Publications

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February 2001 (Revised November 2009)
Case

Amazon.com (C)

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport

At the end of 1998, Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos ponders the next moves for his company. Having secured the leadership position as the leading online book seller in the United States, Amazon.com has now moved into the product categories of CDs and videos by... View Details

Keywords: Expansion; Internet and the Web; Business Growth and Maturation; Books; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry; Germany; United Kingdom; United States

07 Jan 2016
News

Real-World Learning for the Digital Generation

‘What would we do if we started from zero? If we didn’t have math, language, science, and social studies, what would we do?’ And I think what we would do is help kids get involved in the real world, solving the problems, using the technology, of course, but also using... View Details

01 Apr 2015
Research & Ideas

The Slow, Steady Battle to Fix Cancer Care

reach of providers, and building an information technology platform that supports value-based care. None of it comes easy, due to deep-seated, convoluted systems already in place. “We don't know what it... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Health

13 Jun 2017
Blog Post

MS/MBA: Engineering Sciences – A Q&A with Professor Robert Howe

Professor Rob Howe has been thinking about the intersection between business and technology for a number of years now. Before joining the SEAS faculty at Harvard (where he focuses on robot and human manipulation and the sense of touch) he... View Details

February 2019 (Revised June 2019)
Case

Where to Grow Next at Online Marketplace OLX

By: Thales Teixeira, Leandro A. Guissoni and Samy Dana

The CEO of OLX Brazil, an online classifieds platform business, is debating among multiple paths to grow sustainably (i.e., profitably) without the need for investor money. The options under consideration are (1) penetration growth by focusing on the core, (2) new... View Details

Keywords: Online Marketplace; Growth; Customer Acquisition; Facebook; Two-sided Network; E-commerce; Classifieds; Naspers; Schibsted; Innovation; Startup; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Model; Innovation and Invention; Business Startups; Decision Choices and Conditions; Brazil

Web

Video Management Policy | About

signed a policy establishing acceptable use of the video management system. Information Technology – Desktop support personnel have access to one camera for viewing the main lobby to identify awaiting... View Details

01 Jun 2020
News

Homeschooled

John Jong-Hyun Kim (MBA 1993) saw the School pivot its entire MBA and doctoral curriculum to an online model in just ten days—a move informed by years of experience developing HBS Online, the Harvard Business Analytics Program, and other... View Details

Keywords: Jennifer Gillespie; online learning; Educational Services

August 2017 (Revised November 2017)
Case

Paktor: Designing a Dating App

By: Michael Luca, Stephanie Chan and Essie Alamsyah

Paktor is a popular mobile-based online dating app from Singapore, where a user can swipe right or left on a profile to indicate her interest in a potential match. The case is designed to explore issues related to pricing, market design, and launch strategies in the... View Details

Keywords: Mobile and Wireless Technology; Design; Price; Product Launch; Global Strategy

01 Sep 2013
News

Shining Knight

Shining Knight OGDEN: An entrepreneur takes up educational philanthropy. The life of Sir Peter Ogden (MBA 1973), declared Singapore's Business Times (May 25, 2013), "reads like an improbable adventure novel, spanning the worlds of science, high finance,... View Details

Keywords: Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services; Finance

14 Nov 2012
Research & Ideas

New Agenda for Corporate Accountability Reporting

How do you measure corporate accountability? And can you do it credibly? Since the financial crisis of 2008-2009, for-profit corporations are facing greater demand to disclose more than revenues and expenses on annual financial reports. In response, some are pointing... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Accounting; Energy; Utilities

24 Apr 2014
News

Improving the lives of underprivileged children in rural India

children. “We need to ensure that India’s children have access to quality education to help them realize their true potential,” says Mittal. The foundation has also set up specialized centers for higher education and research, such as the Bharti School of... View Details

01 Dec 2014
News

Dressing by Number

recommended clothing based on the data they provide; clients purchase only the items they love. The more information a customer gives Stitch Fix—the initial “style profile,” shared Pinterest boards, feedback on what works and what doesn’t... View Details

Keywords: Christine Lejeune; fashion; cosmetics; Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores; Retail Trade

March 2008 (Revised March 2013)
Teaching Note

MySpace (TN)

By: Mikolaj Jan Piskorski

Teaching Note for 708499. View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Competitive Advantage; Social and Collaborative Networks; Decisions; Growth and Development; Digital Platforms; Web Services Industry; United States

February 2007 (Revised September 2008)
Case

CMM versus Agile: Methodology Wars in Software Development

A CIO decides whether to adopt the "Capability Maturity Model" (CMM) within her IT department. The decision is proving surprisingly controversial; some of her best developers prefer adopting an "agile" methodological approach instead. Compares and contrasts the CMM and... View Details

Keywords: Innovation and Management; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Product Development; Business Processes; Information Technology; Applications and Software