Publications

December 2004 (Revised February 2005)
Case

Exporting Spanish Olive Oil to the U.S. Market

By: Ray A. Goldberg, Hal Hogan and Miguel Angel Llano Irusta

Spain is the largest olive oil producer, yet it sells much of its product to Italy, where it is repackaged as Italian olive oil. The decision maker in the case wants to develop Spain as the olive oil leader not just in production but in quality and value added. He... View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Trade; Goods and Commodities; Demand and Consumers; Supply and Industry; Brands and Branding; Decisions; Customization and Personalization; Product Design; Product Development; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Spain; United States; Italy

17 Mar 2022
Research & Ideas

Navigating Tradeoffs: How Purpose Becomes a Company's ‘Lighthouse in the Storm’

company so dedicated to reinventing agriculture to be more sustainable and less polluting use planet-friendly packaging? It wasn’t an oversight. As founder Viraj Puri recalls, when the company was starting out, his team researched... View Details

Keywords: by Ranjay Gulati

22 Apr 2015
Op-Ed

Reforming Greece: Myths and Truths

goods rather than agriculture or services. Industrial exports increased as a percentage of total exports from circa 25 percent to 40 percent between 2007 and 2013. It is no coincidence that the largest increase in labor productivity over... View Details

Keywords: by George Serafeim

September 2011 (Revised February 2013)
Case

Trucost: Valuing Corporate Environmental Impacts

By: Michael W. Toffel and Stephanie van Sice

Trucost provided corporate environmental performance data and analysis to institutional investors and corporate managers, but after operating for a decade had yet to achieve profitability. Trucost was struggling to effectively differentiate its high quality products... View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Distribution Channels; Investment; Measurement and Metrics; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Information; Value; Environmental Sustainability; Financial Services Industry

June 2008 (Revised May 2017)
Case

Cook Composites and Polymers Co.

By: Deishin Lee, Michael W. Toffel and Rachel Gordon

This case describes how a company improves resource efficiency and process quality in its manufacturing process by developing a waste by-product into a new product. The case describes how CCP cleans production equipment between batches using styrene, which becomes a... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Invention; Product Development; Business Processes; Performance Efficiency; Natural Environment; Wastes and Waste Processing; Pollutants; Environmental Sustainability; Chemical Industry; Manufacturing Industry

June 2011 (Revised December 2013)
Case

FIJI Water: Carbon Negative?

By: Francesca Gino, Michael W. Toffel and Stephanie van Sice

Seeking to go beyond global best practices in reducing environmental impacts, FIJI Water, a premium artesian bottled water company in the United States, launched a Carbon Negative campaign that would offset more greenhouse gas emissions than were released by the... View Details

Keywords: Carbon Footprint; Carbon Offsetting; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Brands and Branding; Negotiation Tactics; Business and Government Relations; Corporate Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; United States; Fiji

19 Oct 2015
Research & Ideas

Business Research that Makes for Smarter Public Policy

reporting, while strengthening vigorous enforcement of environmental laws. “This workshop was a gold mine of new contacts, information, and studies,” he says. One paper that Silberman found particularly interesting looked at private-sector View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

10 Jun 2002
Research & Ideas

How to Look at Globalization Now

fixed costs/scale sensitivity on the supply side, are all capable of reducing the equilibrium level of global standardization, as is the ability of local producers to pre-commit costs to particular markets. Convergence of the price of the... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

Profile

Jeremy Andrus

are lots of different markets that require different strategies and investments. Our supply chain is complex. Most of our manufacturing happens in China, so the basic manufacturing piece—assembling millions... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Consumer Products; Entertainment / Media

24 Apr 2007
First Look

First Look: April 24, 2007

traditional handicraft artisans in rural India. Established in 1960 as an exporter of home furnishings, Fabindia has grown as a consumer-facing retailer of apparel, home furnishings, organic food, and body care products, and has plans to expand further. Given their... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Jun 2019
News

City on a Hill

beyond West Wind, he passes the high-tunnel greenhouses that Pine Mountain provides to local farmers. “In many ways, it’s like running a small town,” says Marietta, casting his eye across the potato fields and chicken coop that help View Details

Keywords: Alexander Gelfand; photographed by Clay Cook

17 Nov 2020
In Practice

How Retailers Can Thrive in a Shopping Season Like No Other

stronger demand for home goods and furnishings. Many retailers may be wary about excess inventory and will pare back their ordering. The COVID-19 pandemic is also adversely affecting the supply chains of... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Retail

22 Nov 2022
Blog Post

Alumni Leaders on Decarbonization Strategies for Combatting Climate Change

government. The renewables world has significantly changed in the past 5 to 10 years though – our scientists and engineers have delivered massive design improvements and our manufacturing and supply chain... View Details

20 Feb 2001
Research & Ideas

What’s Next for Japan

production techniques. Yasunobe, meanwhile, predicted that some type of keiretsu system would survive and be valuable. "Even in the U.S.," he added, "there are supply chain systems very much... View Details

Keywords: by Hilah Geer

21 Dec 2022
Blog Post

Climate Stories Episode #12: Vehicle to Everything - Claire Broido Johnson (MBA 2002), Chief Operating Officer of Fermata Energy

Co-op is experimenting with a transactive energy rate that will enable members to partner with the co-op, supplying energy from their EV batteries when it is most needed, and charging up when demand — and prices — are low. The technology... View Details

31 May 2016
First Look

May 31, 2016

additively separable in its state variables, leading to conquering the curse of dimensionality and the opportunity to manage the supply chain using independently acting managers. We develop conditions under... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

March 2021 (Revised February 2025)
Teaching Note

Afterpay U.S.: The Omnichannel Dilemma

By: Antonio Moreno and Anibha Singh

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 519-086. In 2018, Nick Molnar, the founder of the Australia-based online payment service Afterpay began its expansion to the U.S. market. The service had gained a loyal following in Australia by enabling customers to pay for online... View Details

October 2010
Teaching Note

Whole Foods: Balancing Social Mission and Growth (TN)

By: Christopher Marquis and Bobbi Thomason

Teaching Note for 410023. View Details

Keywords: Food; Growth and Development; Mergers and Acquisitions; Mission and Purpose; Supply Chain; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Integration; Management Practices and Processes; Labor Unions; Food and Beverage Industry; United States