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      Cold Call
      A podcast featuring faculty discussing cases they've written and the lessons they impart.
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      • 06 Apr 2021
      • Cold Call Podcast

      Disrupting the Waste Industry with Technology

      Rubicon began with a bold idea: create a cloud-based, full-service waste management platform, providing efficient service anywhere in the US. Their mobile app did for waste management what Uber had done for taxi service. Five years after the case’s publication, Harvard Business School Associate Professor Shai Bernstein and Rubicon founder and CEO Nate Morris discuss how the software startup leveraged technology to disrupt the waste industry and other enduring lessons of professor Bill Sahlman’s case about Rubicon.  Open for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.

      Read the Transcript

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      Alvarez, B. JoseRemove Alvarez, B. Jose →

      Page 1 of 11 Results
      • 17 Jun 2017
      • Research & Ideas

      Amazon, Whole Foods Deal a Big Win for Consumers

      by Jose Alvarez and Len Schlesinger

      What does Amazon's $13.4 billion deal for Whole Foods say about the future of retail? Harvard Business School professors Jose Alvarez and Len Schlesinger see good times ahead for consumers as well as both companies. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

      • 05 Jan 2017
      • Cold Call Podcast

      The American Food Paradox: Growing Obese and Going Hungry

      One third of the United States population is obese, even as 50 million Americans struggle to find enough to eat. And all that in a country where 40 percent of the food made each year is thrown away. Jose Alvarez discusses how the former president of Trader Joe’s is experimenting with a potentially elegant, sustainable solution in a pilot store in Massachusetts. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

      • 17 Oct 2016
      • HBS Case

      Business Solutions That Help Cut Food Waste

      by Dina Gerdeman

      Up to 40 percent of food grown in the United States for human consumption is wasted. But solutions are starting to come together from retailers, farmers, academics, policy makers, and social service organizations, according to José Alvarez. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

      • 18 Nov 2015
      • Cold Call Podcast

      A Hard Sell: Bringing Cultured Beef to Market

      Tissue culture beef could revolutionize the meat industry. But how do you market against the “yuck factor?" Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

      • 17 Mar 2015
      • Research & Ideas

      Where Did My Shopping Mall Go?

      by Sean Silverthorne

      The growing popularity of online shopping is remaking the world of offline shopping—stores are getting smaller, malls are getting scarcer. Rajiv Lal and José Alvarez look ahead five years at our radically transforming shopping experience. Plus: Book excerpt. Open for comment; 13 Comment(s) posted.

      • 10 Mar 2015
      • Research & Ideas

      The Surprising Winners and Losers in the Retail Revolution

      by Sean Silverthorne

      The growth of ecommerce is creating new leaders in retail while putting many famous brands at risk. Professors Rajiv Lal and José Alvarez pick the winners and losers in part two of our series on their new book, Retail Revolution. PLUS: An excerpt on the future of grocery stores. Open for comment; 4 Comment(s) posted.

      • 02 Mar 2015
      • Research & Ideas

      Retail Reaches a Tipping Point—Which Stores Will Survive?

      by Sean Silverthorne

      Part 1: The new book Retail Revolution: Will Your Brick and Mortar Store Survive? argues that ecommerce is about to deal severe blows to many familiar store-based brands—even including Walmart. Here's how retailers can fight back, according to Rajiv Lal, José Alvarez, and Dan Greenberg. Open for comment; 7 Comment(s) posted.

      • 02 Mar 2015
      • Research & Ideas

      ‘Retail Revolution’ Excerpt: The Scale of the Ecommerce Threat

      With ecommerce becoming a much bigger part of the economy, a tipping point is fast approaching for many retailers. An excerpt from, Retail Revolution: Will Your Brick-and-Mortar Store Survive? on why even big names like Walmart are coming under pressure from the likes of Amazon. Open for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.

      • 09 Feb 2012
      • Sharpening Your Skills

      Sharpening Your Skills: Online Marketing

      Re: Multiple Faculty

      In this collection from our archives, Harvard Business School faculty discuss the latest research on online marketing techniques, including consumer reviews, video ads, loyalty programs, and coupon offerings. Open for comment; 6 Comment(s) posted.

      • 10 Oct 2011
      • Research & Ideas

      Retailing Revolution: Category Killers on the Brink

      by Rajiv Lal & Jose B. Alvarez

      Mass-market retailers, particularly big-box "category killers," are under critical pressure from online competitors. For retailers that can react quickly enough, this upheaval is survivable. But those slow to see the tsunami wave on the horizon stand to be swept away, according to professors Rajiv Lal and José B. Alvarez. Key concepts include: Retailing generally is at a tipping point, with category killers being the first significant casualties. Online competitors are making retail stores, which spent much of the last decade adding floor space, less productive. The impact of emerging technologies, expanding price and assortment transparency, and the increasing amount of excess retail space has created similar challenges for all mass-market retailers. Physical stores can compete by emphasizing instant gratification, unique shopping experiences, and customized support. Closed for comment; 18 Comment(s) posted.

      • 27 Jul 2011
      • Research & Ideas

      Customer Loyalty Programs That Work

      by Maggie Starvish

      Thanks to ever-improving technology, customer loyalty programs are proving extremely popular among retailers—but merchants are not getting all they should out of them. The reason? Professor José Alvarez says retailers need to see customers as partners, not transactions. Key concepts include: Most retailers are at a very basic level in using loyalty programs, and many customers see the programs as punitive. Successful retailers connect with customers via loyalty programs at three levels starting with an introduction, followed by a retailer-initiated communication, and finally with customer- or retailer-initiated feedback loops. Retailers should ask themselves, How do I create a partnership with the consumer? Data collected from these programs can help merchants make smarter decisions on everything from where to open a new store to pulling the plug on a fading brand. Closed for comment; 18 Comment(s) posted.

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