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Did Cisco Slip on Flip or Was Flip a Flop?
Innovation & Leadership Digital ArticleSo riddle me this: A business that generates an estimated $400 million in revenue, with 550 employees, and which sells an iconic product that was regularly... -
Prada’s CEO on Staying Independent in a Consolidating Industry
Leadership Magazine ArticlePhotography: Courtesy of Prada / Costantino Ruspoli The Idea: While rival fashion houses have struggled and been acquired by conglomerates, Prada has prospered. Its CEO says that has a lot to do with the company’s culture. At Prada we have had to cope with our fair share of the unpredictable and the unexpected. Originally we […] -
The Path to Corporate Responsibility
Corporate communications Magazine ArticleCompanies don’t become model citizens overnight. Nike’s metamorphosis from the poster child for irresponsibility to a leader in progressive practices reveals the five stages of organizational growth. -
What Customer Data Collection Could Mean for Workers
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleEmployees are getting caught in the middle of real-time monitoring. -
Turning the Supply Chain into a Revenue Chain
Economics Magazine ArticleBy sharing rental revenues with movie studios, Blockbuster increased the availability of hit videos, making customers happy and boosting its own profits as well as those of suppliers. This model will work in other industries, too. -
China’s In-Store Wars
Marketing Digital ArticleIn China, the battle for the consumer is often won — and lost — not in factories or on television screens, but on store floors. As many as 45% of Chinese consumers make purchase decisions in real time, inside shops, according to surveys we have conducted, compared to just 24% in the US. Moreover, 56% […] -
From Starbucks to Nike, Business Asks for Green Legislation
Sustainable business practices Digital ArticleWould it surprise you to learn that Starbucks is a leading advocate for action on climate change? Think about it. Starbucks’ success hinges on a robust coffee crop, which needs certain growing conditions. But the company is seeing the imprint of climate change on coffee growing regions around the world. Global rainfall and harvest patterns […] -
Amazon’s Brick-and-Mortar Store Shouldn’t Come as a Surprise
Technology and analytics Digital ArticleRetailers are increasingly heeding customers’ desire to weave the physical and digital worlds together. -
In Praise of Uncertainty
Decision making and problem solving Magazine ArticleThe information technology explosion was set off by visionaries who thrive on uncertainty. Today that innovation-fueling uncertainty is in danger, a victim of its own success and excess. IT producers have historically built platforms that are useless standing alone, inviting others to parlay them into a variety of useful applications. The first PC makers shipped […] -
Managing Multicultural Teams
Cross-cultural management Magazine ArticleTeams whose members come from different nations and backgrounds place special demands on managers—especially when a feuding team looks to the boss for help with a conflict. -
The Secret Phrase Top Innovators Use
Innovation Digital ArticleHow three little words can change your business. -
How One Bad Thanksgiving Shaped Amazon
Operations and supply chain management Digital ArticleIn 1998, the “Save Santa” incident marked a turning point. -
Black Friday 2011: Advantage Retailers
Recessions Digital ArticleThis blog post is part of the HBR Online Forum The Future of Retail. Last year on Black Friday, I dropped by a local Staples store in Watertown, Massachusetts, to pick up a few office supplies. Surprised at the 40% off sale on many items, I ended up leaving with a lot of office supplies […] -
The Chairman of Ryohin Keikaku on Charting Muji’s Global Expansion
Strategy Magazine ArticleWhy the Japanese retailer chose to grow slowly -
With Ron Johnson Out, What Should J.C. Penney Do Now?
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleJ.C. Penney and its CEO Ron Johnson have parted ways. The news wasn't terribly surprising as 2012 had been a challenging year: sales were down by $4.3B,... -
Welcome Back, Mom and Pop
Strategic planning Magazine ArticleBig retailers are starting to think small again. -
How E-Commerce Will Trump Brand Management
Marketing Magazine ArticleThe Internet promises to give marketing the same boost in productivity that new operational strategies have given to manufacturing. -
Starbucks' Howard Schultz and how to Restore Confidence
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleStarbucks CEO Howard Schultz's message about finding common grounds for action has nothing to do with coffee grounds. Shultz is on a campaign to restore... -
Power to the People
Hiring and recruitment Magazine ArticleIf you want to see a successful peer-to-peer business model, don’t look toward Napster. Look at eBay. -
Breaking the Trade-Off Between Efficiency and Service
Operations strategy Magazine ArticleService businesses struggle with a reality that is foreign to manufacturers: Customers “interfere” with their operations. To deliver consistent quality at sustainable cost, companies must learn to manage that involvement.
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Country Market Collection: A Case of Channel Conflict
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Ashton Thyme's, an upscale furniture boutique in Athens, Georgia, has been granted exclusive territory to sell antique-reproduction furniture from Country... -
Poches & Fils: Path to Success of a Born-Digital Brand
Management Case Study11.95View Details Founded in Montreal in 2015 by three friends, Poches & Fils enjoyed huge success from the beginning, fuelled largely by its quirky and humorous positioning... -
Innovation Works Community Bond
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details In June 2015 Lina Bowden, chair of the Innovation Works Finance Committee (Finance Committee), needed to finalize a plan to raise an additional $1,000,000... -
Vaidam Health: Facilitating Medical-Value Travel
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Headquartered in Gurgaon, India, Vaidam Health Private Limited (Vaidam) was an online medical-value-travel (MVT) facilitator that had been hosting overseas... -
Yunnan Baiyao: Transforming a Chinese State-Owned Enterprise
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details This case tells the story of how Wang Minghui, Chairman of Yunnan Baiyao Group since 1999, transformed a single-product traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)... -
Carvajal: Building a holistic family enterprise
{{MajorSubject}} Case Study11.95View Details The Carvajal case is based on interviews with four family members and executives of Carvajal S.A., one of Latin America's leading family businesses. The... -
Thingtesting: Launching a Brand Discovery and Testing Digital Community
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Thingtesting, a brand discovery and testing digital community devoted to uncovering and exploring direct-to-consumer brands, had just received seed funding... -
Molson's Quest for Principles and Good Governance
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details This case looks at the vagaries of Molson's corporate governance during the period from 1995 to 2003, which led to a declaration of the Molson Family... -
Bright Horizons Children's Centers, Inc.--1987
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details The founders of Bright Horizons have developed a distinctive strategy and raised venture capital money. Now they are ready to make their dream come true.... -
The Tate's Digital Transformation
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details John Stack was the visionary Head of Digital Transformation at the Tate, a collection of four major art galleries in the UK, including Tate Modern, the... -
Starbucks Corporation
Management Case Study11.95View Details The case is set in 2023. The protagonist is Laxman Narasimhan, Starbucks' CEO since April 1st, 2023. Starbucks is a multinational coffee company and restaurant... -
Agarwal Automobiles: Fuel Station Forecasting and Inventory Management
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details On June 1, 2016 a student was preparing for a summer job with Agarwal Automobiles, a vehicle fuel station owned by his father. The student had taken courses... -
IKEA'S Sustainability Options: Circular Economy, Green Growth, or Degrowth
Management Case Study11.95View Details This case explores the debate over which sustainability philosophy should drive a corporation's strategy: circular economy, green growth, or degrowth.... -
Chateau D'Agel: Third Time Lucky?
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details The case is the fourth is a case series documenting the genesis, deal engineering, early implementation and then mounting operational challenges faced... -
Zoots--Financing Growth (A)
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details Traces the genesis and founding of Zoots, the largest chain of dry cleaning establishments in the U.S. Founded by some of the founders of the very successful... -
Wanxiang Group: A Chinese Company's Global Strategy
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details With an almost forty-year history as a business in China, the Wanxiang Group has navigated through the significantly different political and economic... -
Wild Oats Markets, Inc.
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Ever since ex-Ben and Jerry's CEO Perry Odak took over as CEO of Wild Oats in 2001, he has been trying to turn the company around. After some apparent... -
Tailor Brands: Artificial Intelligence-Driven Branding
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Using proprietary artificial intelligence technology, startup Tailor Brands set out to democratize branding by allowing small businesses to create their... -
INK PPT: Quit or Continue?
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details A former software developer founded INK PPT in 2015 in Gurgaon, Haryana, India, after realizing that he enjoyed designing presentations. However, the... -
Fender vs. Gibson - (A) Gibson: Tradition, Innovation, and Diversification
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Gibson and Fender, two of the biggest success stories in the guitar industry, were founded in 1902 and 1946, respectively. After both companies introduced...
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Country Market Collection: A Case of Channel Conflict
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Ashton Thyme's, an upscale furniture boutique in Athens, Georgia, has been granted exclusive territory to sell antique-reproduction furniture from Country... -
Did Cisco Slip on Flip or Was Flip a Flop?
Innovation & Leadership Digital ArticleSo riddle me this: A business that generates an estimated $400 million in revenue, with 550 employees, and which sells an iconic product that was regularly... -
Poches & Fils: Path to Success of a Born-Digital Brand
Management Case Study11.95View Details Founded in Montreal in 2015 by three friends, Poches & Fils enjoyed huge success from the beginning, fuelled largely by its quirky and humorous positioning... -
Innovation Works Community Bond
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details In June 2015 Lina Bowden, chair of the Innovation Works Finance Committee (Finance Committee), needed to finalize a plan to raise an additional $1,000,000... -
Prada’s CEO on Staying Independent in a Consolidating Industry
Leadership Magazine ArticlePhotography: Courtesy of Prada / Costantino Ruspoli The Idea: While rival fashion houses have struggled and been acquired by conglomerates, Prada has prospered. Its CEO says that has a lot to do with the company’s culture. At Prada we have had to cope with our fair share of the unpredictable and the unexpected. Originally we […] -
Vaidam Health: Facilitating Medical-Value Travel
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Headquartered in Gurgaon, India, Vaidam Health Private Limited (Vaidam) was an online medical-value-travel (MVT) facilitator that had been hosting overseas... -
Yunnan Baiyao: Transforming a Chinese State-Owned Enterprise
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details This case tells the story of how Wang Minghui, Chairman of Yunnan Baiyao Group since 1999, transformed a single-product traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)... -
The Path to Corporate Responsibility
Corporate communications Magazine ArticleCompanies don’t become model citizens overnight. Nike’s metamorphosis from the poster child for irresponsibility to a leader in progressive practices reveals the five stages of organizational growth. -
Carvajal: Building a holistic family enterprise
{{MajorSubject}} Case Study11.95View Details The Carvajal case is based on interviews with four family members and executives of Carvajal S.A., one of Latin America's leading family businesses. The... -
What Customer Data Collection Could Mean for Workers
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleEmployees are getting caught in the middle of real-time monitoring.