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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(2,514)
- People (4)
- News (416)
- Research (1,764)
- Events (4)
- Multimedia (13)
- Faculty Publications (1,062)
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- Research Summary
The Effects of Firm Size and Sales Growth Rate on Inventory Turnover Performance in the U.S. Retail Sector
We review and extend recent academic literature on the inventory turnover performance of public-listed U.S. retailers using firm-level financial data. Past research has shown that there is a large variation in the inventory turnover performance of retailers across... View Details
- November 2016 (Revised October 2018)
- Case
Formlabs: Selling a New 3D Printer
By: Frank V. Cespedes, Olivia Hull and Amram Migdal
Headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, Formlabs manufactures 3D printers used to print everything from prototypes and models to jewelry, dental, and sculpture molds. As Formlabs prepares to ship its latest model, the Form 2, Head of Customer Development and... View Details
Keywords: 3D Printing And Manufacturing; Sales Channel Development; Sales Strategy; Entrepreneurial Management; Product Engineering; Prototype; Prototyping; Entrepreneurship; Product Launch; Information Infrastructure; Business Startups; Customers; Technological Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Adoption; Marketing Channels; Marketing Strategy; Product Positioning; Demand and Consumers; Sales; Salesforce Management; Technology Industry; Computer Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States; Massachusetts; Europe; Asia
Cespedes, Frank V., Olivia Hull, and Amram Migdal. "Formlabs: Selling a New 3D Printer." Harvard Business School Case 817-001, November 2016. (Revised October 2018.)
- February 2024
- Teaching Note
Accelerating with Caution: Forecasting and Managing birddogs' Growth (A) and (B)
By: Mark Egan
Teaching Note for HBS Case Nos. 224-023 and 224-024. As 2017 was drawing to a close, birddogs’ founder and CEO, Peter Baldwin, was working with his CFO Jack Sullivan to prepare for 2018. A nascent direct-to-consumer apparel brand, birddogs had carved its niche in men’s... View Details
- October 2016 (Revised April 2018)
- Case
DataXu: Selling Ad Tech
By: Frank V. Cespedes, John Deighton, Lisa Cox and Olivia Hull
DataXu served marketers by buying digital advertising for brands using its demand-side platform. It sought a way to build a more predictable revenue stream in the very transactional media marketplace, and hoped that two new marketing analytics products would give it a... View Details
Keywords: Sales Management; Pricing; Programmatic Ad Buying; "Marketing Analytics"; Advertising Technology; Sales; Digital Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Advertising Campaigns; Product Launch; Product Positioning; Media; Technology Industry; Advertising Industry; Boston; Massachusetts
Cespedes, Frank V., John Deighton, Lisa Cox, and Olivia Hull. "DataXu: Selling Ad Tech." Harvard Business School Case 817-012, October 2016. (Revised April 2018.)
- May 2017 (Revised November 2017)
- Case
Cotopaxi: Managing Growth for Good
By: Andy Wu and Laura Huang
Cotopaxi, an innovative outdoor gear business targeting millennials, focuses on profit and social impact. This registered benefit corporation was formed by Davis Smith who coalesced his experiences as a Wharton MBA student along with professional knowledge from an... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Social Venture; Benefit Corporation; B-Corp; Retail; Consumer Products; Apparel; Social Impact; Social Entrepreneurship; Business Model; Product Positioning; Social Enterprise; Mission and Purpose; Consumer Products Industry; Retail Industry
Wu, Andy, and Laura Huang. "Cotopaxi: Managing Growth for Good." Harvard Business School Case 717-488, May 2017. (Revised November 2017.)
- June 1989 (Revised November 1991)
- Supplement
Ingersoll-Rand (B): Managing Multiple Channels--1986
Peter Baldwin takes over Clabough's job and is charged with the responsibility to improve sales force morale, control expenses, and improve market share. View Details
Keywords: Salesforce Management; Supply and Industry; Management Teams; Industrial Products Industry
Rangan, V. Kasturi. "Ingersoll-Rand (B): Managing Multiple Channels--1986." Harvard Business School Supplement 589-122, June 1989. (Revised November 1991.)
