Publications

2003
Class Lecture

The New Strategic Weapon: Information Technology

Keywords: Information Technology; Competitive Advantage

November 2002 (Revised May 2007)
Case

Charles Schwab in 2002

By: Lynda M. Applegate, F. Warren McFarlan and Jamie Ladge

Details the evolution of the Charles Schwab business model, from its founding in 1975 to October 2002. The protagonist, David Pottruck, is faced with re-inventing the firm as a full-service brokerage at a time of tremendous industry instability as the industry reels... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Business Model; Business or Company Management; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Financial Services Industry

2002
Book

Corporate Information Strategy and Management: The Challenge of Doing Business in a Network Economy

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Robert D. Austin and F. Warren McFarlan

Keywords: Information; Strategy; Management; Problems and Challenges; Economy; Technology

September 2002
Supplement

George McClelland at Kendall Square Research Corp.

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Lynn S. Paine

August 2002 (Revised May 2005)
Teaching Note

Postgirot Bank and Provment AB: Managing the Cost of IT Operations, TN

Teaching Note for (9-302-061). View Details

2002
Chapter

Information and Competition: Early 21st Century

Keywords: Information Management; Competitive Advantage

July 2002 (Revised March 2005)
Case

Kendall Square Research Corporation (A) (Abridged)

By: William J. Bruns Jr. and F. Warren McFarlan

Kendall Square Research was a small competitor in the supercomputer industry. Sales grew rapidly in 1992 and early 1993, and the company sold stock to the public for the first time. Analysts forecasted higher earnings for 1993, then the company's revenue recognition... View Details

Keywords: Revenue Recognition; Standards; Accounting Audits; Computer Industry

July 2002
Case

Kendall Square Research Corporation (B2) (Abridged)

By: William J. Bruns Jr. and F. Warren McFarlan

Supplements the (A) (Abridged) case. View Details

Keywords: Computer Industry

July 2002
Teaching Note

Tale of Two Airlines in the Network Age: Or Why the Spirit of King George III is Alive and Well!, TN

Teaching Note for (9-302-128). A rewritten version of an earlier teaching note. View Details

Keywords: Air Transportation Industry

2002
Working Paper

The Tortoise and the Hare: An Empirical Investigation of the Dynamics of Integration, Differentiation and Incumbent Adaptation

By: George Westerman, Marco Iansiti and F. Warren McFarlan

June 2002
Case

Tale of Two Airlines in the Network Age: Or Why the Spirit of King George III Is Alive and Well!

Describes an airline service incident that ought not to have happened in the network age. Inadequate use of available technology creates service problems. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details

Keywords: Air Transportation; Information Management; Information Technology; Service Delivery; Problems and Challenges; Air Transportation Industry

2002
Working Paper

The Incumbent's Advantage

By: Marco Iansiti, F. Warren McFarlan and George Westerman

2002
Casebook

Creating Business Advantage in the Information Age

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Robert D. Austin and F. Warren McFarlan

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Information Industry

2002
Manual

Instructor's Manual to accompany Creating Business Advantage in the Information Age

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Robert D. Austin and F. Warren McFarlan

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Information

January 2002 (Revised February 2002)
Case

Postgirot Bank and Provment AB: Managing the Cost of IT Operations

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Nancy Bartlett

Describes a specific approach for measuring the efficiency of the groups of computers inside an organization and suggests ways this tool may be used to reduce the company's computing investment while maintaining service. It is a software-enabled industrial engineering... View Details

Keywords: Cost Management; Investment; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Management Style; Information Technology; Applications and Software

December 2001
Case

Alibaba.com (B)

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Fred Young

The challenges the largest Chinese electronic commerce company faces many challenges at the end of 2001. This case describes how it has completely reoriented its strategy in the past 12 months to become a B-to-B company. The key question is: Will it work and what... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Business Strategy; Internet and the Web; Problems and Challenges; Information Technology Industry; China; United States

December 2001 (Revised January 2002)
Case

COSCO

By: F. Warren McFarlan and David Lane

Focuses on the IT challenges facing COSCO, one of the largest shipping companies in the world, as it deals with the Internet and modern information technology. The challenge is to understand what they are trying to do and understand the complexity of the task. View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Information Technology; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Technological Innovation; Complexity; Problems and Challenges; Shipping Industry; China

December 2001
Case

iSteelAsia-2001

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Iris T. Li

Presents a follow-up one year later. Shows how this online steel distributor has now reached breakeven. Focuses on the new challenges for the future. View Details

Keywords: Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Economy; Goods and Commodities; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Information; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Problems and Challenges; Steel Industry; China; United States

December 2001 (Revised November 2005)
Case

Li & Fung (B): Internet Issues

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Iris T. Li

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Retail Industry; Hong Kong; India; Europe; United States