Publications

October 2022 (Revised December 2022)
Case

Aphro Beverages

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Amram Migdal

This case focuses on distribution, sales, and product decisions as Aphro Beverages reaches an inflection point in its growth trajectory. In 2020, Aphro Beverages, based in Accra, Ghana, successfully launched its brand and brought two new alcoholic spirits products to... View Details

11 Apr 2023
Blog Post

BTG Bioliquids: Creating Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil from Biomass Residue Streams

What we learned about BTG Bioliquids and biofuels We left our visit with some key considerations and food for thought. First, it was interesting to witness how threat and opportunity are merely different sides of the same coin. While the... View Details

Web

Judges - Alumni

from Harvard Business School. Alejandra is also an angel investor and Shark on Shark Tank Mexico, where she has invested in over 25 startups, primarily in e-commerce and food & beverage. Her experience has positioned her as a thought... View Details

Profile

Nashae Roundtree

food dinner, and running around with other kids in our churchyard while we waited to eat. As an only child, I valued time spent with other children in my community and celebrating the traditions of my culture. Who is one person from your... View Details

October 2002 (Revised January 2003)
Case

McDonald's Russia: Managing a Crisis

By: Youngme E. Moon and Kerry Herman

In August 1998, George Cohon, founder and senior chairman of McDonald's Russia, is facing an economic state of emergency. Russia is in the midst of a severe currency crisis--the ruble has plummeted in value, creating massive inflation and widespread economic disarray.... View Details

Keywords: Currency; Crisis Management; Brands and Branding; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Russia

23 Aug 2006
Op-Ed

The Real Wal-Mart Effect

would pay several percentage points more for the food and nonfood merchandise that—after housing—is their second-largest household expense. So in the debate about what to do about Wal-Mart, let's keep in mind who's reaping the benefits of... View Details

Keywords: by Pankaj Ghemawat & Ken A. Mark; Retail

04 Feb 2022
Blog Post

Learning from the Entrepreneurs-in-Residence as a Harvard MS/MBA Student

e-commerce. The grocery and packaged food spaces were untouched and opportune for e-commerce applications. He shared that exploring a space and carving out an idea requires you to seek out feedback from various perspectives. Acquiring... View Details

February 2018 (Revised October 2019)
Technical Note

The Art and Science of Brand Valuation

By: Jill Avery

Brand valuation, the art and science of calculating the economic value accruing to a firm from its use of an intangible brand asset, yields frustratingly inconsistent, discrepant, and, therefore, controversial results. While it is widely accepted that brands are... View Details

October 2014 (Revised August 2018)
Case

Caesars Entertainment

By: Janice H. Hammond and Aldo Sesia

This case describes the introduction of a regression analysis model for forecasting guest arrivals to Caesars Palace hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company will use the forecast to staff the front desk in the hotel. The staff is unionized and the company has little... View Details

Keywords: Forecasting; Staffing; Gaming; Gaming Industry; Hotel Industry; Decision Making; Forecasting and Prediction; Human Resources; Selection and Staffing; Entertainment; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Operations; Service Delivery; Service Operations; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Las Vegas

Web

Career Support - Business & Environment

industry-focused programs with alumni and student leaders in energy, food and agriculture, and sustainability. Check the MBA Event Calendar for details. (Fall) Climate Symposium Each fall, student clubs host the Climate Symposium,... View Details

06 Dec 2017
What Do You Think?

Is It Time To Break Up Amazon, Apple, Facebook, or Google?

it has acquired Whole Foods, the market value of US big name retailers selling foods immediately drops 10 to 20 percent. The exchange of information and news, fake or fact, among large segments of the world’s population is controlled by... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Technology; Web Services

28 Jun 2004
Research & Ideas

How to Avoid a Price Increase

seems to support this logic. First, consumers themselves report a greater sensitivity (or awareness) of price than of quantity. Second, in tracking the sale of snack foods we found that consumers reacted greatly to periodic changes in... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls

January 2015 (Revised July 2019)
Case

Rebranding Godiva: The Yıldız Strategy

By: Rohit Deshpande and Esel Çekin

This case concerns Yıldız Holding’s acquisition of Godiva Chocolatier from its previous owner, Campbell Soup, and its salient strategy in preserving Godiva’s “made in Belgian” brand position. Provenance Paradox, a problem faced by companies in emerging countries trying... View Details

Keywords: Branding; Internationalization; Provenance Paradox; Acquisitions; Positioning; Innovation; Customer-centricity; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Emerging Markets; Product Positioning; Change Management; Innovation and Management; Customer Focus and Relationships; Food and Beverage Industry; North America; Turkey; Japan

25 Feb 2020
News

Task Force

second round of funding, with the goal of expanding into the Mexican market before moving on to Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, and Chile. In its first year, through word of mouth alone, users completed 170,000 tasks—work that in some cases covered unexpected... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; gig economy; Retail Trade

01 Jan 2011
News

Karen Gordon Mills, MBA 1977

Administrator, US Small Business Administration Download Mills profile (pdf) Return to Alumni Achievement Awards main page TIMELINE 1953 Born, Boston, Massachusetts 1977 Joins General Foods 1981 Joins McKinsey & Company 1983 Joins E.S.... View Details

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

December 1999 (Revised October 2003)
Case

BRL Hardy: Globalizing an Australian Wine Company

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Two new product launch decisions face Christopher Carson, managing director of BRL Hardy, Europe. Responsible for the European operations of a major Australian wine company, Carson has begun to globalize his strategy beyond selling the parent company's wines. After a... View Details

Keywords: Global Strategy; Joint Ventures; Product Launch; Brands and Branding; Competitive Strategy; Business Subsidiaries; Negotiation Style; Food and Beverage Industry