Publications

March 1993
Case

Liz Claiborne, Inc. and Ruentex Industries, Ltd. (Abridged)

By: Roy D. Shapiro and Marie-Therese M. Flaherty

Details the evolution of a value-creating supplier-buyer partnership. Describes the buyer's (Liz Claiborne) manufacturing and marketing strategy, and details the workings of the firm's relationship with an important Taiwanese supplier of piece goods (Ruentex Industries... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Production; Supply Chain Management; Alliances; Value Creation; Manufacturing Industry

August 2009
Case

The TSMC Way: Meeting Customer Needs at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

By: Willy C. Shih, Chen-Fu Chien, Chintay Shih and Jack Chang

When L.C. Tu receives an emergency order, he is confronted with a range of production scheduling choices, each of which has unique costs and trade-offs. The case was designed to help students understand job-shop style production and the impact of disruptions and... View Details

Keywords: Disruption; Customer Relationship Management; Decision Choices and Conditions; Cost; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Production; Semiconductor Industry; Taiwan

May 2003
Background Note

How to Induce Retailers to Reduce Stockouts?

By: V.G. Narayanan

Describes how the lack of incentive alignment between retailers and their vendors can lead to stockouts. Also describes various means to reduce incentive misalignment and hence stockouts. View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Supply Chain Management; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Distribution; Alignment; Business Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Industrial Products Industry; Retail Industry

01 Mar 2006
News

Robots to the Rescue

STANDING TALL: Mountz flanked by colleagues Raffaello D'Andrea (left) and Pete Wurman. PHOTO BY ERIK JACOBS/BOSTON GLOBE Order fulfillment will never be the same if Mick Mountz (MBA ’96) has his way.... View Details

Keywords: robotics; Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services; Professional Services

Portrait Project

Alexander Kamenskov

aspirations. My generation was praised to have the brightest future, a very happy and fulfilling life... ...that day proved to be just another milestone. Despite many achievements, the transformation is far from over even now. New ideas... View Details

01 Sep 2003
News

An Electrifying Tale

Prior to earning her MBA, Maryanne Cataldo (MBA ’92) decided to leave Washington, D.C., and her job as an economist in order to plug into a different career. She moved to Boston and joined an electrical workers union as an apprentice. “I... View Details

Keywords: Electric Power Generation, Transmission, Distribution; Utilities

01 Dec 2010
News

Iron Lady

OTEH: “Local and international investors need to understand that things have changed” in Nigeria. On the fiftieth anniversary of Nigeria’s independence, one key player who wants to see the oil-rich country truly fulfill its promise is... View Details

Keywords: Finance

December 2024 (Revised March 2025)
Case

Strategy and CEO Succession at Starbucks

By: Krishna G. Palepu and David Lane

On August 13, 2024, Starbucks announced that Laxman Narasimhan who was appointed as the CEO only in September 2023, was stepping down as CEO and board director “with immediate effect.” Laxman would be replaced on September 9 by Brian Niccol, CEO since 2018 of Chipotle... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Corporate Governance; Leadership; Management Succession; Cost Management; Labor Unions; Working Conditions; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Service Operations; Investment Activism; Governing and Advisory Boards; Resignation and Termination; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

June 2022
Case

Zalando: Becoming the Starting Point for Fashion

By: Antonio Moreno, Leela Nageswaran, Emilie Billaud and Federica Gabrieli

Born in 2008 as a small startup selling flip flops, by mid-2021 Zalando had turned into an online fashion company with an assortment of more than 4,500 international brands, 45 million active customers, and a presence in 23 European markets. An essential component in... View Details

Keywords: Transition; Customer Value and Value Chain; Digital Platforms; Distribution; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Infrastructure; Logistics; Service Operations; Strategy; Business Strategy; Fashion Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Distribution Industry; Retail Industry; Service Industry; Shipping Industry; Technology Industry; Europe

January 2025
Case

Driving Efficiency and Sustainability at P&G China

By: Feng Zhu, Philip Kuai and Billy Chan

P&G China’s business had reached new heights thanks to the explosive growth of e-commerce in the country, but the rapidly increasing volume of shipments to customers had created operational and environmental challenges in terms of packaging waste, shipping damage, and... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Customer Value and Value Chain; Environmental Sustainability; E-commerce; Logistics; Product Design; Value Creation; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Supply Chain Management; Consumer Products Industry; China

17 Nov 2020
In Practice

How Retailers Can Thrive in a Shopping Season Like No Other

capacity to fulfill the high volume of orders is going to be challenging for many retailers and third-party logistics companies. Some companies like Walmart are adding pop-up centers for online View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Retail

01 Dec 2012
News

The Key to Innovation: Flexible Funding

Kaplan As we look to the future, it is clear that the leading MBA programs will be very different 25 years from now. The role of MBA education is changing, and HBS needs to be increasingly nimble and innovative in order to remain the... View Details

Keywords: Robert Steven Kaplan

29 Aug 2024
News

A Kick Start for Latin American Startups

they believe tech entrepreneurs have the power to catalyze transformation in Latin America. MAYA Capital starts by supporting the first round of funding—getting the team off and running, in order to raise the second round. “Most of the... View Details

05 Aug 2015
News

Bringing New Life to an Iconic Magazine

Growing up in Washington, DC, David Bradley (MBA 1977) aspired to be a politician, not a businessman, but figured he should have a strong financial base in order to launch his political career. In 1979, he formed the Research Counsel of... View Details

August 2000 (Revised February 2003)
Case

Borders Group, Inc.

By: Zeynep Ton and Ananth Raman

Describes Borders Group, a well-known retail chain, in late 1999 and its traditional strengths and rapid growth in the 1990s. By 1990, however, the company had fallen behind Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble in leveraging the Internet for book retailing, although it... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain Management; Customer Value and Value Chain; Distribution Channels; Service Operations; Business Growth and Maturation; Economic Growth; Industry Growth; Growth and Development; Internet; Business Model; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Supply and Industry; Retail Industry; Publishing Industry

May 2004 (Revised July 2004)
Case

Clarence Saunders: The Comeback King

By: Nitin Nohria and Bridget Gurtler

Follows the rise and fall of the founder of the modern supermarket, Clarence Saunders. Prior to 1915, all staple shopping took place in the market or general store, where a clerk behind a counter pulled items from shelves for customers , measured them from a barrel, or... View Details

Keywords: Inflation and Deflation; Mission and Purpose; Business Processes; Leadership; Consumer Behavior; Leadership Style; Advertising; Customer Relationship Management; Customer Value and Value Chain; Order Taking and Fulfillment