Publications

February 2011 (Revised November 2012)
Case

PatientsLikeMe: An Online Community of Patients

By: Sunil Gupta and Jason Riis

PatientsLikeMe (PLM) is an online community where patients share their personal experiences with a disease, find other patients like them, and learn from each other. The company was founded by Jamie and Ben Heywood when their 29-year-old brother was diagnosed with ALS... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Health Disorders; Knowledge Sharing; Growth and Development Strategy; Product Launch; Digital Platforms; Social and Collaborative Networks; Health Industry

February 2020
Supplement

Indigo Agriculture: Harnessing Nature

By: Michael W. Toffel and James Barnett

Indigo Agriculture used a digital-enabled research and development (R&D) process to launch its initial product, microbial coatings for agricultural seeds, which increase crop yields while reducing the need for fertilizers. In doing so, the company developed direct... View Details

Keywords: Operations; Supply Chain; Social Enterprise; Product Development; Distribution Channels; Business Strategy; Digital Platforms; Environmental Sustainability; Science-Based Business; Climate Change; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Green Technology Industry; United States; Massachusetts

24 Jul 2007
First Look

First Look: July 24, 2007

waste into by-product. In some cases, when the markets for the primary and by-products are "separable," it is optimal to convert only a portion of the waste into by-product and disposing of the rest. In other cases, when the... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

06 May 2008
First Look

First Look: May 6, 2008

business model, one that positioned the company simultaneously in the PC industry and the consumer electronics industry. While Apple enjoyed a high market share in digital media players and in online music... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

08 Jul 2008
First Look

First Look: July 8, 2008

digitization of information goods have changed the commercial landscape: Virtual shelf space is infinite, consumers can search through innumerable options, and the marginal cost of reproducing and distributing products is low. What does... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Web

Commodities, Currencies, and Balancing of the Trade Deficit - A Chronicle of the China Trade

trade, John Heard explained, “The opium business is the best business we have, not only from the direct, but for the collateral profit it induces. It also affords an excellent vent for exchange from America, rendering us independent of the demand for bills.” 19 Heard &... View Details

August 2021 (Revised February 2024)
Case

Data Science at the Warriors

By: Iavor I. Bojinov and Michael Parzen

The case explores the development and early growth of a data science team at the Golden State Warriors, an NBA team based in San Francisco. The case begins by explaining the initial rationale for investing in data science, then covers a debate on the appropriate team... View Details

Keywords: Data Science; Digital Marketing; Analysis; Forecasting and Prediction; Technological Innovation; Information Technology; Sports Industry; San Francisco; United States

06 Sep 2022
Blog Post

Student Spotlight: Summer Internships in Business & Environment

Chrissy's role prior to HBS was Marketing at BrightFarms. Grace Keliher (MBA 2023, Section I), Summer Internship: Summer Consultant, Climate & Sustainability practice, at Boston Consulting Group Climate change is the defining... View Details

25 May 2010
First Look

First Look: May 25

threat—it can also reveal significant underlying heterogeneity in the old technology's broader demand environment. This heterogeneity is a source of opportunities that can support a new position for the old technology, in either the current View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Web

Judges - Alumni

Service2School, and various other education related causes. Industry Technology Verticals AdTech, E-Commerce, Telecoms, Media & Technology (TMT), Mobile Commerce, Digital Health, Marketing Tech Area(s) of... View Details

September 2014 (Revised June 2017)
Case

Google Inc. in 2014

By: Benjamin Edelman and Thomas R. Eisenmann

Describes Google's history, business model, governance structure, corporate culture, and processes for managing innovation. Reviews Google's recent strategic initiatives and the threats they pose to selected competitors. Asks what Google should do next. View Details

Keywords: Search Engines; Google; Online Advertising; Internet and the Web; Network Effects; Business Model; Competition; Digital Marketing; Information Technology Industry; Advertising Industry

19 Dec 2017
First Look

New Research and Ideas, December 19, 2017

but also in explaining the number of different uses. Download working paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=49447 Creating the Market for Organic Wine: Sulfites, Certification, and Green Values By: Jones, Geoffrey, and... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

February 2024
Case

Does “Matter” Matter? Amazon and Open Standards in the Smart Home Industry

By: Frank Nagle

In early 2023, the smart home industry stood at a pivotal juncture. The recent launch of “Matter” version 1.0, an ambitious interoperability standard developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), promised to unify a fragmented market plagued by incompatible... View Details

Keywords: Digital Platforms; Resource Allocation; Standards; Business Strategy

Web

Courses by Faculty Unit - Course Catalog

Solutions for the Poor (Global and Local) (also listed under General Management and Entrepreneurial Management) Kash Rangan Benjamin N. Roth Natalia Rigol Fall 2025 Q1Q2 3.0 Creating Brand Value Julian de Freitas Spring 2026 Q3 1.5 View Details

Winter 2013
Article

The New Patent Intermediaries: Platforms, Defensive Aggregators and Super-Aggregators

By: Andrei Hagiu and David B. Yoffie

The patent market consists mainly of privately negotiated, bilateral transactions, either sales or cross-licenses, between large companies. There is no eBay, Amazon, New York Stock Exchange, or Kelley's Blue Book equivalent for patents, and when buyers and sellers do... View Details

Keywords: Intellectual Property; Platforms; Intermediaries; Aggregator; Patents; Digital Platforms; Marketplace Matching; Distribution Channels

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October 2001 (Revised April 2002)
Case

America Online, Inc.: Disclosure Strategy

By: Amy P. Hutton and David Lane

Since going public, AOL had disclosed on a quarterly basis supplemental metrics meant to give analysts and investors a way of tracking growth in its subscriber base and the value created through its marketing efforts. These metrics gave management's conversations with... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Internet and the Web; Change Management; Internet and the Web; Corporate Disclosure; Media; Digital Marketing; Information Technology Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry