Publications

July 1993 (Revised June 2000)
Case

Harlequin Romances-Poland (A)

By: John A. Quelch

Harlequin Enterprises, the world's leading publisher of series romances, has been particularly successful in Poland. The case explores some of the challenges/opportunities of doing business in Eastern Europe and the marketing mix elements necessary for success. View Details

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Brands and Branding; Publishing Industry; Poland

March 2011 (Revised March 2021)
Teaching Note

Terror at the Taj Bombay: Customer-Centric Leadership

By: Rohit Deshpande

Teaching Note for 511703. View Details

Keywords: Safety; Organizations; Crisis Management; Customer Focus and Relationships; Brands and Branding

October 2010 (Revised January 2011)
Case

Toyota Recalls (A): Hitting the Skids

By: John A. Quelch, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Ryan Johnson

In the fall of 2009, Toyota Motor Corporation, once revered for its commitment to quality and reliability, faced a highly publicized series of recalls in the United States representing approximately a year's worth of sales in one of its most important markets. While... View Details

Keywords: Communication Strategy; Crisis Management; Brands and Branding; Quality; Public Opinion; Auto Industry; Japan; United States

February 2012 (Revised August 2013)
Case

What's the Deal with LivingSocial?

By: Michael I. Norton, Luc Wathieu, Betsy Page Sigman and Marco Bertini

Tim O'Shaughnessy, the 29-year-old CEO of LivingSocial, is growing a revolutionary worldwide business of "daily deals"—in which retailers offer a heavily-discounted product or service available for purchase for brief (often 24-hour) windows. The case explores the... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Innovation and Invention; Advertising; Brands and Branding; Management; Web Services Industry

01 Jun 2001
News

Teaching for the Ages: the MBA Classroom in the 21st Century

different could things be?” It’s only been thirteen years since I graduated from HBS, and we in the Class of 1988 were remarkably forward-thinking about technology. Ours was the first class to have a subject called Management Information... View Details

Keywords: Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Business Schools & Computer & Management Training

06 Dec 2021
News

Action Plan: Whole Sale

of Walmart’s beauty business. Balbale was a vice president at the Vitamin Shoppe in the mid-2010s when he saw Amazon and startup e-tailers moving into the wellness category. The competition inspired him to transition into the e-commerce space himself, first as vice... View Details

Keywords: April White; ecommerce; bricks and mortar; marketing; beauty

01 Jun 2012
News

Faculty Research Online

in the number of “functional” managers for crowding in the C-suite. Is J.C. Penney’s Makeover the Future of Retailing? The stuffy department store chain has become emboldened under new CEO Ron Johnson (MBA 1984) with plans for an... View Details

Keywords: Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores; Retail Trade

January 2006 (Revised December 2006)
Case

Toyota Motor Corporation: Launching Prius

By: Forest L. Reinhardt, Dennis A. Yao and Masako Egawa

In 1995, Hiroshi Okuda, president of Toyota Motor Corp., considers whether to push for a more aggressive launch of the Toyota Prius--an automobile that incorporates Toyota's new and technically advanced hybrid power train. This launch decision allows discussion of the... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Product Launch; Transportation; Brands and Branding; Manufacturing Industry; Green Technology Industry; Auto Industry; Japan

Keywords: Corporate, Subsidiary, and Regional Managing Offices; Corporate, Subsidiary, and Regional Managing Offices; Corporate, Subsidiary, and Regional Managing Offices; Corporate, Subsidiary, and Regional Managing Offices

10 Dec 2014
News

Front-Row Seat

events (some held in conjunction with the Aspen Institute) build brand awareness and attract sponsorships, contributing just shy of 15 percent to the bottom line. Last year, TheAtlantic.com won a National Magazine Award for best website... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; digital media; Corporate, Subsidiary, and Regional Managing Offices; Corporate, Subsidiary, and Regional Managing Offices

20 Jul 2022
News

Wired to be Inspired

Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Spotify More Skydeck episodes Professor Ranjay Gulati, whose research looks at how the most resilient companies approach growth and profitability, chaired the Advanced Management Program at HBS for many... View Details

Keywords: Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises

09 Oct 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, October 9, 2018

success in a broad array of projects, such as managing 10 brands and 26 shops across different categories, he also felt the need to reinvent his core confectionery business since not all stores of all his... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

01 Dec 2001
News

A Close-Up Look at the Men behind the Empire

immigrant who shrewdly spotted an opportunity in the nascent steel industry and became one of the richest men in his adopted country. Carnegie's era also saw an unprecedented explosion of branded consumer goods, among them Ivory Soap,... View Details

27 May 2008
Sharpening Your Skills

Sharpening Your Skills: Thinking About Global

Sharpening Your Skills dives into the HBS Working Knowledge archives to bring together articles on ways to improve your business skills. Questions To Be Answered Are global brands effective? How should I think about strategy in a flat... View Details

May 2013 (Revised April 2015)
Case

Ron Johnson: Retail at Target, Apple, and J.C. Penney

By: Das Narayandas, Kerry Herman and Lisa Mazzanti

In April 2013, Ron Johnson (HBS '84) stepped down after just 18 months as CEO of J.C. Penney. In his brief tenure, Johnson, an acclaimed retailer respected for his innovation and success in shaping the retail image at Target and Apple, introduced dramatic departures... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Innovation Leadership; Situation or Environment; Failure; Management Teams; Brands and Branding; Retail Industry; United States

01 Dec 2005
News

One-on-One with Peter Cuneo

consumer products. We’re in 25 different categories, with toys being the biggest at the moment, followed by video games. Here, our characters are managed as brands. So it’s interesting — Spider-Man is both a celebrity and a brand. What... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; comic books; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management of Companies and Enterprises

01 Sep 2010
News

Dare to be Different

Another part of it is a dissection of some of the brands that have managed to be exceptions to the rule, and that have somehow managed to hold our attention and loyalty over... View Details

Keywords: Jeff Cruikshank;Youngme Moon; Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services; Professional Services

February 2003 (Revised April 2003)
Case

Brioni

By: David E. Bell

Should Brioni, an internationally known, exclusive men's suit manufacturer and retailer extend its line to include women's apparel? The opportunity is to enter a much larger and profitable market. The dangers are: 1) compromising the existing image, and 2) failing to... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Segmentation; Expansion; Profit; Risk Management; Demand and Consumers; Fashion Industry