Publications

April 2013 (Revised October 2014)
Case

SaferTaxi: Connecting Taxis and Passengers in South America

By: Peter Coles and Benjamin Edelman

SaferTaxi, a taxi booking service in South America must develop its mobilization strategy; that is, it must attract enough passengers and drivers to make its service worthwhile for all. Drivers hesitate to pay for SaferTaxi's smartphones and service unless these will... View Details

Keywords: Taxi Booking; Smartphone; Transportation Networks; Network Effects; Laws and Statutes; South America; Argentina; Brazil; Chile

April 2018
Supplement

$19B 4 txt app WhatsApp...omg! (B)

By: David B. Yoffie and Aakash Mehta

This case provides a brief update on Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp. View Details

Keywords: Technology; Strategy; Network Effects; Technology Industry

28 Nov 2011
Research & Ideas

Rethinking the Fairness of Organ Transplants

Transplantation Network (OPTN). This national registry and waiting list is managed by the private nonprofit United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which has the unenviable task of making priority and... View Details

Keywords: by Dennis Fisher; Health

March 2022
Supplement

Winning Business at Russell Reynolds (B)

By: Ethan Bernstein and Cara Mazzucco

In an effort to make compensation drive collaboration, Russell Reynolds Associates’ (RRA) CEO Clarke Murphy sought to re-engineer the bonus system for his executive search consultants in 2016. As his HR analytics guru, Kelly Smith, points out, that risks upsetting–and... View Details

October 2009 (Revised March 2012)
Case

Nettwerk: Digital Marketing in the Music Industry

By: John A. Deighton and Leora Kornfeld

How is music marketed in the digital era? Nettwerk Music Group built on its foundation as a social, grassroots marketer of music and artists and emerged as a leader in the Internet-enabled social media environment. For most of the past decade Nettwerk CEO Terry McBride... View Details

Keywords: Music Entertainment; Product Marketing; Network Effects; Sales; Social and Collaborative Networks; Online Technology; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Music Industry

Career Coach

Betsy Edwards

working with individuals on all aspects of the job search process and at every stage. She combines her years of coaching experience and industry expertise with her practical approach and extensive knowledge of HBS networks to help others... View Details

Keywords: Education; Fintech; Financial Services (All); Impact Investing; Financial Services (All); Government; Health Care; Social Enterprise

November 2003 (Revised March 2004)
Case

Teledesic (Abridged)

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann

Describes plans for a failed project that proposed the use of 288 satellites to deliver high-speed data communications services anywhere in the world. View Details

Keywords: Communication Technology; Network Effects; Failure; Information Technology Industry; Telecommunications Industry

01 Jun 2002
News

New Fellowship Program Encourages Young MBAs to Work for Nonprofits

cochair of ISE and an expert on nonprofit organizations, “The carryover effects of a program like this are fantastic. The fellows will bring a culture of change to nonprofit organizations that can be tremendously helpful. In addition,... View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

August 2004 (Revised August 2005)
Background Note

Online Auction Markets

eBay, Yahoo!, and Amazon.com entered the online auction market within four years of one another, along with a host of smaller Web sites. Five years later, eBay clearly outstripped its competitors, despite the fact that Yahoo! and Amazon both had a huge installed base... View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Auctions; Network Effects

14 May 2007
Research & Ideas

The Key to Managing Stars? Think Team

that despite their talent, knowledge, experience, and reputation, who they work with really matters for sustaining top performance," say the authors. The article, "The Effects of Colleague Quality on Top Performance: The Case of... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

22 Sep 2008
Research & Ideas

The Silo Lives! Analyzing Coordination and Communication in Multiunit Companies

communications in corporations? Where did the idea come from? Toby Stuart: For the first time in history, it is possible to actually analyze the "soft wiring" or largely complete social networks inside organizations. This is feasible... View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert

07 Jun 2019
Book

Are You a Digital Manager?

conflict. But they will occur in a context of underlying trust, understanding, and partnership that has already been established. Effective managers use their networks to pursue plans and goals in four key... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

November 2009 (Revised January 2010)
Case

Communispace

By: Anat Keinan

Communispace is the market leader in creating and managing private, brand-focused online communities for major corporate clients. These communities have provided its clients with insights into how consumers view their brands, with quick feedback on potential marketing... View Details

Keywords: Customer Focus and Relationships; Brands and Branding; Product Launch; Network Effects; Social and Collaborative Networks; Online Technology; Communications Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry