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    • All HBS Web  (697)
      • Faculty Publications  (77)

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      • April 2022
      • Case

      The First Opium War and Global Free Trade

      By: Jeremy Friedman and Allison Lazarus
      The First Opium War (1839-1842) symbolized the peak of the era of European imperialism, with a political and cultural legacy that remains potent to this day. The British Empire, “acquired in a fit of absent-mindedness” as one observer famously claimed, seemed to be...  View Details
      Keywords: Imperialism; Narcotics; Importing; History; Globalized Markets and Industries; Trade; Social Issues
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      Friedman, Jeremy, and Allison Lazarus. "The First Opium War and Global Free Trade." Harvard Business School Case 722-052, April 2022.
      • November 2021 (Revised March 2022)
      • Case

      AppHarvest: Rebuilding the Appalachian Economy Through Agriculture

      By: Joshua Lev Krieger, William R. Kerr and Christian Godwin
      In 2021, AppHarvest completed construction of a 60-acre indoor farming facility, one of the world’s largest, recorded its first sales, and went public in a multi-billion dollar IPO. Described as “a force of nature,” Jonathan Webb founded the company to bring jobs back...  View Details
      Keywords: Agricultural; Entrepreneur; Business Startups; Development Economics; Sales; Goals and Objectives; Going Public; Growth Management; Buildings and Facilities; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; North America
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      Krieger, Joshua Lev, William R. Kerr, and Christian Godwin. "AppHarvest: Rebuilding the Appalachian Economy Through Agriculture." Harvard Business School Case 822-067, November 2021. (Revised March 2022.)
      • November 2021
      • Case

      LKQ-Stahlgruber

      By: Guhan Subramanian and Caeden Brynie
      Through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions, LKQ Corp. became the leading aftermarket auto parts distributor in the U.S. by the early 2000s. Beginning in 2012, the company began similarly consolidating the European marketplace. However, by 2017, the...  View Details
      Keywords: Consolidation; Acquisition; Decision Making; Strategy; Opportunities; Europe; Germany
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      Subramanian, Guhan, and Caeden Brynie. "LKQ-Stahlgruber." Harvard Business School Case 922-028, November 2021.
      • 2021
      • Chapter

      Digital Transformation and the Salesforce: Observations, Warnings, and Recommendations

      By: Frank V. Cespedes
      Sales is a crucial test for organizational change, including productive use (or not) of new technologies. Changes in selling always have wider organizational implications, because so many other decisions and resource commitments in firms depend upon demand forecasts...  View Details
      Keywords: Sales; Salesforce Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Digital Transformation
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      Cespedes, Frank V. "Digital Transformation and the Salesforce: Observations, Warnings, and Recommendations." In Managing Digital Transformation: Understanding the Strategic Process, edited by Andreas Hinterhuber, Tiziano Vescovi, and Francesca Checchinato. Routledge, 2021.
      • April 2021
      • Article

      The Effects of Quota Frequency: Sales Performance and Product Focus

      By: Doug J. Chung, Das Narayandas and Dongkyu Chang
      This study investigates the comprehensive and multidimensional effects of quota (goal) frequency on sales force performance. We develop a theory of salespeople’s behavior—aggregate effort and the product type focus—in response to the temporal length of a sales-quota...  View Details
      Keywords: Sales Force Compensation; Field Experiment; Quotas; Quota Frequency; Commissions; Bonuses; Goals; Salesforce Management; Compensation and Benefits; Goals and Objectives; Behavior; Performance
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      Chung, Doug J., Das Narayandas, and Dongkyu Chang. "The Effects of Quota Frequency: Sales Performance and Product Focus." Management Science 67, no. 4 (April 2021): 2151–2170.
      • March 2021 (Revised May 2021)
      • Case

      M-KOPA: Empowering Lives

      By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Wale Lawal and Pippa Tubman Armerding
      The Pay As You Go solar power company in East Africa had sales of $71 million in 2019. It wished to grow to $300 million by 2025. M-KOPA, founded by three entrepreneurs in 2011, had grown nicely in Kenya and Uganda to reach nearly 750,000 households with an...  View Details
      Keywords: Mobile Payment; Go-to-market Strategy; Business At The Base Of The Pyramid; Business Growth; Social Entrepreneurship; Renewable Energy; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Expansion; Marketing Strategy; Developing Countries and Economies; Kenya; Uganda; Nigeria
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      Rangan, V. Kasturi, Wale Lawal, and Pippa Tubman Armerding. "M-KOPA: Empowering Lives." Harvard Business School Case 521-085, March 2021. (Revised May 2021.)
      • July 2020
      • Technical Note

      Digital Natives Growing Without a Sales Force

      By: Das Narayandas, Michael Norris and Amram Migdal
      This brief case describes the rise of so-called digital natives (also called born-in-digital) in the 2000s and 2010s that successfully grew without a sales force. The case highlights the emergence of business-to-business Internet and cloud-based companies and their...  View Details
      Keywords: Government Administration; Crisis Management; Health; Health Pandemics; Innovation and Invention; Innovation Leadership; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Social Issues; Information Technology; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Technology Adoption; Information Technology Industry; Australia; North and Central America; United States; Illinois; Chicago; California; San Francisco
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      Narayandas, Das, Michael Norris, and Amram Migdal. "Digital Natives Growing Without a Sales Force." Harvard Business School Technical Note 521-019, July 2020.
      • November 2019 (Revised April 2020)
      • Case

