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- All HBS Web
(4,837)
- People (13)
- News (1,427)
- Research (2,664)
- Events (8)
- Multimedia (6)
- Faculty Publications (1,696)
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- April 2006 (Revised March 2007)
- Case
PayPal Merchant Services
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Lauren Barley
In early 2006, PayPal management is deciding how to respond to Google's entry into online payments. PayPal, owned by eBay, has targeted online merchants outside eBay's auction community for its next wave of expansion. Google represents a potential threat to PayPal's... View Details
Keywords: Internet and the Web; Competition; Expansion; Service Operations; Auctions; Web Services Industry; Web Services Industry
Eisenmann, Thomas R., and Lauren Barley. "PayPal Merchant Services." Harvard Business School Case 806-188, April 2006. (Revised March 2007.)
- January 2005 (Revised October 2005)
- Background Note
Standard & Poor's Sovereign Credit Ratings: Scales and Process
By: Rawi E. Abdelal and Christopher Bruner
Describes Standard & Poor's sovereign credit ratings scales and the credit rating process. In particular, describes the role and function of the rating committee and the analytical categories considered in arriving at a final sovereign credit rating. View Details
Keywords: Financial Markets; Credit; Bonds; Policy; Risk and Uncertainty; Measurement and Metrics; Forecasting and Prediction; Financial Services Industry
Abdelal, Rawi E., and Christopher Bruner. "Standard & Poor's Sovereign Credit Ratings: Scales and Process." Harvard Business School Background Note 705-027, January 2005. (Revised October 2005.)
- Forthcoming
- Article
You've Got Mail! The Late 19th-Century U.S. Postal Service Expansion, Firm Creation, and Firm Performance
By: Astrid Marinoni and Maria P. Roche
This paper examines the impact of the expansion of the US Postal Service in the late 19th century
on firm creation and performance. Utilizing newly digitized archival data on historic business establishments,
post office locations, and road networks in California,... View Details
Keywords: Institutional Innovation; Knowledge Exchange; US Postal Service; Firm Performance; Infrastructure; Expansion; Government Administration; Communication; Business History; Entrepreneurship; Public Administration Industry; California
Marinoni, Astrid, and Maria P. Roche. "You've Got Mail! The Late 19th-Century U.S. Postal Service Expansion, Firm Creation, and Firm Performance." Management Science (forthcoming).
- December 2005 (Revised October 2006)
- Case
Pharmacy Service Improvement at CVS (A)
CVS's retail pharmacy operations are functioning poorly and dissatisfying customers. Many customers are defecting as a result. A pharmacy service improvement team has documented the current prescription fulfillment process, its exception rates, and the problems... View Details
Keywords: Information Technology; Performance Improvement; Business Processes; Retail Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States
McAfee, Andrew P. "Pharmacy Service Improvement at CVS (A)." Harvard Business School Case 606-015, December 2005. (Revised October 2006.)
- March 2021
- Supplement
Snapp: Scaling Under Sanctions in Iran (B)
By: Meg Rithmire and Gamze Yucaoglu
The case opens in November 2020 as Eyad Alkassar and Mahmoud Fouz, co-founders of Iran’s first and leading ride-hailing platform, Snapp, eagerly await the results of the U.S. presidential elections.
The case takes us through the challenging times between... View Details
The case takes us through the challenging times between... View Details
Keywords: Sanctions; Change Management; Disruption; Volatility; Decision Choices and Conditions; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Government and Politics; International Relations; National Security; Crisis Management; Risk Management; Health Pandemics; Transportation Industry; Middle East; Iran
Rithmire, Meg, and Gamze Yucaoglu. "Snapp: Scaling Under Sanctions in Iran (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 721-036, March 2021.
- November 1990 (Revised February 1991)
- Case
Commonwealth Blood Transfusion Service
For the first time, the Commonwealth Blood Transfusion Service (CBTS) has to determine product costs for the output of its plasma fractionation center. The motivation for determining product costs is political in nature. Therefore, the CBTS has to find a way to report... View Details
Cooper, Robin. "Commonwealth Blood Transfusion Service." Harvard Business School Case 191-087, November 1990. (Revised February 1991.)
