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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(682)
- People (4)
- News (161)
- Research (376)
- Events (4)
- Multimedia (9)
- Faculty Publications (338)
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- 2024
- Case
EPCorp: Sell on Amazon or Invest in Our Data?
By: Jacob M. Cook
Amidst a history of exponential growth, Electronic Products Company (EPCorp) finds itself at a crossroads as its once thriving retail presence faces a downturn, despite hefty investments into a promising new direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform. Shivani, EPCorp s... View Details
Keywords: E-commerce; Technology Adoption; Cost vs Benefits; Organizational Culture; Retail Industry
Cook, Jacob M. "EPCorp: Sell on Amazon or Invest in Our Data?" Harvard Business Publishing Case, 2024. (Quick Case.)
- December 2003 (Revised April 2004)
- Case
Blockbuster Inc. & Technological Substitution (C): The Internet Changes the Game
Investigates how the rise of the Internet as a vehicle for renting and buying movies has disrupted the video rental industry and how market leader Blockbuster Inc. can and should respond to these developments. Explores how the emergence of e-commerce affects the degree... View Details
Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Risk and Uncertainty; Decisions; Technological Innovation; Competition; Change Management; Service Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry
Coughlan, Peter J., and Jenny Illes. "Blockbuster Inc. & Technological Substitution (C): The Internet Changes the Game." Harvard Business School Case 704-462, December 2003. (Revised April 2004.)
- April 2021
- Supplement
Buy Online, Pickup in Store: CEO Supplement
By: Antonio Moreno, Santiago Gallino and Amy Klopfenstein
In April 2019, Sylvarella CEO Sylvia Coparella must assess the impact of the company’s Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPS) program on her company’s overall sales. To do so, she must review analyses of both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar sales data and compare the... View Details
Keywords: Operations; Service Delivery; Logistics; Infrastructure; Distribution Channels; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Analysis; Retail Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States; Canada
Moreno, Antonio, Santiago Gallino, and Amy Klopfenstein. "Buy Online, Pickup in Store: CEO Supplement." Harvard Business School Supplement 621-104, April 2021.
- December 1998
- Case
Casto Travel
By: Thomas J. DeLong and Susan Harmeling
Maryles Casto had the vision to build the largest travel agency in Silicon Valley, mirroring the growth pattern of the entire area. In 1997 the travel business changed dramatically as airlines chose not to pay travel agencies the fees they once did. Simultaneously, the... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Finance; Internet and the Web; Change Management; Markets; Travel Industry
DeLong, Thomas J., and Susan Harmeling. "Casto Travel." Harvard Business School Case 899-120, December 1998.
- June 2023 (Revised October 2024)
- Teaching Note
Clash of Two Giants Simulation Exercise Teaching Note
By: Feng Zhu
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 623-092. Many markets are organized around platforms that connect consumers with complimentary applications and services. These platforms are two-sided because both sides—consumers and those providing applications or services—need access... View Details
- April 2021
- Case
Buy Online, Pickup in Store: Evaluating an Omnichannel Intervention in Retail
By: Antonio Moreno, Santiago Gallino and Amy Klopfenstein
In October 2018, fashion, wellness, and beauty retailer Sylvarella implemented a Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPS) program in an attempt to counteract a sales decline. While BOPS had the potential to meet customer expectations for a seamless order and fulfillment... View Details
Keywords: Operations; Service Delivery; Logistics; Infrastructure; Distribution Channels; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Analysis; Retail Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States; Canada
Moreno, Antonio, Santiago Gallino, and Amy Klopfenstein. "Buy Online, Pickup in Store: Evaluating an Omnichannel Intervention in Retail." Harvard Business School Case 621-103, April 2021.
- April 2019 (Revised April 2021)
- Case
Wayfair
By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Susie L. Ma and Matthew G. Preble
In 2016 Niraj Shah and Steve Conine, founders of online home goods retailer Wayfair, are faced with a decision about how to improve user experience on their e-commerce sites. A key driver of consumer interest and conversion to purchase in the home category is visual... View Details
Keywords: Visual Assets; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Decision Making; Business or Company Management; Growth Management; Innovation and Invention; Operations; Strategy; Technology; Retail Industry; Service Industry; United States; Massachusetts
Rayport, Jeffrey F., Susie L. Ma, and Matthew G. Preble. "Wayfair." Harvard Business School Case 819-045, April 2019. (Revised April 2021.)
