Publications

June 2015 (Revised April 2018)
Case

WeChat: A Global Platform?

By: Willy Shih, Howard Yu and Feng Liu

WeChat was developed by Tencent Holdings as a lightweight messaging platform. As it grew quickly to become the most popular messaging app in China, it added a range of products and services that sat on top that were designed to appeal to a broad range of consumers and... View Details

Keywords: Online Platforms; China; WeChat; Tencent Holdings; Globalization; Internet and the Web; Applications and Software; Digital Platforms; Telecommunications Industry; Information Industry; China

Web

Recruiting Partners - Health Care

Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers University of Pennsylvania Health System V Vecna Technologies Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. Visiting Nurse Service of NY Vizient W Wellcare Health Plans, Inc. Withings - Digital Health Z Zimmer Inc.... View Details

October 2020 (Revised August 2022)
Case

Epic Games: Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite

By: Andy Wu, Miaomiao Zhang and Christopher Zhang

In the midst of intensifying public and political attention towards the market power of big technology, Epic Games in 2020 challenged the status quo that has existed for years in the Apple iOS and Google Android mobile application marketplaces and payment systems.... View Details

Keywords: Mobile Platforms; Mobile App Industry; Mobile Payment Systems; Antitrust; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Lawsuits and Litigation; Entrepreneurship; Competitive Strategy; Digital Platforms; United States

February 2018 (Revised May 2018)
Case

Haier: Incubating Entrepreneurs in a Chinese Giant

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Nancy Hua Dai

CEO Zhang Ruimin must plan how to accelerate the growth of self-managed microenterprises. Platforms were Haier’s business platforms operating in five major sectors: white goods transformation, investment and incubation, financial holdings, real estate, and cultural... View Details

Keywords: China; Microenterprise; Appliances; Platform; Change; Innovation; Opportunities; Entrepreneurship; Digital Platforms; Transformation; Innovation and Invention; Leadership; Growth and Development Strategy; China

04 Jun 2001
What Do You Think?

What’s the Future of the Subscription Model?

market" radio broadcasts over the Internet. In fact, some have raised the question about whether, having enjoyed free digitized media and communications services, we have spoiled the revenue models for certain of these services. Has... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

Web

Ellen Desmarais | About

high-impact growth initiatives in global media and learning companies such as McGraw-Hill Education, The Wall Street Journal, and Getty Images. As Managing Director, Digital Strategy, she modernized HBP Education group’s approach to... View Details

Web

HBS - The year in Review

of AI, Competing in the Age of Digital Platforms, and Accelerating Board Diversity. Creating Community in the Virtual Realm The pandemic did not impede efforts to deepen community engagement as students, staff, faculty and alumni alike... View Details

24 May 2017
News

Ilene H. Lang, MBA 1973

Picture 1982 Joins Symbolics 1993 Joins Lotus Development Corp. 1995 Joins Digital Equipment Corp. 1996 Named President and CEO, AltaVista 2003 Joins Catalyst as President 2008 Named CEO, Catalyst 2015 Retires from Catalyst Retired... View Details

Keywords: Susan Young

March 2023
Teaching Note

Ransomware Attack at Colonial Pipeline Company

By: Suraj Srinivasan and Li-Kuan Ni

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 123-069. On the morning of May 7, 2021, Colonial Pipeline Company became aware that the company had been the victim of a malicious ransomware attack that had stolen and locked up company data. The extortionists demanded 75 bitcoins (worth... View Details

Profile

Enrico Ferrari

technology, he spent nights and weekends learning how to code; soon, he started developing his own algorithms to scale and automate digital marketing campaigns, a skill he applied to successfully expand a classifieds business into fifteen... View Details

Keywords: Tech

Web

Introducing One-Step Photography - Edwin H. Land & Polaroid | Harvard Business School

New Medium Medium of Artistic Expression A NOBLE PROTOTYPE OF INDUSTRY Harvard Business School and Polaroid Innovation and Entrepreneurship TIMELINE POLAROID FILMS RESEARCH LINKS Digital Archival Resources Archival Collections... View Details

Web

Sarah McConville | About

named co-President in 2023, Sarah was Executive Vice President, Group Publisher of Harvard Business Review Group, where she led the commercial aspects of the consumer media business including all revenue lines, strategic partnerships, View Details

November 2015 (Revised April 2018)
Case

Flipkart (A): Transitioning to a Marketplace Model

By: Das Narayandas, Sunil Gupta and Rachna Tahilyani

In 2015, Sachin and Binny Bansal, co-founders of India’s largest e-commerce company, are wondering if it is time to move from a hybrid model to a full marketplace. While Amazon runs a hybrid model, Alibaba operates a marketplace. In addition, Flipkart has been losing... View Details

Keywords: Marketplaces; Online Retail; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Emerging Markets; E-commerce; Retail Industry; India

19 Jan 2022
Blog Post

From Retail to HBS: How I’m Building a Career Path at the Intersection of Arts, Culture, and Business

interesting and inspiring people, it also allowed me to land my ideal summer internship on the Digital Strategy & Investments team at Sony Music Entertainment (alongside two HBS grads). Lastly, on a more personal note, I am grateful... View Details

25 Feb 2020
News

Task Force

world following China’s path. “It was an incredibly powerful wave that I wanted to ride—to build a digital business that would help people in emerging markets use their smartphones to connect to markets and improve their quality of life,”... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; gig economy; Retail Trade

05 Sep 2018
Research & Ideas

The Hidden Benefit of Giving Back to Open Source Software

that certain employees gain through contributing, says Nagle. His study suggests that contributing to crowdsourced digital or even physical “public goods” that benefit other firms or industries can enable companies to gain valuable... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Computer

August 2020 (Revised September 2020)
Case

Facelift at Olay (A)

By: Sunil Gupta, Rajiv Lal and Olivia Hull

By October 2017, Procter & Gamble’s skincare brand Olay has been struggling with declining sales for several years. The team has tried many remedies, but none has returned the brand to growth. As pressure grows from Olay’s competitors, including hundreds of new... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Advertising Campaigns; Demographics; Age; Brands and Branding; Marketing Channels; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Digital Marketing; Transformation; Marketing Strategy; Social Marketing; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States; Ohio