Publications

November 2007 (Revised April 2008)
Case

Hariyali Kisaan Bazaar: A Rural Business Initiative

By: David E. Bell, Nitin Sanghavi, Virginia Fuller and Mary L. Shelman

In rural India, farmers historically had limited access to quality input items for both their fields and homes. Indian conglomerate DSCL has undertaken a Rural Business Initiative to address this issue, establishing a chain of retail outlets throughout rural India... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Business Conglomerates; Agribusiness; Rural Scope; Customer Relationship Management; Business Strategy; Service Operations; Networks; Alliances; Retail Industry; India

April 2014 (Revised June 2015)
Case

Making stickK Stick: The Business of Behavioral Economics

By: Leslie John, Michael Norton and Michael Norris

Email mking@hbs.edu for a courtesy copy.

stickK.com, a website that uses behavioral economics to help users achieve their goals, must choose between a direct-to-consumer or business-to-business model. The case... View Details

Keywords: Behavioral Economics; Behavior Change; B2B Vs. B2C; Human Resource Management; Marketing Of Innovations; Health ＆ Wellness; Weight Loss; Charitable Giving; Marketing; Consumer Behavior; Entrepreneurship; Internet and the Web; Health; Business Model; Sales; Human Resources; Health Industry; United States

21 May 2014
Lessons from the Classroom

CORe: HBS Powers Up Online Program on Business Fundamentals

As a Harvard Business School professor for 20 years, V.G. Narayanan has significant experience using the School's pioneering case method to teach business concepts—introducing a real-world management... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Education

January 2019 (Revised October 2019)
Case

Rural Taobao: Alibaba's Expansion into Rural E-Commerce

By: Tarun Khanna, Ryan Allen, Adam Frost and Wesley Koo

Alibaba's Rural Taobao initiative had been launched in 2014 as a public service initiative to increase e-commerce adoption in China’s remote rural areas. In the first two iterations of the initiative, dubbed “1.0” and “2.0,” Alibaba had partnered with local businesses... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Business Growth; Ecommerce; Corporate Social Responsibility; Business And Government; Emerging Market; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Emerging Markets; Rural Scope; Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Government Relations; Decision Making; E-commerce; China

25 Feb 2020
News

How Artificial Intelligence is Changing Business

Administration. “The traditional model has been turned upside down. Having the data to innovate at scale is now the main thing.” Lakhani and Marco Iansiti, the David Sarnoff Professor of Business... View Details

Keywords: Susan Young

Manufacturing Morals: The Values of Silence in Business School Education (book)

Corporate accountability is never far from the front page and Harvard Business School trains many future business leaders. But how does HBS formally and informally ensure its members embrace proper business standards? Relying on his first-hand faculty... View Details

19 Jun 2009
Research Event

Business Summit: The Evolution of Agribusiness

future challenges based on their unique vantage points. Through the study of agribusiness at Harvard Business School, the notion of the value-added food chain was born. Both the study and practice of agribusiness have View Details

Keywords: Re: David E. Bell & Ray A. Goldberg; Agriculture & Agribusiness

February 1992 (Revised September 2019)
Case

The House of Tata

By: James E. Austin and Ashish Nanda

The case traces the evolution of the Tata group, one of the largest and highly respected Indian business houses, from its 19th century founding and early growth in diverse industries, to its response to changes in government regulation in independent India, up to its... View Details

Keywords: Indian Economy; International Business; Government And Business; Government Regulation; Synergy; Conglomerates; Business Conglomerates; Developing Countries and Economies; Business and Government Relations; Business History; Steel Industry; Electronics Industry; Chemical Industry; Insurance Industry; Air Transportation Industry; India

June 2016
Case

Augustine Heard & Co.: Building a Family Business in the China Trade (B)

By: William C. Kirby and Joycelyn W. Eby

In 1861, the Heard brothers faced a decision: should they continue their family firm's business model that had made them a successful commission house in China, or was it time to make fundamental adjustments to their work? This case reveals that the brothers decided to... View Details

Keywords: China; Mercantilism; Family Business; China

December 2019 (Revised February 2024)
Teaching Note

Ripple: The Business of Crypto and Ripple 2023

By: David B. Yoffie

The case explores Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse’s mission to disrupt the global payments industry by leveraging the cryptocurrency XRP. Students will learn about Bitcoin and the blockchain industry, as well as Ripple’s unique crypto business model. The case provides an... View Details

Keywords: Payment Systems; Cryptocurrency; Bitcoin; Blockchain; Fintech; Business Startups; Business Model; Disruption; Strategy

June 2008
Teaching Note

Threadless: The Business of Community (TN)

By: Karim R. Lakhani

Teaching Note for 608707 View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Civil Society or Community; Competition; Blogs; Business Model; Decisions; Design; Retail Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Chicago

01 Dec 2014
News

Case Study: Growing the Family Business

discounted services or brand association might benefit the local lender. Finally, given the business strategy of no long-term commitments, I wonder if the centers could be sold to or subsidized by local large employers that would want the... View Details

Keywords: childcare; Finance

16 Jun 2016
Blog Post

Why Entrepreneurs Should Consider Business School

discounted cash flow on a pre-revenue startup, but that doesn't mean it's worthless. In other cases, an entrepreneurial business model works even better with those techniques. Amazon is taking over the world... View Details

10 Jan 2017
Blog Post

From Product Development to Business School

stopped pursuing the technology and set out on developing our own solution, a move that—I’m sure—crushed the team at the laboratory: watching what they thought was a sure partner and lucrative contract slip through their fingers. This is why I decided to come to... View Details

Keywords: Technology; Manufacturing; Consumer Products / Retail

Teaching Interest

Harvard Business Analytics Program: Operations and Supply Chain Management

By: Dennis Campbell

Digital technologies and data analytics are radically changing the operating model of an organization and how it connects to its broader supply chain and ecosystem. This course emphasizes managing product availability, especially in a context of rapid product... View Details

April 2019
Supplement

Upwork in 2019

By: David Yoffie and Allison M. Ciechanover

Stephane Kasriel, the CEO of Upwork, the leading platform for freelance labor, updates his progress on how to redesign its business model in 2019. View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Platform; Platform Businesses; Technology; Business Model; Digital Platforms; Growth and Development Strategy; Internet and the Web; Labor