Publications

October 2013
Case

Rhythm & Blues

By: Willy Shih

The bankruptcy filing of Rhythm & Hues, who received an Oscar for the arresting visual effects in Life of Pi, raised questions about the challenges faced by the firms like it as well as the broader post-production industry. The rapid pace of technology certainly... View Details

Keywords: Post-production; Visual Effects; Digital; Entertainment; Animation Entertainment; Film Entertainment; Television Entertainment; Theater Entertainment; Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Information Technology; Internet and the Web; Applications and Software; Information Infrastructure; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; Los Angeles

2011
Working Paper

Discretion Within the Constraints of Opportunity: Gender Homophily and Structure in a Formal Organization

By: Adam M. Kleinbaum, Toby E. Stuart and Michael L. Tushman

Homophily in social relations is widely documented. We know that homophily results from both individual preferences and uneven opportunities for interaction, but how these two mechanisms interact in formal organizations is not well understood. We argue that... View Details

Keywords: Interactive Communication; Analytics and Data Science; Organizational Structure; Partners and Partnerships; Behavior; Internet and the Web; Theory; Information Technology Industry

Read Now

January 2018
Supplement

Scaling Swagbucks (B)

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport and Matthew G. Preble

“Swagbucks (B),” HBS No. 817123, picks up in mid-2014 following the events described in “Swagbucks (A),” HBS No 817122. Davis and Gorowitz were successful in their efforts to position the company for scale without negatively affecting the company’s foundational... View Details

Keywords: Loyalty Management; Scaling; Scale; Entrepreneurship; Human Resources; Employees; Employee Relationship Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Design; Leading Change; Growth Management; Religion; Information Technology; Internet and the Web; Transition; Leadership; Web Services Industry; Web Services Industry

April 2010 (Revised March 2011)
Supplement

Google in China (B)

By: John A. Quelch

In a January 2010 public statement, Google threatened to stop censoring its search results on its Google.cn website, as required by Chinese authorities. Should Google exit China? Or attempt a compromise with the Chinese government? View Details

Keywords: Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Crisis Management; Market Entry and Exit; Business and Government Relations; Internet and the Web; Information Technology Industry; China

February 2000 (Revised October 2000)
Case

E-commerce at Williams-Sonoma

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Daniel Galvin

Describes Williams-Sonoma's development of a third channel of business on the Internet. Describes the strategies for managing changes in the organizational, operational, and technological structure of the company. The new e-commerce division confronts challenges posed... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Internet and the Web; Trade; Corporate Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Operations; Information Technology; Technological Innovation; Information Technology Industry; Information Technology Industry; California

December 1996 (Revised July 1997)
Case

Studio Realty

By: Clayton M. Christensen and Bret J. Baird

Studio Realty created an "electronic open house" technology, by which home buyers sitting in a comfortable setting, could tour a home, viewing its rooms, its exterior, and surroundings, by clicking on digital images. Studio Realty attempted to sell or license its... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Internet and the Web; Sales; Demand and Consumers; Failure; Innovation and Management; Market Entry and Exit; Real Estate Industry

18 Dec 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, December 18, 2018

business. One common approach used to gain traction in these adjacent markets has been to pursue a tying strategy. For example, Microsoft pre-installed Internet Explorer into Windows, and Apple set Apple Maps as the iOS default.... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

20 Sep 2011
First Look

First Look: September 20

examine whether multi-location firms increase internal ties when they face appropriability risks from direct competitors. Our empirical analysis of the global semiconductor industry shows that when leading firms co-locate with direct... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 2020
Case

The June Oven

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger and Christian Godwin

The June Oven was a smart oven which was capable of identifying food and cooking it accordingly. This type of smart oven represented the next step in the long history of oven and stove development. Due to the widespread use of traditional ovens, the market for the June... View Details

19 May 2014
Research & Ideas

Why Companies Should Compete for Your Privacy

information to provide." “Focusing on a single revenue source is the most profitable strategy when firms compete for consumer information” It's clear from their research that the marketplace has plenty of room for two types of Internet... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Consumer Products

27 Jan 2009
First Look

First Look: January 27, 2009

relatively new to the industry and has his sights set particularly high. Kolville needs to weigh a number of effects this negotiation will have on the player, his teammates, and the long-term prospects of the team. Purchase the case:... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

24 Feb 2009
First Look

First Look: February 24, 2009

http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=209029 The Restructuring of Daiei Harvard Business School Case 209-060 In 2004, the Industrial Revitalization Corporation of Japan (IRCJ) was given the task of restructuring... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

17 Jun 2002
Research & Ideas

A Litmus Test for Entrepreneurs

In 1999, Tom Herman and Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, best friends since childhood, quit their comfortable jobs to start govWorks, with millions of VC dollars to back them up. Their goal was nothing if not grandiose: to use Internet payment... View Details

Keywords: by Walter Kuemmerle

05 Jul 2011
First Look

First Look: July 5

dating application. The case recounts the process of launching a consumer Internet startup, from idea conception through initial efforts to validate the concept, followed by product launch and subsequent business model "pivots."... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

18 Sep 2007
First Look

First Look: September 18, 2007

modularized. Instead these areas should be located in transaction-free zones so that the costs of transacting do not overburden the system. The boundaries of transaction-free zones constitute breakpoints where firms and industries may... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

23 Aug 2016
First Look

August 23, 2016

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=51538 July–August 2016 European Business Review The Decoupling Effect of Digital Disruptors By: Teixeira, Thales S., and Peter Jamieson Abstract—A new wave of Internet startups is disrupting... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

13 May 2014
First Look

First Look: May 13

how management and corporate boards of directors can best manage investor relations with activist stockholders such as hedge funds who are demanding major changes within a corporation to improve stockholder return. Beverage industry firm... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

24 Jun 2014
First Look

First Look: June 24

improvement in patient throughput time. Download working paper: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1987724 Cases & Course Materials Harvard Business School Case 814-009 Mobile Broadband and the Telecommunications Industry in 2011 Mobile... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 2022
Case

Hybrid Classroom - an Opportunity or a Threat?

By: V.G. Narayanan

When the Covid pandemic struck in the spring of 2020, HBS pivoted to remote instruction while maintaining the interactive and engaged discussions which distinguished the case system pedagogy. In fall 2020 HBS adopted a hybrid approach, fitting out its classrooms with... View Details

Keywords: Education; Teaching; Higher Education; Technology Adoption; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Adaptation; Opportunities; Education Industry