Filter Results:
(1,267)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,267)
- People (3)
- News (154)
- Research (987)
- Events (1)
- Multimedia (1)
- Faculty Publications (692)
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,267)
- People (3)
- News (154)
- Research (987)
- Events (1)
- Multimedia (1)
- Faculty Publications (692)
Perspectives on Free and Open Source Software

What is the status of the Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS) revolution? Has the creation of software... View Details
- September 2001
- Background Note
Accounting for Computer Software Development Costs
By: Robert S. Kaplan and Tatiana Sandino
Summarizes the debate on accounting for computer software development costs. Provides a historical description of the development of standards on accounting of computer software development costs, both in the United States and internationally. Describes how, after much... View Details
Keywords: Accounting; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry; United States
Kaplan, Robert S., and Tatiana Sandino. "Accounting for Computer Software Development Costs." Harvard Business School Background Note 102-034, September 2001.
- April 2021
- Case
Transforming BlackBerry: From Smartphones to Software
By: Ranjay Gulati and Nicole Tempest Keller
On the verge of failure, BlackBerry brought in John Chen as CEO in 2013 to orchestrate a bold turnaround of the company. Once an iconic leader in the smartphone market, BlackBerry was best known for its tactile QWERTY keyboard, strong security, and a focus on business... View Details
Keywords: Pivot; Managing Change; Turnaround; Smartphone; Change Management; Leading Change; Transformation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Digital Platforms; Change; Information Infrastructure; Applications and Software; Competitive Strategy; Cybersecurity; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; Canada
Gulati, Ranjay, and Nicole Tempest Keller. "Transforming BlackBerry: From Smartphones to Software." Harvard Business School Case 421-052, April 2021.
- January 1985 (Revised November 1985)
- Background Note
Note on the Microcomputer Software Industry--January 1982
Contains a history of the microcomputer software industry from the mid-1970s through early 1982. During that period growth was explosive. Many new companies were formed. However, the eventual structure of the industry was not yet clear. No truly dominant firms had... View Details
Sahlman, William A. "Note on the Microcomputer Software Industry--January 1982." Harvard Business School Background Note 285-095, January 1985. (Revised November 1985.)
- January 2010 (Revised May 2012)
- Case
TopCoder (A): Developing Software through Crowdsourcing
By: Karim R. Lakhani, David A. Garvin and Eric Lonstein
TopCoder's crowdsourcing-based business model, in which software is developed through online tournaments, is presented. The case highlights how TopCoder has created a unique two-sided innovation platform consisting of a global community of over 225,000 developers who... View Details
Keywords: Business Model; Innovation and Invention; Two-Sided Platforms; Motivation and Incentives; Social and Collaborative Networks; Competition; Software; Technology Industry
Lakhani, Karim R., David A. Garvin, and Eric Lonstein. "TopCoder (A): Developing Software through Crowdsourcing." Harvard Business School Case 610-032, January 2010. (Revised May 2012.)
- July 1999 (Revised January 2003)
- Case
Harley-Davidson Motor Company: Enterprise Software Selection
Describes Harley-Davidson's decision process for defining and selecting an enterprise-wide procurement software package and the institutional changes introduced as part of this process. Tells the story of Harley-Davidson's approach in developing integrated business... View Details
Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Information Technology; Groups and Teams; Software; Motorcycle Industry
Austin, Robert D., Deborah Soule, and Mark J. Cotteleer. "Harley-Davidson Motor Company: Enterprise Software Selection." Harvard Business School Case 600-006, July 1999. (Revised January 2003.)
- October 1988
- Case
Agrico, Inc.: A Software Dilemma
An information systems vice president has one hour to make an ethical decision: should a software program, left inadvertently on the company's computer, be copied and stored? Copying the program would protect clients' assets, but it seems to violate the vendor... View Details
Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Ethics; Contracts; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Business and Shareholder Relations; Information Technology Industry
McFarlan, F. Warren. "Agrico, Inc.: A Software Dilemma." Harvard Business School Case 189-085, October 1988.
- April 2014 (Revised March 2015)
- Case
GE and the Industrial Internet
By: Karim R. Lakhani, Marco Iansiti and Kerry Herman
CEO Jeff Immelt considers whether GE is moving fast enough on its new Industrial Internet initiative. The undertaking includes building out an Industrial Internet, connecting machines and devices, collecting their data and operations, and providing services to clients... View Details
Keywords: Technology; Operations Management; Strategy; Big Data; Business Analysis; Corporate Strategy; Digital Technology; Digital Innovation; General Management; General Strategy; Global Competitiveness; Global Strategy; Innovation; Innovation And Management; Industrial Internet; GE; Innovation and Invention; Information Technology; Analytics and Data Science; Air Transportation Industry; Air Transportation Industry; Air Transportation Industry; Air Transportation Industry; Air Transportation Industry; Air Transportation Industry; Air Transportation Industry; Air Transportation Industry; Air Transportation Industry; Air Transportation Industry; North and Central America; Asia; Europe; Middle East; Latin America
Lakhani, Karim R., Marco Iansiti, and Kerry Herman. "GE and the Industrial Internet." Harvard Business School Case 614-032, April 2014. (Revised March 2015.)
