Online Business - Publications - Faculty & Research

April 2017 (Revised October 2017)
Case

Wal-Mart Update, 2017

In 2017 Wal-Mart was still the world’s largest company, with over $480 billion in annual revenue and operations in 28 countries. Although it had mostly vanquished its rival discount retailers in the U.S., it was struggling to find the right growth strategy. Facing a... View Details

Keywords: E-Commerce Strategy; Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Business Growth and Maturation; Growth and Development Strategy; Global Range; Business Strategy; Corporate Strategy; E-commerce; Retail Industry

Citation

Educators

Purchase

Nick Devlin faced a difficult strategic decision in October 2022. As the CEO of a UK-based subscription business connecting wine drinkers in the US, UK, and Australia with winemakers from around the world (which one journalist called the “Netflix of Wine”), he had... View Details

April 2005
Case

Handleman Company

By: Janice H. Hammond and Kevin Dolan

Describes the organization and operations of the Handleman Co., an intermediary in the music industry that buys recorded music and resells it to mass retailers such as Wal-Mart. The company provides distribution, inventory management, retail merchandising, and category... View Details

Keywords: Business Organization; Music Entertainment; Cost Management; Growth and Development; Business or Company Management; Distribution Channels; Problems and Challenges; Risk and Uncertainty; Online Technology; Value Creation; Music Industry

Citation

Educators

Purchase

11 Sep 2017
Research & Ideas

Why Employers Favor Men

men perform better on average at certain tasks, according to the research paper When Gender Discrimination Is Not About Gender. The paper was written by Katherine B. Coffman and Christine L. Exley, both assistant professors at Harvard View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

Program

PLD Module 5

organization's success. Key Benefits Viewing your leadership approach through a wider lens, you will be better prepared to navigate complex business challenges and future career transitions. PLD Module 5 not only expands your leadership... View Details

August 2019
Case

The Allstate Corporation, 2019

By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

In July 2019, Allstate, the United States’ number-three property and casualty (P/C) insurer, released its second-quarter earnings, which reported first-half revenues of $22.1 billion, up 11.4% year-over-year. Shareholders cheered the top-line growth, but P/C premiums... View Details

Keywords: Insurance Companies; Strategic Analysis; Strategic Change; Insurance; Strategy; Strategic Planning; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Competitive Strategy; Insurance Industry; North America

Citation

Educators

Purchase

Research Summary

Moving Beyond Direct-to-Consumer

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger

Changing consumer behaviors have redefined what it means to be direct to consumer ("DTC"). What once began online a decade ago as a distribution and disintermediation strategy has since evolved into a multifaceted approach for the modern-day brand.

The... View Details

Program

Transforming Customer Experiences

Summary Superior customer service can differentiate your business in the marketplace—if you design the right offerings and execute flawlessly. Led by HBS thought leaders who are experts in customer experience management, this program... View Details

Program

Agribusiness Seminar

presents many challenges but also new possibilities for firms that can embrace innovation, develop new strategies, deliver value, and build resilience. For more than 60 years, business leaders from around the world have gathered for the... View Details

Keywords: Agriculture; Agriculture

Program

Leading Change and Organizational Renewal

Summary Market-leading organizations must constantly innovate, adjust to new business conditions, and seize opportunities before competitors do. Focused on leading organizational change, this program explores how to create a nimble... View Details

21 Nov 2014
Working Paper Summaries

The Decoupling Effect of Digital Disruptors

Keywords: by Thales S. Teixeira & Peter Jamieson

17 Jul 2007
First Look

First Look: July 17, 2007

film rental and return patterns of a sample of online DVD rental customers over a period of four months. We predict and find that people are more likely to rent DVDs in one order and return them in the reverse order when should DVDs... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

20 Jun 2023
Research & Ideas

Looking to Leave a Mark? Memorable Leaders Don't Just Spout Statistics, They Tell Stories

It doesn’t matter if you’re crafting a pitch for tech investors, consumers, or election-season voters. If you want your target audience to remember your message the next day, tell a story. That’s one of the findings of a new study by Thomas Graeber, assistant professor... View Details

Keywords: by Scott Van Voorhis

Program

Competing in the Age of Digital Platforms

platforms. Key Benefits For business leaders, platforms present enormous opportunities but also pose serious risks. Competing in what have been called "multi-sided markets driven by network effects" is often akin to playing... View Details

14 Nov 2023
Research & Ideas

The Network Effect: Why Companies Should Care About Employees’ LinkedIn Connections

conclusion—professional social networks “may have potential benefits to companies, and not only to the individual,” says Frank Nagle, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School. “What we’re trying to say is there are many more jobs... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

03 May 2021
Blog Post

Celebrating the First HBS African-American Mother-Daughter Duo

I’ve always admired my mom, Benaree Pratt Wiley, and her courage, and was amazed when I discovered she was one of twenty-eight women out of 800 in Harvard Business School’s Class of 1972. During her tenure, they didn’t even have a... View Details

Web

Apply to PRIMO - Doctoral

Program for Research in Markets & Organizations Apply to PRIMO 1ms HOW TO APPLY Applications for PRIMO 2025 will open in November 1, 2024, and close on February 1, 2025. All files must be uploaded as pdf files through the online... View Details

Program

Making Corporate Boards More Effective

into your business challenges and career decisions Who Should Attend This program is designed to meet the needs of board members, chairs, and directors of publicly traded and other established companies. This program is not a fit for... View Details

February 2021
Article

How Transparency into Internal and External Responsibility Initiatives Influences Consumer Choice

By: Ryan W. Buell and Basak Kalkanci

Amid growing calls for transparency and social and environmental responsibility, companies are employing different strategies to improve consumer perceptions of their brands. Some pursue internal initiatives that reduce their negative social or environmental impacts... View Details

Keywords: Sustainable Operations; Corporate Social Responsibility; Operational Transparency; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Operations; Environmental Sustainability; Consumer Behavior; Perception

Citation

SSRN

Find at Harvard

October 2018
Case

SeatGeek

By: Robert F. Higgins and Sarah Mehta

In late 2016, Russ D'Souza and Jack Groetzinger, co-founders of the online event ticketing platform SeatGeek, faced some difficult decisions. In the company's seven-year history, SeatGeek had positioned itself primarily as an aggregator, facilitating ticket... View Details