      Purple Innovation, Inc.: The Online to Offline Marketing Challenge

      By: Elie Ofek and Nakisha Williams
      This case focuses on Purple Innovation Inc. (Purple), a company that started out in the Direct to Consumer (DTC) mattress space. In late 2018, after a successful launch and IPO with sales predominantly originating from its website, Purple was looking to sustain its...  View Details
      Keywords: Offline Sales; Marketing Strategy; Digital Marketing; Growth and Development Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Retail Industry
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      Ofek, Elie, and Nakisha Williams. "Purple Innovation, Inc.: The Online to Offline Marketing Challenge." Harvard Business School Case 520-040, November 2019. (Revised April 2020.)
      • Article

      Sales Methodologies and Selling

      By: Frank V. Cespedes
      Sales methodologies play an important role. A common approach in a sales force allows for consistency, dissemination of best practices, acceleration of learning, and it helps the firm to scale because management then has common metrics to monitor and evaluate. However,...  View Details
      Keywords: Methodology; Sales; Analysis
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      Cespedes, Frank V. "Sales Methodologies and Selling." Top Sales Magazine (November 2019), 26–27.
      • June 2019 (Revised September 2019)
      • Case

      Parrot: Navigating the Nascent Drone Industry

      By: Rory M. McDonald, Emilie Billaud and Vincent Dessain
      In 2018, Henri Seydoux, CEO and Founder of Parrot, believed that his company was at an inflection point in its history. Parrot had been a European leader in consumer electronics since the 1990s, first developing Bluetooth kits for cars before moving on to electronic...  View Details
      Keywords: Forecasting and Prediction; Disruption; Entrepreneurship; Corporate Strategy; Technological Innovation; Leading Change; Competitive Advantage; Information Technology; Competitive Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Electronics Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; Technology Industry; Video Game Industry; Europe; France; Paris
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      McDonald, Rory M., Emilie Billaud, and Vincent Dessain. "Parrot: Navigating the Nascent Drone Industry." Harvard Business School Case 619-085, June 2019. (Revised September 2019.)
      • April 2019
      • Teaching Note

      The a2 Milk Company

      By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel Fisher
      The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) became the most valuable company listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in 2018 by capitalizing on a biochemical discovery related to the protein composition of cow's milk. Because many people find the A1 protein difficult to digest, and...  View Details
      Keywords: Judo Economics; Market Entry; Innovation; Barriers To Response; Industry Attractiveness; Advantage Horizon; Sustainability; First-mover Advantage; Scope; Strategy Execution; Strategic Evolution; Biochemistry; Genetics; Branding; Commodity; Milk; Dairy; Infant Formula; Farming; Porter's Five Forces; Market Entry and Exit; Disruption; Innovation and Invention; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Strategy; Value Creation; Competition; Brands and Branding; Five Forces Framework; Consumer Products Industry; New Zealand; Australia; China
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      Esty, Benjamin C., and Daniel Fisher. "The a2 Milk Company." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 719-428, April 2019.
      • February 2019 (Revised September 2021)
      • Case

      The a2 Milk Company

      By: Benjamin C. Esty and Daniel Fisher
      The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) became the most valuable company listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in 2018 by capitalizing on a biochemical discovery related to the protein composition of cow's milk. Because many people find the A1 protein difficult to digest, and...  View Details
      Keywords: Judo Economics; Market Entry; Innovation; Barriers To Response; Industry Attractiveness; Advantage Horizon; Sustainability; First-mover Advantage; Scope; Strategy Execution; Strategic Evolution; Biochemistry; Genetics; Branding; Commodity; Milk; Dairy; Infant Formula; Farming; Porter's Five Forces; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Strategy; Value Creation; Competition; Disruption; Innovation and Invention; Five Forces Framework; Market Entry and Exit
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      Esty, Benjamin C., and Daniel Fisher. "The a2 Milk Company." Harvard Business School Case 719-424, February 2019. (Revised September 2021.)
      • January 2019 (Revised February 2019)
      • Supplement

      The a2 Milk Company

      By: Benjamin C. Esty, Daniel Fisher and Greg Saldutte
      The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) became the most valuable company listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in 2018 by capitalizing on a biochemical discovery related to the protein composition of cow's milk. Because many people find the A1 protein difficult to digest, and...  View Details
      Keywords: Judo Economics; Market Entry; Innovation; Barriers To Response; Industry Attractiveness; Advantage Horizon; Sustainability; First-mover Advantage; Scope; Strategy Execution; Strategic Evolution; Biochemistry; Genetics; Branding; Commodity; Milk; Dairy; Infant Formula; Farming; Porter's Five Forces; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Strategy; Value Creation; Competition; Market Entry and Exit; Disruption; Innovation and Invention; Five Forces Framework; Consumer Products Industry; New Zealand; Australia; China
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      Esty, Benjamin C., Daniel Fisher, and Greg Saldutte. "The a2 Milk Company." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 719-804, January 2019. (Revised February 2019.)
      • October 2018
      • Case

      Shield AI

      By: Mitchell Weiss and A.J. Steinlage
      Shield AI’s quadcopter – with no pilot and no flight plan – could clear a building and outpace human warfighters by almost five minutes. This was not to say that it was better than the warfighters or would replace their jobs, but it was evidence that autonomous robots...  View Details
      Keywords: Public Entrepreneurship; Artificial Intelligence; AI; Entrepreneurial Sales; Government; Defense; Shield AI; Brandon Tseng; Ryan Tseng; Andrew Reiter; Robots; Robotics; UAV; UAVs; Government Sales; Entrepreneurship; Public Sector; Sales; Government Administration; National Security; Business and Government Relations; AI and Machine Learning; Technology Industry; United States
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      Weiss, Mitchell, and A.J. Steinlage. "Shield AI." Harvard Business School Case 819-062, October 2018.
      • September 2018
      • Case

      Hunley, Inc.: Casting for Growth

      By: John A. Quelch and James T. Kindley
      Hunley, Inc. manufactures rods for the niche sport of fly fishing. It specializes in freshwater rods that are perceived as "middle-market" products, targeted at "avid" fly fishers. In the face of declining revenue and a decreasing price per unit sold, the company's...  View Details
      Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Sports; Marketing Channels; Distribution Channels
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      Quelch, John A., and James T. Kindley. "Hunley, Inc.: Casting for Growth." Harvard Business School Brief Case 919-501, September 2018.
      • June 2018
      • Case

      Meridian Systems

      By: Frank V. Cespedes and Michael J. Roberts
      The Meridian Systems case focuses on a start-up in the restaurant point of sale (POS) systems market. In early 2018, Meridian is getting ready to roll out a POS system based on a new technology—a tablet-based, Wi-Fi-enabled POS system (the "tablet" system, or...  View Details
      Keywords: Business Startups; Sales; Strategy; Salesforce Management; Organizational Structure; Technological Innovation; Marketing Strategy
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      Cespedes, Frank V., and Michael J. Roberts. "Meridian Systems." Harvard Business School Brief Case 918-533, June 2018.
      • June 2018
      • Teaching Note

      Meridian Systems (Brief Case)

      By: Frank V. Cespedes and Michael J. Roberts
      Teaching Note for HBS No. 918-533. The key issues discussed in the Meridian teaching note concern sales force deployment: decisions about how to focus sales efforts with respect to territories, customers, and products. The teaching note explains the strengths and...  View Details
      Keywords: Business Startups; Sales; Strategy; Salesforce Management; Organizational Structure; Technological Innovation; Marketing Strategy
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      Cespedes, Frank V., and Michael J. Roberts. "Meridian Systems (Brief Case)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 918-534, June 2018.
      • May 2018 (Revised February 2019)
      • Teaching Note

      Greg Mazur and the Purchase of Great Eastern Premium Pet Foods

      By: Richard S. Ruback, Royce Yudkoff and Ahron Rosenfeld
      Teaching Note for HBS No. 211-085. Greg Mazur (HBS 1997) identified a small firm, Great Eastern Premium Pet Food, in December of 1998 that fit his search criteria and decided to offer the seller a cash price of $1.2 million plus an earn-out equal to 1% of revenue over...  View Details
      Keywords: Acquisition; Entrepreneurship; Financing and Loans; Negotiation Deal; Strategic Planning; Valuation; Analysis
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      Ruback, Richard S., Royce Yudkoff, and Ahron Rosenfeld. "Greg Mazur and the Purchase of Great Eastern Premium Pet Foods." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 218-122, May 2018. (Revised February 2019.)
      • April 2018
      • Article

      Effective Sales Training: What Are the Foundational Elements?

      By: Frank V. Cespedes
      Across industries, turnover in sales positions averages about 25–30% annually. This means that, at many firms, the equivalent of the entire sales force must be replaced and trained every four years or so. No other function has an ongoing talent management task of that...  View Details
      Keywords: Salesforce Management; Training
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      Cespedes, Frank V. "Effective Sales Training: What Are the Foundational Elements?" Top Sales Magazine (April 2018), 22–23.
      • January–February 2018
      • Article

      More than a Paycheck: How to Create Good Blue-Collar Jobs in the Knowledge Economy

      By: Dennis Campbell, John Case and Bill Fotsch
      Fifty years ago a good blue-collar job was with a large manufacturer such as General Motors or Goodyear. Often unionized, it paid well, offered benefits, and was secure. But manufacturing employment has steadily declined, from about 25% of the U.S. labor force in 1970...  View Details
      Keywords: Jobs and Positions; Employee Ownership; Profit Sharing; Organizational Culture
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      Campbell, Dennis, John Case, and Bill Fotsch. "More than a Paycheck: How to Create Good Blue-Collar Jobs in the Knowledge Economy." Harvard Business Review 96, no. 1 (January–February 2018): 118–124.
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