Publications

SSRN

November 2019 (Revised April 2021)
Technical Note

Rechargeable Batteries, 2017: Gigafactory Wars in the Offing?

By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

In 2017, the global market for rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries was 126 gigawatt-hours (GWh) valued at $37 billion, growing by $10 billion in two years. Once confined largely to consumer electronics and appliances, the rapid increase in demand was spurred by... View Details

2018
Working Paper

Quantile Forecasts of Product Life Cycles Using Exponential Smoothing.

By: Xiaojia Guo, Kenneth C. Lichtendahl Jr. and Yael Grushka-Cockayne

We introduce an exponential smoothing model that a manager can use to forecast the demand of a new product or service. The model has five features that make it suitable for accurately forecasting product life cycles at scale. First, the trend in our model follows the... View Details

Keywords: New Product Development; Demand Forecasting; Product Adoption; Innovation Diffusion; Product Development; Demand and Consumers; Forecasting and Prediction; Adoption

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2022
Working Paper

The Effect of Employee Lateness and Absenteeism on Store Performance

By: Caleb Kwon and Ananth Raman

We empirically analyze the effects of employee lateness and absenteeism on store performance by examining 25.5 million employee shift timecards covering more than 100,000 employees across more than 500 U.S. retail grocery store locations over a four year time period.... View Details

Keywords: Absenteeism; Lateness; Scheduling; Performance Productivity; Employees; Retail Industry

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July 2004 (Revised March 2006)
Case

RosettaNet and ebXML: Betting on the Right eBusiness Standard

By: F. Warren McFarlan and Veronika Belokhvostova

A major enterprise software company must select which technologies to support, based on their long-term and short-term viability and benefits. The protagonist is involved in the release of the B2B integration component of major enterprise software whose purpose is to... View Details

Keywords: Communication Technology; Customer Focus and Relationships; Markets; Standards; Science-Based Business; Situation or Environment; Applications and Software; Technology Adoption; Information Technology Industry

01 Dec 2011
News

A Deal on Wheels

CarLotz Guys: Ready to sell your car for you in a new, hassle-free way. Photo courtesy CarLotz Last April, inspired by the recent spike in demand for used cars—as well as a growing number of used-car owners looking to profit from that... View Details

Keywords: Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers; Retail Trade

12 PM – 1 PM EST, 07 Mar 2017
Webinars: Career

Getting on Boards in 2017: Trends & Insights

As companies seek to address the challenges and opportunities brought about by digital disruption, driving global growth, and entering new markets, their boardrooms are also in transition. Board directors are looking around the table and recognizing the need to bring... View Details

September 2020
Case

Apple Bets on Augmented Reality

By: Rory McDonald, David Lane and Mel Martin

In 2020, augmented reality (AR) was still a nascent technology with blockbuster potential, one which Apple was actively developing as its iPhone franchise waned. But the emergence of AR was uneven, including the disappointing Google Glass and the unexpected viral... View Details

Keywords: Augmented Reality; Industry Structures; Product Development; Commercialization; Competition; Corporate Strategy; Diversification; Information Technology; Technology Adoption; Video Game Industry; Video Game Industry; Video Game Industry

March 1997
Background Note

Note on Customer Behavior

By: Gerald Zaltman

A review of selected key concepts that are useful for understanding customers. The importance of understanding customers is also discussed, along with a short description of new frontiers in the study of customer behavior. View Details

Keywords: Knowledge; Marketing; Consumer Behavior

01 Mar 2005
News

A Primer on Patents

LERNER: Congress won’t address needed patent reforms until CEOs get involved in lobbying for change. Professor Josh Lerner, who holds a joint appointment in the School’s Finance and Entrepreneurial Management units, is best known as an authority View Details

Keywords: James E. Aisner; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

2017
Government Testimony

Passenger Right to Record—Petition for Rulemaking

By: Benjamin Edelman and Mike Borsetti

We ask DOT to affirm that passengers have the right to record what they lawfully see and hear on and around aircraft. We explain why such recordings are in the public interest, and we present the troubling experiences of passengers who have tried to record but have... View Details

Keywords: Aviation; Consumer Protection; Recording; Video; Audio; Privacy; Social Media; Air Transportation; Rights; Contracts; Air Transportation Industry

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19 Sep 2012
News

On a Sound Track

ANDRUS: Unemployed at graduation, an unlikely and inspiring odyssey takes him from his parents’ basement to the corner office of a company on the cutting edge. Photos by August Miller HBS Alumni of a certain vintage might recall a... View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg; audio equipment; fashion; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Manufacturing

01 Sep 2012
News

On a Sound Track

ANDRUS: Unemployed at graduation, an unlikely and inspiring odyssey takes him from his parents’ basement to the corner office of a company on the cutting edge. Photos by August Miller HBS Alumni of a certain vintage might recall a... View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg; audio accessories; Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, and Book Stores; Retail Trade

June 2024
Case

Arete Research on Unity Software

By: Joseph Pacelli and Tonia Labruyere

Richard Kramer had founded Arete Research, an independent financial research provider, in 2000 after a successful career as a sell-side analyst at Goldman Sachs. He reflects on his team's coverage of Unity Software, a U.S.-based mobile games software company, that... View Details

Keywords: Analysis; Initial Public Offering; Analytics and Data Science; Applications and Software; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Valuation; Value Creation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Model; Reports; Video Game Industry; Video Game Industry; United Kingdom; United States

04 Sep 2001
Lessons from the Classroom

Getting Back on Course

that the choice women make to leave and re-enter the workforce is just one of many gender-related issues that has long needed understanding. Though it's not unique to executives, it is a particularly compelling subject for MBA women who... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

June 2020
Supplement

TransDigm in 2017: Congressional Hearing on the DoD Inspector General’s Report (5/15/19)

By: Benjamin C. Esty

This video accompanies the case, “TransDigm in 2017: The Beginning of the End or the End of the Beginning?” View Details

01 Jun 2020
News

All Hands on Deck

number of Harvard Business School Online courses, such as Global Business and Leading with Finance, as well as in a data science bootcamp designed to teach students how to leverage big data throughout their careers. The CPD team is also meeting students’ increased... View Details

Keywords: Jen Mele

June 2024
Case

SnapTravel: Betting on 'Super.com'

By: Reza Satchu and Tom Quinn

This case explores SnapTravel, a travel startup offering discounted hotel rooms, and its founders’ desire to pivot to a “super app” that saved customers money across many different purchase types. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hussein Fazal and Henry Shi saw SnapTravel... View Details