Publications

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January 2019
Case

Philips' Connected Baby Bottle

By: Rajiv Lal, Srikant M. Datar and Caitlin N. Bowler

Keywords: Smart Connected Products

Article

Use of Connected Digital Products in Clinical Research Following the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comprehensive Analysis of Clinical Trials

By: Caroline Marra, William J. Gordon and Ariel Dora Stern

Objectives: In an effort to mitigate COVID-19 related challenges for clinical research, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued new guidance for the conduct of ‘virtual’ clinical trials in late March 2020. This study documents trends in the use of... View Details

Keywords: Connected Digital Products; Telehealth; Remote Monitoring; Health Testing and Trials; Research; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Information Technology

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October 2015
Article

How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Companies

By: Michael E. Porter and James E. Heppelmann

The evolution of products into intelligent, connected devices is revolutionizing business. In a November 2014 article, "How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Competition," Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter and PTC president and CEO James... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Technological Innovation; Information Technology; Organizational Structure; Operations; Business Strategy

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Article

How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Competition

By: Michael E. Porter and James E. Heppelmann

Information technology is revolutionizing products. Once composed solely of mechanical and electrical parts, products have become complex systems that combine hardware, sensors, data storage, microprocessors, software, and connectivity in myriad ways. These "smart,... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Competition; Information Technology; Transformation; Information Technology Industry

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16 Sep 2015
News

How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Companies

07 Nov 2014
News

How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Competition

November 2016
Case

Big Ass Solutions Ventures into Connected Products

By: Rajiv Lal and Shalene Gupta

Keywords: Information Technology; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Design; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Organizational Culture; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Performance Productivity; Problems and Challenges; Management Practices and Processes; Business Divisions; Information Management; Information Technology Industry; Telecommunications Industry; United States

15 Feb 2000
Research & Ideas

The Right Connections

notable investors. Higgins contends that an IPO team's connections are a crucial component of any startup's portfolio. "There's no question that the new company must show promise that it has a good View Details

Keywords: by Judith A. Ross

Research Summary

Overview

By: Rajiv Lal

Developing a course for our MBA students on the opportunities and challenges in Building a Business around Smart Connected Products/IoT View Details

Keywords: IoT; Smart Connected Products

September 2015
Case

Connective Mobility

By: Nitin Nohria, Christopher Payton and Ali Huberlie

01 Jun 2000
News

The Right Connections

contrast, "upstream" social capital -- team members' ties to important research institutions -- had no impact at all on the new organization's success. "In this industry," Higgins theorizes, "upstream connections may indicate that the... View Details

Keywords: Judith A. Ross

November 1999 (Revised November 2003)
Case

Fresh Connections

Mary Alice McKenzie is facing numerous issues in growing her Vermont-based fresh-prepared foods business. She must address immediate operational problems--such as bottlenecks and capital equipment decisions--as well as decide on a long-term strategic position. This... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Production; Food and Beverage Industry; Vermont

01 Nov 2014
News

Smart Connected Products: Killing Industries, Boosting Innovation

20 May 2020
News

Keeping Families Connected

help. “A family’s first priority is to stay safe, and their second priority is to stay sane,” she explains. “It's the best feeling in the world—seeing how our product is meeting a critical need, making kids' lives better, and keeping... View Details

November 2017
Case

iRobot: Moving Beyond the Roomba

By: Rajiv Lal and Scott Johnson

The makers of the Roomba, a robotic vacuum cleaner, connected the latest version of their product to the Internet. This new feature opened up a wealth of new opportunities and challenges for the company. View Details

Keywords: Irobot; Smart Home; Connected Home; Roomba; Vacuum; Mapping; Internet Of Things; Connected Products; Organizational Structure; Organizational Design; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Digital Platforms; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States

Article

Two-Sided Platforms: Product Variety and Pricing Structures

By: Andrei Hagiu

This paper provides a new modeling framework to analyze two-sided platforms connecting producers and consumers. In contrast to the existing literature, indirect network effects are determined endogenously, through consumers' taste for variety and producer competition.... View Details

Keywords: Pricing Structure; Indirect Network Effects; Product Variety; Price; Network Effects; Two-Sided Platforms; Product; Renting or Rental; Competition

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07 Dec 2015
News

Connecting with Indigenous Traditions

and agriculture production on the West Coast and in the Far East, and later consulting for several East Coast software companies, Sprinkles made his first pilgrimage to Mexico in 1999 on a four-day journey without food or water.... View Details

October 2016 (Revised February 2019)
Case

PTC: A Transformation to IoT

By: Rajiv Lal and Sarah McAra

In the 2010s, PTC, a leading provider of software for discrete manufacturers, faced maturing markets and changing customer needs as smart, connected products took hold—the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT). PTC saw a first mover advantage in entering the IoT space... View Details

Keywords: Internet Of Things; IoT; Smart; Connected Products; Business Organization; Transformation; Customer Relationship Management; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Leading Change; Marketing; Product Development; Service Operations; Strategy; Competition; Technology Industry