Publications

05 Dec 2023
Research & Ideas

Lessons in Decision-Making: Confident People Aren't Always Correct (Except When They Are)

time to revisit outdated branding or stick with an established image? Executives aspire to project confidence in their decisions, lest they seem incompetent. “In teams, and organizations more broadly, self-selection often plays a critical... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin

26 Apr 2024
HBS Case

Deion Sanders' Prime Lessons for Leading a Team to Victory

caught the eye of major brands and led to marketing contracts. Ultimately, Sanders would go on to become one of the only athletes in the world to simultaneously play professional football and baseball, winning two Super Bowls in the NFL... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman; Sports

Web

Hire Talent

recruiting policies developed to ensure a level playing field for all constituents. Recruiting Policies Recruiting Calendar Insights & Advice How Student-Proposed Internships Can Create Value 20 MAY 2025 One student shares her experience designing her own summer role... View Details

February 2017 (Revised April 2018)
Case

Kameda Seika: Cracking the U.S. Market

By: Elie Ofek, Nobuo Sato and Akiko Kanno

In spring 2016, Kameda’s CEO, Michiyasu Tanaka, is facing difficult questions from board members over the lackluster performance of the company’s U.S. subsidiary. Kameda was the leading player in the Japanese rice cracker market and was looking to expand overseas to... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Adaptation; Performance Improvement; Food and Beverage Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Japan; United States

October 2023
Article

Speedy Activists: Firm Response Time to Sociopolitical Events Influences Consumer Behavior

By: Jimin Nam, Maya Balakrishnan, Julian De Freitas and Alison Wood Brooks

Organizations face growing pressure from their consumers and stakeholders to take public stances on sociopolitical issues. However, many are hesitant to do so lest they make missteps, promises they cannot keep, appear inauthentic, or alienate consumers, employees, or... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Public Opinion; Social Media; Social Issues

10 Jul 2006
Working Paper Summaries

Nationality and Multinationals in Historical Perspective

Keywords: by Geoffrey G. Jones

October 2007 (Revised November 2007)
Case

Barclays Global Investors and Exchange Traded Funds

By: Luis M. Viceira and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld

Provides an overview of the Exchange Traded Funds (EFT) industry and highlights the leadership role that Barclays Global Investors (BGI) has played in this developing asset class. BGI launched its first ETFs under the iShares brand name in 2000, and by mid-2007 BGI was... View Details

Keywords: History; Venture Capital; Asset Management; Stocks; Investment Funds; Leading Change; Expansion; Competitive Strategy; Capital Markets; Global Strategy; Financial Strategy; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry; Asia; Europe

13 Jan 2003
Research & Ideas

The Subconscious Mind of the Consumer (And How To Reach It)

customers themselves are not aware? Zaltman: There are several helpful approaches. One is to double check stated beliefs with actual behavior. For example, many consumers report handling competing brands and comparing prices at the point... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Mahoney

September 2005 (Revised April 2007)
Case

Spyder Active Sports - 2004

By: Belen Villalonga, Dwight B. Crane and James Quinn

David Jacobs founded a high-end ski apparel company in 1978. He successfully built and grew the company, establishing a major international brand that appealed to ski racers and other active skiers. In 1995, he sought external financing to support further growth of the... View Details

Keywords: Private Ownership; Private Equity; Financial Liquidity; Business Exit or Shutdown; Valuation; Brands and Branding; Wealth; Family Business; Financing and Loans; Globalization; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Sports Industry; Colorado

14 Apr 2015
First Look

First Look: April 14

collection of innovative research and management insights that build upon the foundations of the first book but takes the study of brand relationships outside of traditional realms by applying new theoretical frameworks and considering... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 29, 2020
Article

The Case for AI Insurance

By: Ram Shankar Siva Kumar and Frank Nagle

When organizations place machine learning systems at the center of their businesses, they introduce the risk of failures that could lead to a data breach, brand damage, property damage, business interruption, and in some cases, bodily harm. Even when companies are... View Details

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Machine Learning; Internet and the Web; Safety; Insurance; AI and Machine Learning; Cybersecurity

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February 2018 (Revised January 2020)
Case

SoulCycle: The Road Ahead

By: Ashish Nanda, Eric Van den Steen and Jeffrey Boyar

Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler founded SoulCycle, an indoor cycling studio chain, in 2006 as more than a health club; they wanted it to become a lifestyle brand that would “empower riders in an immersive fitness experience.” By early 2015, SoulCycle had grown to 38... View Details

Keywords: Fitness; Fitness Industry; Exercise; Cycling; Boutique Fitness; Exit Strategy; Growth; Bicycles; Retail; Pricing; Community; SoulCycle; Vision; Health; Leadership; Strategy; Marketing; Decision Making; Health Industry; United States

May 2010
Case

Flare Fragrances Company, Inc: Analyzing Growth Opportunities

By: John A. Quelch and Lisa D. Donovan

Flare Fragrances, a manufacturer of perfumes for women, faces a growth challenge in a difficult economic environment. CEO Joely Patterson outlines two growth opportunities for her marketing staff to evaluate. One involves launching a new scent -- and possibly... View Details

Keywords: Quantitative Analysis; Market Segmentation; Product Introduction; New Product Marketing; Product Lines; Product Positioning; Distribution; Product Launch; Segmentation; Growth and Development Strategy; Consumer Products Industry

11 Feb 2008
Research & Ideas

Does Democracy Need a Marketing Manager?

Very little scholarship has been done around the subject of marketing and democracy. In fact, many believe that politics needs less marketing. Harvard Business School professor John A. Quelch and research associate Katherine E. Jocz see it differently. What the process... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

September 2024
Exercise

Assessing the Value of Unifying and De-Duplicating Customer Data

By: Elie Ofek and Hema Yoganarasimhan

This exercise provides an opportunity for students to gain hands on experience with assessing the value of unifying various customer databases that a firm may have (e.g., across the different brands it markets) and of properly identifying customers to avoid duplication... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Measurement and Metrics; Analytics and Data Science; Value

March 2016
Teaching Note

MasterCard: Driving Financial Inclusion

By: Sunil Gupta

Since joining MasterCard (MC) in 2010, CEO Ajay Banga had made advancing financial inclusion (FI)—bringing formal financial services to marginalized populations—an important goal for the company. In 2014, MC had entered a number of partnerships with governments and... View Details

Keywords: Financial Inclusion; Banking; Equality and Inequality; Credit Cards; Developing Countries and Economies; Banking Industry; South Africa; Nigeria

July 2010 (Revised December 2010)
Case

Beohemija's Duel

By: Das Narayandas and Kerry Herman

Vladimir Joksic, Director of Marketing for Serbia's Beohemija, along with his marketing team has managed to grow Duel, the firm's soap powder offering from single digits to almost 40% of the Serbian market in just a few short years. He has used innovative and... View Details

Keywords: Investment; Growth and Development; Innovation Strategy; Management Teams; Marketing; Product Launch; Competition; Consumer Products Industry