- November – December 2011
- Article
Competitive Strategy for Open Source Software
By: Vineet Kumar, Brett Gordon and Kannan Srinivasan
Commercial open source software (COSS) products-privately developed software based on publicly available source code-represent a rapidly growing, multibillion-dollar market. A unique aspect of competition in the COSS market is that many open source licenses require... View Details
Keywords: Applications and Software; Competitive Strategy; Product Development; Growth and Development; Markets; Motivation and Incentives; Quality; Policy; Perspective; Profit; Open Source Distribution; Emerging Markets
Kumar, Vineet, Brett Gordon, and Kannan Srinivasan. "Competitive Strategy for Open Source Software." Marketing Science 30, no. 6 (November–December 2011): 1066–1078.
- June 2024
- Case
Arete Research on Unity Software
By: Joseph Pacelli and Tonia Labruyere
Richard Kramer had founded Arete Research, an independent financial research provider, in 2000 after a successful career as a sell-side analyst at Goldman Sachs. He reflects on his team's coverage of Unity Software, a U.S.-based mobile games software company, that... View Details
Keywords: Analysis; Initial Public Offering; Analytics and Data Science; Applications and Software; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Valuation; Value Creation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Model; Reports; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; United Kingdom; United States
Pacelli, Joseph, and Tonia Labruyere. "Arete Research on Unity Software." Harvard Business School Case 124-086, June 2024.
- April 2011
- Article
The Emotional Impact and Behavioral Consequences of Post-M&A Integration: An Ethnographic Case Study in the Software Industry
By: David Ager
This ethnographic case study has focused in depth on one type of acquisition, that of two small, young firms (each with less than 2,000 employees and less than ten years in operation) acquired by one company in the software development industry based in the United... View Details
Keywords: Integration; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Behavior; Groups and Teams; Mergers and Acquisitions; Emotions
Ager, David. "The Emotional Impact and Behavioral Consequences of Post-M&A Integration: An Ethnographic Case Study in the Software Industry." Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 40, no. 2 (April 2011): 199–230.
- November 2004
- Article
Globalization and Convergence in Corporate Governance: Evidence from Infosys and the Indian Software Industry
By: Tarun Khanna and Krishna G. Palepu
Khanna, Tarun, and Krishna G. Palepu. "Globalization and Convergence in Corporate Governance: Evidence from Infosys and the Indian Software Industry." Journal of International Business Studies 35, no. 6 (November 2004): 484–507.
- September 2023
- Technical Note
Free and Open Source Software and Hardware
By: Frank Nagle
This technical note surveys the concepts of free and open source software and hardware. It introduces the concepts in general, providing a brief history of their development and numerous examples of how companies employ them in practice. Further, it identifies various... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Technological Innovation; Nonprofit Organizations; Competitive Strategy; Patents; Information Technology; Business Model; Open Source Distribution; Applications and Software; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry
Nagle, Frank. "Free and Open Source Software and Hardware." Harvard Business School Technical Note 724-380, September 2023.
- October 2023
- Case
Making Progress at Progress Software (A)
By: Katherine Coffman, Hannah Riley Bowles and Alexis Lefort
In this case, the Human Capital team at Progress Software has identified that some employees have a hard time understanding how to advance within Progress. This realization leads the team to develop several major people-process innovations: the introduction of... View Details
Keywords: Leading Change; Organizational Culture; Performance Evaluation; Prejudice and Bias; Personal Development and Career; Human Capital; Employee Relationship Management; Technology Industry; Bulgaria
Coffman, Katherine, Hannah Riley Bowles, and Alexis Lefort. "Making Progress at Progress Software (A)." Harvard Business School Case 924-010, October 2023.
- November 1999 (Revised December 1999)
- Case
Massachusetts Software Council, The
By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Stephanie M. Lowell
Kanter, Rosabeth M., and Stephanie M. Lowell. "Massachusetts Software Council, The." Harvard Business School Case 300-021, November 1999. (Revised December 1999.)
- 01 May 1998
- Conference Presentation
Rapid Learning and Adaptation in Product Development: An Empirical Study of the Internet Software Industry
By: Alan MacCormack, M. Iansiti and R Verganti
- August 2001 (Revised June 2002)
- Case
IBM Software Solutions (B)
By: Michael L. Tushman and Robert Chapman Wood
Supplements the (A) case. View Details
Keywords: Information Technology Industry
Tushman, Michael L., and Robert Chapman Wood. "IBM Software Solutions (B)." Harvard Business School Case 402-017, August 2001. (Revised June 2002.)
- June 1989 (Revised July 1994)
- Case
Babbage's: America's Software Headquarters
By: Walter J. Salmon
Salmon, Walter J. "Babbage's: America's Software Headquarters." Harvard Business School Case 589-100, June 1989. (Revised July 1994.)
- January 2001 (Revised January 2004)
- Case
Ninth House: e-Learning Software
By: Amy C. Edmondson, Frances X. Frei and Corey B. Hajim
Jeff Snipes, CEO of the Ninth House Network, a San Francisco-based E-Learning company, considers a strategy shift to address a recent slump in sales and to attract more customers. The revised strategy would require creating shorter, more directed content that could be... View Details
Keywords: Internet and the Web; Service Operations; Organizational Structure; Groups and Teams; Corporate Strategy; Organizational Culture; Learning; Sales; Service Delivery; Entrepreneurship; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry; San Francisco
Edmondson, Amy C., Frances X. Frei, and Corey B. Hajim. "Ninth House: e-Learning Software." Harvard Business School Case 601-047, January 2001. (Revised January 2004.)
- May 1986
- Case
Hi-Tech Corp., Software Case
Keywords: Technology Industry
Fruhan, William E., Jr. "Hi-Tech Corp., Software Case." Harvard Business School Case 286-083, May 1986.