Publications

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November 2006 (Revised February 2007)
Case

Microsoft Xbox: Changing the Game?

By: Andrei Hagiu

In September 1999, the Microsoft Xbox team was wondering which strategic choices would give it the best chance against the upcoming Sony PlayStation 2. Initially called "Project Midway" within Microsoft, the console project was intended to counter the perceived threat... View Details

Keywords: Customers; Recruitment; Leadership; Management Teams; Multi-Sided Platforms; Two-Sided Platforms; Production; Strategy; Competition; Expansion; Video Game Industry; Texas

22 May 2019
Research & Ideas

Forgiving Student Loan Debt Leads to Better Jobs, Stronger Consumers

cars, for instance. Source: “Second Change: Life Without Student Debt” by Marco Di Maggio, Ankit Kalda, and Vincent W. Yao. All of these results show that policy interventions in the student loan market should not be considered a zero-sum View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

12 Mar 2024
HBS Case

How Used Products Can Unlock New Markets: Lessons from Apple's Refurbished iPhones

Some of Apple’s most loyal customers think nothing of upgrading to the latest iPhone every time one comes out. But what about consumers who can’t splurge on a $1,000 iPhone 15 Pro? And what about the electronic waste that would accrue if people threw away functional... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Electronics; Information Technology

15 Aug 2023
HBS Case

(Virtual) Reality Check: How Long Before We Live in the 'Metaverse'?

industries, such as construction and medicine, are already extensively using virtual-reality technology. And, of course, “young people today are already living in a 3D virtual world,” via Roblox, Minecraft, and other gaming platforms, Wu... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald; Technology; Computer; Information Technology

2015
Comment

In the Shadow of the Crowd: A Comment on 'Valve's Way'

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin

There are many ways to exercise authority. Perrow (1986), in his review of March and Simon's Organizations (1958), offers a threefold classification of the ways authority can be exercised in organizations: (1) direct, "fully obtrusive" controls such as giving orders... View Details

Keywords: New Forms Of Organizing; Organizational Forms; Non-hierarchical Organizations; Self-organizing Teams; Boss-less Organizations; Organizational Design; United States

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02 Apr 2013
First Look

First Look: April 2

first videogame systems in the 1970s, the videogame industry has undergone numerous transformations as new technologies and market entrants fundamentally changed the gaming experience of customers. In the early 21st century, customers... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 2017
Article

The New Look of Deal Protection

By: Guhan Subramanian and Fernán Restrepo

Deal protection in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) evolves in response to Delaware case law and the business goals of acquirers and targets. We construct a new sample of M&A deals from 2003 to 2015 to identify four such areas of evolution in current transactional... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Practice

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December 2022 (Revised June 2023)
Case

Hacking the U.S. Election: Russia's Misinformation Campaign

By: Shikhar Ghosh

The case discusses the relatively low technology approach used by Russia to influence the U.S. Presidential Election in 2016. Although political parties manipulating the media was not a new phenomenon, the Russians ran a broad, well-financed, and sophisticated social... View Details

Keywords: Political Elections; International Relations; Social Media; Power and Influence; Information; Russia; United States

2012
Working Paper

Private and Public Decisions in Social Dilemmas: Evidence from Children's Behavior

Substantial research with adult populations has found that selfish impulses are less likely to be pursued when decisions are publicly observable. To the best of our knowledge, however, this behavioral regularity has not been systematically explored as potential... View Details

Keywords: Research; Age Characteristics; Behavior; Decisions; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Announcements; Situation or Environment

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26 Jun 2023
Research & Ideas

Want to Leave a Lasting Impression on Customers? Don't Forget the (Proverbial) Fireworks

illustrate them: Improve the experience steadily over time. Think about the NCAA tournament or FIFA World Cup, in which stakes get higher and the games get more exciting with each round, from quarterfinals to semifinals to the finals. A... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Entertainment & Recreation

02 May 2023
What Do You Think?

How Should Artificial Intelligence Be Regulated—if at All?

(iStockphoto/Rost-9D) Artificial intelligence (AI) is the topic of the moment in circles ranging from science to business to religion. Its potential and implications are driven home when you see robot soccer players improve their game to... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Information Technology; Technology

17 Aug 2020
Research & Ideas

What the Stockdale Paradox Tells Us About Crisis Leadership

courage. The game of physical intimidation was not won or lost in one grand showdown. The hero of us all was the plucky little guy who made them start all over every day.” Leach cited a shipwreck survivor who wrote, during the fifteenth... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

December 2019
Case

Small-Market Teams and Big Stars: The Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo

By: Anita Elberse and Melcolm Ruffin

In October 2019, National Basketball Association (NBA) team the Milwaukee Bucks are about to tip off their first home game in the 2019–2020 NBA season. Peter Feigin, president of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Jon Horst, the league’s youngest general manager, could look back... View Details

Keywords: Superstars; Talent and Talent Management; Sports; Strategy; Sports Industry

October 2015 (Revised October 2016)
Case

Building Watson: Not So Elementary, My Dear! (Abridged)

By: Willy C. Shih

This case is set inside IBM Research's efforts to build a computer that can successfully take on human challengers playing the game show Jeopardy! It opens with the machine named Watson offering the incorrect answer "Toronto" to a seemingly simple question during the... View Details

Keywords: Analytics; Big Data; Business Analytics; Product Development Strategy; Machine Learning; Machine Intelligence; Artificial Intelligence; Product Development; AI and Machine Learning; Information Technology; Analytics and Data Science; Information Technology Industry; United States