Publications

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June 1988
Case

Holiday Greetings, Inc. (Abridged)

By: William E. Fruhan Jr., Dwight B. Crane and Jonathan Tiemann

Keywords: Consumer Products Industry

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29 Nov 2022
Research & Ideas

How Much More Would Holiday Shoppers Pay to Wear Something Rare?

holiday shopping season. With record inflation, rising interest rates, and economic jitters weighing on consumers, pricing strategies could become more critical to getting customers to buy during the coming weeks and beyond. The rare red... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Retail

November 23, 2012
Article

Holiday Discounts Are a Dangerous Drug

By: Marco Bertini

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15 Jul 2015
Research & Ideas

Amazon Prime Day: The Logic Behind a Retailer’s Made-up Holiday

Amazon.com is taking an interesting approach to its birthday this year. The company is throwing itself a party where all its Prime customers get the gifts. Amazon Prime Day is slated for July 15th, "a one-day shopping event with more deals than Black Friday,"... View Details

Keywords: Re: Sunil Gupta; Retail

December 23, 2021
Article

How to Build a Life: The Cure for Holiday Blues

By: Arthur C. Brooks

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30 Mar 2007
Conference Presentation

Inspection Holidays and Compliance Outcomes: Examining the Outcomes of Self-Policing

By: Michael W. Toffel

Keywords: Outcome or Result; Governance Compliance

December 13, 2019
Article

This Holiday Season, We Can All Learn a Lesson from Beethoven

By: Arthur C. Brooks

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December 17, 2020
Article

How to Build a Life: Don't Isolate Yourself This Holiday Season

By: Arthur C. Brooks

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September 22, 2020
Article

Amazon's AI Is Learning New Rules to Win for the Holidays: With Stressed Supply Chains and Changing Consumer Behaviors, the Holidays Are Likely to Accelerate Amazon's Advantage

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Niall Murphy

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21 Nov 2022
Research & Ideas

Buy Now, Pay Later: How Retail's Hot Feature Hurts Low-Income Shoppers

inflation-charged holiday season approaches and threat of a recession looms, the research invites caution. While these new payment methods might seem like a tempting way to afford gifts, they can lead to a trap of overdraft and... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Retail; Financial Services; Technology

19 Oct 2021
Research & Ideas

Fed Up Workers and Supply Woes: What's Next for Dollar Stores?

it in time for the holiday season. But right now, I might not be able to make it into stores by Christmas." I’m sure there are cost pressures on Dollar General and Dollar Tree, especially the “treasure hunt” merchandise. All that stuff... View Details

Keywords: by Christine Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette; Retail

17 Nov 2020
In Practice

How Retailers Can Thrive in a Shopping Season Like No Other

American retailers are heading into a holiday shopping season unlike any other as the spiraling COVID-pandemic and limp economy threaten consumer spending. We asked Harvard Business School faculty members—in particular, authors of recent... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Retail

May 2000 (Revised August 2000)
Case

Service and Value in e-Commerce

This collection of readings illustrates the importance of service and logistics in e-commerce, focusing on e-Toys' disastrous 1999 holiday season. View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Internet and the Web; Service Operations; Logistics; Consumer Products Industry; Retail Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

26 Feb 2018
Research & Ideas

The Airbnb Effect: Cheaper Rooms for Travelers, Less Revenue for Hotels

traditionally earned their biggest margins when rooms were scarce and customers were forced to pay higher rates—such as in Midtown Manhattan on New Year's Eve. And it's good news for travelers who don't have to pay through the roof to get a roof over their heads during... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Travel

March 2008 (Revised April 2008)
Case

Sony PlayStation 3: Game Over?

By: Elie Ofek

Outlines the challenges faced by Sony with the launch of its PlayStation 3. Information on the 2006 and 2007 holiday seasons and the success of rival consoles is outlined. In addition, the case allows examining the costs and revenues associated with a business model... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Cost; Revenue; Product Launch; Sales; Competition; Hardware; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

July 2016 (Revised January 2019)
Case

Cyber Breach at Target

By: Suraj Srinivasan, Lynn S. Paine and Neeraj Goyal

In November and December of 2013, Target Corporation suffered one of the largest cyber breaches to date. The breach that occurred during the busy holiday shopping season resulted in personal and credit card information of approximately 110 million Target customers... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Credit Cards; Customer Relationship Management; Internet and the Web; Governing and Advisory Boards; Crisis Management; Retail Industry

2009
Working Paper

Watch What I Do, Not What I Say: The Unintended Consequences of the Homeland Investment Act

By: Dhammika Dharmapala, C. Fritz Foley and Kristin J. Forbes

This paper analyzes the impact on firm behavior of the Homeland Investment Act of 2004, which provided a one-time tax holiday for the repatriation of foreign earnings by U.S. multinationals. The analysis controls for endogeneity and omitted variable bias by using... View Details

Keywords: Investment; Multinational Firms and Management; Government Legislation; Taxation; Business and Shareholder Relations; Behavior; United States

September 2012 (Revised November 2012)
Case

The Fall of Circuit City Stores, Inc.

By: John R. Wells and Galen Danskin

On January 16, 2009, after a dismal holiday season, Circuit City was forced into liquidation. Unable to meet creditors' demands, and with no acquirer in sight, Circuit City began the process of liquidating its remaining 567 U.S. stores. Circuit City had been the leader... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Competitive Strategy; Leadership; Consumer Products Industry; Electronics Industry; North America