Publications

January 2017 (Revised June 2017)
Case

Chicago and the Array of Things: A Fitness Tracker for the City

By: Rajiv Lal and Scott Johnson

The city of Chicago has recently launched a project called the Array of Things. The program involves a series of sensor nodes placed around the city that capture a massive amount of data including pedestrian and vehicle flow, air quality, and cloud cover. The Array of... View Details

Keywords: Smart Connected Products; Smart Cities; Internet Of Things; Sensors; Govenment; Government Administration; Technological Innovation; Digital Platforms; Applications and Software; Information Infrastructure; Internet and the Web; Technology Industry; Technology Industry; Chicago; United States

2003
Other Unpublished Work

Evaluating Total Cost of Ownership for Software Platforms: Comparing Apples, Oranges, and Cucumbers

By: Alan MacCormack

Keywords: Digital Platforms; Cost; Ownership

Read Now

15 Aug 2024
Op-Ed

Post-CrowdStrike, Six Questions to Test Your Company's Operational Resilience

crisis is just as crucial as the response.” Over 60 percent of tech outages result in at least $100,000 in total losses, and 15 percent cost upward of $1 million, according to the Uptime Institute, a technology trade group. In severe... View Details

Keywords: by Hise Gibson and Anita Lynch

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; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry; United States

September 1996 (Revised April 1997)
Case

GO Corporation

By: Josh Lerner, Thomas J. Kosnik, Tarek AbuZayyad and Paul C. Yang

GO faces a crisis in March 1991 when Microsoft announces the introduction of a competing operating system for pen-based computers. GO's managers must work with its venture financers, Kleiner Perkins, to redesign its financing, alliance, and product development... View Details

Keywords: Value Creation; Digital Platforms; Competition; Private Equity; Adaptation; Crisis Management; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry

February 2014
Technical Note

Mobile Broadband and the Telecommunications Industry in 2011

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Kerry Herman and Christine Snively

Mobile broadband carriers provide network access to the Internet for a range of devices (typically portable or mobile), including consumer devices such as smartphones, tablets and E-Readers, but also a host of new emerging devices. Mobile broadband networks enable data... View Details

Keywords: Telecommunications; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Information Infrastructure; Digital Platforms; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry

13 Aug 2024
Research & Ideas

Why Companies Shouldn't Delay Software Updates—Even After CrowdStrike's Flaw

software update to the Falcon security platform managed by CrowdStrike, the giant cybersecurity company. “What happened in CrowdStrike is an illustration of the risk of picking up an upgrade immediately.” Greenstein’s work focuses on... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald; Technology; Technology; Technology; Technology

06 Jun 2005
Research & Ideas

Microsoft vs. Open Source: Who Will Win?

with a duopoly, no operating system ends up exploiting fully its potential because developers' efforts wind up divided between the two systems. However, with a monopoly, the efforts to develop new software and improve the platform are... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Technology

May 2017
Supplement

Betfair (B)

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, John Heilbron and Neil Campbell

Buoyed by success in the market for gambling contracts, Betfair attempts to enter the market for financial products using its exchange model. View Details

Keywords: Betfair; Exchange; Business Model; Betting; Leisure Industry; Market Design; Digital Platforms; Diversification; Financial Services Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Europe

11 Oct 2024
Research & Ideas

How AI Could Ease the Refugee Crisis and Bring New Talent to Businesses

instance, Paulson says she recently had a conversation with an executive MBA student who is designing a platform for matching patients with mental health care providers and wanted to learn from the Immigration Policy Lab’s experience. “I... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand; Technology; Technology

October 1994
Supplement

Frito-Lay, Decision Support System Software: Windows Network Version

By: Lynda M. Applegate

Keywords: Decision Making; Applications and Software; Digital Platforms

Find at Harvard

June 1995
Supplement

Frito-Lay, Decision Support System Software: Macintosh Network Version

By: Lynda M. Applegate

Keywords: Decision Making; Applications and Software; Digital Platforms

Find at Harvard

March 2021
Supplement

Facebook's Libra (B): The Privatization of Money?

By: Marco Di Maggio, Ethan Rouen, George Serafeim and Amy Klopfenstein

This case addresses the events that took place following the conclusion of the case “Facebook’s Libra (A): The Privatization of Money?” In October 2019, several months after the conclusion of the A case, multiple members of the Libra Association announced that they... View Details

June 1998 (Revised January 2000)
Case

Egghead.com

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport

Egghead Software, an entrenched traditional chain retailer specializing in computer software and peripherals, had established a nationwide chain of mall and shopping center stores and a well-organized national brand. In early 1998, management made a highly unusual, and... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Applications and Software; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry

09 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

Warring Algorithms Could Be Driving Up Consumer Prices

schedules, and other factors in an era when computers were helpful but not critical to pricing strategy. The result: A price change was more an annual or semiannual event. But these days, when companies can analyze consumer data and use View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Retail

17 Aug 2015
Research & Ideas

Who is Boss in the Sharing Economy?

than traditional businesses that employ their workers. And so it seemed until June, when the California Labor Commission disrupted the sharing economy when it declared that an Uber driver was an employee, not an independent contractor. Far from being a "neutral View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Technology; Technology

October 1995
Case

Singapore TradeNet: Beyond TradeNet to the Intelligent Island

By: Lynda M. Applegate, John L. King and Soon-Siong Neo

Describes the actions taken by the government of Singapore to enable the country to survive and prosper after it achieved independence in the late 1960s. Recognizing that its small size, limited natural resources, but excellent location placed it in a vulnerable... View Details

Keywords: Transition; Communication Technology; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Policy; Digital Platforms; Information Technology; Technology Adoption; Information Technology Industry; Singapore

Find at Harvard

April 2018
Supplement

Flipkart (B): The Ongoing Battle for India's E-Commerce Market

By: Sunil Gupta, Das Narayandas and Rachna Tahilyani

In 2017, both Flipkart and Amazon claimed leadership position in India's recently concluded key annual festive season sale, but it was too early to declare victory. Amazon continues to invest heavily in India. Competition from newer players is increasing. Media reports... View Details

Keywords: Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Competition; Retail Industry; India