Publications

February 1999 (Revised May 1999)
Case

Onsale has been a pioneer in electronic commerce, offering excess and refurbished goods using an online auction format. The company is now planning to become a player in the highly competitive world of first-run computer merchandise as well. However, unlike other... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Transformation; Customers; Brands and Branding; Auctions; Network Effects; Strategic Planning; Competitive Strategy; Internet and the Web; Retail Industry

January 2017
Case

Flatiron School

By: Thomas Eisenmann and Halah AlQahtani

In late 2016, the founders of Flatiron School, a startup offering 12-week coding bootcamps, are formulating their growth strategy. Their new online-only program has matched the excellent job placement results for their in-person bootcamps. Should Flatiron shift... View Details

Keywords: Scaling Start-ups; Growth Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Distribution Channels; Growth and Development Strategy; Internet and the Web; Business Startups; Diversification; Expansion; Education Industry; United States

October 2001 (Revised January 2002)
Case

Philipp Justus at eBay Germany (A)

By: Linda A. Hill and Maria Farkas

A week after becoming country manager of eBay's recently acquired German auction site, Philipp Justus must steer the company through a massive technical integration with eBay's Web site. Throughout the seven-month project, Justus and his team must master the challenge... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Design; Leadership; Internet and the Web; Globalized Firms and Management; Mergers and Acquisitions; Managerial Roles; Management Teams; Management Practices and Processes; Auctions; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Germany

2007
Working Paper

Highbrow Films Gather Dust: Time-inconsistent Preferences and Online DVD Rentals

By: Katherine L. Milkman, Todd Rogers and Max H. Bazerman

We report on a field study demonstrating systematic differences between the preferences people anticipate they will have over a series of options in the future and their subsequent revealed preferences over those options. Using a novel panel data set, we analyze the... View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Decision Choices and Conditions; Attitudes; Conflict and Resolution; Emotions; Film Entertainment; Cognition and Thinking; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

Read Now

02 Jan 2001
Research & Ideas

Can Japan Compete? [Part One]

the authors came to believe, government had inflicted detrimental effects not only on industry but also on the Japanese economy as a whole. Their new book Can Japan Compete? is the result of years of research by Porter, the author of... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace & Hilah Geer

10 May 2011
First Look

First Look: May 10

San Francisco-based Internet company allowed users to monitor their investments and communicate with each other about their portfolio strategies. The case recounts key decisions made by founder and CEO Steve Carpenter, including several... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 2022
Case

The Battle Among Channels for Marketing Pharmaceuticals: UpScript, Pharmacy Benefit Managers, and Direct-to-Consumer Sales

By: Regina E. Herzlinger and Tiffany Farrell

Can an online, direct-to-consumer pharmacy both improve the quality and speed of care for patients who need branded drugs and stabilize profits for pharmaceutical manufacturers? UpScript, after years spent achieving legal and regulatory compliance and simultaneous... View Details

Keywords: DTC; Internet and the Web; Marketing Channels; Customer Value and Value Chain; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Competitive Strategy; Service Delivery; Growth and Development Strategy; Pharmaceutical Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry

10 Jul 2000
Research & Ideas

Entrepreneurship in Europe

in the world is crazy." It's evident in labor markets, where the case of India and the software industry is just one example of how incredibly active things are right now. "Of course, the idea market is what scares us all,"... View Details

Keywords: by Kenneth Liss

01 Dec 2020
News

Two Truths and a Lie About 5G

when you look at the B2B applications, Menard explains. He points to a number of tech disruptions that are happening in parallel, including low earth orbit satellites, cloud storage, edge computing, Internet of Things networks,... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint

30 Jan 2018
First Look

January 30, 2018

Abstract—The article discusses the notion of advertising as a profession in relation to the impact of digital analytics and data-driven marketing. Topics include the history of internet marketing, the investments of the content-driven... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 2010
Teaching Note

Saffronart.com: Bidding for Success (TN)

By: Mukti Khaire

Teaching Note for [808027]. View Details

Keywords: Auctions; Arts; Innovation and Invention; Internet and the Web; Revenue; Competition; Market Entry and Exit; Risk and Uncertainty; Web Services Industry; Web Services Industry; India

08 Mar 2013
News

The Accidental Innovator

where is the Internet taking Khan Academy? Via the Internet, today and even more so in the near future, we get a direct channel to the students of the world, which frankly is everybody regardless of age. Our goal is that with Khan Academy... View Details

January 2002
Exercise

Socrates, Inc.

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Kerry Herman

Socrates, Inc., a provider of e-learning tools and technologies to educational institutions and, potentially, corporations, must decide which of several opportunities to pursue next and which priorities to focus on in terms of better structuring the firm's processes... View Details

Keywords: Business Plan; Business Startups; Internet and the Web; Opportunities; Business Processes; Organizational Structure; Decision Choices and Conditions; Organizational Design; Education Industry; Education Industry

Find at Harvard

01 Sep 2015
News

The Business of Love

first-date spot: In their online profiles, women got younger and men got taller. As the stigma of online dating faded, the idea arose that the Internet could make dating easier for everyone. Asking someone on a date via email was less of... View Details

Keywords: April White

04 Dec 2012
First Look

First Look: December 4

employees in a large information technology firm. These findings have implications for research on homophily, gender relations in organizations, and formal and informal organizational structure. Exclusivity, Contingent Control Rights, and the Design of View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

13 Jul 2010
First Look

First Look: July 13

Review 88, nos. 7-8 (July-August 2010) An abstract is unavailable at this time. Read the Article: http://hbr.org/2010/07/are-you-ignoring-trends-that-could-shake-up-your-business/ar/1 Vision Statement: Mapping the Social Internet... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

01 Jun 2015
News

Screen Grab

for soccer fans, FirstRowSports. The NFL’s as-yet-unnamed foray into online streaming will test the waters with an October 25 game only available online. The cable and telecom industry has taken note, evidenced by its heavy lobbying... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; HBO; Netflix; Hulu; Vimeo; YouTube; Telecommunications; Information; Arts, Entertainment

November 2016 (Revised July 2018)
Case

Selling on Amazon at Tower Paddle Boards

By: Thales S. Teixeira and David Lopez-Lengowski

By June 2012, Stephan Aarstol felt that he had successfully passed the first critical stage of his ecommerce business. As the founder and CEO of a standup paddleboard (SUP) business, he had built a strong relationship with Asian manufacturers, built a small warehouse... View Details

Keywords: Tower Paddle Boards; Amazon; E-commerce; Online Shopping; Distribution; Internet and the Web; Business Growth and Maturation; Marketing Channels; Distribution Channels; Decision Choices and Conditions; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry