Publications

January 2009 (Revised June 2010)
Case

Cisco Business Councils (2007): Unifying a Functional Enterprise with an Internal Governance System

By: Ranjay Gulati

In response to the 2001 market downturn, Cisco Systems implemented a major restructuring that transformed the company from a decentralized to centralized organization. While recognizing that a centralized, functional structure was necessary to avoid product and... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Customer Focus and Relationships; Governing and Advisory Boards; Resource Allocation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Structure; Corporate Strategy; Technology Industry

March 2011
Case

Globant

By: Mukti Khaire, Gustavo A. Herrero and Cintra Scott

The case deals with an IT company born in Argentina in 2003 to provide software services to established companies in the developed world. After reaching sales of $57 million in 2010, the company ponders its next steps to achieve $500 million in revenues by 2015. View Details

Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Entrepreneurship; Global Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Service Delivery; Software; Information Technology Industry; Argentina

Summer 2024
Article

The Business Revolution: Economy-Wide Impacts of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Platforms

By: Hanna Halaburda, Jeffrey Prince, D. Daniel Sokol and Feng Zhu

In this essay, we identify several themes of the digital business transformation, with a particular focus on the economy-wide impacts of artificial intelligence and digital platforms. In doing so, we highlight specific industries, beyond just the high-profile “Big... View Details

Keywords: Digital Transformation; Digital Platforms; AI and Machine Learning

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04 Feb 2013
Research & Ideas

Are the Big Four Audit Firms Too Big to Fail?

“There are important implications for the quality of accounting information in corporations and in capital markets” "We could imagine that as the audit industry becomes more concentrated, the big... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Accounting

Web

Harvard Environmental Centers - Business & Environment

Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs is the hub of Harvard Kennedy School's research, teaching, and training in international security and diplomacy, environmental and resource... View Details

11 Apr 2024
Blog Post

Climate Stories: Water Series - Episode #17: Leni Peterson Redondo (HBS MS/MBA 2023), Founder & CEO of Celeste

believe, adding “Historically, people have prayed for rain from the sky when they have had no access to water and have begun to feel the effects of water scarcity.” Currently, Celeste is in its pre-seed stage. Leni has found four industry... View Details

February 2020 (Revised April 2021)
Case

StockX: The Stock Market of Things

By: Chiara Farronato, John J. Horton, Annelena Lobb and Julia Kelley

Founded in 2015 by Dan Gilbert, Josh Luber, and Greg Schwartz, StockX was an online platform where users could buy and sell unworn luxury and limited-edition sneakers. Sneaker resale prices often fluctuated over time based on supply and demand, creating a robust... View Details

Web

Help - Research Computing Services

the HBS community, developing and supporting research infrastructure , and providing technology training . Who is eligible for our services? Primarily, we support faculty, and are also happy to provide guidance for doctoral students, RAs,... View Details

10 Mar 2009
First Look

First Look: March 10, 2009

develop an inductive theory of "IP modularity," from which we derive testable propositions and managerial implications. Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/09-097.pdf Diasporas and Domestic Entrepreneurs: Evidence from the Indian Software... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

15 Dec 2003
Research & Ideas

The New Global Business Manager

moving that you can't haul all the information to the top for someone to make all those calls. In a world that's moving in nanoseconds, empowerment is driving more strategic decisions down to people who are closest to the customers,... View Details

Keywords: by Cynthia Churchwell

January 2016 (Revised February 2016)
Case

Citizens United and Corporate Speech

By: David Moss and Marc Campasano

The story of Citizens United began in late 2007, as leading members of the Republican and Democratic parties were preparing for the 2008 presidential primaries. Democrats expected a three-way contest in their party between Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, Senator (and... View Details

Keywords: Rights; Internet and the Web; Political Elections; Lawsuits and Litigation; Business and Government Relations

Article

Wisdom or Madness? Comparing Crowds with Expert Evaluation in Funding the Arts

By: Ethan Mollick and Ramana Nanda

In fields as diverse as technology entrepreneurship and the arts, crowds of interested stakeholders are increasingly responsible for deciding which innovations to fund, a privilege that was previously reserved for a few experts, such as venture capitalists and... View Details

Keywords: Crowdfunding; Arts; Decision Choices and Conditions; Entrepreneurship; Investment; Fine Arts Industry; Fine Arts Industry

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12 Oct 2022
Blog Post

11 Stories from HBS PRIDE for National Coming Out Day

inspired by the stories of these students. Visit @prideathbs on Instagram for more information and features about the LGBTQ+ community at HBS. Eduardo Avalos (he/him/his), Class of 2024 “Te quiero, mijo.” When my six-year relationship... View Details

30 Jun 2014
Lessons from the Classroom

The Role of Emotions in Effective Negotiations

"Rather than discussing topics in the rarified air of investment banking, an industry foreign to many of our students, we wanted to be as universal as possible." Not that it is a simple situation emotionally. Stressed out over... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Entertainment & Recreation; Sports

01 Jun 1998
News

Simmons Family Endows Professorship

has received rave reviews from industry experts for its financial performance. It has built specialized lines of business in institutional investments, municipal finance, and small-business lending. A regional leader in View Details

27 Sep 2016
First Look

September 27, 2016

(multidimensional) objective functions of executive participants and their organizations and show how the trio of disruptive forces (disintermediation, disaggregation, and decoupling) that have figured prominently in other industries... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

October 1995 (Revised January 1998)
Case

Cybersmith

Cybersmith is a new company that has created a new retailing concept. This particular store has been reported in over 250 newspapers, and by every major American television network. Some would classify it as an on-line cafe, but management has positioned the store as... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Joint Ventures; Consumer Behavior; Product Marketing; Innovation and Invention; Retail Industry; Cambridge

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January 2021 (Revised March 2021)
Case

Jumia's Path to Profitability

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Pippa Tubman Armerding and Gamze Yucaoglu

The case opens in September 2019 as Sacha Poignonnec and Jeremy Hodara, co-founders and co-CEOs of Jumia, the leading Pan-African e-commerce platform, are contemplating the company’s path to profitability in the aftermath of a fragile investor sentiment, as the company... View Details

August 2004 (Revised June 2005)
Case

Fate of the Vasa, The

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Richard Mason

In 1628, the royal warship Vasa was launched. It was Sweden's most expensive naval vessel ever built, costing over 5% of GNP. On its maiden voyage, the ship sailed 1,400 yards in its own harbor, heeled over to the side, and then sank. One third of the 150 crew and... View Details

Keywords: History; Risk and Uncertainty; Technological Innovation; Ship Transportation; Product Design; Technology Adoption; Failure; Business and Government Relations; Product Development; Sweden