Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Lance Best, the CEO of Barker Sports Apparel, was meeting with Nina Kelk, the company’s general counsel, who also oversaw human resources. The next morning, Lance was in his office when he got a text from Jhumpa, the head of product and merchandising: Can you talk? “Unfortunately, I think we’re beyond that.”

Case Study 13

Case Study Team CFO Merchandising 13

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

For example, by pulling together people from finance, human resources, sales, and other product-related departments, one retailer figured out how the company could operate with one-third fewer employees in its stores. The retail upheaval that began two decades ago when Amazon was founded is nowhere near an end.

Retail 10

Retail Chief Executive Officer Supply Chain Operations 10

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 4, 2015

“I’m pretty convinced that there are superficial differences in culture and communication and how people do things,” said the global human resources officer. Gillette’s merchandising expertise complemented P&G’s branding acumen. “There’s an essence. Healthy debate.

Globalization 8

Globalization Company Self-aware Merchandising 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 27, 2017

At one American retailer, an autonomous ensemble of algorithms replaced the entire merchandising department. They’re analogous to autonomous resources, as opposed to human resources, departments. In reality, “handoffs” and transitions prove to be significant operational problems.

Outsourcing 8

Outsourcing Software CAPEX Competitive Advantage 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

There are also differences in the merchandise mix of different companies. Some include promotional expenses; some don’t. Some include compensation and benefits for some of their employees; some don’t.

Retail 8

Retail Operations Depreciation Merchandising 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 4, 2015

Those compelling reasons to come to a real store include in-stock merchandise and friendly, knowledgeable employees who are empowered and have the time to help customers. But what I found in my research is that a retailer with a human-centered operations strategy can do it all.

Retail 8

Retail Operations Price Merchandising 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 6, 2014

The previous year the company had generated more than $4 billion in gross merchandise sales through its platform, yielding about $50 million in revenue. Only legal, finance, and human resources still reported back to headquarters. Alibaba was based in the south, in Hangzhou, and had about 2,400 employees.

Chief Financial Officer 10

Chief Financial Officer Operations Learning-by-Doing IPO 10

In the CEO Afterlife

NOVEMBER 4, 2012

Economically I probably helped shift some merchandise. I met a lot of funny, talented and clever people, got to become an overnight expert in everything from shower-heads to sheep-dip, got to scratch my creative itch on a daily basis, and earned enough money to raise the family which I love, and even see them occasionally.

Advertising 265

Advertising Creativity Industry Bottom-up 265

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 29, 2018

Last-minute changes in marketing meant that merchandise had to be marked down, tables set up, stock moved around, signs made, windows changed—and sometimes there were three different promotions in a single week. But the important message is that an effective stable scheduling initiative is not a simple human resources issue.

Retail 8

Retail Productivity Products Cost 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 26, 2017

As the industry moved toward an emphasis on customer service and merchandising, the company fell behind, because its employees were focused more on increasing inventory turns and sales per square foot. For example, at a grocery store chain I worked with, employees were steeped in an operations culture that valued efficiency and productivity.

Brand 8

Brand Company Operations Merchandising 8