Publications

Web

Tools & Services | Information Technology

about web design, implementation, management, and support at HBS. Data, Reporting, & Analytics Explore IT supported reporting and analytics platforms for HBS community information assets. Deliver We ensure the availability and security of... View Details

01 Mar 2019
News

Napkin Finance: Say It in a Picture

sketching them out within the space limitations of a fouror five-inch square. With a library of hundreds of digital napkins and counting—along with short videos, actual paper napkins, and a book to come later this year—Napkin Finance is... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

October 2005 (Revised February 2007)
Case

Red Flag Software Co.

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Tarun Khanna, David Lane and Elizabeth Raabe

In 2005, just five years after its formal launch, Beijing-based Red Flag Software was the world's second-largest distributor of the Linux operating system and was expecting its first annual profit. On a unit basis, Red Flag led the world in desktops (PCs) shipped with... View Details

Keywords: Digital Platforms; Competitive Advantage; Applications and Software; Business Startups; Globalized Markets and Industries; Information Technology Industry; Distribution Industry; Beijing; United States

02 Jun 2014
Research & Ideas

Secrets to a Successful Social Media Strategy

some social media platforms soar while others fizzle, and how business can use them to generate profit. "I have always been fascinated that humans interact online when we can interact offline as we have for thousands of years," says... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

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

April 2005 (Revised June 2006)
Case

Yahoo! Messenger: Network Integration

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld

Describes Yahoo!'s management of the launch of version 6.0 of its Instant Messenger (IM) product, which incorporates features from 12 other Yahoo! properties, including Search, Music, Games, Photos, Personals, News, and Shopping. The integration of features from so... View Details

Keywords: Integration; Business Units; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Competitive Advantage; Web Services Industry; Information Technology Industry; United States

06 Dec 2021
News

Action Plan: Whole Sale

online platforms such as YouTube or, more recently, TikTok, to discover new products, but digital sales in the category were not on par with other consumer goods. The explanation: “Beauty is a fun purchase... View Details

Keywords: April White; ecommerce; bricks and mortar; marketing; beauty

01 Dec 2018
News

Lifelong Learning about Leadership

careers and lives, and the other utilizes HBS’s online learning platform to share the School’s pedagogy with broader audiences. More than 70 MBA alumni from the classes of 1995– 2005—all seasoned professionals at an inflection... View Details

12 Sep 2018
News

Game-Changing Analytics

the NBA’s Philadelphia ’76ers benefit from the analytic approach and technology platform Gelman helped develop to build the Kraft organization’s enviable connection with New England Patriots’ fans. “We help organizations develop a... View Details

July 2022
Case

Metaverse Seoul

By: Mitchell Weiss and Samantha Markowitz

In May 2022, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) launched the pilot of Metaverse Seoul, a government-run metaverse. SMG had delivered a virtual version of Seoul’s mayor’s office. The team aimed to gain insights as they worked towards building a broad, immersive,... View Details

Keywords: Metaverse; Entrepreneurship; Innovation and Invention; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Government Administration; Public Administration Industry; South Korea; Asia

04 Sep 2019
News

A Wide Screen Approach

platforms at once. “Nobody had streamed a service at that scale before,” says Wilson. “We were holding our breath, because we were basically betting our business that this was going to be a successful pivot.” It felt like a sharp turn not... View Details

10 Jun 2022
Blog Post

New Venture Competition 2022: Business and Environment Ventures

anywhere, anytime. SunriseDomingo Garcia-Huidobro, MBA 2022Solar marketplace for Latin America connecting homeowners, qualified local installers, and banks. Our mission is to offer a hassle-free digital View Details

08 Jul 2002
Research & Ideas

How to Fashion Your New E-Business Model

Internet. The second major category of e-business model comprises businesses that provide the platform upon which digital businesses are built and operated. The e-business model classification…suggests... View Details

Keywords: by Lynda M. Applegate

01 Sep 2020
News

Giving Amazon the Boot

Amazon was one of the big beneficiaries: The tech giant’s second quarter revenue was $88.9 billion, up a staggering 40 percent from the same period a year earlier. Amazon is the cornerstone of ecommerce—but are the merchants that offer their goods on the View Details

Keywords: Lisa Scanlon Mogolov; Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Retail Trade

March 2018 (Revised July 2018)
Case

Cadre

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann, Scott Duke Kominers and David Lane

Late in 2017, CEO Ryan Williams and his team debated whether Cadre should become not only a technology-enabled investment manager, but also an online trading exchange providing high levels of liquidity for investors in commercial real estate (CRE) equity. Cadre was a... View Details

Keywords: ＂Cadre,＂; Entrepreneurship; Market Design; Digital Platforms; Strategy; Internet and the Web; Private Equity; Financial Services Industry; Real Estate Industry; United States

August 2013
Technical Note

Raising the Level of Abstraction

By: Willy Shih

This technical note discusses abstraction as a way of generalizing a process or component for wider application. By hiding complexity inside a module, abstraction enables system designers to think at a higher level. This lowers entry barriers to using (and reusing) a... View Details

Keywords: Abstraction; Modularity; Commercialization; Information Technology; Information Infrastructure; Information Technology; Applications and Software; Digital Platforms; United States; Asia; Europe

November 1999 (Revised June 2000)
Case

VerticalNet (www.verticalnet.com)

By: Das Narayandas

VerticalNet, a leading creator of targeted business-to-business vertical trade communities on the Internet, is trying to expand its model to facilitate e-commerce. Mark Walsh, the CEO of VerticalNet, has to decide how far he can extend the firm's business model without... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Decisions; Digital Platforms; Expansion; Internet and the Web