- June 1998 (Revised August 2000)
- Case
Microsoft CarPoint
CarPoint.com was Microsoft's Web-based entry into on-line automobile retailing. While it could not, in fact, "sell" or deliver any cars, it could shift much of consumer search, comparison, and decision-making, including pricing, the traditional car dealer to the Web.... View Details
Keywords: Internet and the Web; Service Operations; Market Entry and Exit; Consumer Behavior; Auto Industry; Retail Industry
Rayport, Jeffrey F., Avnish S. Bajaj, Steffan Haithcox, and Michael V. Kadyan. "Microsoft CarPoint." Harvard Business School Case 898-280, June 1998. (Revised August 2000.)
- April 2025
- Article
Serving with a Smile on Airbnb: Analyzing the Economic Returns and Behavioral Underpinnings of the Host’s Smile
By: Shunyuan Zhang, Elizabeth Friedman, Kannan Srinivasan, Ravi Dhar and Xupin Zhang
Non-informational cues, such as facial expressions, can significantly influence judgments and interpersonal impressions. While past research has explored how smiling affects business outcomes in offline or in-store contexts, relatively less is known about how smiling... View Details
Keywords: Sharing Economy; Airbnb; Image Feature Extraction; Machine Learning; Facial Expressions; Prejudice and Bias; Nonverbal Communication; E-commerce; Consumer Behavior; Perception
Zhang, Shunyuan, Elizabeth Friedman, Kannan Srinivasan, Ravi Dhar, and Xupin Zhang. "Serving with a Smile on Airbnb: Analyzing the Economic Returns and Behavioral Underpinnings of the Host’s Smile." Journal of Consumer Research 51, no. 6 (April 2025): 1073–1097.
- August 2018
- Case
BlackBuck (A)
By: Shikhar Ghosh and Shweta Bagai
The case presents the challenges of scaling an asset-heavy company (that relies on its operations). It highlights how decisions on the early team impact a company’s ability to scale, linkage between growth and cash flows, as well the organizational impact of high... View Details
- October 2014 (Revised June 2015)
- Case
Quiet Logistics (A)
By: Robert Simons and Natalie Kindred
This two-part case focuses on how to identify and manage strategic uncertainties in an innovative, entrepreneurial start-up company. In the (A) case, students learn about Quiet Logistics, an e-commerce fulfillment company working with high-end apparel retailers such as... View Details
Keywords: Strategy Execution; Strategic Uncertainty; Disruptive Change; Managing Growth; Robotics; Disruptive Technology; Managing Start-ups; Management Control Systems; Performance Measurement; Business Growth and Maturation; Disruption; Entrepreneurship; Disruptive Innovation; Crisis Management; Risk Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; E-commerce; Distribution Industry; Technology Industry; United States
Simons, Robert, and Natalie Kindred. "Quiet Logistics (A)." Harvard Business School Case 115-001, October 2014. (Revised June 2015.)
- March 2022 (Revised December 2022)
- Case
Perch
By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Stacy Straaberg and Julia Kelley
In May 2021, Perch CEO Chris Bell needed to decide whether his e-commerce aggregator company, which bought and scaled Amazon Marketplace brands, should acquire up to three acquisition targets. The prospective acquisitions, Web Deals Direct, HomeCo, and Future Brands,... View Details
Keywords: Business Ventures; Acquisition; Business Growth and Maturation; Decision Making; Cost vs Benefits; Decision Choices and Conditions; Decisions; Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Strategy; Business Strategy; Integration; E-commerce; Consumer Products Industry; Retail Industry; Technology Industry; North America; United States; Massachusetts; Boston; California; Asia; Philippines
- September 2023 (Revised January 2024)
- Case
RightHand Robotics: Choosing the First Market
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Stacy Straaberg
In early 2015, RightHand Robotics’s (RHR) leadership faced a set of decisions in commercializing the startup’s robotic picking solution. RHR’s central product was the RightPick integrated robotic picking system which featured a robotic arm, a three-fingered robotic... View Details
Keywords: Business Startups; Market Entry and Exit; Product; Research and Development; Business Strategy; Commercialization; Information Infrastructure; Technological Innovation; Manufacturing Industry; Technology Industry; United States; Massachusetts
Eisenmann, Thomas R., and Stacy Straaberg. "RightHand Robotics: Choosing the First Market." Harvard Business School Case 824-006, September 2023. (Revised January 2024.)
- April 1998 (Revised January 2007)
- Case
Arrow Electronics, Inc.
By: Das Narayandas
Deals with the issue of cross-selling and managing a portfolio of products and services in business markets. Arrow/Schweber (A/S), a subsidiary of electronic parts distributor Arrow Electronics, has a portfolio of products that differ in the amount of value added by... View Details
Keywords: Distribution Channels; Internet and the Web; Problems and Challenges; Change Management; Electronics Industry
Narayandas, Das. "Arrow Electronics, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 598-022, April 1998. (Revised January 2007.)