- July 2003 (Revised October 2018)
- Case
Starbucks: Delivering Customer Service
By: Youngme Moon and John Quelch
Starbucks, the dominant specialty-coffee brand in North America, must respond to recent market research indicating that the company is not meeting customer expectations in terms of service. To increase customer satisfaction, the company is debating a plan that would... View Details
Keywords: Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Satisfaction; Profit; Recruitment; Marketing Strategy; Service Operations; Performance Improvement; Planning; Food and Beverage Industry
Moon, Youngme, and John Quelch. "Starbucks: Delivering Customer Service." Harvard Business School Case 504-016, July 2003. (Revised October 2018.)
- Article
Enfranchisement of Service Workers
By: Leonard A. Schlesinger and James Heskett
Enfranchisement is achieved through an integration of empowerment with methods of pay for performance. Evidence from Ito Yokado Group in Japan and Nordstrom in the US demonstrates the positive effects of enfranchisement. Successful efforts to enfranchise employees: 1.... View Details
Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Franchise Ownership; Employees; Compensation and Benefits; Service Industry; Japan; United States
Schlesinger, Leonard A., and James Heskett. "Enfranchisement of Service Workers." California Management Review 33, no. 4 (Summer 1991).
- August 2018
- Teaching Note
IguanaFix
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Thomas Eisenmann
Teaching Note for HBS No. 817-056. IguanaFix, based in Argentina, is a platform business that connects consumers with home improvement contractors. The founders are evaluating growth options and an investment offer. The case focuses on scaling issues for a venture... View Details
- March 2001 (Revised September 2005)
- Case
Madison Avenue: Digital Media Services (C)
By July 2000, Madison Avenue had experienced extraordinary growth in sales, employees, clients, and service offerings. From late 1999 to July 2000, the company had taken several initiatives to redesign its internal processes so that the firm could continue to grow,... View Details
Keywords: Service Operations; Digital Marketing; Product Development; Growth and Development Strategy; Advertising Industry
Spear, Steven J., and Anne Karshis. "Madison Avenue: Digital Media Services (C)." Harvard Business School Case 601-077, March 2001. (Revised September 2005.)
- March 2005 (Revised June 2006)
- Case
Sun Microsystems, Inc.: Web Services Strategy
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Fernando Suarez
Microsoft and IBM have excluded Sun Microsystems from the board of the Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I), an industry consortium that will shape the evolution of Web services standards. Sun managers must decide whether to join WS-I as a contributing... View Details
Keywords: Information Technology; Standards; Corporate Governance; Power and Influence; Web Services Industry; Web Services Industry
Eisenmann, Thomas R., and Fernando Suarez. "Sun Microsystems, Inc.: Web Services Strategy." Harvard Business School Case 805-095, March 2005. (Revised June 2006.)
- October 2016 (Revised October 2020)
- Case
Essent: From a State-Owned Utility to a Commercial Company
By: Ananth Raman and Elena Corsi
Patrick Lammers, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) for the Dutch energy company Essent NV, once a state-owned company, was pleased with the progress Essent’s consumer (“B2C”) business had made: Earnings Before Income Tax (EBIT) for B2C had gone from a loss of €18 million... View Details
Keywords: Lean Management; Operation Management; Service Management; Commercialization; Operations; Management; Energy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Service Operations; Performance; Energy Industry; Europe
Raman, Ananth, and Elena Corsi. "Essent: From a State-Owned Utility to a Commercial Company." Harvard Business School Case 617-026, October 2016. (Revised October 2020.)
- 31 Mar 2022
- Op-Ed
Navigating the ‘Bermuda Triangle’ in Professional Services
used by D. Darryl Wyckoff to explain why the operating ratio—operating cost to revenue—was highest for mid-sized firms in his 1973 study of the trucking industry. It applies, perhaps with even greater power, in the human-capital-intensive... View Details
Keywords: by Ashish Nanda
- March 2022 (Revised August 2022)
- Case
Proximie: Using XR Technology to Create Borderless Operating Rooms
By: Ariel D. Stern and Alpana Thapar
In mid-January 2022, Nadine Hachach-Haram, founder and CEO of Proximie, was thinking about the company’s growth plans. Launched in 2016, Proximie was a platform that enabled clinicians, proctors, and medical device company personnel to be virtually present in operating... View Details
Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Technological Innovation; Partners and Partnerships; Strategic Planning; Health Care and Treatment; Analytics and Data Science; Digital Platforms; Health Industry; Lebanon; United Kingdom; United States
Stern, Ariel D., and Alpana Thapar. "Proximie: Using XR Technology to Create Borderless Operating Rooms." Harvard Business School Case 622-082, March 2022. (Revised August 2022.)