- April 2018
- Teaching Note
Formlabs: Selling a New 3D Printer
By: Frank Cespedes
Teaching Note for HBS No. 817-001. Formlabs is a venture that manufactures and sells 3D printers used in a variety of industries and applications. As the young company prepares to ship its latest model, the head of Customer Development is tasked with developing a... View Details
Keywords: 3D Printing And Manufacturing; Sales Channel Development; Sales Strategy; Entrepreneurial Management; Product Engineering; Prototype; Prototyping; Entrepreneurship; Product Launch; Information Infrastructure; Business Startups; Customers; Technological Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Adoption; Marketing Channels; Marketing Strategy; Product Positioning; Demand and Consumers; Sales; Salesforce Management; Technology Industry; Computer Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States; Massachusetts; Europe; Asia
- February 2018 (Revised October 2019)
- Case
HubSpot and Motion AI: Chatbot-Enabled CRM
By: Jill Avery and Thomas Steenburgh
HubSpot, an inbound marketing, sales, and customer relationship management (CRM) software provider, announced that it had acquired Motion AI, a software platform that enabled companies to easily build and deploy chatbots, fueled by artificial intelligence, to interact... View Details
Keywords: CRM; Sales Management; Customer Service; Artificial Intelligence; B2B Vs. B2C; Business Marketing; SaaS; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Customer Focus and Relationships; Sales; Salesforce Management; Technological Innovation; Applications and Software; Customer Relationship Management; AI and Machine Learning; Technology Industry; Service Industry; United States; North America
Avery, Jill, and Thomas Steenburgh. "HubSpot and Motion AI: Chatbot-Enabled CRM." Harvard Business School Case 518-067, February 2018. (Revised October 2019.)
- June 2001 (Revised May 2002)
- Case
Spir-It, Inc. (B): Managing People
When Jack Sindler founded Spir-it, Inc. in 1934, he was the company's sole employee. By 1999, Sindler's firm more than survived its first 55 years. Employment was up to nearly 200, with facilities in two states and work done in three shifts. The product line--which had... View Details
Keywords: Growth Management; Production; Business Growth and Maturation; Interpersonal Communication; Logistics; Human Resources; Diversity Characteristics; Manufacturing Industry
Spear, Steven J. "Spir-It, Inc. (B): Managing People." Harvard Business School Case 601-091, June 2001. (Revised May 2002.)
- March 13, 2023
- Article
Sales Teams Need to Stop Focusing on the Customer Funnel
Understanding where customers are, how they navigate streams in your market, and how to interact with them in a given stream is now central to crafting a good customer experience, and that has implications. Among other things, companies need to shift from thinking... View Details
Keywords: Customer Experience; Customer Value and Value Chain; Customer Relationship Management; Consumer Behavior
Cespedes, Frank V. "Sales Teams Need to Stop Focusing on the Customer Funnel." Harvard Business Review (website) (March 13, 2023).
- July 2005 (Revised February 2009)
- Case
Eureka Forbes Ltd.: Managing the Selling Effort (A)
By: Das Narayandas and Kerry Herman
The CEO of EFL (India), a direct sales organization, must decide which changes to the sales compensation systems would better motivate his sales reps and improve their sales performance. View Details
Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Management; Performance Improvement; Sales; Motivation and Incentives; India
Narayandas, Das, and Kerry Herman. "Eureka Forbes Ltd.: Managing the Selling Effort (A)." Harvard Business School Case 506-003, July 2005. (Revised February 2009.)
- May 2013
- Supplement
Paul Thomson: Walker Insurance
This is the Spreadsheet Supplement for Walker Insurance: Paul Thomson (HBS Case 813057). Includes Exhibit 1a, Exhibit 1b, Exhibit 2, Exhibit 4, Exhibit 5, Exhibit 6, and Exhibit 7. View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurial Organizations; Entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurship; Search; Search Funds; Sales Force Management; Sales; Sales Channels; Insurance And Reinsurance; Insurance Companies; Acquisitions; Hiring; Service Management; Service; Insurance; Salesforce Management; Selection and Staffing; Insurance Industry; United States
- August 1996
- Case
Howard, Shea & Chan Asset Management (B); The Partnership Meeting
Continues the plot about growth and sales strategies, and adds interesting pricing and sales compensation elements. The partners' meeting sharpens the disagreements among the five partners, and forces Anne Howard, the managing partner, to develop a clear action plan. View Details
Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Price; Sales; Strategy; Asset Management; Partners and Partnerships; Service Industry
Shapiro, Benson P. "Howard, Shea & Chan Asset Management (B); The Partnership Meeting." Harvard Business School Case 597-022, August 1996.
