Publications

February 2017
Case

BlaBlaCar: The Road Ahead...

By: Karim R. Lakhani, Arun Sundararajan, Emilie Billaud and Caroline Caltagirone

In 2017, the co-founders of BlaBlaCar—the world’s largest long-distance carpooling company—reflected on the evolution of their venture and the way forward. BlaBlaCar had reached critical mass and size; yet staying still was not going to be enough to be relevant and... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Transformation; Decision Making; Values and Beliefs; Growth and Development Strategy; Digital Platforms; Network Effects; Strategic Planning; Competitive Strategy; Expansion; Internet and the Web; Transportation Networks; Transportation Industry; Web Services Industry; France; Europe

March 1982 (Revised September 1985)
Case

Sealed Air Corporation

By: Robert J. Dolan

Market leadership and technological innovation have marked Sealed Air's participation in the U.S. protective packaging market. Several small regional producers have introduced products which are less effective than Sealed Air's but similar in appearance and cheaper.... View Details

Keywords: Product Marketing; Product; Technological Innovation; Supply and Industry; Competitive Advantage; Consumer Products Industry; United States

January 2019 (Revised February 2019)
Supplement

The a2 Milk Company

By: Benjamin C. Esty, Daniel Fisher and Greg Saldutte

The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) became the most valuable company listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in 2018 by capitalizing on a biochemical discovery related to the protein composition of cow's milk. Because many people find the A1 protein difficult to digest, and... View Details

July 2016 (Revised July 2019)
Teaching Plan

Doctor My Eyes: The Acquisition of Bausch & Lomb by Warburg Pincus (A)

By: Nori Gerardo Lietz and Ricardo Andrade

In early 2010, senior partners at Warburg Pincus met to review a report on Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, the firm's largest investment at the time. Warburg Pincus had led a group of investors in acquiring Bauch & Lomb on October 26, 2007, taking the company private and... View Details

Keywords: Health Care; Mergers ＆ Acquisitions; Governance; Buyout; Private Equity; Finance; Mergers and Acquisitions; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States

05 Sep 2007
First Look

First Look: September 5, 2007

Working PapersDesigning a Two-Sided Platform: When to Increase Search Costs? Authors:Andrei Hagiu and Bruno Jullien Abstract We propose a model for analyzing an intermediary's incentives to increase the search costs incurred by View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

20 Dec 2004
Research & Ideas

The U.S. Patent Game: How to Change It

lucrative assignments—is likely to have a subtle effect on many practitioners' reactions to proposals for radical change. Moreover, the negative effects of bad patent policy are very diffuse, and very difficult to see View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen

May 2020
Teaching Note

Kraft Heinz: The $8 Billion Brand Write-Down

By: Jill Avery

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 519-076. On Friday, February 22, 2019, following an unexpected and disappointing earnings report, The Kraft Heinz Company’s stock price fell 27%, wiping out $16 billion in market value. CEO Bernardo Hees had announced that the company had... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry; United States

July – August 2010
Article

Vision Statement: Mapping the Social Internet

By: Mikolaj Jan Piskorski and Tommy McCall

Fresh data on internet user behaviors around the globe show an East-West divide. View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Emerging Markets; Social and Collaborative Networks; Internet

Find at Harvard

Research Summary

Overview

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport

Rayport focuses his teaching and research on launching and scaling technology ventures, with emphasis on digital media, e-commerce, and multi-channel retail. View Details

September 2016 (Revised September 2017)
Case

Collage.com: Scaling a Distributed Organization

By: Christopher Stanton and Shikhar Ghosh

Kevin Borders and Joe Golden, co-founders and co-CEOs of Collage.com, must decide how to grow their custom photo-products startup in the face of fierce competition. From 2011 through 2016, the business evolved from a hobby to a startup with $22 million in revenue and... View Details

Keywords: Remote Work; Internet and the Web; Organizational Structure; Competitive Strategy; Employees; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry

2013
Working Paper

Competing by Restricting Choice: The Case of Search Platforms

By: Hanna Halaburda and Mikolaj Jan Piskorski

Seminal papers recommend that platforms in two-sided markets increase the number of complements available. We show that a two-sided platform can successfully compete by limiting the choice of potential matches it offers to its customers while charging higher prices... View Details

Keywords: Matching Platform; Indirect Network Effects; Limits To Network Effects; Decision Choices and Conditions; Network Effects; Two-Sided Platforms; Marketplace Matching; Competitive Strategy

SSRN

Read Now

25 Oct 2016
First Look

October 25, 2016

outlet store use. Consumers who shop at outlet stores also do not differ significantly from those who shop at regular stores in terms of income. I use a structural demand model to show that View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 2009
Supplement

Symbian, Google & Apple in the Mobile Space (B)

By: Fernando Suarez, Benjamin Edelman and Arati Srinivasan

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Network Effects; Networks; Strategy; Telecommunications Industry

02 Jan 2008
Research & Ideas

Most Popular Stories 2007

built-in advantages. Sharpening Your Skills: Negotiation A collection of Working Knowledge stories offering tips and insights for improving your negotiation skills. Understanding the 'Want' vs. 'Should' Decision Pizza or salad? View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

1996
Chapter

Commercial Technology: Imaginative Understanding of User Needs

By: D. A. Leonard and J. Doyle

Keywords: Information Technology; Service Delivery; Consumer Behavior; Perception; Business Ventures

March 2006 (Revised December 2009)
Compilation

Skype

By: Peter A. Coles and Thomas R. Eisenmann

Presents eBay's rationale for its $2.6 billion acquisition in late 2005 of Skype, a fast growing voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) provider. Describes Skype's history, technology, business model, and competition, as well as government regulation of VoIP services. View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Model; Communication Technology; Growth and Development Strategy; Network Effects; Competitive Strategy; Internet and the Web; Information Infrastructure; Telecommunications Industry

13 May 2008
First Look

First Look: May 13, 2008

What Deep Metaphors Reveal About the Minds of Consumers Authors:Gerald Zaltman and Lindsay Zaltman Publication:Harvard Business School Press, 2008 Abstract Why do advertising campaigns View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

May 2023
Teaching Note

Away: Scaling a DTC Travel Brand

By: Joseph B. Fuller and Jill Avery

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 520-051. Away, a direct-to-consumer, digital native e-commerce seller of travel luggage, is debating how to invest its latest round of venture funding. How quickly could and should Away scale and what were the most promising growth... View Details

Keywords: Distribution; Growth and Development Strategy; E-commerce; Segmentation; Venture Capital; Consumer Products Industry

August 1990 (Revised February 1991)
Case

Whirlpool Corp.

By: Michael Y. Yoshino and Sarah D. Hall

Examines the company's global strategy and potential acquisition of Philips' major domestic appliance operations in Europe in light of increasing trends toward globilization in the major appliance industry. Allows discussions weighing the advantages and risks of... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Joint Ventures; Global Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Risk and Uncertainty; Opportunities; Competitive Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Europe