Publications

April 2018
Supplement

Flipkart (B): The Ongoing Battle for India's E-Commerce Market

By: Sunil Gupta, Das Narayandas and Rachna Tahilyani

In 2017, both Flipkart and Amazon claimed leadership position in India's recently concluded key annual festive season sale, but it was too early to declare victory. Amazon continues to invest heavily in India. Competition from newer players is increasing. Media reports... View Details

Keywords: Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Competition; Retail Industry; India

November 2017 (Revised May 2019)
Case

Wayfair: Fast Furniture?

By: Janice H. Hammond and Anna Shih

Keywords: Supply Chain; Logistics; Distribution; Web; Retail Industry; United States

January 1997
Teaching Note

Cape Cod Novelty Shop TN

By: David F. Hawkins

Keywords: Retail Industry

July 2015
Exercise

An Activist Approach: Confidential Role Assignment for Remingtons Housewares

By: Guhan Subramanian and Kait Szydlowski

A three party, multiple-issue negotiation exercise dealing with a potential merger between two leading department stores, called for by an activist investor hedge fund in a letter to both companies. Company management will now attempt to navigate next moves, which are... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Activist Investors; Takeover Defense; Negotiation Types; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Governance; Investment Activism; Retail Industry

July 2015
Exercise

An Activist Approach: Confidential Role Assignment for Fultons Department Stores

By: Guhan Subramanian and Kait Szydlowski

A three party, multiple-issue negotiation exercise dealing with a potential merger between two leading department stores, called for by an activist investor hedge fund in a letter to both companies. Company management will now attempt to navigate next moves, which are... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Activist Investors; Takeover Defense; Negotiation Types; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Governance; Investment Activism; Retail Industry

July 2015
Exercise

An Activist Approach: Castle Rock-Fultons-Remingtons

By: Guhan Subramanian and Kait Szydlowski

A three party, multiple-issue negotiation exercise dealing with a potential merger between two leading department stores, called for by an activist investor hedge fund in a letter to both companies. Company management will now attempt to navigate next moves, which are... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Activist Investors; Takeover Defense; Negotiation Types; Mergers and Acquisitions; Corporate Governance; Investment Activism; Retail Industry

May 1995 (Revised March 1996)
Case

ToyWorld, Inc.: Information Technology Planning

By: Lynda M. Applegate

ToyWorld, a fast growing retailer, was revitalizing its information technology (IT) infrastructure and called in AT&T to help plan for the future. Five strategic alternatives for use of information and communications technology were identified through value chain... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Information Technology; Growth and Development; Expansion; Partners and Partnerships; Retail Industry

August 2009
Article

Mental Accounting and Small Windfalls: Evidence from an Online Grocer

By: John Beshears and Katherine L. Milkman

We study the effect of small windfalls on consumer spending decisions by comparing the purchases online grocery customers make when redeeming $10-off coupons with the purchases they make without coupons. Controlling for customer fixed effects and other variables, we... View Details

Keywords: Mental Accounting; Windfalls; Marginal Propensity To Consume; Coupons; Marketing Communications; Consumer Behavior; Accounting; Cognition and Thinking; Retail Industry

Find at Harvard

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April 2013
Teaching Plan

Marks and Spencer: Plan A (TP)

By: David Bell and Michael Norris

Teaching Note for 509029. View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Strategic Planning; Environmental Sustainability; Competitive Advantage; Retail Industry

October 2012
Case

Ribbons an' Bows, Inc.

By: David F. Hawkins

The basic concepts of accounting are explored while students prepare the financial statements for a retailer's first three months of business. View Details

Keywords: Basic Accounting Concepts; Fair Value; Fair Value Accounting; Financial Statements; Retail Industry

2008
Working Paper

Performance and Control across Multiple Markets

By: Tatiana Sandino, Dennis Campbell and Shelby Yu

Chain organizations typically operate units across different types of markets, with significantly diverging customer bases. Such market-type dispersion potentially influences performance through two channels: it makes performance a noisier indicator of store manager... View Details

Keywords: Governance Controls; Organizational Design; Markets; Franchise Ownership; Performance; Retail Industry

Read Now

September 2011 (Revised September 2015)
Case

Hassina Sherjan

By: Robert G. Eccles, George Serafeim and Pippa Eccles

Hassina Sherjan was born in Afghanistan but grew up and was educated in the United States. A trip to Afghanistan when she was an adult inspired her to move back to her home country with two missions. The first was to educate young women through a non-profit... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Accounting; Non-Governmental Organizations; Nonprofit Organizations; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Social Entrepreneurship; Leadership; Innovation Leadership; Development Economics; Growth and Development; Problems and Challenges; Retail Industry; Afghanistan; United States

April 2010
Supplement

Bill Nichol Negotiates with Walmart: Hard Bargains over Soft Goods (B)

By: James K. Sebenius and Ellen Knebel

This case describes the multi-prong negotiating approach that Bill Nichol, Kentucky Derby Hosiery Co. CEO, took to deal with an ultimatum from his largest customer, as well as the outcome of this process. It concludes with a number of Nichol's observations about... View Details

Keywords: Customers; Management Practices and Processes; Negotiation Deal; Outcome or Result; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Retail Industry

April 2009 (Revised March 2013)
Case

Lawson: Becoming the Community Store of 9,000 Japanese Communities

By: Linda A. Hill, Francisco de Asis Martinez-Jerez, Masako Egawa, Emily Stecker and Mayuka Yamazaki

Keywords: Retail Industry; Japan

October 2008 (Revised May 2009)
Supplement

Kmart and ESL Investments (B): The Sears Merger

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah Abbott

Supplement to 209-044 View Details

Keywords: Investment; Mergers and Acquisitions; Retail Industry

April 2008
Teaching Note

The Rise of Kmart Corporation 1962-1987 (TN)

By: John R. Wells

Teaching Note for [706403]. View Details

Keywords: Retail Industry; United States

March 2008 (Revised March 2009)
Case

The Home Depot, Inc.

For its first 20 years, Home Depot was known for its entrepreneurial spirit and focus on customer service. Merchandising, purchasing, and store operations were all decentralized. When the company hit $45 billion in sales, many believed that a more disciplined approach... View Details

Keywords: Customer Focus and Relationships; Profit; Leading Change; Six Sigma; Service Operations; Business Processes; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Retail Industry

June 2007 (Revised April 2009)
Supplement

Dollar General (B)

By: Willy C. Shih and Rebecca McKillican

Keywords: Retail Industry

March 2007
Case

JCPenney: An Historical Shift toward Centralization

By: Rajiv Lal and Laura Winig

In September 2006, Michael Taxter knew that JCPenney Company, the nation's 3rd largest department store retailer, with $18 billion in sales and more than 1,000 department stores throughout the United States, had survived the greatest challenge of its 100-year history. View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Sales; Retail Industry; United States