Publications

May 1999 (Revised March 2001)
Case

Marshall Industries

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport

Confounding predictions that the Internet would "disintermediate" commerce, making "middle man" companies all but obsolete, Marshall Industries, a leading electronics distributor, used the Internet and digital technologies to reinvent itself. Marshall continued to sell... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Supply Chain; Emerging Markets; Customer Focus and Relationships; Distribution Industry; Electronics Industry

Article

Repairing the Damage: The Effect of Price Knowledge and Gender on Auto-Repair Price Quotes

By: Meghan Busse, Ayelet Israeli and Florian Zettelmeyer

In this paper we investigate whether sellers treat consumers differently on the basis of how well informed consumers appear to be. We implement a large-scale field experiment in which callers request price quotes from automotive repair shops. We show that sellers alter... View Details

Keywords: Pricing; Price Discrimination; Automobiles; Field Experiment; Information; Fairness; Price; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Internet and the Web; Gender; Service Industry; Auto Industry

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03 Jan 2017
Research & Ideas

5 New Year's Resolutions You Can Keep (With the Help of Behavioral Science Research)

of the common contracts people sign with themselves each year. If you have resolved to eat healthier, try ordering your groceries a week in advance of delivery. Internet... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

07 Mar 2016
Working Paper Summaries

Net Neutrality: A Fast Lane to Understanding the Trade-offs

Keywords: by Shane Greenstein, Martin Peitz, and Tommaso Valletti; Media & Broadcasting; Technology; Telecommunications

05 Feb 2013
News

Why You Love That Ikea Table, Even If It's Crooked

February 2001 (Revised June 2001)
Case

ClubTools, Inc.

By: Paul W. Marshall and Kristin Perry

Discusses the development of an Internet start-up by a recent HBS graduate. Details the company's business plan, incubation, technology development, marketing strategy, and search for funding. View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Business Plan; Cash Flow; Marketing Strategy; Financing and Loans; Technological Innovation; Internet and the Web; Forecasting and Prediction

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08 Feb 2010
HBS Case

Looking Behind Google’s Stand in China

Google, the "do no evil" company, gained entry into the Chinese search engine market last decade by agreeing to ban search results on topics deemed sensitive by the Chinese government. To Google's way of thinking, it could do... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Technology

Why Tik Tok is Beating YouTube for Eyeball Time

November 2022

Video clips might draw people to TikTok, but its algorithm keeps them watching. John Deighton and Leora Kornfeld explore why TikTok raced ahead of other platforms. First,... View Details

February 2011 (Revised February 2012)
Case

Online Marketing at Big Skinny

By: Benjamin Edelman and Scott Duke Kominers

Describes a wallet maker's application of seven Internet marketing technologies: display ads, algorithmic search, sponsored search, social media, interactive content, online distributors, and A/B testing. Provides concise introductions to the key features of each... View Details

Keywords: Advertising Campaigns; Digital Marketing; Resource Allocation; Marketing Strategy; Performance Evaluation; Internet and the Web; Retail Industry

22 Jul 2019
Book

How to Be a Digital Platform Leader

controversial thing that we discuss in the book is the question of whether platforms need to be curated. Curation would try to eliminate disinformation, fake news, promotion of... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

December 1999
Case

American International Group, Inc.

By: Kenneth A. Froot and Heidi Cruz

American International Group, Inc. (AIG), one of the world's largest and most innovative insurers and financial intermediaries, is considering new strategies in an era of new competition and Internet distribution. View Details

Keywords: Insurance; Competitive Strategy; Internet and the Web; Distribution; Innovation and Invention

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02 Feb 2015
Research & Ideas

Disruptors Sell What Customers Want and Let Competitors Sell What They Don’t

Teixeira, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School in the Marketing unit. But not anymore. The Second Internet Wave A second wave of Internet disruption threatens not... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

November 1999
Case

net.Genesis, Inc.

By: Robert J. Dolan, Rajiv Lal and Perry Fagan

Net.Genesis is planning a strategy for the developing Internet market. In particular, it is creating the category of e-business intelligence and striving to be the brand leader in it. View Details

Keywords: Emerging Markets; Strategic Planning; Expansion; Brands and Branding; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Marketing Communications; Internet and the Web; Change Management

Web

Evolution of the Social Enterprise Conference | Social Enterprise | Harvard Business School

problems. We say “unsolvable” because communities around the world face such daunting, complex problems - ranging from providing safe, healthy water and food for all, to ensuring educational and economic opportunity - and it can be easy to accept the state View Details

Web

Breaking the Cycle of Intergenerational Poverty | Social Enterprise | Harvard Business School

Breaking the Cycle of Intergenerational Poverty Background When I first got to Harvard Business School, I joined the Social Enterprise Club , and quickly realized that these students were my compatriots. These were people who had similar... View Details

14 Dec 2007
Op-Ed

When Your Product Becomes a Commodity

speed from launch to maturity is faster than ever before. Marketers can do three things to delay the inevitable forces of commoditization. Innovate. A new product that better meets consumer needs, even an... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

May 2000 (Revised November 2001)
Case

Sothebys.com

Sotheby's has taken 50% of its business by volume to the Internet. How do the economics change? How do logistics and customer support needs change? What leverage does the Internet provide this established bricks-and-mortar auction house? View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Internet and the Web; Auctions