Mãe Terra—one of Brazil's leading brands for packaged organic foods—into its own structures, after acquiring the company in 2017. Mãe Terra’s CEO, Alexandre Borges, must decide whether to implement his original... View Details

Keywords: Brand Management; Sustainability; Mergers and Acquisitions; Mission and Purpose; Social Enterprise; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Environmental Sustainability; Organizational Culture; Food and Beverage Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Brazil; Latin America

March 2019
Supplement

Koita Milk

By: Lynda M. Applegate, E. Ofek and Michael Norris

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Cash Flow; Food; Growth Management; Social Marketing; Ownership Stake; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United Arab Emirates; Dubai

June 2015
Teaching Note

Coffee Wars in India

By: David B. Yoffie

Keywords: Competition; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; India

January 2013
Teaching Note

Domino's Pizza (TN)

By: David E. Bell and Mary Shelman

Teaching Note for Domino's Pizza View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Commodity Prices; Price Volatility; Agribusiness; QSR; Franchise; Food; Supply Chain Management; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States

July 2005
Case

Freemark Abbey Winery (Abridged)

Freemark Abbey must decide whether to harvest in view of the possibility of rain. Rain could damage the crop but delaying the harvest would be risky. On the other hand, rain could be beneficial and greatly increase the value of the resulting wine. This decision is... View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Forecasting and Prediction; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

March 2001 (Revised June 2001)
Case

Identifying and Realizing Investments in Eastern Europe (A)

By: Ray A. Goldberg, Robert E. Kennedy and Laure Mougeot Strook

A Greek milling firm wants to invest in Eastern Europe. The case explores the firm's search strategy and its due diligence process after a potential investment, and considers how the company should structure its bid. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details

Keywords: Foreign Direct Investment; Venture Capital; Emerging Markets; Business and Government Relations; Financial Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Europe