Publications

September 1997 (Revised March 2000)
Case

Adelphia Communications Corporation

By: Paul M. Healy

A bank officer must make a loan application decision for a large but financially troubled cable broadcaster. View Details

Keywords: Financial Condition; Financing and Loans; Decision Choices and Conditions; Contracts; Telecommunications Industry

Spring 2013
Article

Salience in Quality Disclosure: Evidence from the U.S. News College Rankings

By: Michael Luca and Jonathan Smith

How do rankings affect demand? This paper investigates the impact of college rankings, and the visibility of those rankings, on students' application decisions. Using natural experiments from U.S. News and World Report College Rankings, we present two main... View Details

Keywords: Rank and Position; Demand and Consumers; Quality; Decisions; Newspapers; United States

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January 2005 (Revised March 2007)
Background Note

Game Theory and Business Strategy

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Dennis A. Yao

Provides a brief introduction to the application of game theory to business settings. Sets up and analyzes a minicase involving commitment. View Details

Keywords: Game Theory; Trust; Business Strategy

January 2017
Background Note

Making Virtual Reality Real

By: Feng Zhu, Sarah Mehta and David Lane

This note describes virtual reality and augmented reality technologies and describes the main consumer products on offer in 2016 as well as their manufacturers. It also surveys existing applications of virtual and augment reality technologies. View Details

Keywords: Virtual Reality; Augmented Reality; Oculus; Google; HTC; Magic Leap; Microsoft; Samsung; Software; Niantic; Digital Platforms; Technology Adoption; Applications and Software; Technology Industry

12 Aug 2024
Video

Applying to HBS: Who Are We Looking For?

2017
Working Paper

Machine Learning Methods for Strategy Research

By: Mike Horia Teodorescu

Numerous applications of machine learning have gained acceptance in the field of strategy and management research only during the last few years. Established uses span such diverse problems as strategic foreign investments, strategic resource allocation, systemic risk... View Details

Keywords: Machine Learning; Natural Language Processing; Classification; Decision Trees; Strategic Decisions; Strategy; Research; Information Technology

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05 Jan 2017
Blog Post

Crossing the River: The HBS/HKS Joint Degree Program

rigor it deserved. The more time I spent in the social sector, the more I recognized that robust applications of strategy, financial analysis, and enterprise management were underrepresented in the field. After surveying potential... View Details

2017
Other Article

Designing an Agile Software Portfolio Architecture: The Impact of Coupling on Performance

By: Alan MacCormack and Robert Lagerstrom

The modern industrial corporation encompasses a myriad of different software applications, each of which must work in concert to deliver functionality to end-users. However, the increasingly complex and dynamic nature of competition in today’s product-markets dictates... View Details

Keywords: Applications and Software; Design; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Performance Effectiveness

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June 1997
Background Note

A Note on the Internet

By: Paul A. Gompers and Jeffrey A. Farrell

Examines the evolution and structure of the Internet. A particular focus is placed on various business segments and possible applications of Internet technology. View Details

Keywords: Industry Structures; Internet and the Web

Research Summary

Quality disclosure and consumer behavior

Professor Luca has investigated the relationship among quality disclosure, salience, and consumer behavior. He has found that when colleges are presented by rank in U.S. News & World Report, a one-rank improvement for an institution causes nearly a... View Details

August 2016 (Revised November 2019)
Supplement

eSig: Growth Analysis

By: Mark N. Roberge and Thomas R. Eisenmann

eSig, an early-stage startup, offers an electronic signature application as a "freemium" product, i.e., users can upgrade from a free basic version to a premium version by paying a subscription fee. Using 9 months of data from 50,000 user activations, available as a... View Details

Keywords: Esignature; Computer Software; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Management; Marketing Channels; Applications and Software; Computer Industry; United States

November 2023
Case

Team Liquid: Fueling the Business of Fandom

By: Youngme Moon and Kerry Herman

In 2023, the co-CEOs of Team Liquid, one of the world's most prominent Esports organizations, are deciding whether and how to evolve their business model to include (1) a greater focus on enterprise revenue; and (2) more direct-to-consumer activity. Team Liquid has one... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Customer Focus and Relationships; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Revenue; Organizational Culture; Business and Community Relations; Video Game Industry

December 1997 (Revised December 1998)
Case

Valuing Capital Investment Projects

By: W. Carl Kester

A collection of problems that introduces students to the application of discounted cash flow analysis in the evaluation of capital budgeting problems. View Details

Keywords: Budgets and Budgeting; Capital; Cash Flow; Investment; Valuation

January 1978 (Revised March 1988)
Background Note

Quality of Earnings

By: David F. Hawkins

Presents a discussion of earnings quality --characteristics, relationship to earnings multiple, application and measurement, volatility and risk, as they affect earnings quality. View Details

Keywords: Quality; Business Earnings

14 Dec 2020
Research & Ideas

What Does December's Drug-Approval Dash Mean for COVID-19 Vaccines?

Pharmaceutical regulators around the world tend to speed through drug applications in December and before major national holidays, according to new research that might raise questions about COVID-19 vaccines and other treatments under... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Pharmaceutical; Health

18 Apr 2000
Research & Ideas

Learning in Action

"The most effective learning strategy depends on the situation," writes David A. Garvin. "There is no stock answer, nor is there a single best approach." In Learning in Action, he illustrated the diversity of learning organization strategies with examples from several... View Details

Keywords: by David A. Garvin

2017
Working Paper

Digital Agility: The Impact of Software Portfolio Architecture on IT System Evolution

By: Alan MacCormack, Robert Lagerström, Martin Mocker and Carliss Y. Baldwin

The modern industrial firm increasingly relies on software to support its competitive position. However, the uncertain and dynamic nature of today’s global marketplace dictates that this software be continually evolved and adapted to meet new business challenges. This... View Details

Keywords: Information Systems; Software; Architecture; Modularity; Agility; Coupling; Applications and Software; Design; Decisions; Performance

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15 Jan 2025
Video

Applying to the 2+2 Program: Who Are We Looking For?

May 2009 (Revised January 2011)
Case

HubSpot: Inbound Marketing and Web 2.0

By: Thomas J. Steenburgh, Jill Avery and Naseem Ashraf Dahod

This case introduces the concept of inbound marketing, pulling customer prospects toward a business through the use of Web 2.0 tools and applications like blogging, search engine optimization, and social media. Students follow the growth of HubSpot, an entrepreneurial... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Entrepreneurship; Price; Growth and Development Strategy; Marketing Communications; Social and Collaborative Networks; Segmentation; Web