Publications

June 2011 (Revised June 2012)
Case

Sephora Direct: Investing in Social Media, Video, and Mobile

By: Elie Ofek and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld

Julie Bornstein, senior vice president of Sephora Direct, is seeking to double her budget for social media and other digital marketing initiatives for 2011. A number of digital efforts implemented in the past two years seem to be bearing fruit and there is a desire to... View Details

Keywords: History; Leadership; Marketing Strategy; Marketing; Emerging Markets; Investment Return; Investment Funds; Budgets and Budgeting

June 2020
Article

Real-time Data from Mobile Platforms to Evaluate Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure

By: Omar Isaac Asensio, Kevin Alvarez, Arielle Dror, Emerson Wenzel, Catharina Hollauer and Sooji Ha

By displacing gasoline and diesel fuels, electric cars and fleets reduce emissions from the transportation sector, thus offering important public health benefits. However, public confidence in the reliability of charging infrastructure remains a fundamental barrier to... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Transportation; Infrastructure; Behavior; AI and Machine Learning; Demand and Consumers

Find at Harvard

05 Aug 2010
News

Harvard Business School Names 2010 Social Entrepreneurship Fellows

2010
Article

An Organizational Approach to Undoing Gender: The Unlikely Case of Offshore Oil Platforms

By: Robin J. Ely and Debra E. Meyerson

This case study of two offshore oil platforms illustrates how an organizational initiative designed to enhance safety and effectiveness created a culture that unintentionally released men from societal imperatives for "manly" behavior, prompting them to let go of... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Goals and Objectives; Behavior; Organizational Culture; Performance Effectiveness; Gender; Emotions

Find at Harvard

28 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Racism and Digital Design: How Online Platforms Can Thwart Discrimination

Having uncovered the scope of discrimination taking place against Black guests and hosts on Airbnb, researcher Michael Luca and his colleagues put together a toolkit to aid managers in recognizing and mitigating discrimination on online platforms. View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Travel; Entertainment & Recreation; Service

June 2023
Exercise

Clash of Two Giants Simulation Exercise Instructions

By: Feng Zhu and Marco Iansiti

Many markets are organized around platforms that connect consumers with complimentary applications and services. These platforms are two-sided because both sides - consumers and those providing applications or services - need access to the same platform to interact. A... View Details

Keywords: Platform Strategies; Technology Platform; Customer Acquisition; Network Effects; Digital Platforms; Marketplace Matching; Strategy

24 Apr 2014
News

Using technology to create a platform for discussion

Having grown up outside Silicon Valley, Linda Leung (MBA 2014) is comfortable with integrating technology and business. It’s no wonder, then, that when she served as online communications manager for the HBS Women Students Association, Leung used View Details

10 Nov 2016
News

Bringing the Power of Platforms to Heath Care

Keywords: healthcare; disruptive innovation; Health, Social Assistance; Health, Social Assistance

27 Mar 2019
News

Will Startup Fishbowl Become the Social Media App for Your Industry?

Web

Winning with Digital Platforms Online Course | HBS Online

This course is part of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation track. Introduction to Winning with Digital Platforms ENROLL NOW No application needed for our certificate programs. Start your journey today! Winning with Digital View Details

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... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

14 Dec 2015
News

Building Platforms of Life for the World’s Poorest Children

right you are going to be ill, your brain probably won’t develop, you’ll be physically stunted, you won’t be in school or you won’t be able to pay attention in school. So we are working in the poorest communities and trying to build that View Details

01 Sep 2010
News

Social Entrepreneurship Fellows Named

I’ve told my straight friends about problems like this, they express surprise and ask what they can do to help.” That’s where Friendfactor comes in. The enterprise is developing a social networking platform... View Details

Keywords: Awards; disability; gay rights; Accommodation; Hospitality

20 Jul 2012
News

Use Social Media to Partner with Customers and Improve Service

December 2015 (Revised May 2016)
Case

Jibo: A Social Robot for the Home

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Christine Snively

In January 2015, Jibo Inc. had completed a raise of $25.3 million in Series A financing after a successful 2014 crowdfunding campaign for preorders of Jibo, the first social robot for the home. Over 4,800 Jibo units were preordered, generating $2.6 million in sales. On... View Details

Keywords: Business Development; Entrepreneurship; Applications and Software; Information Infrastructure; Business Startups; Technology Industry

03 Mar 2014
Blog Post

Align Your Social Media and Recruiting Strategies

success of your social media strategy. Join relevant conversations with candidates of interest and put yourself in a better position to succeed. Create Awareness of your FirmObvious as it may seem, every hiring organization should have a... View Details

February 2025
Supplement

Slice Labs: Creating a Fraud-Free Online Insurance Platform (B)

By: Amit Goldenberg, Max Bazerman and Ruth Page

Keywords: Technology; Insurance; Digitization; Honesty; Trust; Negotiation; Fraud; Ethics; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Tactics; Negotiation Types; Social Psychology

September 2021 (Revised June 2023)
Case

Mission edX: Balancing Social Good and Financial Sustainability

By: John J-H Kim, David J. Collis and James Barnett

In March 2021, online education platform edX considers how to achieve financial sustainability without compromising its mission to provide universal access to high-quality education. View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Education; Values and Beliefs; Internet and the Web; Financial Strategy; Mission and Purpose; Education Industry; United States