Publications

September 1992 (Revised November 1996)
Case

Royal Automobile Club Rescue Services Division: Transformation Through Technology

By: W. Earl Sasser and Roger H. Hallowell

The Royal Automobile Club uses a new computer and telephone system to improve its service standards and profitability. After the initial impact of changes from technology, the organization faces a need to choose between future technological development or... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Decision Choices and Conditions; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Information Technology; Corporate Strategy; Service Industry; Auto Industry; United Kingdom

Find at Harvard

13 Oct 2020
Video

Working too much? Break some bad habits

Edward McFowland III

Edward McFowland III is an Assistant Professor in the Technology and Operations Management Unit at Harvard Business School. He teaches the first-year TOM course in the required curriculum.

Professor McFowland’s research interests – which lie at the... View Details

May 2000 (Revised October 2001)
Case

Dell Ventures

By: Paul A. Gompers, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Cate Reavis

Describes the rationale behind the strategy and structure of Dell Computer Corp.'s VC arm, Dell Ventures. While Dell Ventures had a phenomenal year one, it faced a number of challenges including dealing with market risks, finding and retaining talent, maintaining... View Details

Keywords: Business Divisions; Talent and Talent Management; Goals and Objectives; Risk Management; Organizational Structure; Interests; Business Strategy; Computer Industry

09 Mar 2016
News

In This Classroom, Beer Can Improve Your Grade

February 2021
Module Note

Intellectual Property Strategy

By: Andy Wu and Aticus Peterson

Managing intellectual property (IP) in information technology—digital technologies like software or computing hardware—requires a distinct strategic approach. This note summarizes the high-level strategic considerations for managers of information technology businesses... View Details

Keywords: Intellectual Property; Information Technology; Management; Strategy

February 2010
Case

Revitalizing Dell

By: Jan W. Rivkin

Dell Inc., with its vaunted Direct Model, defined success in the personal computer industry for more than a decade. Starting in the mid-2000s, however, the company fell on hard times. In 2009, Michael Dell and his management team must figure out why the Direct Model... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Change Management; Industry Growth; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Computer Industry

12 Oct 2011
Research & Ideas

Creating Online Ads We Want to Watch

series of experiments in the HBS Computer Lab for Experimental Research. The results showed that the key to success in grabbing and holding the attention of viewers lies in evoking a carefully timed mixture of surprise and joy. (The... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Consumer Products

11 Dec 2019
News

How AI shifts enterprise decision-making into self-driving mode

2012
Case

UFIDA (F)

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Donghong Li and Guo Jia

As an extension of UFIDA (A-E), UFIDA (F) using early 2012 as the time node, looks at UFIDA's major steps taken during 2010-2011, accomplishments, and major future opportunities and challenges. The case focuses on the new market development of Cloud Computing and the... View Details

Keywords: China; Strategy; China

February 1995 (Revised October 1995)
Case

Doing Business in a Distributed World: Clients, Servers, and the Stuff in Between

By: Lynda M. Applegate and Geoffrey Bock

Examines business computing as it is evolving in the 1990s. Compares the highly centralized and tightly controlled systems of the past with today's flexible, networked, client/server technology. Serves as an introduction to client/server terminology and technology. View Details

Keywords: Information Infrastructure; Information Technology; Performance Improvement; Transformation; Technological Innovation; Business Strategy; Adoption; Information Technology Industry

August 2001 (Revised July 2008)
Technical Note

A Technical Note and Discussion on Real Estate Valuation (IBET): Back of the Envelope (BOE) on Bonhomme Place: A Case within a Case

By: Arthur I Segel

Discusses real estate valuation. Reviews "back of the envelope" valuation; real estate appraisal methods, including the income method; market comparables and replacement costs; and more complex computer modeling. Also discusses other variables that could influence... View Details

Keywords: Investment Funds; Mathematical Methods; Valuation; Real Estate Industry

12 Jul 2010
News

Plugging privacy leaks

30 Mar 2015
Video

Howard Leibowitz - Making A Difference

23 Feb 2022
News

‘Tattleware’: How Your Boss Might Be Tracking Your Remote Activity

November 1994 (Revised November 1995)
Case

SweetWater

By: H. Kent Bowen and Thomas D. Everett

Focuses on developing a promising idea into a viable product design by considering customer needs early in the design process. Following an Alaskan fishing trip, Sandy Platter, a computer peripherals engineer, has a new idea for a portable water-filter device for use... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Independent Innovation and Invention; Product Design; Customers; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Colorado

March 2002 (Revised January 2003)
Case

Microsoft: Positioning the Tablet PC

By: Youngme E. Moon and Christina L. Darwall

Microsoft is preparing for the launch of the Tablet PC, which allows users to use a pen (stylus) to run Windows and Windows applications, annotate documents, and create handwritten documents for later reference or even conversion to text. Microsoft's original equipment... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Product Positioning; Market Entry and Exit; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Computer Industry