Publications

Research Summary

Overview

Professor MacKay combines theory and measurement to deliver new insights about price competition and consumer preferences. In current and published papers, his research addresses how strategic pricing decisions may be influenced by algorithms, long-term contracts,... View Details

Keywords: Price Effects; Competition Policy; Algorithms; Online Competition; Dynamic Pricing; Beliefs; Preferences; Preference Heterogeneity; Preference Measurement; Competition; Microeconomics; Strategy; Integration; Cooperation

Web

Brian Kenny | About

Brian Kenny Bio Brian Kenny is the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer (CMCO) at Harvard Business School. He has led marketing and communications work for several global institutions. As the School’s first CMCO, Brian has oversight of the HBS View Details

02 Nov 2022
News

Strong Finish

Heela Yang and Alicia Sontag Four years after its launch in 2015, the Brazilian-inspired beauty brand Sol de Janeiro was already profitable; its skin-tightening Bum Bum Cream had been Sephora’s top-selling skin care product for three... View Details

January 2022
Case

Bee-ing Better at Bombas

By: Elizabeth A. Keenan, Youngme Moon and John Masko

David Heath and Randy Goldberg founded Bombas in 2013 to serve two missions: to deliver the “best socks in the history of feet,” and to donate socks (the most requested item in homeless shelters) to Americans experiencing homelessness. Eight years later, Bombas had... View Details

Keywords: Social Entrepreneurship; Values and Beliefs; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Digital Marketing; Distribution; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mission and Purpose; Quality; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Human Needs; Poverty; Growth and Development Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry; New York (city, NY)

February 1985 (Revised September 1988)
Case

Komatsu Ltd.

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Reviews and updates the structure and characteristics of the earth-moving equipment industry presented in the companion case, Caterpillar Tractor Co. After revealing that CAT has suffered major financial losses during the period from 1981 through 1984, the case... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Machinery and Machining; Price; Growth and Development; Brands and Branding; Product Development; Production; Competitive Strategy; Global Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Industrial Products Industry

November 2022
Background Note

The Future of E-Commerce: Lessons from the Livestream Wars in China

By: Ayelet Israeli, Jeremy Yang and Billy Chan

This note explores the emerging multi-billion dollar commerce trend of livestream commerce. Livestream commerce is the sale of goods or services directly to consumers via live shows on digital platforms (such as social media or e-commerce platforms). It is a form of... View Details

13 Apr 2016
Research & Ideas

Why Your Company Wants to be a 'Cognitive Referent' (Hint: SpaceX)

When Rory M. McDonald was working on his PhD at Stanford University in 2007, it was the heyday of the lean startup in Silicon Valley. “It seemed like pretty much every week there was some new market category being touted as the next big thing,” says McDonald, an... View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland; Aerospace; Food & Beverage; Retail

June 2011 (Revised May 2012)
Case

L'Oréal: Global Brand, Local Knowledge

By: Rebecca M. Henderson and Ryan Johnson

Worldwide, and in the U.S. marketplace in particular, the French cachet of L'Oréal was one of its most powerful marketing tools. However, with the opening up of emerging markets, L'Oréal had to cater to a diverse customer base: an aging population in the West, ethnic... View Details

Keywords: Globalization; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Change Management; Sales; Emerging Markets; Segmentation; Innovation and Invention; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; France; United States

31 Mar 2011
Research & Ideas

From SpinPop to SpinBrush: Entrepreneurial Lessons from John Osher

you're figuring things out." As SpinBrush continued to gain market share, Osher's little company began to attract the attention of big players in the market: P&G, Colgate, Johnson & Johnson, to name a few. Osher held discussions with P&G about... View Details

Keywords: by Dennis Fisher; Consumer Products

January 2022
Case

FIFA and The World Cup: The Future of Football

By: Anita Elberse, Oliver Band and Howard Johnson

Should FIFA host its biggest event—the FIFA World Cup—every two years instead of every four, as it has been doing since the event’s inception in the 1930s? In September 2021, Gianni Infantino, the president of the International Federation of Association Football... View Details

Keywords: Sports; Soccer; Football; Entertainment; Media; Talent Development; Globalization; Marketing; Strategy; General Management; Governance; Decision Making; Governing and Advisory Boards; Problems and Challenges; Brands and Branding; Sports Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

30 Nov 2023
Blog Post

College Students, Take a Sneak Peek at the HBS MBA

Dr. Youngme Moon is the Donald K. David Professor of Business at Harvard Business School. Professor Moon's research sits at the intersection of strategy, branding innovation, and culture, with a particular focus on youth and the digital... View Details

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Networking Opportunities - Recruiting

Hire Talent Networking Opportunities Hire Talent Networking Opportunities Engage with Student Clubs Connect with 50 career-related clubs to target your ideal candidates and build your brand on campus. Connect with MBA Students Learn about... View Details

25 Apr 2024
News

Origin Stories

Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Spotify More Skydeck episodes Dan Morrell: Hi, this is Dan Morrell, host of Skydeck. Where we come from and how we were raised has a profound effect on who we become. The recipients of this year’s Alumni Achievement Award grew up... View Details

11 Aug 2008
Research & Ideas

Strategy Execution and the Balanced Scorecard

financial strategy. If the company does not have a distinctive brand or market presence, a focus on identifying an attractive customer segment, such as through Harvard University professor Michael Porter's positioning framework, W. Chan... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

25 Jan 2017
HBS Case

How Should Advertisers Respond to Consumer Demand for Whiter Skin?

case, lighter-skinned women have been favored in India’s ads. Advertisements in the 1980s told stories of dark-skinned women unable to find husbands until they applied fairness creams. Later, skin lightening brand Fair & Lovely linked... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Beauty & Cosmetics

Web

Published CSV Cases - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

beverage company with $90 billion in revenue, $15 billion in profits, and 8,500 brands sold in 197 countries. For most of the 20th century, Nestle enjoyed steady growth and profitability. The company had been early to establish factories... View Details

Web

Business Insights Blog | HBS Online

Marketing Negotiation News & Events Productivity Staff Spotlight Strategy Student Profiles Technology Work-Life Balance Courses Courses AI Essentials for Business Alternative Investments Business Analytics Business Strategy Business and Climate Change CLIMB CORe... View Details

29 Aug 2018
What Do You Think?

What Should Harley-Davidson’s Management Do?

motorcycles that are substantially less cost.” Peter Barnet, similarly concerned about too much time spent on tariff reduction, suggested that the Company “create a flanking brand that is not the full Harley Davidson Hog and is ‘designed... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Auto

September 2020
Case

Blackstone: Crocs Investment

By: Victoria Ivashina, John D. Dionne and Terrence Shu

This case follows Prakash Melwani (HBS MBA '86), CIO of Blackstone's Private Equity Group, and his teams’ investment in the footwear company Crocs. Instead of a traditional secondary offering, Crocs opted for a unique deal structure by taking Blackstone's cash in a... View Details

Keywords: Private Investment In Public Equity; PIPE Deal; Investment; Brands and Branding; Strategy