Publications

May 1999 (Revised March 2001)
Case

Marshall Industries

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport

Confounding predictions that the Internet would "disintermediate" commerce, making "middle man" companies all but obsolete, Marshall Industries, a leading electronics distributor, used the Internet and digital technologies to reinvent itself. Marshall continued to sell... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Supply Chain; Emerging Markets; Customer Focus and Relationships; Distribution Industry; Electronics Industry

10 Apr 2006
Research & Ideas

Lessons from the Browser Wars

diffused into the market. The debate was this: Did Microsoft win because its Internet Explorer was the technologically superior product to Netscape Navigator, or was Microsoft just more successful at the distribution end by convincing... View Details

Keywords: by Sara Grant; Computer; Consumer Products; Technology

26 Oct 2017
Research Event

In an Era of 'Fake News,' What is the Future of Advertising and Publishing?

publishing model for the future. The panelists also discussed the possibility of communities starting local news co-ops to cover local issues. Should government step in? The touchy topic of government regulation of the internet was... View Details

Keywords: by Jen Deaderick; Media & Broadcasting; Journalism & News

10 Dec 2012
Research & Ideas

Why We Blab Our Intimate Secrets on Facebook

dangerous to share," John says. Creepy Questions Specifically, John and two colleagues from Carnegie Mellon set out to study a common contradictory attitude toward Internet privacy. On the one hand, studies show that Americans are wary of... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

July 2001 (Revised May 2002)
Case

WWWW - Who Will Win Wireless?

This case discusses different players in the wireless Internet industry and asks readers to evaluate the likelihood that they will create and capture value. View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Success; Mobile and Wireless Technology

Profile

Sheila Marcelo

at an Internet technology company and using the yellow pages to try to figure out how to find care for my family.” That contradiction was not lost on the budding entrepreneur. Marcelo’s family emergency shed light on a market need that... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Technology; Services

February 1999
Case

Crimson Solutions (A)

By: Marco Iansiti and Barbara Feinberg

Describes the design and launch of an Internet venture. Focuses on the drivers of the venture's scalability and adaptability. View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Measurement and Metrics; Operations; Adaptation; Internet

25 Mar 2016
Video

David Chang, Entrepreneur & Angel Investor

January 2009
Case

Microsoft's Search

By: Jan W. Rivkin and Eric J. Van den Steen

In 2008, executives at Microsoft must decide how to compete against Google in the market for Internet search and advertising. The case describes how Microsoft has responded to a set of competitive threats in the past, how Google has gained a dominant position in... View Details

Keywords: Digital Marketing; Competitive Strategy; Internet and the Web; United States

June 18, 2022
Article

In Defense of Online Anonymity

By: Michael Luca

Lack of transparency on the internet may help fuel toxic dialogue, but it also encourages honest feedback and protects people against discrimination View Details

Keywords: Transparency; Anonymity; Honesty; Social Media; Prejudice and Bias

Read Now

December 1999
Case

American International Group, Inc.

By: Kenneth A. Froot and Heidi Cruz

American International Group, Inc. (AIG), one of the world's largest and most innovative insurers and financial intermediaries, is considering new strategies in an era of new competition and Internet distribution. View Details

Keywords: Insurance; Competitive Strategy; Internet and the Web; Distribution; Innovation and Invention

23 May 2016
News

The Biggest Challenges of Data-Driven Manufacturing

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

March 2000 (Revised November 2001)
Case

Rosenbluth International and Biztravel.com

Rosenbluth, the third largest U.S. travel agency, uses the Internet to serve new customers with a high-service strategy. Rosenbluth acquires Biztravel.com and integrates the customer support and logistics aspects of service delivery. View Details

Keywords: Horizontal Integration; Internet and the Web; Service Delivery; Acquisition; Travel Industry; United States

02 Feb 2015
Research & Ideas

Disruptors Sell What Customers Want and Let Competitors Sell What They Don’t

Over the past two decades, entire industries have been disrupted by Internet competitors who "unbundled" their content and delivered it to consumers in new ways. Newspapers lost out to Google and Craigslist, record companies to iTunes and... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

February 2001 (Revised June 2001)
Case

ClubTools, Inc.

By: Paul W. Marshall and Kristin Perry

Discusses the development of an Internet start-up by a recent HBS graduate. Details the company's business plan, incubation, technology development, marketing strategy, and search for funding. View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Business Plan; Cash Flow; Marketing Strategy; Financing and Loans; Technological Innovation; Internet and the Web; Forecasting and Prediction