Publications

07 Apr 2020
Research & Ideas

What Customers Need to Hear from You During the COVID Crisis

responding more quickly and effectively to the pandemic than their government was, demonstrating the faith that consumers have in their brands and the companies that stand behind them. 86 percent of surveyed View Details

Keywords: by Jill Avery and Richard Edelman

16 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

How the Coronavirus Is Already Rewriting the Future of Business

consumer brands that rely on traditional retailing for the bulk of their sales—have already been demonstrably affected. So will industries that revolve around large gatherings, such as many forms of popular entertainment—sports, cinema,... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

27 Nov 2000
Research & Ideas

The Dynamics of Standing Still: Firestone Tire & Rubber and the Radial Revolution

rest of the tire.18 Although other companies also experienced quality problems with their radials, Firestones' were the most severe, and the company came under heavy pressure from consumer groups and the National Highway View Details

Keywords: by Donald N. Sull; Manufacturing; Transportation

19 Sep 2016
Research & Ideas

Why Isn't Business Research More Relevant to Business Practitioners?

challenging, is achievable. Take HBS colleague Benjamin G. Edelman, an expert in online markets whose research focuses on consumer protection related to online businesses. “My research is made better by choosing questions that are... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Education

Web

Frequently Asked Questions | HBS Online

visualization. Data Science for Business moves beyond the spreadsheet and provides a hands-on approach for demystifying the data science ecosystem and making you a more conscientious consumer of information. Starting with the questions... View Details

01 Jun 2023
News

The Exchange: The Tech Leader’s Tightrope

Leadership and Corporate Accountability (LCA),” recalls McGee. They ultimately decided to focus on Apple, because of the company’s emphasis on consumer privacy, and their 2016 case, “Apple: Privacy vs. Safety,” addressed the federal... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities; Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities

March 1980 (Revised September 1982)
Case

Parker Brothers (B)

Describes the recall program designed by Parker Brothers following the death of two children, which may have been related to a new product. View Details

Keywords: Safety; Risk Management; Product; Consumer Products Industry

07 Nov 2007
Op-Ed

How Marketing Hype Hurt Boeing and Apple

production delays (the Airbus 380 is two years behind schedule) and customers know this when they place their orders. They will simply operate their existing 747s and 777s a little longer. In addition, no airline manufacturer ever wants to be seen to be compromising... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

March 1980 (Revised July 1985)
Case

Parker Brothers (A)

Focuses on the decision required of Parker Brothers regarding the necessity and advisability of recalling a new product that may have been related to the death of two children. View Details

Keywords: Safety; Risk Management; Product; Consumer Products Industry

01 Sep 2006
News

Faculty Books

consumers. Comparing eight areas of policy — product liability law, product safety standards and recall, misleading advertising, comparative product tests, product labeling, quality standards, consumer... View Details

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

May 1990 (Revised October 1991)
Case

Black & Decker Corp.: Spacemaker Plus Coffeemaker (B)

Describes the highly successful recall of the Black & Decker Spacemaker Plus Coffeemaker. Objectives include: 1) factors in product recall effectiveness and success, 2) the use of direct marketing in product recall, 3) the role of public relations in product recall,... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Brands and Branding; Product Marketing; Consumer Products Industry

28 Jul 2014
Research & Ideas

Eyes Shut: The Consequences of Not Noticing

hypothetical fires. A garment factory in a Third World country with minimal governmental regulatory oversight burns down, killing half of the three hundred women and children employed there; it subsequently becomes clear that the factory's owner failed repeatedly to... View Details

Keywords: by Max H. Bazerman; Retail

23 Feb 2021
Research & Ideas

COVID-19 Shines New Light on Working Conditions in Supply Chains

invent their own standards?” he says. “It's because federal and state safety regulators haven’t set up clear rules and guidance.” We recently talked to Toffel, the Senator John Heinz Professor of Environmental Management, about how the... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Apparel & Accessories

March 2001 (Revised April 2002)
Case

Ginzel et al v. Kolcraft Enterprises et al (A)

By: Michael A. Wheeler

Examines the wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of an infant who died after a portable crib collapsed. The manufacturer, Kolcraft, licensed the Playskool brand name from the co-defendant, Hasbro Industries. Raises difficult questions about what the two... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Product; Negotiation; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Lawsuits and Litigation; Legal Liability; Brands and Branding; Consumer Products Industry; United States

August 2019 (Revised February 2020)
Teaching Note

Sidewalk Labs: Privacy in a City Built from the Internet Up

By: Leslie John and Mitch Weiss

Email mking@hbs.edu for a courtesy copy.

The case serves as a microcosm of issues of digital privacy: the availability of data – personal data in particular – has tremendous potential to improve people’s lives... View Details

Keywords: Privacy; Privacy By Design; Privacy Regulation; Platforms; Data; Data Security; Behavioral Science; Analytics and Data Science; Safety; Entrepreneurship; Business and Government Relations; Consumer Behavior; Digital Platforms