Publications

SSRN

January 2018 (Revised August 2020)
Background Note

Continuous Software Development: Agile's Successor

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Samuel Clemens and Olivia Hull

In recent years, the twin software development methodologies of continuous delivery and continuous deployment have risen to prominence in the start-up world and beyond. These methods have enabled technology companies large and small to accelerate their product... View Details

April 2001
Supplement

Acer America: Development of the Aspire

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Consists of five segments. Segment 1 shows Culver and Pai discussing the tensions between Taiwan and the United States and the resulting performance problems with Aspire; Segment 2 features Culver and Shih describing the changes Acer made as a result of the problems... View Details

Keywords: Digital Marketing; Transformation; Forecasting and Prediction; Marketing Strategy; Outcome or Result; Problems and Challenges; Information Infrastructure; Internet and the Web; Computer Industry; Taiwan; United States

June 2018
Supplement

Valuing Snap After the IPO Quiet Period (C)

By: Marco Di Maggio, Benjamin C. Esty and Gregory Saldutte

Analyzes Snap’s value and analyst recommendations following the events described in the (B) case. View Details

April 2021
Supplement

Buy Online, Pickup in Store: CEO Supplement

By: Antonio Moreno, Santiago Gallino and Amy Klopfenstein

In April 2019, Sylvarella CEO Sylvia Coparella must assess the impact of the company’s Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPS) program on her company’s overall sales. To do so, she must review analyses of both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar sales data and compare the... View Details

Keywords: Operations; Service Delivery; Logistics; Infrastructure; Distribution Channels; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Analysis; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; United States; Canada

April 2021
Case

Buy Online, Pickup in Store: Evaluating an Omnichannel Intervention in Retail

By: Antonio Moreno, Santiago Gallino and Amy Klopfenstein

In October 2018, fashion, wellness, and beauty retailer Sylvarella implemented a Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPS) program in an attempt to counteract a sales decline. While BOPS had the potential to meet customer expectations for a seamless order and fulfillment... View Details

Keywords: Operations; Service Delivery; Logistics; Infrastructure; Distribution Channels; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Analysis; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; United States; Canada

17 Jan 2017
Research & Ideas

Can China Maintain Its Economic Power?

economic growth.” Blagg: What were your first impressions of China in the late 1970s? McFarlan: We were seeing a country that had missed the industrial revolution that happened in many other countries in the nineteenth century, and then... View Details

Keywords: by Deborah Blagg

May 2019 (Revised July 2019)
Case

Walmart's Workforce of the Future

By: William R. Kerr and Jordan Bach-Lombardo

Faced with intense competition from Amazon, Walmart began a transformation of its operations and workforce in 2015. The goal was to create an omnichannel retail experience for customers that seamlessly joined online and offline shopping. This case explores Walmart's... View Details

Keywords: Walmart; Managing The Future Of Work; Workforce; Automation; Ecommerce; Omnichannel Retail; Operations; Transformation; Employees; Training; Information Technology; Infrastructure; Disruption; Competitive Strategy; E-commerce; Information Infrastructure; Retail Industry

23 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Historically Speaking: A Roundtable at HBS

States, Europe, and Japan, it was supposed to examine two sectors: first, the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, which helped bring about the Second Industrial Revolution between the 1880s and 1920s, and second, consumer electronics... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Aisner

December 1999
Case

Sun Microsystems, Inc. (A3): Network Computer: Robert Gianni on Answering the Skeptics

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Jane Roessner

The concept behind the network computer (NC) at Sun Microsystems, Inc. was simple: bringing workstation performance to the desktop. Recent technological breakthroughs and changes in the marketplace made the NC project timely. But internal and external skeptics wondered... View Details

Keywords: Information Infrastructure; Technology Adoption; Fluctuation; Risk and Uncertainty; Technology Industry; Technology Industry

17 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

Reserve Bank Governor Discusses India’s Financial Opportunities

several major financial journals as well as two books, Saving Capitalism from the Capitalists and Fault Lines: How Hidden Cracks Still Threaten the World Economy. Indeed, India is in the midst of a financial losing streak, and industry... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

November 1990 (Revised September 1991)
Case

The Transformation of IBM

By: Andrall E. Pearson and David B. Yoffie

John Akers, IBM's chairman, must confront how to transform a $60 billion, full line, global computer company that is the leader in every market it serves, yet losing share across the board. The case explores senior management's perspective on the process of... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Transformation; Corporate Strategy; Adoption; Management Teams; Information Infrastructure; Information Technology; Multinational Firms and Management; Computer Industry

December 2013 (Revised February 2014)
Supplement

Reinventing Brainlab (B)

By: Regina E. Herzlinger and Karol Misztal

The management of Germany's Brainlab AG, a leading provider of software-driven oncology and surgery solutions, needs to evaluate strategic options for proceeding without an exclusive hardware partner in its most profitable business segment. View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Medical Specialties; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry; Germany

November 2005 (Revised July 2009)
Case

Trolltech (Norway) - Will Cenapio Steal Christmas?

Describes the creation of an open source software venture in Norway, Australia, and the United States that lands a strategic OEM deal with a leading Japanese manufacturer of embedded devices (PDAs in this instance). Details the evolution of the two companies'... View Details

Keywords: Applications and Software; Conflict and Resolution; Strategy; Partners and Partnerships; Open Source Distribution; Information Infrastructure; Entrepreneurship; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Information Technology Industry; Australia; Japan; Norway; United States

November 1990 (Revised May 1994)
Case

Microsoft Corp.: Office Business Unit

By: Marco Iansiti

Describes the development of a new word processing software package, Word for Windows. The major focus is how the development process should be improved to reduce schedule slips and cost overruns. Some of the issues raised are: the use of schedules in managing... View Details

Keywords: Communication Strategy; Cost Management; Business or Company Management; Time Management; Product Development; Programs; Projects; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Information Technology Industry

17 Jul 2017
Op-Ed

Op-Ed: As America Recedes from Global Leadership, Its CEOs are Stepping Up

As America recedes from global leadership under President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies, a new generation of business statesmen is stepping up to take on global issues of monumental importance: global trade, climate change, job creation, and healthy living.... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

20 Aug 2024
Book

Why Competing With Tech Giants Requires Finding Your Own Edge

private-labeled digital devices at competitive prices. Yang credited Amazon for the company’s success. In addition to Amazon’s established infrastructure that helped it save on retail and logistics costs, “the key to building high quality... View Details

Keywords: by Feng Zhu; Technology; Information Technology

19 Jul 2010
Research & Ideas

How Mercadona Fixes Retail’s ’Last 10 Yards’ Problem

Imagine a retail chain that offers customers not only the lowest prices but also personalized customer service. Employees receive above-average wages and 20 times more training than the average American retailer. Sounds like a recipe for retail suicide, especially in... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail; Food & Beverage

May 2017 (Revised February 2018)
Supplement

VMware and the Public Cloud (B)

By: Raffaella Sadun and Christine Snively

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Computer Industry; Computer Industry; Computer Industry