Publications
Publications
- February 2024
- HBS Case Collection
Data-Driven Denim: Financial Forecasting at Levi Strauss
By: Mark Egan
Abstract
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 224-029. Levi Strauss & Co. (“Levi Strauss”) partnered with the IT services company Wipro to incorporate more sophisticated methods, such as machine learning, into their financial forecasting process starting in 2018. The decision to incorporate machine learning into its financial forecasting process was part of this broader agenda and prompted by the firm's anticipated return to public markets in 2019. Although the machine learning algorithm Levi Strauss developed with Wipro often produced more accurate forecasts, management at Levi Strauss faced substantial hurdles in implementing and interpreting the machine learning forecast.
Keywords
Forecasting; Regression; Machine Learning; Artificial Intelligence; Apparel; Corporate Finance; Forecasting and Prediction; AI and Machine Learning; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States
Citation
Egan, Mark. "Data-Driven Denim: Financial Forecasting at Levi Strauss." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 224-073, February 2024.