Publications

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January 1994 (Revised July 1994)
Case

Apple Computer in China--1993

By: David B. Yoffie

Keywords: Computer Industry; Computer Industry; China

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2017
Working Paper

Explaining the Vertical-to-Horizontal Transition in the Computer Industry

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin

This paper seeks to explain the technological forces that led to the rise of vertically integrated corporations in the late 19th century and the opposing forces that led to a vertical-to-horizontal transition in the computer industry 100 years later. I first model the... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Design; Business History; Vertical Integration; Horizontal Integration; Digital Platforms; Computer Industry

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07 Apr 2017
Working Paper Summaries

Explaining the Vertical-to-Horizontal Transition in the Computer Industry

Keywords: by Carliss Baldwin; Computer

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

Research Summary

Technology and Innovation

Professor Snow's research focuses on technological innovation, specifically the relationship between new and old technologies. While most technology scholars and experts have focused on the issues surrounding new technologies, he likes to point out that... View Details

March 2007 (Revised April 2007)
Case

The University of Utah and the Computer Graphics Revolution

By: H. Kent Bowen and Courtney Purrington

Computer science departments were new to universities in the 1960s, and the one created at the University of Utah by David Evans and Ivan Sutherland had a research mission to invent the field of computer graphics. Details the research process that led to many of the... View Details

Keywords: Engineering; Entrepreneurship; Management Practices and Processes; Mission and Purpose; Research and Development; Technology Adoption; Computer Industry; Computer Industry; Utah

January 1995 (Revised March 1995)
Supplement

Apple Computer 1995 (A)

By: David B. Yoffie and Takia Mahmood

Updates Apple Computer--1992. Summarizes the key strategic actions from 1992 to 1995 regarding PCs, the PowerMac, multimedia, OS licensing, and alliances with IBM. View Details

Keywords: Competitive Strategy; Information Infrastructure; Alliances; Rights; Computer Industry

September 2013
Case

Advanced Leadership Pathways: General Gale Pollock and Services for the Vision Impaired

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Juliane Calingo Schwetz and Patricia Bissett Higgins

In July 2012, retired United States Army Major General Gale Pollock created Elevivo, a venture that worked on developing a comprehensive disease management software system to support the growing number of visually impaired individuals by providing them with tailored... View Details

Keywords: United States; Health Care; Health Care Education; Insurance Companies; Disease Management; Technology; Military; Leadership Skills; Health; Health Care and Treatment; Education; Insurance; Information Technology; Entrepreneurship; Leadership; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry; United States

30 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Computer Security is For Managers, Too

information about benefit programs probably warrant less protection. The next step is to review the people, processes, and technologies that support those assets, including external suppliers and partners. When you're done with that,... View Details

Keywords: by Robert D. Austin & Christopher A.R. Darby

May 1999
Teaching Note

Apple Computer 1999 TN

By: David B. Yoffie and Mary Kwak

Teaching Note for (9-799-108). View Details

Keywords: Information Technology Industry

February 2009
Case

HP: The Computer is Personal Again

By: Rajiv Lal and Cathy Ross

In September 2008, Todd Bradley, executive vice president of Hewlett-Packard Company's Personal Systems Group (PSG), gathered his thoughts before a meeting with his top executives and managers for product design and marketing. On the agenda was a discussion of... View Details

Keywords: Revenue; Product Positioning; Corporate Strategy; Computer Industry; Computer Industry

02 Feb 2017
News

A Vision for the Earth

Terry Virts (GMP 11, 2011) is a retired colonel with the US Air Force and former NASA astronaut. He has piloted the Space Shuttle and logged more than 200 days aboard the International Space Station, where he conducted a wide range of scientific experiments and helped... View Details

September 2019
Teaching Note

Western Governors University: 10x Vision

By: William R. Kerr and Coelin P. Scibetta

Teaching Note for HBS No. 819-093. View Details

Keywords: Education Systems; Online Learning; Higher Education; Internet and the Web; Expansion; Growth and Development Strategy; Education Industry; United States

June 2010 (Revised November 2011)
Case

Zensar: The Future of Vision Communities (A)

By: David A. Garvin and Rachna Tahilyani

Zensar is a rapidly growing, mid-sized Indian IT services company with a collaborative management philosophy and innovative HR policies. One of its practices, Vision Communities, is an inclusive forum for innovation and strategy formulation. As the company grows,... View Details

Keywords: Human Resources; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Leadership Style; Growth and Development Strategy; Management Practices and Processes; Organizational Culture; Cooperation; Information Technology Industry; India

January 2013 (Revised April 2013)
Case

Microsoft Server & Tools

By: Marco Iansiti and Alain Serels

In 2011, Microsoft's Server & Tools Business (STB) was large, fast growing and highly profitable on the strength of traditional packaged product lines led by the Windows Server operating system. Even as the current packaged business was performing exceptionally well,... View Details

Keywords: Technology; Computing; Enterprise Computing; Servers; Cloud Computing; Microsoft; Technology Evolution; Technological Innovation; Disruptive Innovation; Information Technology; Information Technology Industry

2019
Working Paper

Design Rules, Volume 2: How Technology Shapes Organizations: Chapter 13 Platform Systems vs. Step Processes—The Value of Options and the Power of Modularity

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin

This is the first chapter in Part 3. Its purpose is to contrast the value structure of platform systems with step processes from a technological perspective. I first review the basic technical architecture of computers and argue that every computer is inherently a... View Details

Keywords: Platform Systems; Step Processes; Computer Architecture; Modularity; Information Technology; Digital Platforms

SSRN

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August 2001
Case

Charmed Technology

By: Youngme E. Moon

Charmed Technology, a California start-up known primarily for its high-profile fashion shows featuring "wearable" computers, has just released its first product. The "CharmIT" is being billed as the world's first affordable, wearable computer for consumers. The key... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Resignation and Termination; Technological Innovation; Marketing Strategy; Product Development; Luxury; Information Infrastructure; Value Creation; Computer Industry; Computer Industry

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2024
Working Paper

Computed Tomography (CT)--Beyond Traditional X-Rays: Case Histories of Transformational Advances

By: Amar Bhidé, Srikant M. Datar and Katherine Stebbins

This case history describes how Computed Tomography (CT) scanners - that combine Xrays and computers to image soft tissues of the brain and other organs -- have become a widely used diagnostic tool. Specifically, we chronicle the 1) initial development of CT... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Technological Innovation; Innovation Strategy; Technology Adoption; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Invention; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms