Publications

01 Sep 2013
News

HBS's Unique Economic Model

Rick Melnick Harvard Business School is renowned for educating leaders who make a difference in the world. Less well known is the economic model that enables HBS to do this—model that is unique in higher education. HBS is a living example... View Details

Keywords: Melnick, Richard; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

01 Jul 2021
News

The Circular Business Model

April 2020 (Revised August 2020)
Case

CredEx Fintech: Business Model Transformation During the Digital Era

By: Laura Huang, Raphael Amit and Xu Han

Founded in 2010, CredEx has been a fast and constant innovator in the microfinance industry in China. Tang Xia, CEO and co-founder of CredEx, has led the company through a number of profound business model innovations in response to external environment changes, which... View Details

Keywords: Digitization; Fintech; Business Model; Innovation and Invention; Transformation; Microfinance; Organizational Change and Adaptation

April 2010
Article

From Strategy to Business Models and onto Tactics

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Joan Enric Ricart

The notion of business model has been used by strategy scholars to refer to "the logic of the firm, the way it operates and how it creates value for its stakeholders." On the surface, this notion appears to be similar to that of strategy. We present a conceptual... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Competitive Strategy; Value Creation; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Framework; Negotiation Tactics; Competition

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2009
Working Paper

From Strategy to Business Models and to Tactics

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Joan Enric Ricart

The notion of business model has been used by strategy scholars to refer to "the logic of the firm, the way it operates and how it creates value for its stakeholders." On the surface, this notion appears to be similar to that of strategy. We present a conceptual... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Decision Choices and Conditions; Framework; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Value Creation

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2017
Chapter

Marketing Models for the Customer-Centric Firm

By: Eva Ascarza, Peter S. Fader and Bruce G.S. Hardie

A customer-centric firm takes the view that there are three key drivers of (organic) growth and overall profitability: Customer acquisition, customer retention, and customer development (i.e., increasing the value of each existing customer (per unit of time) while they... View Details

Keywords: Customer Value and Value Chain; Customer Focus and Relationships

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February 2020 (Revised August 2020)
Case

Catalant's Operating System for the Future of Work

By: Christopher Stanton, William R. Kerr, James Palano and Kendall Smith

This case touches on the topics of project-based work, agile methodology, and skill and talent management through Catalant's evolution as a company. Catalant’s journey to becoming a software platform and talent marketplace provides context for students to explore new... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Information Technology; Talent and Talent Management; Business Model; Transformation

Web

Managing Service Operations - Course Catalog

HBS Course Catalog Managing Service Operations Course Number 2120 Professor Ryan Buell Senior Lecturer Michael Montelongo Senior Lecturer of Business Administration Robert Markey Fall; Q1Q2; 3.0 credits 28 Sessions Paper/Project Service... View Details

Web

Technology & Operations Management - Faculty & Research

Technology & Operations Management Overview Faculty Curriculum Seminars & Conferences Awards & Honors Doctoral Students April 8, 2025 Article Creating Workplaces Free of Forever Chemicals By: Joseph Allen, Heather Henriksen and Michael W.... View Details

August 2007 (Revised February 2008)
Case

Gome Electronics: Evolving the Business Model

By: Regina M. Abrami, William C. Kirby, F. Warren McFarlan, Gao Wang, Fei Li, Tracy Manty and Waishun Lo

After 20 years of expansion, Gome Electronics has become China's largest consumer electronics retailer. It has opened stores in almost every province in China, acquired some of its competitors, and went public in Hong Kong. However, it has begun to experience a... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Distribution Channels; Growth and Development Strategy; Information Technology; Industry Growth; Marketing Strategy; Business Growth and Maturation; Product; Electronics Industry; Retail Industry; China

February 2021
Tutorial

Assessing Prediction Accuracy of Machine Learning Models

By: Michael Toffel and Natalie Epstein

This video describes how to assess the accuracy of machine learning prediction models, primarily in the context of machine learning models that predict binary outcomes, such as logistic regression, random forest, or nearest neighbor models. After introducing and... View Details

Keywords: Statistics; Experiments; Forecasting and Prediction; Performance Evaluation; AI and Machine Learning

January 2001 (Revised May 2003)
Case

Novartis Pharma: The Business Unit Model

By: Srikant M. Datar, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Cate Reavis

In June 2000, Novartis reorganized its pharmaceutical business to form global business units in oncology, transplantation, ophthalmology, and mature products. The remaining primary care products continued to be managed within global functions (e.g., R&D and marketing).... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Recruitment; Product Marketing; Organizational Structure; Problems and Challenges; Health Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry

January 1988 (Revised March 1995)
Supplement

Digital Equipment Corp.: The Endpoint Model (C2)

By: David A. Garvin

To follow Digital Equipment Corp.: The Endpoint Model (C1). Students must assess what their next steps would be as plant manager and group manufacturing manager. View Details

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Business Model; Business or Company Management; Production; Technology; Technology Industry

Spring 2019
Article

Fluid Teams and Knowledge Retrieval: Scaling Service Operations

By: Melissa A. Valentine, Tom Fangyun Tan, Bradley R. Staats and Amy C. Edmondson

To scale service operations requires retrieving knowledge across the organization. However, prior work highlights that individuals on the periphery of organizational knowledge networks may struggle to access useful knowledge at work. A knowledge repository has the... View Details

Keywords: Teaming; Teams; Groups and Teams; Knowledge Management; Service Delivery; Knowledge Use and Leverage

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January 2020 (Revised October 2021)
Case

Zara: An Integrated Store and Online Model (A)

By: Antonio Moreno

In 2010, amidst the growth of ecommerce and the emergence of new, purely online, fashion players, Zara launched its first online store, Zara.com. Since then, Zara’s online business had grown at a fast pace. By 2018, 12% of Inditex Group’s total sales came from the... View Details

Keywords: Stores; Integration; Operations; Business Model; Strategy; E-commerce; Retail Industry; Fashion Industry; Europe

Web

Field Course: Startup Operations - Course Catalog

HBS Course Catalog Field Course: Startup Operations Course Number 6673 Senior Lecturer Julia Austin Fall; Q1Q2; 3.0 credits Two-hour sessions meet on Tuesdays from 3:10-5:10 Applications will be accepted through 5pm ET on August 9, 2024 A... View Details

October 2004 (Revised November 2004)
Case

Mavens & Moguls: Creating a New Business Model

By: Myra M. Hart, Victoria Winston and Kristin Lieb

Mavens & Moguls is a "virtual" marketing-consulting firm of approximately 40 professionals. Examines the processes by which its founder, Paige Arnof-Fenn, learns the business, builds a power network of industry experts and potential customers, and uses this expertise... View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Values and Beliefs; Work-Life Balance; Organizational Structure; Organizational Culture; Operations; Networks; Business Model; Growth Management; Business Growth and Maturation; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Consulting Industry