Platform Strategy - Publications - Faculty & Research

August 2013
Technical Note

Raising the Level of Abstraction

This technical note discusses abstraction as a way of generalizing a process or component for wider application. By hiding complexity inside a module, abstraction enables system designers to think at a higher level. This lowers entry barriers to using (and reusing) a... View Details

Keywords: Abstraction; Modularity; Commercialization; Information Technology; Information Infrastructure; Information Technology; Applications and Software; Digital Platforms; United States; Asia; Europe

Citation

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November 1999 (Revised June 2000)
Case

VerticalNet (www.verticalnet.com)

By: Das Narayandas

VerticalNet, a leading creator of targeted business-to-business vertical trade communities on the Internet, is trying to expand its model to facilitate e-commerce. Mark Walsh, the CEO of VerticalNet, has to decide how far he can extend the firm's business model without... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Decisions; Digital Platforms; Expansion; Internet and the Web

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25 Aug 2022
News

In My Humble Opinion: Road Tested

One and Revolution Money, Gregg shifted to B2B with a move to FleetCor, a provider of fuel cards and business-payment products, before becoming CEO in 2017 of RoadSync, a digital payment platform targeting drivers, warehouses, freight... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; trucking; leadership; fintech; career

06 Aug 2020
News

Defining Flex Work

The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the workplace has been seismic, causing many companies to completely rethink their strategies and models. It was especially disruptive, says Anna Auerbach (MBA 2010), because companies had already been... View Details

17 Apr 2007
First Look

First Look: April 17, 2007

note: http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=707493 PublicationsMerchant or Two-Sided Platform Author:Andrei Hagiu Periodical:Review of Network Economics (forthcoming) Abstract This paper provides a first pass at... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

18 Feb 2013
Research & Ideas

Breaking Through a Growth Stall

identify your core customers and build a scalable platform for growth around them. That's the message from Frank V. Cespedes, the MBA Class of 1973 Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at Harvard Business School; James P. Dougherty,... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

26 Jan 2010
First Look

First Look: Jan. 26

When participation costs are large relative to the volume of traffic an ad platform can offer, an advertiser may forego use of an ad platform that the advertiser otherwise finds profitable. Mergers between... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

19 Apr 2018
News

One Last Pitch

open, her father standing outside. “There has to be a better way to support recovery,” he said. Gastfriend partnered with his own father, Dr. David Gastfriend, an expert in addiction psychiatry, to create DynamiCare Health, a digital View Details

Keywords: Jennifer Myers

01 Dec 2018
News

Research Is the Foundation

with far-reaching impact on the global economy—a shortfall the Private Capital Project expects to address by collecting and curating previously unavailable data. “One of our initiatives involves creating a platform that will combine big... View Details

14 Feb 2005
Research & Ideas

Desktop Search and Revenue Streams

accessible and useful to you,'" he said. Like Yahoo, Google also recently launched a desktop search product. Mark Kroese, general manager of information services and Merchant platform product marketing at MSN, said it is clear that... View Details

Keywords: by Julie Jette

01 Sep 2018
News

Case Study: A Good Fit

(insurance, employers, health professionals, or individuals, for example) to build momentum within the channel. Exploit it as a platform instead of just an app. —Lisa Putukian (MBA 1988) With significant opportunity in two distinct... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint

10 Jan 2020
Blog Post

Know Your Audience - Recruiting HBS Students for Retail

of students has a passion for the dynamic retail space across different segments including luxury, specialty, and mass market brands. Retail Tech in particular has had a major impact on the industry and students’ focus. “Digital shopping View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products / Retail

Profile

John Clayton

N.C., John says, “I loved growing up in the South, but I’ve always had an itch to see the world.” After moving to the portfolio’s global strategy hub, John worked directly with the World Bank’s vice president for sustainable development... View Details

07 Mar 2019
News

Smart Marketing Brings Rapid Growth to Latino Brands

David Benitez (OPM 46, 2014) is founder and president of Intelligent Mexican Marketing (IMM Latino), a company that provides a brand-building platform in the United States' Hispanic market by being the largest connectors of Latino... View Details

24 Sep 2021
Blog Post

Alumni Spotlight: Career Advice from Alums Working in Climate

corporations and governments alike need to focus on. Consequently, the career opportunities for MBAs are now unlimited- you can shape sustainability strategy at traditional companies and banks, drive products and operations at startups... View Details

18 Oct 2016
Op-Ed

Why Business Should Invest in Community Health

million grant to scale a successful medical knowledge sharing and collaborative practice platform pioneered by Project Echo in 2003 to expand specialty care access and quality at the centers. Long involved in community initiatives, IBM... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch, Howard Koh, and Pamela Yatsko; Health

25 Oct 2011
First Look

First Look: October 25

specifically at remedying criticisms leveled at the recent point system proposed by U.S. policymakers. Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/12-025.pdf Multi-Sided Platforms Authors:Andrei Hagiu and Julian Wright Abstract... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

27 May 2014
News

Crowdsourcing the Capitalist's Dilemma

discussion of "The Capitalist's Dilemma"—the challenges of innovating for long-term growth and job creation—in the Harvard Business Review. The team of more than 150 people (see below) collaborated using the OI Engine platform developed... View Details

Keywords: April White; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management

27 Jul 2019
Op-Ed

Does Facebook's Business Model Threaten Our Elections?

unconcerned. Engagement on various applications on the Facebook platform is up. Users appear comfortable with the trade they make to give up privileged information in exchange for a range of convenient and free services. Without a push by... View Details

Keywords: by George Riedel

01 Sep 2018
News

An SUV Built for African Roads—by African Workers

“At Mobius, we get to play a part in the emergence of a stronger manufacturing base.” As Mobius scales up, the team envisions producing a no-frills platform that can be tailored for cargo delivery, public transportation, or emergency... View Details

Keywords: Amy Yee

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