- July 2020
- Case
Karen Bruck: Growing Managers at MercadoLibre
By: Joshua D. Margolis, Fernanda Miguel and Mariana Cal
Karen Bruck, Corporate Sales Director at MercadoLibre, Latin America's largest e-commerce platform, needs to make a decision about one of her managers, who, while analytically savvy, has an approach that does not fit in with the company's culture. View Details
Keywords: Performance Evaluation; Employee Relationship Management; Decision Making; Interpersonal Communication; Organizational Culture; Retail Industry; Latin America; Argentina
Margolis, Joshua D., Fernanda Miguel, and Mariana Cal. "Karen Bruck: Growing Managers at MercadoLibre." Harvard Business School Case 421-013, July 2020.
- April 6, 2023
- Article
A New NFT Launch Strategy: The Wave Mint
By: Scott Duke Kominers and 1337 Skulls Sers
In an NFT project, the mint—the process by which tokens are initially allocated—largely determines who your community is and how they and the broader market view the project going forward. In this piece, we review a new minting strategy recently introduced by 1337... View Details
Keywords: NFTs; Mechanism Design; Sales Management; Sales Model; Crypto Economy; Non-fungible Tokens; Networks; Product Launch; Auctions; Market Design
Kominers, Scott Duke, and 1337 Skulls Sers. "A New NFT Launch Strategy: The Wave Mint." a16zcrypto.com (April 6, 2023).
- August 1994
- Case
Kyocera Corporation: The Amoeba Management System
Describes Kyocera's unusual approach to profit centers. The firm's basic units of operation are profit centers called "amoebas," which are sales or manufacturing units with full responsibility for their planning, decision making, and administration. Amoebas are... View Details
Keywords: Cost Management; Organizational Structure; Profit; Management Systems; Manufacturing Industry
Cooper, Robin. "Kyocera Corporation: The Amoeba Management System." Harvard Business School Case 195-064, August 1994.
- August 2003 (Revised August 2006)
- Case
I've Got Rhythm: Selling Cardiac Rhythm Management Devices
By: Regina E. Herzlinger, William Lagor, Christopher Perry and Scott St. Germain
The head of sales and marketing in a large medical devices firm must decide how to assign his sales force. He compares selling in the pharma, specialty pharma, and device industries and analyzes the reasons for the differences. View Details
Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Marketing Strategy; Industry Structures; Sales; Salesforce Management; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry
Herzlinger, Regina E., William Lagor, Christopher Perry, and Scott St. Germain. "I've Got Rhythm: Selling Cardiac Rhythm Management Devices." Harvard Business School Case 304-012, August 2003. (Revised August 2006.)
- 09 May 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
What Do Measures of Real-Time Corporate Sales Tell Us About Earnings Surprises and Post-announcement Returns?
- Research Summary
Managing the Manufacturer-Retailer Interface
Janice H. Hammond is studying the impact of coordination on the performance of manufacturing and retail channels. The focus of her research is on the supply "channel", the set of firms that undertakes the chain of activities that begins with acquisition of raw... View Details
- March 2016 (Revised June 2017)
- Case
Transition at DataCo?
By: Frank V. Cespedes and Carin-Isabel Knoop
The founder of a data analytics company, Stefan Brecht, has several issues with his key business developer and head of marketing and sales, Tamara Smithson. Smithson, an early hire who had been instrumental in building the firm; operates as an individual contributor;... View Details
Keywords: Sales Management; Selling; Entrepreneurial Ventures; Performance Management; Professional Services; Salesforce Management; Sales; Marketing; Performance; Consulting Industry; United States; France
Cespedes, Frank V., and Carin-Isabel Knoop. "Transition at DataCo?" Harvard Business School Case 816-058, March 2016. (Revised June 2017.)