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  • January 2021
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Best Buy's Corie Barry: Confronting the COVID-19 Pandemic

By: William W. George and Amram Migdal
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:27
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Abstract

This case examines the leadership of Corie Barry, the new CEO of Best Buy, with a focus on actions the company took in 2020 to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. The case includes a history of Best Buy’s strategy and leadership, including the transitions between the company’s founder and the subsequent four CEOs. In particular, the career trajectory of CEO Corie Barry is described in detail. Regarding Best Buy’s response to COVID-19, the case details the company’s scenario planning and operational adjustments, including the temporary closure of all stores followed by the rapid establishment of curbside-pickup customer-order-fulfillment operations at roughly 1,000 store locations in the U.S. The case also attends to leadership’s decisions to furlough more than 51,000 frontline employees, suspend in-home services, and subsequently resume in-store services under modified operating procedures.

Keywords

Health Pandemics; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Leadership; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Business or Company Management; Crisis Management; Management Succession; Management Teams; Personal Development and Career; Strategic Planning; Problems and Challenges; Safety; Retail Industry

Citation

George, William W., and Amram Migdal. "Best Buy's Corie Barry: Confronting the COVID-19 Pandemic." Harvard Business School Case 321-073, January 2021.
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About The Author

William W. George

General Management
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  • Seeding and Selling Asana By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Susie Ma and Amram Migdal
  • Board Director Dilemmas—New Year, New Timing By: Suraj Srinivasan, David G. Fubini and Amram Migdal
  • Value-Based Insurance Design at Onex By: Joshua Schwartzstein, Amitabh Chandra and Amram Migdal
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