- August 1992
- Case
Otis Pacific Asia Operations (A): National Challenges
Describes the elevator market and Otis's competitive position in four markets: Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, and Japan. The student is asked to evaluate the strategic and competitive challenges in each market, especially in light of strong Japanese competition across the... View Details
Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Network Effects; Problems and Challenges; Global Strategy; Goals and Objectives; Service Delivery; Competitive Advantage; Competition; Technology Industry; Manufacturing Industry; India; Japan; Malaysia; Hong Kong
Yoshino, Michael Y. "Otis Pacific Asia Operations (A): National Challenges." Harvard Business School Case 393-009, August 1992.
- May 2016
- Case
The Priceline Group: Booking a Place for the Future
By: Leonard A. Schlesinger and Anish Pathipati
The Chairman of the Priceline Group is considering the actions he must take to confront an evolving external environment, new direct competition, disintermediation and substitute offerings. Does his response require an increased coordination of each historically... View Details
Keywords: Operations Strategy; Service Management; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Operations; Service Operations; Travel Industry
Schlesinger, Leonard A., and Anish Pathipati. "The Priceline Group: Booking a Place for the Future." Harvard Business School Case 316-177, May 2016.
- April 2006
- Background Note
Informing Service Management with Customer Data
By: Frances X. Frei and Dennis Campbell
Taught as the third module in a Harvard Business School course on Managing Service Operations. Explores the role of data analysis in ongoing service management. Describes how to realize the maximum amount of value from analyses and use this information in... View Details
Keywords: Decision Making; Design; Analytics and Data Science; Service Operations; Mathematical Methods; Value
Frei, Frances X., and Dennis Campbell. "Informing Service Management with Customer Data." Harvard Business School Background Note 606-097, April 2006.
- spring 1991
- Article
Breaking the Cycle of Failure in Services
By: Leonard A. Schlesinger and James Heskett
Most managers recognize that good service is a direct result of having effective, productive people in customer contact positions. However, most service companies perpetuate a cycle of failure by tolerating high turnover and expecting employee dissatisfaction. This... View Details
Keywords: Goals and Objectives; Service Delivery; Success; Failure; Management Skills; Service Industry
Schlesinger, Leonard A., and James Heskett. "Breaking the Cycle of Failure in Services." MIT Sloan Management Review 32, no. 3 (spring 1991): 17–28.
- June 2016
- Case
Duff & Phelps: Scaling an Entrepreneurial Venture (A)
By: Lynda M. Applegate and David Lane
Having teamed up to launch their own financial services business, Noah Gottdiener and Jacob Silverman soon discover a venerable brand and viable business in an established bank subsidiary. They then work for many months to acquire the business as a platform for... View Details
Keywords: Duff ＆ Phelps; Entrepreneurial Management; Mergers ＆ Acquisitions; Entrepreneurial Financing; Entrepreneurship; Mergers and Acquisitions; Integration; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Financial Services Industry
Applegate, Lynda M., and David Lane. "Duff & Phelps: Scaling an Entrepreneurial Venture (A)." Harvard Business School Case 816-041, June 2016.
- March 2021 (Revised June 2021)
- Case
Scale and Scope at Drake Real Estate Partners
By: Christina R. Wing and David Lane
Realizing in early 2021 that their pending real estate investment fund would likely be oversubscribed, Drake Real Estate Partners co-founders Nicolás Ibáñez and David Cotterman were considering how best to continue to diversify their investor base and how to optimize... View Details
Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Family Business; Investment; Ownership; Value Creation; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; United States; Latin America; Chile
Wing, Christina R., and David Lane. "Scale and Scope at Drake Real Estate Partners." Harvard Business School Case 621-065, March 2021. (Revised June 2021.)