Publications

01 Mar 2018
What Do You Think?

Two Decades Later, is the 'New Economy' Finally Here?

The first of these, Machine/Platform/Crowd, explores the current and future impact of digital technology on people (the mind in relation to machine), product (in relation to digital platforms), and core... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

27 Jul 2019
Op-Ed

Does Facebook's Business Model Threaten Our Elections?

unconcerned. Engagement on various applications on the Facebook platform is up. Users appear comfortable with the trade they make to give up privileged information in exchange for a range of convenient and free services. Without a push by... View Details

Keywords: by George Riedel

July 2003 (Revised June 2010)
Case

FrontPoint Partners

By: Jay O. Light

A hedge fund platform, a new and unique kind of asset management firm, contemplates various client markets for its services. View Details

Keywords: Asset Management; Investment; Demand and Consumers; Digital Platforms; Service Delivery; Financial Services Industry

Find at Harvard

25 May 2020
Research & Ideas

Has Occupational Licensing Outlived Its Usefulness?

should clarify though, that our analysis cannot be extended to other occupations like lawyers or doctors. I would never want to select my doctor on the basis of online reviews rather than their training and education. I think there is a big distinction. Lagace: How... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Service

August 2008 (Revised July 2011)
Case

Consumer Payment Systems — United States

By: Benjamin Edelman and Andrei Hagiu

In 2008, the U.S. consumer payments landscape was characterized by the ongoing prevalence of credit and debit card networks, the decline of checks, the rise of stored value cards, and the growth of new payment methods such as PayPal, Bill Me Later, and decoupled debit.... View Details

Keywords: Borrowing and Debt; Financial Management; Personal Finance; Digital Platforms; Motivation and Incentives; Competitive Strategy; Internet and the Web; United States

September 2018 (Revised January 2020)
Supplement

Apple Pay and Mobile Payments in Australia (B)

By: Feng Zhu, Susan Athey and David Lane

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Payment Methods; Mobile Payment; Apple; Banks and Banking; Cooperation; Problems and Challenges; Policy; Digital Platforms; Banking Industry; Australia

11 Jun 2019
Book

These Aren't Beach Books, but Managers Should Read Them Anyway

Business of Platforms: Strategy in the Age of Digital Competition, Innovation, and Power David Yoffie and colleagues reveal the principles that have made platform businesses the most valuable firms in the... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

26 Feb 2018
Research & Ideas

The Airbnb Effect: Cheaper Rooms for Travelers, Less Revenue for Hotels

Farronato, a Harvard Business School assistant professor, and Andrey Fradkin, postdoctoral fellow at the Initiative on the Digital Economy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "You might find a Fifth Avenue apartment or a... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Travel

05 Nov 2024
Book

Building the Road to 'Small Business Utopia' with AI and Fintech

of a portal from which the business owner could operate all their financial activities? What if this intelligent platform knew when the business might need credit and could offer relevant options which were prequalified? And better yet,... View Details

Keywords: by Karen G. Mills; Financial Services

August 2011
Supplement

InnoCentive.com (B)

By: Karim R. Lakhani and Eric Lonstein

InnoCentive.com enables clients to tap into internal and external solver networks to address various business issues. In 2008, InnoCentive introduced "InnoCentive@Work" (lC@W), which recognized clients' reluctance to share problems and solutions with an external... View Details

Keywords: Digital Platforms; Cost vs Benefits; Intellectual Property; Networks; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Product; Groups and Teams; Communication Technology

01 Jul 2019
Research & Ideas

The Airbnb Lesson for Startups? Success Takes More Than Technology

seen before. More people are employed today, so it would be harder to start those kinds of businesses. The opportunities are different when you’re at the economic bonanza. This article was featured in the HBS Digital Initiative's The New... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Travel; Tourism

December 1999 (Revised November 2000)
Background Note

Pricing and Market Making on the Internet

By: Robert J. Dolan and Youngme E. Moon

Considers the impact of the Internet on how market exchanges will take place. Discusses the role of shopping agents and alternatives to fixed prices such as negotiations, auctions, and exchanges. View Details

Keywords: Price; Marketing Strategy; Auctions; Digital Platforms; Negotiation; Internet and the Web

March 2011
Case

MorphoSys AG: The Evolution of a Biotechnology Business Model

By: Gary P. Pisano, Ryan Johnson and Carin-Isabel Knoop

In the biotech world, the 18-year-old Munich-based company MorphoSys was a rarity: it was profitable. The company achieved this profitability not by developing and selling its own drugs, but by licensing access to its proprietary library of human antibodies. Recently,... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Profit; Intellectual Property; Rights; Risk Management; Digital Platforms; Product Development; Business and Shareholder Relations; Vertical Integration; Biotechnology Industry; Munich

January 2004 (Revised October 2006)
Case

Electronic Arts in Online Gaming

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Justin Wong

Electronic Arts (EA), the world's largest independent video-game publisher, must decide whether to support Microsoft's initiatives in online gaming. Historically, EA has been platform-agnostic, releasing versions of its titles for all major console platforms. However,... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Digital Platforms; Network Effects; Policy; Customer Focus and Relationships; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Revenue; Segmentation; Sales; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Electronics Industry

April 2005 (Revised February 2006)
Case

Monster Networking

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and David Andrew Vivero

The management at Monster.com, the leading U.S. provider of online recruitment services, must decide how to proceed with Monster Networking (MN), a new business launched in late 2003. MN helps users identify other individuals who can offer career advice. Monster.com... View Details

Keywords: Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Social and Collaborative Networks; Recruitment; Service Industry; Employment Industry; United States

09 Jun 2015
First Look

First Look: June 9, 2015

School Case 515-052 Philips Healthcare: Marketing the HealthSuite Digital Platform In June 2014, leading healthcare and consumer technology company Royal Philips (Philips) announced its HealthSuite View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

May 2019
Teaching Note

SeatGeek

By: Robert F. Higgins and Sarah Mehta

Teaching Note for HBS No. 819-013. View Details

Keywords: Event Ticketing; Sports Ticketing; Business Ventures; Acquisition; Business Model; Decision Making; Digital Platforms; Sports; Strategy; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Information Technology; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Sports Industry; New York (city, NY)