- 2018
- Working Paper
Need for Speed: The Impact of Website Performance on Online Retail
By: Santiago Gallino, Nil Karacaoglu and Antonio Moreno
The share of e-commerce sales is rapidly increasing and so are the associated losses generated by website outages and slow websites. We leverage novel retail and website performance data to investigate the impact of website performance on online sales. This question is... View Details
Keywords: Online Retail; Quasi-experiments; Abandonment; Synthetic Control; Internet and the Web; Performance; Service Operations
Gallino, Santiago, Nil Karacaoglu, and Antonio Moreno. "Need for Speed: The Impact of Website Performance on Online Retail." Working Paper, October 2018.
- January 2015 (Revised October 2018)
- Case
Nasty Gals Do It Better
By: David Collis, Diane Chang, Matthew Shaffer and Ashley Hartman
In 2006, Sophia Amoruso started Nasty Gal, an eBay boutique selling vintage clothes. With a strong sense of style and personality, Amoruso poured herself into building the brand and developing relationships with her customers—typically the slightly edgy 18–24 year old.... View Details
Keywords: Business Growth; Brand Management; Online Retail; Clothing; Apparel; Expansion; Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Management; Marketing Strategy; Strategic Planning; Social Media; E-commerce; Digital Marketing; Retail Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States
Collis, David, Diane Chang, Matthew Shaffer, and Ashley Hartman. "Nasty Gals Do It Better." Harvard Business School Case 715-412, January 2015. (Revised October 2018.)
- March 2024
- Case
Expanding the Bicester Collection to New York
By: Boris Vallee, Kirby Brand, Kristina Brown, Julie McCrimlisk, Chloe Sztabnik and Arthur Segel
Secretariat, if anyone remembers, won the triple crown at the Belmont Race Track on Long Island, located at the nexus of La Guardia, JFK Airports, the Long Island Railroad and multiple major highways. Belmont Race Track is now being rebuilt along with an adjacent UBS... View Details
Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Urban Development; Brands and Branding; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Sports Industry; Retail Industry; New York (state, US)
Vallee, Boris, Kirby Brand, Kristina Brown, Julie McCrimlisk, Chloe Sztabnik, and Arthur Segel. "Expanding the Bicester Collection to New York." Harvard Business School Case 224-068, March 2024.
- April 2001 (Revised February 2003)
- Case
Moore Medical Corporation
Moore Medical is a medium-sized distributor of medical supplies to practitioners, such as podiatrists and emergency medical technicians. At the time of the case, it has relied on traditional customer channels such as catalogs, phones, and faxes to communicate product... View Details
Keywords: Change Management; Internet and the Web; Marketing Communications; Information Technology; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Distribution Industry
McAfee, Andrew P., and Gregory Bounds. "Moore Medical Corporation." Harvard Business School Case 601-142, April 2001. (Revised February 2003.)
- November 2000
- Case
Geocast Network Systems, Inc.
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann, Christina L. Darwall and Elizabeth Kind
Geocast, a venture-backed start-up, had developed innovative technology for "datacasting" broadband information and entertainment content to an external hard drive, where it was cached for later retrieval by a Web-enabled PC. By using terrestrial TV, direct broadcast... View Details
Keywords: Business Model; Customer Value and Value Chain; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Information Management; Technological Innovation; Marketing Channels; Corporate Strategy; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Web Services Industry
Eisenmann, Thomas R., Christina L. Darwall, and Elizabeth Kind. "Geocast Network Systems, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 801-211, November 2000.
- January 2017 (Revised October 2021)
- Case
Delivering the Goods at Shippo
By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Jeffrey F. Rayport and Olivia Hull
Laura Behrens Wu, CEO of software start-up Shippo, prepares her pitch for a Series A funding round following a successful seed round. Customer adoption of Shippo’s e-commerce dashboard application, which allows small and medium retailers to compare delivery rates... View Details
Keywords: Application Program Interface; API; API Strategy; Customer Cohorts; Churn; Retention; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Business Startups; Strategy; Transition; Customer Focus and Relationships; Technological Innovation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Valuation; Shipping Industry; Technology Industry; Retail Industry; San Francisco; California; United States
Bussgang, Jeffrey J., Jeffrey F. Rayport, and Olivia Hull. "Delivering the Goods at Shippo." Harvard Business School Case 817-065, January 2017. (Revised October 2021.)