Consumer Technology - Publications - Faculty & Research

21 Nov 2013
News

Case Study: BlackBerry and Thorsten Heins

like push email with its BlackBerry Enterprise Server. This gave them a first-mover advantage, but as technology improved and data capabilities on wireless voice networks evolved rapidly and took off, the advantage turned to a burden with... View Details

Keywords: Telecommunications; Information; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management

01 Jun 2012
News

Think Locally, Act Globally

for local bike manufacturers. He first dialed in to telecom in 1983 when, on a trip to Taiwan, he saw the popularity of electronic, push-button phones. At the time, India had tough restrictions on importing consumer products, so Mittal... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; Telecommunications; Information

01 Mar 2023
News

Clearing the Air

2022, it was heralded as a landmark investment in the environment. “This bill is the biggest step forward on climate ever,” President Joe Biden said when he signed the legislation, which included $369 billion for efforts such as advancing clean energy, curbing... View Details

Keywords: April White and Dan Morrell; Illustrations by Richard Borge

01 Jun 2024
News

Decoding the Promise and Perils of Generative AI

ChatGPT burst into the public consciousness on November 30, 2022. Within two months, the generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) software, which leverages a large language model (LLM) to produce human-like, text-based conversations, had reached an estimated 100... View Details

Keywords: April White

01 Oct 1996
News

Leading In a New Era

arrival at LC in 1994 that the company had done relatively little consumer research, he immediately launched an intensive survey of customer needs. He also performed an asset inventory of the entire organization, which revealed "a lot of... View Details

Keywords: Nancy O. Perry

14 Feb 2019
News

Plotting a Path Forward on Climate Change

to catch up to the technology of today.” She cited the Seaport District as an example, where small condominiums sell for more than $1 million, but builders are not required to make their projects energy efficient, nor are incentives... View Details

14 Mar 2019
News

The Merchant of Osaka

moving.” Oishi had watched it all unfold as she built a career as a partner in McKinsey’s consumer goods practice in Tokyo—an almost ideal match for the sort of person who can’t not solve problems. Where some people solve crossword... View Details

Keywords: Health, Social Assistance

01 Mar 2014
News

Case Study: Gazelle's New Predators

Illustration by Istvan Banyai Since 2006, Gazelle has offered consumers an answer to the question of what to do with their old electronic devices when they upgrade: Sell them to us. Customers can go to Gazelle's website; get a price for... View Details

Keywords: ecommerce; Kathy Korman Frey; Telecommunications; Information; News, Library, Internet, and Other Services; Information; Retail Trade

25 Aug 2022
News

Full Stream Ahead

the digital revolution. With a smartphone in every pocket and the equivalent of what you’d spend on a CD, consumers can buy a month of access to a wide world of streaming options. And while the global economy contracted by 6 percent in... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Arts, Entertainment

01 Mar 2016
News

Alumni and Faculty Books for March 2016

At a crossroads in February 2001, the shareholders of Zansar Technologies were waiting for a maiden dividend, and profit margins were sliding. A new leadership team took charge and turned Zensar around into one of the most successful... View Details

15 Dec 2015
News

The Year in Ideas 2015

communication technology that works with the same cellular spectrums that telecommunications companies use. Since that first experiment four years ago, Project Loon has improved balloon steerability, connectivity, and stamina—the balloons... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna, Christine Lejeune, Dan Morrell, and April White

31 Mar 2011
News

Building an Online Swap Shop

the holidays. He also recalled how the idea for thredUP came to him at HBS. “The original concept for how to deal with two-sided marketplaces, which is what thredUP is, came from HBS associate professor Andrei Hagiu’s Strategy & View Details

Keywords: Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores; Retail Trade

01 Feb 2000
News

The Future Is Now: 21st-Century Business Pondered at HBS Forum

the worlds of technology and e-commerce gathered for the daylong "CEO Millennium Forum," an event jointly sponsored by HBS, Microsoft, Forrester Research, and the Wall Street Journal. The forum was also the subject of an hourlong... View Details

01 Dec 2000
News

Core Values Keep Airline Flying High

handling and has the least number of consumer complaints per passenger filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation. It gets its planes in and out of the gate faster than other major U.S. airlines and serves more passengers per... View Details

Keywords: Margie Kelley; Air Transportation; Transportation

08 Jun 2023
News

Three Alumni Clubs Celebrate Leadership, Community, and History over Dinner

Baker Foundation Professor, Emeritus William A. Sahlman presented the Entrepreneurship Award to Michael Martin (MBA 2015), founder and CEO of RapidSOS, an advanced emergency technology company that powers safety, security, health, and... View Details

Keywords: Margie Kelley

01 Dec 1996
News

Starting Up and Starting Over

of previous history. In the next ten years, it will surpass even that growth. "The second element," he continued, "is the voracious industrial and consumer appetite for this technology applied to everyday... View Details

01 Mar 2023
News

Is AI OK?

willing to pay more for the latter. Unfortunately, by purposefully ignoring real differences in what consumers were willing to pay for Black-owned rentals and basing its calculations on data from predominantly white-owned properties, the... View Details

Keywords: Alexander Gelfand; Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles; Finance

01 Sep 2010
News

Online Fashionistas

Groupe, now with a division for men’s clothing and entering travel markets as well, has grown from 5 employees to more than 400. Membership is by invitation by other members or by registering at the site (www.gilt.com); that exclusivity is a selling point for both... View Details