distribution - Publications - Faculty & Research

October 2014
Supplement

Quiet Logistics (B)

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

Citation

Purchase

February 2014 (Revised March 2022)
Case

School Specialty, Inc.

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Kristin Mugford

Set in 2013, School Specialty was a financially troubled supplier of educational products to primary and secondary schools in the United States. The company planned to file Chapter 11 in order to address its excessive debt load, but needed to arrange... View Details

Keywords: School Specialty; Bankruptcy; Section 363; Financing; Chapter 11; Capital Structure; Financing and Loans; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Distribution Industry; Distribution Industry; United States

Citation

Educators

Purchase

June 2005 (Revised August 2010)
Case

Distrobot Systems, Inc.

By: William A. Sahlman

Distrobot is a start-up that has developed a new system for warehouse automation. The company is trying to raise money to finance the launch of the product. The founder must decide how much capital to raise, from whom, and on what terms. View Details

Keywords: Financing and Loans; Product Launch; Business Startups; Business Strategy; Distribution Industry; Distribution Industry

Citation

Educators

May 1999 (Revised March 2001)
Case

Marshall Industries

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport

Confounding predictions that the Internet would "disintermediate" commerce, making "middle man" companies all but obsolete, Marshall Industries, a leading electronics distributor, used the Internet and digital technologies to reinvent itself. Marshall continued to sell... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Supply Chain; Emerging Markets; Customer Focus and Relationships; Distribution Industry; Distribution Industry

Citation

Educators

Purchase

May 1998
Teaching Note

C-Car TN

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Marie Bell

Teaching Note for (9-598-064). View Details

Keywords: Distribution Industry; Distribution Industry; United States

Citation

Purchase

April 1998
Teaching Note

WESCO Distribution, Inc. TN

By: Das Narayandas

Teaching Note for (9-598-021). View Details

Keywords: Distribution Industry; Distribution Industry

Citation

Purchase

19 Jul 2011
News

Brightening the Future

that inner voice led Ayala to launch Hybrid Social Solutions, Inc. (HSSI), a Philippine social business that distributes solar lanterns and water filtration devices specifically designed for the needs of poor communities. HSSI’s solar... View Details

Keywords: Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Personal Services

Adolphus W. Green

designs to increase distribution and invested in new product development. Under his watch, animal crackers (fashioned after the Barnum Circus) and Oreo cookies were introduced. View Details

Keywords: Food & Tobacco

2018
Working Paper

The State of Open Source Server Software

By: Shane Greenstein and Klaus Ackermann

The study assembles new data to construct a census of worldwide web server use across the globe. We document a large concentration of investment in the United States, and a wide dispersion across scores of countries. We find tens of billions of dollars of unmeasured... View Details

Keywords: Internet; Open Source; Internet and the Web; Policy; Open Source Distribution; Internet and the Web; Global Range

Citation

Read Now

January 2017
Case

Flatiron School

By: Thomas Eisenmann and Halah AlQahtani

In late 2016, the founders of Flatiron School, a startup offering 12-week coding bootcamps, are formulating their growth strategy. Their new online-only program has matched the excellent job placement results for their in-person bootcamps. Should Flatiron shift... View Details

Keywords: Scaling Start-ups; Growth Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Distribution Channels; Growth and Development Strategy; Internet and the Web; Business Startups; Diversification; Expansion; Education Industry; United States

Citation

Educators

Purchase

01 Mar 2012
News

Investing FAQ

peer institutions, and the public view participation as an important indicator of alumni commitment to the School’s mission and future. And gifts of all sizes add up. In fiscal 2011: Median gift = $250 Gifts under $1,000 = $2 million Gifts & endowment View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Personal Services

Bernard A. Edison

apparel through outlets including J. Riggings and Jeans West. Edison centered his outlets in suburban malls to capitalize on the growth of this distribution channel in the 70’s and 80’s. View Details

Keywords: Retail

01 Sep 2013
News

Shining Knight

to think responsibly about the distribution of their wealth," he explained of the move. Knighted in 2005, Ogden, who holds a PhD in theoretical physics, is from a working-class background. That has influenced the thrust of his charitable... View Details

Keywords: Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services; Finance

May 2010
Supplement

Flare Fragrances Company, Inc.: Analyzing Growth Opportunities, Instructor Spreadsheet Supplement (Brief Case)

By: John A. Quelch and Lisa D. Donovan

Keywords: Quantitative Analysis; Market Segmentation; Product Introduction; New Product Marketing; Product Lines; Product Positioning; Distribution; Analysis; Product Launch

Citation

Purchase

September 1991 (Revised September 2010)
Case

Dore-Dore

By: Janice H. Hammond and Audris Wong

Dore-Dore, a French manufacturer of socks and children's knitwear, has just converted a portion of its knitwear operations to a flexible modular system to allow faster response and greater flexibility. The case provides an opportunity to assess the changes in knitwear... View Details

Keywords: Order Taking and Fulfillment; Logistics; Production; Performance Productivity; Apparel and Accessories Industry; France

Citation

Educators

Purchase

non-profit organizations. What began as a small ice cream stand in Burlington, Vermont in 1978 became a $100 million operation with national distribution and franchise stores in 20 states. View Details

Keywords: Food & Tobacco

13 Jan 2021
News

Stress Test

the manufacturer to each individual, Kelley says. “They need to be sure 100 percent of the vaccines are administered to the community in the right way.” —April White The COVID-19 vaccines currently on the market went from concept to approval in record time. Is setting... View Details

Web

3.7 Financial Aid Fraud | MBA

leaders is something we take very seriously. The School reserves the right to collect additional documentation and verification of financial data from aid applicants as needed, in order to ensure the accurate distribution of Federal and... View Details

14 Apr 2021
Research & Ideas

The High Cost of the Slow COVID Vaccine Rollout

Government officials should have poured much more money into producing and distributing COVID-19 vaccines to save more lives and rescue the economy faster, according to new research co-authored by 16 researchers including Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health

November 2024
Case

Dr. Bombay Ice Cream

By: William R. Kerr, Alexis Brownell and Michael Liu

This case examines the creation, launch, and rapid growth of Dr. Bombay Ice Cream, a joint venture between Happi Co., a consumer packaged goods incubator, and entertainment mogul Snoop Dogg, with his son, Cordell Broadus. The brand was inspired by a Bored Ape Yacht... View Details

Keywords: Joint Ventures; Growth Management; Brands and Branding; Product Launch; Product Positioning; Market Entry and Exit; Distribution Channels; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

Citation

Educators

Purchase