Publications

17 Oct 2023
HBS Case

With Subscription Fatigue Setting In, Companies Need to Think Hard About Fees

From software that once came in a box to phone apps that do simple tasks, more products and services are moving to a subscription model—and consumers are feeling it. The average US consumer last year spent $273 a month on 12 paid... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald; Consumer Products; Information; Information Technology

March 2018 (Revised March 2018)
Teaching Note

OpenInvest

By: Boris Vallee and Caitlin Reimers Brumme

Founded by a team of hedge fund and NGO alumni, OpenInvest launched its platform in 2015 to enable retail investors to tailor their portfolio to their personal values in an automated way, for instance by screening out weapon manufacturers stocks or overweighting LGBTQ... View Details

Keywords: Socially Responsible Investing; Investing For Impact; Robo-advisors; Investment; Values and Beliefs; Customization and Personalization; Technology; Financial Services Industry

28 Aug 2023
Research & Ideas

How Workplace Wellness Programs Can Give Employees the Energy Boost They Need

apps and setting up fitness challenges. After all, many employees are struggling with serious mental health issues. Mind Share Partner’s 2021 Mental Health at Work Report showed that three-quarters of full-time US workers reported having... View Details

Keywords: by Hise Gibson

13 Jul 2016
HBS Case

How Uber, Airbnb, and Etsy Attracted Their First 1,000 Customers

Teixeira. “If you don’t have customers, there is nothing to scale.” Ride-sharing app Uber pursued a similar strategy. Rather than starting out with Uber Pool or Uber X, in which drivers use their own cars, the company started with black... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Retail; Service; Transportation

15 Aug 2023
HBS Case

(Virtual) Reality Check: How Long Before We Live in the 'Metaverse'?

technological fiefdoms, similar to how social networks and mobile app stores operate today? The answer is not yet clear—and may not be for years to come. When will the metaverse make a splash? “For the last 10 years, metaverse and virtual... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald; Technology; Computer; Information Technology

26 May 2015
First Look

First Look: May 26

Publications March 2015 AFP Exchange Well Said: Why Articulating Your Strategy Can Set You Apart. By: Cespedes, Frank V. Abstract—Senior finance managers now operate in an altered c-suite landscape. The executives reporting to the CEO have doubled in the past 30... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

August 2003 (Revised August 2024)
Case

Fighting the Battle of the Bulge—Evaluating Do Good/Do Well Innovations in Morbid Obesity Treatment

By: Regina E. Herzlinger and John McDonough

Many health care innovations appear successful; but fail. This is the first case in the Innovating Health Care course that investigates how to create successful health care innovations. It is part of the first module in the course. This module focuses on how to... View Details

Keywords: Three Pillars; Industry Analysis; Health Care and Treatment; Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Management; Medical Specialties; Health Industry

January 2024
Case

Flashfood: The Magic of Commitment

By: Reza Satchu and Patrick Sanguineti

Josh Domingues had accomplished what countless young entrepreneurs long to achieve: founding a promising company that aspires to make the world a tangibly better place. Shocked to learn that international food waste cumulatively amounted to the world’s third largest... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneur; Founder; Startup; Business Model; Business Startups; Food; Applications and Software; Mission and Purpose; Environmental Sustainability; Canada

31 Jan 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: January 31, 2017

2017 Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press Democracy: A Case Study By: Moss, David Abstract—Democracy: A Case Study invites readers to experience American history anew and come away with a deeper understanding of the greatest strengths and... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

16 Nov 2016
Research & Ideas

Turning One Thousand Customers into One Million

integrated social media. Eventually, Etsy fostered an ecosystem of more than 150 third-party apps and tools to empower and support the sellers. Shifting from supply to demand As these platforms began acquiring new customers using digital... View Details

Keywords: by Thales S. Teixeira and Michael Blanding; Retail; Transportation; Accommodations

10 Jan 2024
Research & Ideas

Technology and COVID Upended Tipping Norms. Will Consumers Keep Paying?

payment. But what about after taking a ride-share ride? Or after getting a haircut? Many of those establishments prompt tipping either through their online app or on a tablet at checkout. Have you been surprised by the prompt? You’re not... View Details

Keywords: by Anna Lamb, Harvard Gazette

10 Jan 2023
Research & Ideas

How to Live Happier in 2023: Diversify Your Social Circle

studies from the World Health Organization and users of an app in France. In total, they examined the social interactions of 50,000 people, all pointing to the same finding. Fine-tuning your mix To a lesser extent, social portfolio... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

18 Apr 2016
Research & Ideas

The Cost of Leaning In

between men and women, there’s also a persistent belief that women could close that gap if only they’d negotiate more frequently. In April 2012, the US Department of Labor hosted the Equal Pay App Challenge, in which students competed to... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

29 Nov 2022
Research & Ideas

Is There a Method to Musk’s Madness on Twitter?

and social graph of Twitter stays active. There are a lot of features on the surface that you can play around with—say, the blue checkmark—but most importantly, he needs to make sure the website and basic app continue to run. For... View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette; Technology

March 2024 (Revised July 2024)
Case

WeightWatchers: Promoting Weight Health

By: Ranjay Gulati, Cynthia A. Montgomery, Ashley Whillans, Allison Ciechanover and Emily Grandjean

In December 2023, the 60-year-old weight management industry stalwart WeightWatchers announced the launch of WeightWatchers Clinic, which incorporated GLP-1s , a new class of prescription weight-loss medications, into the company’s portfolio of products and mobile app... View Details

Keywords: Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Resource Allocation; Diversification; Leadership; Growth and Development Strategy; Technology Industry; Health Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States; New York (city, NY)

26 May 2022
HBS Case

Apple vs. Feds: Is iPhone Privacy a Basic Human Right?

security audits, inflaming critics who claimed the deal violated Apple’s commitment to privacy. And, in 2017, the Chinese government cracked down on unlicensed virtual private network apps that allowed consumers to get around its censors.... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

04 Jun 2024
Research & Ideas

Navigating Consumer Data Privacy in an AI World

consumers? Ascarza: It's a bit of a balancing act, really. Consumers download an app because they're looking for a quick solution, not because they want to wade through a bunch of legal text. At the same time, you've got companies... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Technology; Information Technology

April 2022
Teaching Note

Banorte Móvil: Data-Driven Mobile Growth

By: Ayelet Israeli and Carla Larangeira

In mid-2019, Carlos Hank was deliberating over the results for Banorte Móvil—the mobile application for Banorte, Mexico’s most profitable and second-largest financial institution. Hank, who had been appointed as Banorte´s Chairman of the Board in January 2015, had... View Details

Keywords: Data Analytics; Customer Lifetime Value; Financial Institutions; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Growth and Development Strategy; Customers; Technology Adoption; Communication Strategy; Banking Industry; Mexico; Latin America