Publications

08 Sep 2020
Blog Post

2+2 Where Are They Now Spotlight: Ashley Zumwalt-Forbes (MBA 2017)

paired student teams with technologies developed at the University, alongside an experienced industry mentor. The student teams were responsible for developing a commercialization strategy for the inventor and advancing the business plan.... View Details

Article

Why Build in Web3

By: Jad Esber and Scott Duke Kominers

A major change is coming to the internet. While today’s dominant platforms have guarded their troves of user data and maintained an advantage through network effects, new companies—working in what they're calling a “Web3” model—are proposing a new value proposition to... View Details

Keywords: Blockchain; User Experience; Digital Platforms; Network Effects; Internet and the Web; Competition; Web Services Industry

Read Now

19 Apr 2011
First Look

First Look: April 19

http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/09-120.pdf The Contingent Effect of Absorptive Capacity: An Open Innovation Analysis Authors:Andrew A.King and Karim R. Lakhani Abstract Technological advancement and innovation requires the integration of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

11 May 2010
First Look

First Look: May 11

pressure from existing licensees. Further, as the company advanced one of its newest technology developments, a cooling technology for portable devices, it had to contend with... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

23 Oct 2007
First Look

First Look: October 23, 2007

agribusiness companies. Headquartered in White Plains, NY, the company has traditionally possessed a strong presence in Brazil. Describes Bunge's tradeoff between efficiency of global operations and local responsiveness in an uncertain... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

08 Mar 2022
Blog Post

Recalling My First Cold Call: A Conversation with Second-Year Students

job as a general manager of a mobile cellular company owned by a parent corporation. I had spoken up and participated in previous classes, so I did not anticipate being cold-called. But as always, it comes when you least expect it. We... View Details

April 2001 (Revised March 2003)
Case

XUMA

By: Andrew P. McAfee and Kerry Herman

XUMA is a Silicon Valley start-up that builds customized eBusiness software suites for its corporate clients. This market is crowded with large players, including the major consulting and systems integration companies. To date, building these suites has been a very... View Details

Keywords: Production; Software; Business Startups; Innovation and Invention; Information Technology Industry; California

Find at Harvard

2012
Case

Beyondsoft Co., Ltd. (B)

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Donghong Li and Hong Zhang

The case "Beyondsoft Co., Ltd. (A)" completed in early 2010 described the strategic path of Beyondsoft over its history of more than 10 years since its foundation in 1995, containing its major business lines and the relations with the major customers at that time, the... View Details

Keywords: Computer Software; Entrepreneurship; Outsourcing; Strategy; China; Information Technology; China

20 Jun 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, June 20

leave for home by 5:30 p.m.? How did HUL develop a cheaper, better product to beat its competitor, Nirma? What do Taj Hotels, HDFC, HUL, L&T, and BPCL have in common? They are the win-win corporations! Based on over a decade of research, Shashank Shah takes these... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 2019
Case

WeWork Files for an IPO

By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz

For the board of The We Company—better known as WeWork—August 14, 2019, promised to be a pivotal day. It was then that WeWork’s IPO prospectus, known as an S-1 filing, would be made public, giving potential investors, the media, and the general public a window into the... View Details

Keywords: Capital Structure; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Going Public; Leadership; Management; Private Equity; Valuation; Venture Capital; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; United States

14 Jul 2022
Research & Ideas

When the Rubber Meets the Road, Most Commuters Text and Email While Driving

commutes on drivers’ work and personal lives. The work-from-anywhere world is changing the landscape of the American commute, as are potential advances in technology that could make cars smarter. The researchers sought to determine both... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald

May 2014
Article

Digital Dark Matter and the Economic Contribution of Apache

By: Shane Greenstein and Frank Nagle

Researchers have long hypothesized that research outputs from government, university, and private company R&D contribute to economic growth, but these contributions may be difficult to measure when they take a non-pecuniary form. The growth of networking devices and... View Details

Keywords: Open Source; Apache; Economic Measurement; Digital Economics; Measurement and Metrics; Open Source Distribution; Internet and the Web; Information Technology; Applications and Software; Economic Growth; Research and Development; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry; United States

28 May 2020
Research & Ideas

Coronavirus Could Create a 'Bankruptcy Pandemic'

many new cases arrive at the same time, companies could be much less well-served by the bankruptcy reorganization process.” What makes the current financial crisis unique is that the economic harm caused by forced shutdowns is being felt... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Financial Services; Banking

27 Oct 2002
Research & Ideas

Want a Happy Customer? Coordinate Sales and Marketing

even more difficult than in the past. Why the concern about coordination between sales and marketing? Every business exists for financial performance—making money. We know generally how to measure it across different companies and... View Details

Keywords: by Benson Shapiro

April 2015 (Revised June 2016)
Case

The Transformation of NCR

By: David Collis, Raffaella Sadun and Matthew Shaffer

During his tenure as CEO since 2005, Bill Nuti had moved NCR Corporation (originally National Cash Register) from its historical competence in hardware to become a provider of hardware and software for managing transactions across a range of industries and payments... View Details

Keywords: NCR; Hardware; Software; Acquisitions; Financial Services; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Expansion; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Transformation; Acquisition; Technology Industry; Technology Industry

July 2024 (Revised January 2025)
Case

Dynamic Pricing at Wendy's: Where's the Beef?

By: Elie Ofek, Alicia Dadlani and Martha Hostetter

In early 2024, Wendy’s new CEO announced on an earnings call that the company would install digital menus in its US locations so it could begin testing dynamic pricing—changing prices up or down in response to shifts in supply and demand – as well as allow engaging in... View Details

Keywords: Dynamic Pricing; Marketing Strategy; Price; Technology Adoption; Consumer Behavior; AI and Machine Learning; Customer Focus and Relationships; Policy; Food and Beverage Industry

09 Sep 2015
Research & Ideas

Leadership Lessons of the Great Recession: Options for Economic Downturns

if an industry or company is suffering due to technological changes or market demands, that’s another story. If jobs are going away permanently, furloughs will only delay making layoffs or making other... View Details

Keywords: by Sandra Sucher & Susan Winterberg; Aerospace; Electronics

September 2016 (Revised February 2017)
Case

Angie's List: Ratings Pioneer Turns 20

By: Robert J. Dolan and Ayelet Israeli

In 1995, before people “googled” or “yelped,” Angela Hicks (HBS, 2000) was establishing her Angie’s List as a pioneer in the accumulation and dissemination of consumer rating information. Hicks focused on the home repair and maintenance market and, as she put it,... View Details