Publications

March 2011 (Revised December 2012)
Case

Demand Media

By: John Deighton and Leora Kornfeld

Google search had helped Demand Media grow to be a $1.9 billion online publisher. Then, social media and smartphone apps began to change the way people navigated the Internet. How should Demand Media respond? The business ran on a radically new model in which a stable... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Information Publishing; Consumer Behavior; Customization and Personalization; Internet and the Web; Publishing Industry

March 2015 (Revised April 2015)
Case

The Heat Is On: Emerging Ecosystems in the Thermostat Industry

By: David Collis and Ashley Hartman

Beth Wozniak, President of Honeywell Environmental and Combustion Controls (ECC) at Honeywell International Inc., spun around in her office chair, reflecting about how the classic, mature thermostat industry was rapidly evolving. In February 2014, Google paid $3.2... View Details

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

25 Apr 2023
Op-Ed

How SHEIN and Temu Conquered Fast Fashion—and Forged a New Business Model

most downloaded app on Apple and Google, and, by January, it had been installed 19 million times. Temu uses the software of its parent company to match China’s manufacturing capacity to consumer demand in the US, and soon it’ll do the... View Details

Keywords: by John Deighton; Fashion; Retail; Consumer Products

08 Aug 2017
First Look

First Look at Research and Ideas, August 8, 2017

options in efforts to achieve scale. The movement hoped to reach 50 million patients by 2020. One opportunity was building an OpenNotes app for smartphones, in which patients could access their visit notes on their phones through an View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 2024 (Revised February 2024)
Case

OpenAI: Idealism Meets Capitalism

By: Shikhar Ghosh and Shweta Bagai

In November 2023, the board of OpenAI, one of the most successful companies in the history of technology, decided to fire Sam Altman, its charismatic and influential CEO. Their decision shocked the corporate world and had people wondering why OpenAI had designed a... View Details

Keywords: AI; AI and Machine Learning; Governing and Advisory Boards; Ethics; Strategy; Technological Innovation; Leadership

August 2014 (Revised August 2015)
Supplement

Opening the Valve: From Software to Hardware (B)

By: Ethan Bernstein, Francesca Gino and Bradley Staats

Valve, one of the world's top video game software companies, has also become an iconic example of an organization with virtually no hierarchy. A 400-person organization, Valve's unique organizational form (described in detail in the case and accompanying employee... View Details

19 Feb 2013
First Look

First Look: Feb. 19

PublicationsLabor Regulations and European Venture Capital Authors:Bozkaya, Ant, and William R. Kerr Publication:Journal of Economics & Management Strategy Abstract European nations substitute between employment protection regulations and labor market... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

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

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

02 Jun 2020
Research & Ideas

Coronavirus Careers: Cloud Kitchens Are Now Serving

delivery drivers to hand off the food to consumers. Another barrier: Competition for attention on food delivery apps can be intense, a challenge especially for cloud kitchens that are completely reliant on these View Details

Keywords: by Lena Ye and Geoffrey Jones; Food & Beverage

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

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