Distribution - Publications - Faculty & Research

March 2008 (Revised August 2009)
Case

Linden Lab: Opening Second Life

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld

In early 2008, managers in Linden Lab, creator of the virtual world Second Life, faced decisions about the company's strategy. Despite profound initial skepticism about demand for a user-generated virtual world that was not a traditional game, Second Life had achieved... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Decision Choices and Conditions; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Open Source Distribution; Partners and Partnerships; Software

Citation

Find at Harvard

21 Nov 2017
News

Alumni Peer into the Future of Energy

manage people will not. Study interpersonal relations, finance, and change management.” Joseph Santo (MBA 2017) Business Development, Distributed Energy, NextEra Energy Resources “I work in distributed... View Details

Keywords: Margie Kelley; solar power; wind power

Portrait Project

Yong-yi Zhu

city? To me, technology is the answer. I want to improve our communications infrastructure. I want to find more efficient ways to travel. I want to make today's innovations tomorrow's reality. By doing that, I will build more meaningful and loving relationships across... View Details

01 Dec 2009
News

Prof’s Dream Comes True

1968; President Obama announced its restoration in early September. All taxpayers need to do is check a box when filing their return directing the IRS to distribute their refunds as savings bonds. “Research shows that making it easy for... View Details

Career Coach

Megan Gardner

capital led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byer, expanded the company to 28 different cities with 350+ employees and contractors while growing the online member base to over a million people. She worked with top retailers like Target, JcPenney’s and Whole Foods and... View Details

Keywords: Emerging Markets; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Financial Services (All); Hospitality

08 Dec 2008
Research & Ideas

Thinking Twice About Supply-Chain Layoffs

potential profit drivers rather than the first troops to cut in a downturn. Ton's working paper, "The Effect of Labor on Profitability: The Role of Quality", examines how mundane activities such as stocking shelves, setting up displays, labeling, and returning unsold... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

April 2005
Case

Handleman Company

By: Janice H. Hammond and Kevin Dolan

Describes the organization and operations of the Handleman Co., an intermediary in the music industry that buys recorded music and resells it to mass retailers such as Wal-Mart. The company provides distribution, inventory management, retail merchandising, and category... View Details

Keywords: Business Organization; Music Entertainment; Cost Management; Growth and Development; Business or Company Management; Distribution Channels; Problems and Challenges; Risk and Uncertainty; Online Technology; Value Creation; Music Industry

Citation

Educators

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October 1995
Teaching Note

Procter & Gamble: Improving Consumer Value Through Process Design TN

By: F. Warren McFarlan

Teaching Note for (9-195-126). View Details

Keywords: Customer Value and Value Chain; Customer Focus and Relationships; Distribution Channels; Information Technology; Value Creation; Logistics; Management Practices and Processes; Consumer Products Industry

Citation

Purchase

Arden, Avon and Revlon as well as imported goods. She also invested in several new distribution centers throughout New York and built a high-tech communications system to handle the increasingly large volume of orders. By the late 1980s,... View Details

Keywords: Retail

March 21, 2022
Article

Are the Risks of Global Supply Chains Starting to Outweigh the Rewards?

By: Willy C. Shih

The conflict in Ukraine is only the latest jolt to global supply chains. Disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, climate-related events, and geopolitical tensions were already undermining their rationale. As companies rethink sourcing, they will have to consider... View Details

Keywords: Supply Chain Management; Supply Chain; Distribution; Globalization; Manufacturing Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States; Asia; Europe

Citation

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June 1995 (Revised July 2006)
Supplement

Barilla SpA (C)

By: Janice H. Hammond

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Distribution; Production; Sales; Demand and Consumers; Problems and Challenges; Italy

Citation

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1986
Chapter

Food Marketing Public Enterprises

By: James E. Austin and Michael J. Buckley

Keywords: Food; Marketing; Distribution; Public Sector; Government and Politics; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

Citation

23 Oct 2006
Research & Ideas

Will the “Long Tail” Work for Hollywood?

than a Blockbuster store, stocking a limited number of popular movies? Intrigued with these questions, HBS assistant professor Anita Elberse and associate professor Felix Oberholzer-Gee analyzed the distribution of revenues in the U.S.... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Entertainment & Recreation

May 2025
Supplement

On (B): The Cyclon Spins On

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Karolin Frankenberger, Sascha Mader and Karen Elterman

A follow-up to the On case (723-430), this short case explores how the performance athletic shoe company On expanded its Cyclon subscription and recycling program through 2024, adding two new shoe models to the subscription and a one-time-purchase recyclable T-shirt. View Details

Citation

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26 Nov 2007
Research & Ideas

Best Practices of Global Innovators

can provide a valuable source of product differentiation. And finally, advances in development tools (e.g., computer-aided design) coupled with a move to more open architectures and technical standards have driven down the cost of View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

01 Mar 2024
News

What is Web3?

secure, and decentralized framework where individuals own, and have greater control and sovereignty over, their digital assets and interactions within the digital realm. Blocks and Blockchains The foundational technology of Web3 is the blockchain, a View Details

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

Web

Case Writing & Industry | Baker Library

the Faculty Minutes, Volume 1921-1924 (AA 1.5). GE Distribution Transformer, ca. 1933. Industrial Life Photograph Collection (olvwork354978). Agent’s Instructions, Chart Outlining Steps, 1924. Bureau of Business Research Instructions to... View Details

June 2015 (Revised November 2015)
Case

Akbank: Options in Digital Banking

By: Rajiv Lal and Esel Çekin

This case discusses the digitalization strategies of a leading bank in Turkey, Akbank, and how to position its digital banking products going forward. The Turkish banking industry was undergoing a transformation prompted by the demands of the country's digitally savvy,... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Banking; Emerging Market; Regulations; Channels; Digitization; Information Technology; Competition; Brands and Branding; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Emerging Markets; Distribution Channels; Banks and Banking; Digital Transformation; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry; Turkey

Citation

Educators

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August 2014 (Revised March 2015)
Case

Reinventing Retail: ShopRunner's Network Bet

By: Benjamin Edelman and Karen Webster

ShopRunner considers adjustments to improve its online shopping service which offers no-charge two-day shipping as well as easy returns and other conveniences. Competitors' diverse pricing models and ancillary benefits raise questions about how to structure and price... View Details