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  • July 2015 (Revised September 2017)
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Ron Johnson: A Career in Retail

By: Das Narayandas, Joshua D. Margolis and Ryan Raffaelli
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:21
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Abstract

In April 2013, Ron Johnson (HBS '84) stepped down after just 18 months as CEO of J.C. Penney. In his brief tenure, Johnson, an acclaimed retailer respected for his innovation and success in shaping the retail image at Target and Apple, introduced dramatic departures from J.C. Penney's traditional retail approach and enacted changes quickly and simultaneously, with little market testing. Over Johnson's final 12 months as CEO, J.C. Penney shares dropped more than 50%. The case describes the environments at Target, Apple, and J.C. Penney during Johnson's tenure and how his experiences may have shaped the strategies that he implemented while CEO at J.C. Penney.

Keywords

Leadership; Leadership Development; Legal Industry; Procurement; Professional Service Firms; Pricing; Organizational Behavior Modification; Change Management; Innovation Leadership; Situation or Environment; Failure; Management Teams; Brands and Branding; Competition; Retail Industry; United States

Citation

Narayandas, Das, Joshua D. Margolis, and Ryan Raffaelli. "Ron Johnson: A Career in Retail." Harvard Business School Case 516-016, July 2015. (Revised September 2017.)
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About The Authors

Das Narayandas

Marketing
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Joshua D. Margolis

Organizational Behavior
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Ryan L. Raffaelli

Organizational Behavior
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Related Work

    • December 2016
    • Faculty Research

    Ron Johnson: A Career in Retail

    By: Ryan Raffaelli, Joshua D. Margolis and Das Narayandas
    • July 2018
    • Faculty Research

    Ron Johnson: A Career in Retail

    By: Ryan Raffaelli
    • July 2015 (Revised September 2017)
    • Faculty Research

    Ron Johnson: A Career in Retail

    By: Das Narayandas, Joshua D. Margolis and Ryan Raffaelli
Related Work
  • Ron Johnson: A Career in Retail By: Ryan Raffaelli, Joshua D. Margolis and Das Narayandas
  • Ron Johnson: A Career in Retail By: Ryan Raffaelli
  • Ron Johnson: A Career in Retail By: Das Narayandas, Joshua D. Margolis and Ryan Raffaelli
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