Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(1,827)
- Faculty Publications (524)
- September 2004 (Revised August 2007)
- Case
Enterprise IT at Cisco (2004)
By: Andrew P. McAfee, F. Warren McFarlan and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld
Illustrates the challenges associated with centralizing IT decisions at Cisco after a decade of decentralized planning and project funding. When Brad Boston became Cisco's new CIO in 2001, he found that managers were starting to get frustrated with the results of their... View Details
- June 2004 (Revised May 2006)
- Case
Millennial Net
By: Joseph B. Lassiter III and Johanna Regine Naunton Blaxall
Millennial Net created self-organizing, ultra-low-power, wireless sensor networks, a space that was getting a lot of attention in 2004. The company was founded in 2000 and in early 2004 was looking for a second round of funding. The area had attracted a number of new... View Details
- May 2004
- Background Note
56K Modem Battle
By: David B. Yoffie and Deborah Freier
Examines the battle to set the standard for the 56K modem. Set in 1996, this case looks at how computers accessed the Internet via a telephone line, or dial-up connection, and a hardware modem. In 1995, there were 18.6 million total modem unit shipments, with market... View Details
- May 2004 (Revised March 2005)
- Case
Music Downloads
By: David B. Yoffie and Deborah Freier
Examines the competition between competing music formats. In the '90s, the MP3 format challenged the traditional means of music distribution by allowing for storage of near CD-quality recordings at 1/10th of their previous size. The threat to traditional distribution... View Details
- March 2004 (Revised June 2010)
- Case
Akamai Technologies
By: Benjamin Edelman, Thomas R. Eisenmann and Eric J. Van den Steen
As the leading content delivery network, Akamai helps Internet companies deliver Web site content to end users with fewer delays and lower costs. Describes the strategic management challenges facing Akamai in early 2004. The company is poised to offer its next... View Details
- March 2004 (Revised June 2004)
- Case
Blackout: August 14, 2003
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Ryland Matthew Willis
On August 14, 2003, an electricity blackout cascaded throughout the northeastern United States and Canada. Describes the structure, technology, and economics of the electric utility industry and how gradual deregulation beginning in the 1970s placed unprecedented, and... View Details
- February 2004 (Revised March 2004)
- Case
Fuel Cells: The Hydrogen Revolution?
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Ryland Matthew Willis
The challenges faced in establishing hydrogen fuel cell-powered transportation in the United States, which promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on imported oil is examined. Foremost among these challenges is a "chicken-and-egg" dynamic: consumers... View Details
- November 2003 (Revised December 2003)
- Case
Enabling Business Strategy with IT at the World Bank
By: F. Warren McFarlan and Brian DeLacey
World Bank IT provides services (communications, applications, video conferencing, knowledge sharing, distance learning, information sharing, client commerce, crisis management, etc.) on a global basis to the poorest countries in the globe via satellites. This case... View Details
- March 2003 (Revised January 2004)
- Case
CDC Capital Partners: December 2002
By: G. Felda Hardymon, Josh Lerner and Ann Leamon
Paul Fletcher, CEO of CDC Capital Partners, a private equity group investing in the world's poorest countries, is wrestling with questions raised by the imminent reorganization of the firm. Previously an arm of the United Kingdom's international aid agency, CDC is... View Details
- February 2003 (Revised October 2003)
- Case
Cable Data Systems
By: Paul W. Marshall and Todd H Thedinga
Describes the operating challenges of Cable Data Systems (CDS), a minority-owned cable installation company with a dual mission of maximizing profits and providing employment opportunities to minorities in urban markets. Following the merger of two cable installation... View Details
- January 2003 (Revised August 2005)
- Case
CareGroup
By: F. Warren McFarlan and Robert D. Austin
Describes the circumstances leading to the three-and-a-half-day collapse of a major hospital group's IS capabilities. Identifies the technical reasons for the failure, management steps in dealing with the problem short term, and the long-term lessons they believe they... View Details
- 2003
- Other Teaching and Training Material
Eight Imperatives for Leaders in a Networked World: E-Governance
By: L. M. Applegate and J. Mechling
- 2003
- Other Teaching and Training Material
Eight Imperatives for Leaders in a Networked World: E-Government
By: L. M. Applegate and J. Mechling
- 2003
- Chapter
The Evolution of Advanced Large Scale Information Infrastructure in the United States
By: Shane Greenstein, Mercedes Lizardo and Pablo Spiller
- October 2002 (Revised February 2003)
- Case
Administrative Data Project (A)
By: Lynda M. Applegate and Donald E. Heller
Encourages analysis of the implementation of a large technical infrastructure and process transformation project within a university setting. Enables an instructor to teach change management, leadership, and technical project management skills. View Details
- October 2002 (Revised April 2007)
- Case
Dell Computers (A): Field Service for Corporate Clients
By: Frances X. Frei, Amy C. Edmondson and Corey B. Hajim
Explores the highly successful PC and low-end server manufacturer's entry into the large-scale server market in the United States. A key difference of this new market is the intense service element required to support the larger hardware. Specifically, the industry... View Details
- September 2002 (Revised April 2006)
- Case
Istituto Clinico Humanitas (A)
By: Richard M.J. Bohmer, Gary P. Pisano and Ning Tang
Istituto Clinico Humanitas is a newly built private hospital, south of Milan, Italy, that has attained unusual profitability while treating public system patients. The hospital was built and is managed by Techosp, a subsidiary of Techint, a global engineering and... View Details
- September 2002 (Revised October 2002)
- Case
Oklahoma VISION Project
By: Lynda M. Applegate and Susan Saltrick
Describes the two-year-old pilot phase of a public/private initiative in Oklahoma called the Virtual Internet School in Oklahoma Network (VISION) project. VISION was a first-of-its-kind, standards-based, vendor-neutral technology infrastructure developed to enable... View Details
- August 2002 (Revised January 2003)
- Case
Australia-Japan Cable: Structuring the Project Company
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Carrie Ferman
In late September 1999, representatives from Telstri, Japan Telecom, and Teleglobe met to discuss the structure of the Australia-Japan Cable (AJC) project, a $520 million submarine cable system that would run from Australia to Japan. The sponsors, excited by the... View Details
- August 2002 (Revised December 2003)
- Case
Italy: A New Commitment to Growth
By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Rebecca Evans
Examines Italy's efforts to comply with the Maastricht Treaty and become integrated with Europe in the European Union. By 2002, Italy has achieved macroeconomic stability, but slow growth threatens the country's future competitiveness. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi... View Details