Publications

01 Sep 2024
Video

MBA Application Tips: Introduction

15 Jan 2007
Research & Ideas

The Business of Free Software

"For IBM, Linux is the razor, and WebSphere software and its related services are the razor blade," he says. "The question of how you invest View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Computer

01 Dec 2023
Blog Post

8 FAQs on the MBA Application

As we approach the January Round 2 application deadline, we have noticed a few common questions from prospective students regarding the HBS MBA application. Check out the top 5 questions we get from View Details

30 Apr 2001
Research & Ideas

Why Evolutionary Software Development Works

The approach contrasts with traditional models of software development and their more sequential processes. Although the evolutionary model has been around for several years, this is the first time the... View Details

Keywords: by Alan MacCormack; Technology

March 2009
Article

Applicant and Examiner Citations in U.S. Patents: An Overview and Analysis

By: Juan Alcacer, Michelle Gittelman and Bhaven Sampat

Prior art patent citations have become a popular measure of patent quality and knowledge flow between firms. Interpreting these measurements is complicated, in some cases, because prior art citations are added by patent examiners as well as by patent applicants. The... View Details

Keywords: Citations; Patents; Knowledge Sharing; Measurement and Metrics; Quality; United States

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; Transportation Industry; Canada

2021
Working Paper

Measuring Employment Impact: Applications and Cases

By: Katie Panella and George Serafeim

Applying the Impact-Weighted Accounts Initiative’s employment impact methodology on eight leading companies, we document wide variability in employment impacts as a percentage of salaries paid, ranging between 59 and 80 percent. We identify opportunities for... View Details

Keywords: Impact Measurement; Employee Compensation; Accounting; Employees; Labor; Well-being; Diversity; Wages; Compensation and Benefits

SSRN

Read Now

1985
Book

Marketing Management: Principles, Analysis and Applications

By: B. P. Shapiro, R. J. Dolan and J. Quelch

Keywords: Marketing; Management; Theory

2008
Working Paper

Applicant and Examiner Citations in U.S. Patents: An Overview and Analysis

By: Juan Alcacer, Michelle Gittelman and Bhaven Sampat

Researchers studying innovation increasingly use indicators based on patent citations. However, it is well known that not all citations originate from applicants—patent examiners contribute to citations listed in issued patents—and that this could complicate... View Details

Keywords: Citations; Innovation and Invention; Patents; Research; United States

Read Now

14 Nov 2018
Video

Class of 2021 Application Process Q&A Webinar for Round 2 Applicants

Research Summary

Health-care Applications

Active postmarketing drug surveillance. There is substantial interest within the U.S. health community and among health policymakers in developing a surveillance system that scans public health databases in order to proactively detect potential drug safety... View Details

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

June 2004 (Revised September 2006)
Case

Business Intelligence Software at SYSCO

The large food service company SYSCO has decided to purchase business intelligence (BI) software, a technology intended to provide superior monitoring and analysis capabilities. Twila Day, assistant vice president of technology and applications, is in charge of the BI... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Information Technology; Applications and Software; Decision Making; Management Systems; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

2005
Book

Perspectives on Free and Open Source Software

By: Joe Feller, Brian Fitzgerald, Scott Hissam and Karim R. Lakhani

Keywords: Perspective; Applications and Software; Knowledge Sharing

2022
Working Paper

Measuring the Tolerance of the State: Theory and Application to Protest

By: Veli Andirin, Yusuf Neggers, Mehdi Shadmehr and Jesse M. Shapiro

We develop a measure of a regime's tolerance for an action by its citizens. We ground our measure in an economic model and apply it to the setting of political protest. In the model, a regime anticipating a protest can take a costly action to repress it. We define the... View Details

Keywords: Political Protests; Modeling And Analysis; Government and Politics; Conflict and Resolution

Read Now

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; Accounting Industry; United States

January 1984
Case

COMSERV Corp.: Software Capitalization and Tax Credits