Publications

29 Sep 2011
Sharpening Your Skills

Sharpening Your Skills: Leveraging Intellectual Property

a cure-all, but rather as a tool with both strengths and weaknesses. The increasing use of patent pools to share technology is one method for firms to avoid costly litigation arising from overlapping patent awards. How Should I Think... View Details

Keywords: Re: Multiple Faculty

28 Sep 2010
First Look

First Look: September 28, 2010

equilibria, and reduce the severity of the coordination problem faced by users. Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/11-030.pdf The Intensive Margin of Technology Adoption Authors:Diego Comin... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2024
Working Paper

The New Digital Divide

By: Mayana Pereira, Shane Greenstein, Raffaella Sadun, Prasanna Tambe, Lucia Ronchi Darre, Tammy Glazer, Allen Kim, Rahul Dodhia and Juan Lavista Ferres

We build and analyze new metrics of digital usage that leverage telemetry data collected by Microsoft during operating system updates across forty million Windows devices in U.S. households. These measures of US household digital usage are much more comprehensive than... View Details

Keywords: Mathematical Methods; Measurement and Metrics; Geographic Location; Behavior; Technology Adoption; Demographics

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August 2014
Case

Four Products: Predicting Diffusion (2014)

By: John Gourville

An updated "Four Products" case. This 2014 version includes: raw lobster meat, electric-powered Formula One race cars, a 3D printer for cosmetics, and a "smart" tennis racket. These four products form the basis to assess the drivers of new product adoption. In... View Details

Keywords: Product Diffusion; Innovation and Invention; Product Launch; Marketing; Demand and Consumers; Technology Adoption

May 2024
Supplement

gWorks (A)

By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff

In January of 2019, Joe Heieck, CEO of gWorks, was deciding whether to proceed with his acquisition of Data Tech, that was a business roughly the same size as gWorks. gWorks, which provided geospatial software to small city and rural county governments, was acquired by... View Details

02 May 2005
What Do You Think?

Where is Consumer Generated Marketing Taking Us?

Text-mining technologies can now help companies listen to their customers better than ever... My advice: 'Don't let your competitors listen to your clients; do it yourself first.'" Andrea Learned pointed out, "Eventually, those... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

August 10, 2019
Editorial

E-Commerce Promised the World. Are We Happy With Our Purchase?

By: Louis Hyman and Kwelina Thompson

It has been 25 years since the first online transaction, but we are still struggling with the balance between convenience and security. View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Technology Adoption; E-commerce; Consumer Behavior; Internet and the Web

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October 2024 (Revised February 2025)
Case

AI and Brand Management: Promises and Perils

By: Julian De Freitas and Elie Ofek

As AI gains traction across industries, companies anticipate that AI will revolutionize both backend processes and customer-facing interactions—with brands eager to leverage AI for tailored marketing materials and automated consumer engagements. Yet, despite a dramatic... View Details

Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Brands and Branding; Reputation; Technology Adoption; Competitive Advantage

11 Sep 2000
Research & Ideas

Riding the Internet Fast Track

bottom lines, ultimately depressing stock prices. To circumvent this problem, some firms issue "tracking stock," hoping that capital markets will perceive them much like traditional start-up stocks. So when should a company View Details

Keywords: by Peter Jacobs

November 2016 (Revised October 2018)
Case

Formlabs: Selling a New 3D Printer

By: Frank V. Cespedes, Olivia Hull and Amram Migdal

Headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, Formlabs manufactures 3D printers used to print everything from prototypes and models to jewelry, dental, and sculpture molds. As Formlabs prepares to ship its latest model, the Form 2, Head of Customer Development and... View Details

17 Apr 2017
Research Event

The Most Pressing Issues for Platform Providers in the Sharing Economy

notoriously slow technology adoption and rigid regulations. These were among the issues addressed in "Beyond Chicken and Egg–Strategic Challenges for Digital Marketplaces," one of eight panel discussions at... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Service

18 Oct 2011
Working Paper Summaries

Historical Trajectories and Corporate Competences in Wind Energy

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones & Loubna Bouamane; Energy; Utilities

July 2006
Background Note

Out of Frame: The Coming Digital Disruption of Hollywood

By: Stephen P. Bradley, Brian DeLacey and Reed Martin

The record opening of the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, starring Johnny Depp, had finally provided the industry with incontrovertible proof that it was still possible to draw massive audiences to movie theaters. Grossing $136 million during its opening... View Details

Keywords: Disruption; Internet and the Web; Technology Adoption; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Film Entertainment; Revenue; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

19 Nov 2012
Research & Ideas

LEED-ing by Example

parties) have issued executive orders requiring federal agencies to use environmentally preferable products and services whenever possible, as has the European Commission. These procurement policies are specifically aimed to "spur private sector development of new... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Construction; Real Estate; Energy; Utilities

April 2014 (Revised June 2014)
Case

Google Glass

By: Thomas Eisenmann, Lauren Barley and Liz Kind

In early 2014, business development executives at Google were formulating a distribution strategy for Glass, a wearable computer that projected information on a display viewable with an upward glance. Options, which were not mutually exclusive, included 1) continuing... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Technological Innovation; Distribution Channels; Strategy; Partners and Partnerships; Technology Adoption