Publications

June 2009
Case

Manchester Products: A Brand Transition Challenge

By: John A. Quelch and Heather Beckham

In January of 2005, Manchester Products Inc., a longtime leader in office furniture that only recently entered into the home furniture market, acquired Paul Logan's Furniture Division (PLFD). The acquisition of PLFD made Manchester an instant market leader in household... View Details

Keywords: Acquisitions; Consumer Marketing; Brand Equity; Branding; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; United States

April 2024 (Revised July 2024)
Case

Unleashing Human Magic at Best Buy

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger, Sunil Gupta and Amram Migdal

The case examines the transformation of Best Buy under CEO Hubert Joly's leadership from 2012. Facing significant business challenges, including competition from online and physical retailers, Joly implemented the "Renew Blue" turnaround strategy, which focused on... View Details

21 Nov 2012
Research & Ideas

What Health Care Managers Need to Know--and How to Teach Them

smart about competitive analysis and forging a strategy that considers realities and which way public policy is moving," Herzlinger says. "She must also understand capital markets, group dynamics, and different kinds of leadership." But... View Details

Keywords: by Paul Guttry; Health; Education

21 Jul 2003
Research & Ideas

Don’t Get Buried in Customer Data—Use It

more elusive than ever. A recent McKinsey study reveals that the annual churn in the wireless industry increased from 17 percent in 1995 to 32 percent in 2000. This trend holds true even in industries less susceptible to turnover. In core View Details

Keywords: by Jean Ayers

October 2012
Supplement

Winfield Refuse Management, Inc.: Raising Debt vs. Equity, Spreadsheet for Students (Brief Case) (CW)

By: W. Carl Kester and Sunru Yong

Keywords: United States; Acquisitions; Equity Capital; Debt Management; Financial Analysis; Administrative/Support/Waste Management/Remediation Services; Expansion; Capital Structure; Leveraged Buyouts; Borrowing and Debt; Equity; United States

October 2006 (Revised October 2007)
Case

Google Advertising

By: Youngme E. Moon and David Chen

In mid-2006, Google is the number one search engine in America with 99% of its revenues deriving from its simple, text-only advertising services. It is on track to bring in roughly $9.5 billion in advertising revenue in 2006, which would place it fourth among American... View Details

Keywords: Digital Marketing; Disruptive Innovation; Media; Expansion; Internet and the Web; Advertising Industry; United States

October 1998
Case

"Pathways to Independence": Welfare-to-Work at Marriott International

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Ellen Pruyne

In 1991 Marriott International established a program called Pathways to Independence to recruit and train people from the welfare rolls. The program graduated over 1,000 people in eight years and retained about 20% more of its participants than regular hires. Now the... View Details

Keywords: Recruitment; Retention; Training; Expansion; Quality; Poverty; Programs

10 Dec 2013
First Look

First Look: December 10

a significant presence of multi-location firms are oligopolistic in nature, which suggests that strategic interaction among firms plays an important role in firms' decision-making processes. This paper explores how strategic interaction among competitors affects firms'... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2007
Working Paper

Why Do Intermediaries Divert Search?

By: Andrei Hagiu and Bruno Jullien

We analyze the incentives to divert search for an information intermediary who enables buyers (consumers) to search affiliated sellers (stores). We identify two original motives for diverting search (i.e. inducing consumers to search more than they would like): i)... View Details

Keywords: Demand and Consumers; Motivation and Incentives; Internet and the Web; Digital Platforms; Distribution Channels; Business Strategy; Retail Industry

Read Now

17 Jan 2017
Research & Ideas

Can China Maintain Its Economic Power?

terrible Foxconn suicides. The one-child-per-family policy was beginning to create a population shortage that meant cheap labor was running out. The old low-cost manufacturing-for-export strategy had run out of steam. They were developing... View Details

Keywords: by Deborah Blagg

March 2009
Teaching Note

Publicis Groupe 2009: Toward a Digital Transformation (TN)

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Matthew Bird

Teaching Note for [309085]. View Details

Keywords: Transition; Mergers and Acquisitions; Problems and Challenges; Globalization; Expansion; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business Model; Advertising Industry

27 Oct 2009
First Look

First Look: October 27

has dramatically reshaped the competitive landscape and the founders must decide between pursuing their high-growth strategy versus retrenching—including cutting costs and pulling out of their first international View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

January 2025
Case

Olive Young: Formulating Beauty Innovation

By: Rebecca Karp and Shu Lin

Sun-jung Lee, CEO of Olive Young, South Korea's largest beauty and health retailer, saw significant potential in the U.S. market and considered three pathways: replicating Korea's omnichannel model, adopting a digital-native approach with curated products, or relying... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Market Entry and Exit; Business Strategy; Distribution Channels; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; South Korea; East Asia; United States

06 Nov 2007
First Look

First Look: November 6, 2007

some implications for the future growth of the industry. Purchase this note: http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=804176 Blue River Capital Harvard Business School Case 708-448 Examines the strategy and... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

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 2019
Supplement

Kids & Company: Entering the U.S.

By: Boris Groysberg, Sarah Mehta and Matthew Preble

This video supplement pairs with “Kids & Company: Entering the U.S.” (case no. 418011). It contains eight individual clips that range in length from 5 to 12 minutes. Instructors can use the videos, either in whole or in part, as an additional teaching... View Details

21 May 2013
First Look

First Look: May 21

http://hbr.org/product/keeping-up-with-the-quants-your-guide-to-understan/an/11177-HBK-ENG 2006 Strategic Management Journal Location Strategies for Agglomeration Economies By: Alcácer, Juan, and Wilbur Chung Abstract—Geographically... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 May 2007
First Look

First Look: May 1, 2007

differences in the price of capital across countries. Our strategy is motivated by the fact that most countries import the bulk of machinery equipment (from a small number of industrialized countries). We find the price of imported... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 2010 (Revised January 2012)
Case

Todovino: Can Your Rival be Your Friend?

Todovino sells Spanish wines through wine clubs and web sites. Founder-CEO Gonzalo Verdera has partnered with many companies to create cobranded wine clubs, but now he is pondering a joint venture with one of his rivals, a brick-and-mortar wine chain, where Todovino... View Details

Keywords: Joint Ventures; Growth and Development Strategy; Agreements and Arrangements; Partners and Partnerships; Competition; Cooperation; Online Technology; Retail Industry; Retail Industry