Publications

November 1999 (Revised March 2003)
Case

Webvan: Groceries on the Internet

By: John A. Deighton and Kayla Bakshi

What are the prospects for grocery shopping on the Web? This case invites a comparison of seven business models, with particular emphasis on Webvan. Why does the investment community value Webvan at $7.8 billion after less than six months of operating experience, and... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Experience and Expertise; Investment; Information; Marketing; Distribution Channels; Service Delivery; Cognition and Thinking; Internet and the Web; Retail Industry; Retail Industry

June 2020
Supplement

RBC: Transforming Transformation (B)

By: Ethan Bernstein, Francesca Gino and Aldo Sesia

In 2017, the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), a Canadian financial icon, mandated a swat team of “enablers of collaboration” (their job description) to support the personal and commercial bank in the enterprise-wide RBC Cultural Transformation initiative. Historically,... View Details

Keywords: Service Delivery; Information Technology; Transformation; Change Management; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Management; Decision Making; Human Resources; Management Systems; Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Groups and Teams; Management Teams; Banking Industry; Banking Industry; Canada

January 2024 (Revised July 2024)
Case

CloudEats: Revolutionizing the Cloud Kitchen in Southeast Asia

By: Paul A. Gompers and Adina Wong

Philippines-headquartered cloud kitchen CloudEats harbored the ambition of becoming the largest cloud kitchen in Southeast Asia, but it was considering several strategic paths forward. View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; E-commerce; Disruptive Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Expansion; Competitive Advantage; Food and Beverage Industry; Philippines; Southeast Asia

February 2011 (Revised February 2012)
Case

Online Marketing at Big Skinny

By: Benjamin Edelman and Scott Duke Kominers

Describes a wallet maker's application of seven Internet marketing technologies: display ads, algorithmic search, sponsored search, social media, interactive content, online distributors, and A/B testing. Provides concise introductions to the key features of each... View Details

Keywords: Advertising Campaigns; Digital Marketing; Resource Allocation; Marketing Strategy; Performance Evaluation; Internet and the Web; Retail Industry

Keywords: Publishing Industries (except Internet); Publishing Industries (except Internet); Publishing Industries (except Internet); Publishing Industries (except Internet); Publishing Industries (except Internet); Publishing Industries (except Internet); Publishing Industries (except Internet)

27 May 2014
First Look

First Look: May 27

mostly involving ground facilities and processes. This note provides an overview of the history and current state of air transportation in the U.S., covering industry costs; types of airlines, including passenger and cargo (e.g., Delta,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Jun 2005
News

Power Couple

Richard Sarnoff (MBA ’87), a group president at Random House, is one forward-looking media exec who has some impressive links to the industry’s past: His great-uncle, former RCA chairman David Sarnoff, was instrumental in developing the first commercial radio station... View Details

March 2024 (Revised May 2024)
Case

Masterpiece for the Masses: The First Art Exchange ARTEX

By: Lauren Cohen, Anastasiya Siroochenko (Siro) and Sophia Pan

Yassir Benjelloun-Touimi, CEO of ARTEX, aspired to marry the world of art and finance. Hoping to promote transparent, fractionalized ownership of renowned artwork, the founder had spent years contemplating the birth of an art stock market. This exchange would allow... View Details

February 2021
Case

Yellow Digital Retailers: Providing Solar Electricity to Transform Rural Africa

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Frank V. Cespedes and Michael Norris

In 2020, Mike Heyink and Maya Stewart, co-founders of the Pay-as-you-Go Solar company Yellow were considering how to grow their startup. They had achieved some success in their first market, Malawi, and had recently entered Uganda, where business was slower. What did... View Details

Keywords: Solar Energy; Business Model; Business Startups; Developing Countries and Economies; Alternative Energy; Renewable Energy; Social Entrepreneurship; Green Technology; Salesforce Management; Diversification; Expansion; Energy Industry; Africa; South Africa; Malawi; Uganda

March 1994 (Revised July 1995)
Case

Lotus Development Corp. in 1994

Jim Manzi, president and CEO of Lotus, must decide whether to position the firm as a provider of network applications or of the architectural programs required to support network applications. The decision will have lasting implications for Lotus's position in both... View Details

Keywords: Information Infrastructure; Competitive Advantage; Applications and Software; Industry Structures; Information Technology Industry

Find at Harvard

June 2015
Case

Silicon Fen

By: Tom Nicholas, David Chambers and Matthew G. Preble

Keywords: Information Technology; Industry Clusters; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Technology Industry; England; California

26 Jun 2000
Research & Ideas

Presentation Round-Up

self-proclaimed "infrastructure guy," panelist Steve Papa (HBS MBA '99) of Optigrab.com speculated that the future of e-business services will be marked by the same pull toward uniformity that took place in industry consolidations a... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace & Kenneth Liss; Technology; Technology; Technology

01 Dec 2017
News

2017 in Manufacturing: The Supply Chain Goes High Tech

The globalization of manufacturing and the increased dependence on digital technology is transforming the sector and changing its competitive advantage profile. This is a long-term trend, but we are seeing its effects more clearly with... View Details

Keywords: Jerry Jasinowski (AMP 97, 1985), former president and CEO, National Association of Manufacturers

26 Aug 2024
Research & Ideas

Can AI Match Human Ingenuity in Creative Problem-Solving?

When ChatGPT and other large language models began entering the mainstream two years ago, it quickly became apparent the technology could excel at certain business functions, yet it was less clear how well artificial intelligence could handle more creative tasks. Sure,... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Information Technology; Information; Technology

08 May 2014
News

The Sky's the Limit

possibility. "The industry needs more women in it. Women are very detail-oriented and, when it comes to flying, tend to have a delicate touch, but aren't over-controlling," she says. Noting that "there is a ton of scholarship money out... View Details

Keywords: Jill Radsken; women's issues; avaition; Air Transportation; Transportation

14 Apr 2003
Research & Ideas

Andy Grove on the Confident Leader

digital form, stored in this platform, and therefore ready to be transported in digital form. WK: Journeying from one business model to another is a formidable leadership challenge, especially in an industry so given to continual View Details

Keywords: by Walter Kiechel; Technology

30 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Why Evolutionary Software Development Works

industry in which the need for a responsive development process has never been greater. The researchers analyzed data from 29 completed projects and identified the characteristics most associated with the best outcomes. (See "Four... View Details

Keywords: by Alan MacCormack; Technology

12 May 2003
Research & Ideas

How Hot is the “Hot Spot” Business?

unclear whether there is a business model that can turn Wi-Fi into profit. A panel of telecommunications industry pioneers came together to talk about the larger issue of the competitive landscape in broadband wireless, but most of the... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne & Martha Lagace; Technology; Technology; Technology

March 1997 (Revised April 2001)
Supplement

Microsoft in the People's Republic of China: 1998 Update

By: Tarun Khanna and Danielle J. Melito

Provides an update to Microsoft in the People's Republic of China--1993. View Details

Keywords: Applications and Software; Globalized Markets and Industries; Information Technology Industry; China