Publications

2024
Working Paper

Digital Platforms 2.0: Learnings, Opportunities, and Challenges

By: Shrabastee Banerjee, Ishita Chakraborty, Hana Choi, Hannes Datta, Remi Daviet, Chiara Farronato, Minkyung Kim, Anja Lambrecht, Puneet Manchanda, Aniko Oery, Ananya Sen, Marshall W Van Alstyne, Prasad Vana, Kenneth C Wilbur, Xu Zhang and Bobby Zhou

Platform-based digital ecosystems form the backbone of our interactions with the Internet. Over the past decade, digital ecosystems have witnessed significant growth, both in terms of industry footprint and academic research. Yet, the challenges associated with their... View Details

Keywords: Digital Platforms; Technology Adoption; E-commerce; Market Design

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Online Business Courses & Certifications | HBS Online

value for yourself and your organization. 8 weeks, 4-5 hrs/week Pay by June 12 $1,850 Certificate Winning with Digital Platforms Professor Feng Zhu Explore digital platforms' unique properties, opportunities, and risks, and develop... View Details

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Online Entrepreneurship & Innovation Courses | HBS Online

method through a proprietary platform featuring courses created by renowned faculty Yes No Collaboration with fellow online learners through unique simulations and interactive activities Yes Some Discount... View Details

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Online Finance & Accounting Courses | HBS Online

Yes No The preferred brand among prospective online learners* Yes No Reimagined the case study method through a proprietary platform featuring courses created by renowned faculty Yes No Collaboration with... View Details

September 2018 (Revised October 2018)
Supplement

Lexoo: Building a Long-Lasting Platform

By: Chiara Farronato and Elena Corsi

Lexoo, a UK-based online marketplace for legal services, was facing the strategic choice of how to grow from early start-up to mature platform. Daniel van Binsbergen, Lexoo's CEO, and web developer Chris O'Sullivan, CTO, had set up Lexoo to help Small and Medium-Sized... View Details

Keywords: Marketplaces; Legal Services; Growth Strategy; Technology Ventures; Pivot; Service Operations; Digital Platforms; Growth and Development Strategy; Small Business; Decision Making; Legal Services Industry

28 Mar 2018
Research & Ideas

Sophisticated Investors May Be Harming Fintech Lending Platforms

differs significantly from a traditional lending bank. Once an application is filed, the lending platform collects information on borrowers through online self-reporting and by pulling credit reports. The... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Banking; Financial Services

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Online Business in Society Courses | HBS Online

prospective online learners* Yes No Reimagined the case study method through a proprietary platform featuring courses created by renowned faculty Yes No Collaboration with fellow View Details

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Online Creating Brand Value Course | HBS Online

course to a colleague who is interested in taking a deeper dive into brand valuation. Solya Martynyuk What You Earn Certificate of Completion Boost your resume with a Certificate of Completion from HBS Online Earn by: completing this... View Details

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

February 2021
Case

Threadless: The Renewal of an Online Community

By: Shane Greenstein, Karim Lakhani and Christian Godwin

Threadless, an online apparel company and artist community which Jake Nickell founded in 2000, continued to maintain its status as a top company in the online apparel industry during its second decade. From 2010 to 2020, Threadless continued to operate its... View Details

February 2011 (Revised November 2012)
Case

PatientsLikeMe: An Online Community of Patients

By: Sunil Gupta and Jason Riis

PatientsLikeMe (PLM) is an online community where patients share their personal experiences with a disease, find other patients like them, and learn from each other. The company was founded by Jamie and Ben Heywood when their 29-year-old brother was diagnosed with ALS... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Health Disorders; Knowledge Sharing; Growth and Development Strategy; Product Launch; Digital Platforms; Social and Collaborative Networks; Health Industry

10 Dec 2018
Working Paper Summaries

Platform Competition: Betfair and the U.K. Market for Sports Betting

Keywords: by Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Neil Campbell; Entertainment & Recreation

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Online Dynamic Teaming Course | HBS Online

Founder, Angelus Consulting and Research Limited at Angelus Consulting and Research Limited MSc, Business Administration What You Earn Certificate of Completion Boost your resume with a Certificate of Completion from HBS Online Earn by:... View Details

14 Jan 2021
Working Paper Summaries

Dog Eat Dog: Measuring Network Effects Using a Digital Platform Merger

Keywords: by Chiara Farronato, Jessica Fong, and Andrey Fradkin

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Online Entrepreneurial Marketing Course | HBS Online

and the course platform ends 60 days after the final deadline in the program. How should I list my certificate on my resume? + – Once you’ve earned your Certificate of Completion, list it on your resume along with the date of completion:... View Details

November 2014
Case

Taryn Rose Launches Dresr: Street Marketing a Luxury Brand

By: Lena G. Goldberg, Marcel Saucet and Christine Snively

Serial entrepreneur and shoe designer Taryn Rose, M.D., prepared to launch a new e-commerce platform, Dresr, which would connect shoppers with tastemakers online. Dresr would bring the service element found in brick and mortar luxury stores into the online shopping... View Details

Keywords: E-commerce; Online Platforms; Online Marketing; Footwear; Legal Aspects Of Business; Street Marketing; Entrepreneurship; Internet and the Web; Luxury; Marketing Strategy; Digital Platforms; Legal Liability; Fashion Industry; Technology Industry

May 24, 2021
Article

What Makes an Online Marketplace Disruptive?

By: Clifford Maxwell and Scott Duke Kominers

Platforms like Airbnb, eBay, and Angie’s List have changed how markets work. But while many are innovative and make life easier for consumers, which are truly disruptive? Hewing to Clay Christensen’s theory of disruption, platforms—which operate as online... View Details

Keywords: Digital Platforms; Disruption; Framework

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January 2018 (Revised October 2019)
Case

ZBJ: Building a Global Outsourcing Platform for Knowledge Workers (A)

By: Feng Zhu, Weiru Chen and Shirley Sun

ZBJ.com (ZBJ), an online platform that connects knowledge workers to small- and medium-sized enterprises, is China’s largest outsourcing platform. Founded by Mingyue Zhu in 2006, ZBJ had grown into a unicorn with 4,000 employees and a daily transaction volume of RMB15... View Details

Keywords: Outsourcing; Disintermediation; Digital Platforms; Information Technology; Problems and Challenges; Global Strategy; Information Technology Industry; China

October 14, 2019
Article

Designing Better Online Review Systems

By: Geoff Donaker, Hyunjin Kim and Michael Luca

Online reviews are transforming the way consumers choose products and services of all sorts. We turn to TripAdvisor to plan a vacation, Zocdoc to find a doctor, and Yelp to choose a new restaurant. Reviews can create value for buyers and sellers alike, but only if they... View Details

Keywords: Reviews; Internet and the Web; Design; Quality; Reputation