Publications

16 Apr 2007
Research & Ideas

Delivering the Digital Goods: iTunes vs. Peer-to-Peer

where the product can be delivered directly online such as software, travel agencies, or media. Indeed, the digitalization of content paired with widespread adoption of broadband Internet is driving a major... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Music

April 2025
Case

Salesforce Agentforce: The Limitless Workforce

By: Suraj Srinivasan, Allison Ciechanover and George Gonzalez

In early 2025, Salesforce was a global leader in cloud-based enterprise software, best known for pioneering customer relationship management (CRM) delivered as a service. Over the past two decades, the company had expanded into marketing, customer service, analytics,... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Customer Relationship Management; Price; AI and Machine Learning; Technology Adoption; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Sales; Business Strategy; Ethics; Product Launch; Technology Industry; United States

Blog

HBS Online and Executive Education Leadership: Q+A with Patrick Mullane and Luis Viceira

This article originally appeared in the Harvard Business School—Newsroom. Can you tell us a bit about the new role and what it means organizationally for HBS Online and Executive Education? Patrick Mullane (PM) (Executive Director, HBS... View Details

08 Apr 2008
First Look

First Look: April 8, 2008

and then carefully reviews the various issues associated with the project. Purchase this case: http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=708022 Comcast New England: A Journey of Organizational Transformation Harvard... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

18 Sep 2007
First Look

First Look: September 18, 2007

Synthesis Author:Carliss Y. Baldwin Abstract This paper constructs a unified theory of the location of transactions and the boundaries of firms. It proposes that systems of production can be viewed as networks of tasks. Transactions,... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

February 2021 (Revised March 2021)
Case

AptDeco: Circular Economy Furniture Marketplace

By: Ayelet Israeli and Jamie Merkrebs

AptDeco, a used furniture marketplace, was growing rapidly in the tri-state area. The co-founders were confident that the business model, financial position, and unit economics positioned AptDeco for scaling in the massive $120 billion furniture market, despite its... View Details

Keywords: E-Commerce Strategy; Mobile; Word-of-Mouth; Word-of-mouth Marketing; Word Of Mouth; Internet Marketing; Growth Strategy; Platform; Platforms; Two Sided Markets; Two-sided Market; Two-sided Marketplace; Two-Sided Markets; Two-sided Network; Black Entrepreneurs; Black Leadership; African Americans; Circular; Peer-to-peer Markets; Furniture Industry; Furniture; Growth Hacking; Monetization Strategy; African-American Protagonist; Growth Management; Marketing Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Digital Platforms; Marketing Channels; Digital Marketing; Consumer Behavior; Acquisition; Growth and Development Strategy; Customer Focus and Relationships; E-commerce; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States; North America; New York (city, NY); New York (state, US)

01 Jun 2024
News

Alumni Achievement Awards 2024

Photographed by Susan Young; Edited by Julia Hanna MORE ON THE RECIPIENTS Read more about the 2024 recipients, and learn about past recipients. ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS SITE MORE ON THE RECIPIENTS Read more about the 2024 recipients, and learn about past recipients.... View Details

April 2005 (Revised March 2006)
Case

Change at Whirlpool Corporation (A)

By: Jan W. Rivkin, Dorothy A. Leonard and Gary Hamel

In 1998, the CEO of Whirlpool Corp. decides to change the company's strategy significantly to escape an increasingly unattractive "stalemate" in the appliance industry. The change he proposes involves a fundamental shift in the company's focus--from manufacturing to... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Competitive Advantage; Strategic Planning; Production; Brands and Branding; Management Teams; Consumer Products Industry; United States

30 Nov 2009
Research & Ideas

Tracks of My Tears: Reconstructing Digital Music

Many products in those sectors are sold in a bundled form, so bundling strategies have always been a key topic for media and entertainment firms. But I learned that the rise of digital channels is introducing View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Music

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

What It Takes: Minorities in the Executive Suite

We are on the cusp of a new millennium; yet the face of corporate power in the United States remains overwhelmingly white. People of color hold less than 1 percent of all senior executive posts. But what about leaders such as Kenneth... View Details

Keywords: by Judith A. Ross

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Confronting the Challenges that Face Bricks-and-Mortar Stores

What does cyberspace mean for physical retail space? Has online shopping changed the fundamentals of retailing? How should managers evaluate new in-store technologies? Harvard Business Review posed these questions to three retail... View Details

Keywords: by Raymond Burke; Retail

19 Jun 2007
First Look

First Look: June 19, 2007

Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/07-036.pdf Cases & Course MaterialsAcademia Barilla Harvard Business School Case 507-001 Barilla, the world's largest pasta company, has introduced a new high-quality, high-priced... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

27 Feb 2007
First Look

First Look: February 27, 2007

has quality variations, reducing consumption. Five independent growers formed a cooperative to provide quality control and a brand name—Ripe 'N Ready—that enabled retailers to differentiate their stores and producers to differentiate the View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 Nov 1999
Research & Ideas

Companies, Cultures and the Transformation to the Transnational

concentrated in Japan); and all technology and new product development came from headquarters. The delegation of responsibility and authority was more constrained than at either Philips or General Electric,... View Details

Keywords: by Christopher A. Bartlett & Sumantra Ghoshal

March 2018 (Revised March 2018)
Teaching Note

OpenInvest

By: Boris Vallee and Caitlin Reimers Brumme

Founded by a team of hedge fund and NGO alumni, OpenInvest launched its platform in 2015 to enable retail investors to tailor their portfolio to their personal values in an automated way, for instance by screening out weapon manufacturers stocks or overweighting LGBTQ... View Details

Keywords: Socially Responsible Investing; Investing For Impact; Robo-advisors; Investment; Values and Beliefs; Customization and Personalization; Technology; Financial Services Industry

July 2008 (Revised May 2009)
Case

The Springfield Nor'easters: Maximizing Revenues in the Minor Leagues

By: Frank V. Cespedes, Christopher H. Lovelock and Laura Winig

The marketing director of a new minor-league baseball team must design, conduct, and then interpret survey research to determine optimal ticket pricing that will yield large attendance figures and contribute to the owner's goal of breaking even in the first year of... View Details

Keywords: Market Research; Quantitative Analysis; Consumer Marketing; Pricing Strategy; Price; Marketing Strategy; Mathematical Methods; Product Launch; Sports; Sports Industry; Massachusetts