Publications

May 2000
Exercise

Tyrell Web Developers Inc. (B)

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Andrew P. McAfee

An integrated exercise culminating in a team project to design and develop a Web site for a fictitious company. Puts students in the position of designing a Web site for a demanding client (a local pizza company). Students are given a (purposefully) brief description... View Details

Keywords: Web Sites; Software; Product Development; Design; Internet

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16 Sep 2008
First Look

First Look: September 16, 2008

Working PapersMarket Reaction to the Adoption of IFRS in Europe Authors:Christopher S. Armstrong, Mary E. Barth, Alan D. Jagolinzer, and Edward J. Riedl Abstract This study examines the European stock market reaction to sixteen events... View Details

November 2003 (Revised August 2005)
Case

Reinventing the Automobile: General Motors' AUTOnomy Project

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

Describes the history of General Motor's attempts to develop a hydrogen fuel-cell powered car. As of 2003, GM developed several prototypes of such a vehicle to demonstrate the viability of the overall concept. Many uncertainties remained, however, with respect to the... View Details

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Management; Information Technology; Transition; Competency and Skills; Disruptive Innovation; Machinery and Machining; Auto Industry

April 2001
Case

eFrenzy, Inc. (C)

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

March 2001 (Revised August 2001)
Case

Virgin.com

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

Describes the evolution of Virgin's dot-com organization and the decision it faced in mid-2000--whether to consolidate several separate dot-com ventures into one larger venture or, instead, to allow each to run independently. Also contains a history of Virgin's... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Motivation and Incentives; Internet and the Web; Consolidation

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01 Jun 2001
News

Teaching for the Ages: the MBA Classroom in the 21st Century

says. “There’s always going to be a pure technology component, but that will often be overwhelmed by a managerial component.” This morning’s case, “Rich-Con Steel,” proves his point: A steel distributor attempts a company-wide conversion... View Details

Keywords: Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Educational Services

October 2018 (Revised August 2020)
Supplement

Innovation at Uber: The Launch of Express POOL

By: Chiara Farronato, Alan MacCormack and Sarah Mehta

April 2001
Case

eFrenzy, Inc. (B)

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Information Technology Industry; Service Industry; United States

February 2001 (Revised April 2002)
Case

Dialpad Communications (B)

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Telecommunications Industry; California

February 2001 (Revised August 2001)
Case

Dialpad Communications (A)

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

Describes the evolution of Dialpad, a voice-over-Internet-protocol telephony company. Set in September 2000, CEO Brad Garlinghouse faces a dilemma: what to do about the large number of international users who use Dialpad to call the United States for free. He must also... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Business or Company Management; Organizational Design; Competitive Strategy; Investment; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Internet and the Web; Venture Capital; Telecommunications Industry; California

December 2000 (Revised November 2001)
Case

Rise and Fall of Iridium, The

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

Examines the history of Iridium Communications, a provider of mobile satellite services. Discusses the genesis of Iridium's technical design, then follows the venture through various stages of development. Describes Iridium's attempts to build a subscriber base after... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Business Model; Business Growth and Maturation; Organizational Structure; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Telecommunications Industry

June 2000 (Revised June 2000)
Case

Microsoft Office 2000

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

Describes the history of Microsoft's Office product suite. Discusses evolution of the Office 2000 project. Set at the end of the project when Steven Sinofsky, Office vice president, must decide upon the direction for the next version of Office, as well as make changes... View Details

Keywords: Applications and Software; Product Development; Risk and Uncertainty; Change; Innovation and Management; Information Technology Industry

September 1996
Case

Silicon Graphics, Inc. (B)

By: Marco Iansiti and Alan D. MacCormack

After the release of the "Challenge" computer in 1993, Silicon Graphics executives meet to discuss the follow-up project. Should they pursue an incremental improvement to the Challenge, or opt for a radically new design recently demonstrated at Stanford University? View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Technological Innovation; Management Practices and Processes; Product Development; Hardware; Computer Industry

02 Sep 2014
First Look

First Look: September 2

friction-often pay too little attention to it in their approach to talent management. By managing language carefully, firms can hire and develop the best employees, improve collaboration on global teams, and strengthen the company's... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

August 2014
Module Note

FIELD 2: Global Intelligence

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Alan MacCormack and Cassie Bordeau

January 2002 (Revised November 2002)
Teaching Note

Le Petit Chef TN

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Sandra J. Sucher

Teaching Note for (9-602-080). View Details

Keywords: Paris

Article

Visualizing and Measuring Software Portfolio Architecture: A Power Utility Case

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

In this paper, we test a Design Structure Matrix (DSM) based method for visualizing and measuring software portfolio architectures. Our data is drawn from a power utility company, comprising 192 software applications with 614 dependencies between them. We show that the... View Details

Keywords: Applications and Software; Infrastructure; Utilities Industry

20 Mar 2019
News

Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire

From left: Alexa McCulloch (MBA 1999), president, HBSASC; Jennifer Nash, director, HBS Business and Environment Initiative; Professor Rebecca Henderson; Alan Horn (MBA 1971), chair, Walt Disney Studios; Roland Hwang, managing director,... View Details

Keywords: Allison Webster; Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation; Transportation

November 2020
Article

Disrupting the Disruptors or Enhancing Them? How Blockchain Re‐Shapes Two‐Sided Platforms

By: Daniel Trabucchi, Antonella Moretto, Tommaso Buganza and Alan MacCormack

The importance of platform‐based businesses in the modern economy is growing continuously and becoming increasingly relevant. Specifically, the deployment of digital technologies has enhanced the applicability of two‐sided business models, enabling companies to act not... View Details

Keywords: Blockchain; Two-Sided Platforms; Business Model; Innovation and Invention; Technological Innovation

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