by Michael Toffel - Publications - Faculty & Research

08 Mar 2012
Working Paper Summaries

Customer-Driven Misconduct: How Competition Corrupts Business Practices

Keywords: by Victor Manuel Bennett, Lamar Pierce, Jason A. Snyder & Michael W. Toffel; Auto

25 Jan 2022
Research & Ideas

More Proof That Money Can Buy Happiness (or a Life with Less Stress)

control, allowing us to buy our way out of unforeseen bumps in the road, whether it’s a small nuisance, like dodging a rainstorm by ordering up an Uber, or a bigger worry, like handling an unexpected hospital bill, says Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

11 Aug 2014
HBS Case

The Business of Behavioral Economics

choices, those efforts should be enough to change your behavior. If you know the consequences but still get fat, you must want to be overweight. “Losing $100 is more painful than gaining $100 is pleasurable” Of course not, say Leslie John and View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Food & Beverage; Health

08 Dec 2003
Research & Ideas

Is That Really Your Best Offer?

like to think we can gauge someone's sincerity and commitment by the look in her eyes or the firmness of her handshake. After all, a bargainer who yields to a demand is said to have "blinked." And if we reach agreement, it's... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Wheeler

05 Jul 2004
Research & Ideas

Radical Change, Entrepreneurial Opportunity

Mary Tripsas, Assistant Professor in the Entrepreneurial Management unit at Harvard Business School, is interested in how radical technological change transforms industries, and how such change affects established firms and creates entrepreneurial opportunities. Senior... View Details

Keywords: by Michael J. Roberts; Technology

06 Nov 2023
Research & Ideas

Did You Hear What I Said? How to Listen Better

School. “You feel like maybe they weren’t totally listening.” In fact, people often aren’t tuned in when we think they are, and it’s tough to tell when someone is actually paying attention, according to a forthcoming article in the Journal of Experimental Psychology... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

July 2024
Case

Negotiating in a Hurricane: John Branca and the Michael Jackson Estate

By: James K. Sebenius and Alex Green

When the "King of Pop," Michael Jackson, unexpectedly died in 2009, he left behind an estate that was over $500 million in debt, with largely illiquid assets, and legions of creditors poised to begin to seize assets in as soon as 60 days. The task of managing Jackson’s... View Details

Keywords: Bargaining; Dispute Resolution; Negotiation; Entertainment; Financial Management; Financial Condition; Assets; Music Industry

Citation

Educators

Purchase

16 Jun 2021
HBS Case

Cruising in Crisis: How Carnival Is Riding Out the COVID-19 Storm

reported infections. By mid-March, Carnival, the largest cruise line in the world, suspended operations across the globe. Yet it took weeks to get its 260,000 guests and 80,000 employees who were floating at sea back to their homes in... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Travel

08 Feb 2016
Research & Ideas

The Civic Benefits of Google Street View and Yelp

says Harvard Business School Assistant Professor Michael Luca. That may be about to change. Thanks to the Internet, mobile apps, and a wide range of useful programs online, residents add to the pool of information with every keystroke... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Consumer Products

04 May 2021
Book

Best Buy: How Human Connection Saved a Failing Retailer

the core of the near-miraculous turnaround Joly spearheaded at the company during the 2010s. Joly stepped in as CEO of Best Buy in 2012, just after its quarterly profits plummeted by 91 percent and its stock price hit a nine-year low.... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Retail

01 Oct 1996
News

Mastering the Competition — Michael E. Porter (MBA 1971)

Even while he was growing up, Michael Porter, the School's C. Roland Christensen Professor of Business Administration, knew a thing or two about the world. The son of a career Army officer, he lived in many places in this country and... View Details

Keywords: James E. Aisner

15 Aug 2023
Research & Ideas

Why Giving to Others Makes Us Happy

When budgeting for expenses, people may want to consider including a line item for giving, since a growing body of research shows that spending money on others can provide a mental boost. Harvard Business School Assistant Professor Ashley Whillans recently partnered... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

01 Apr 1998
News

Microfinance's Big Payoff: Michael Chu and ACCION International

Michael Chu (MBA '76) is president and CEO of ACCION International, a private nonprofit corporation founded in 1961 and based in Somerville, Massachusetts. ACCION's affiliates in thirteen Latin American countries and the United States... View Details

August 2022 (Revised October 2022)
Case

Sian Flowers: Fresher by Sea?

By: Willy C. Shih, Michael W. Toffel and Pippa Tubman Armerding

The setting for this case is the Sian Flowers, a company headquartered in Kitengela, Kenya that exports roses to predominantly Europe. Because cut flowers have a limited shelf life and consumers want them to retain their appearance for as long as possible, Sian or its... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain; Supply Chains; Sustainability; Sustainable Agriculture; Sustainability Reporting; Carbon Emissions; Supply Chain Management; Quality; Ship Transportation; Cost Management; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Africa; Kenya; Netherlands; Europe

Citation

Educators

Purchase

27 Jun 2016
Research & Ideas

These Management Practices, Like Certain Technologies, Boost Company Performance

practices that had been recognized by consulting firm McKinsey & Co., they began surveying large and random samples of companies to understand how well best practices were being used. In the first 10 years the project encompassed some... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

10 Nov 2014
HBS Case

How Restaurants in Lima and Copenhagen Became Best in the World

their businesses while staying true to their cultural roots. We sat down with Associate Professor Mukti Khaire, lead author of Noma: A Lot on the Plate; and Associate Professor Anat Keinan and Professor Michael I. Norton, authors of... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Food & Beverage

25 Apr 2016
Book

A Three-Box Solution to Managing Innovation

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

February 2010 (Revised September 2011)
Case

Local Motors: Designed by the Crowd, Built by the Customer

By: Michael I. Norton and Jeremy Dann

In the wake of the meltdown among U.S. auto manufacturers in 2009, Jay Rogers, CEO of Local Motors, has a new approach for the automotive industry: decide which models are produced through online design competitions, and then allow customers to "build their own cars"... View Details