Publications

January 2010 (Revised May 2012)
Case

TopCoder (A): Developing Software through Crowdsourcing

By: Karim R. Lakhani, David A. Garvin and Eric Lonstein

TopCoder's crowdsourcing-based business model, in which software is developed through online tournaments, is presented. The case highlights how TopCoder has created a unique two-sided innovation platform consisting of a global community of over 225,000 developers who... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Innovation and Invention; Two-Sided Platforms; Motivation and Incentives; Social and Collaborative Networks; Competition; Software; Technology Industry

February 7, 2023
Editorial

Business Schools are Ignoring Students’ Changing Aspirations: They Must Focus on Management as a Calling

By: Andrew J. Hoffman

Many management students today are concerned about the mounting threats of climate change, income inequality, health care, and more. They increasingly see business as a place to make a difference in the world. Andrew Hoffman writes that business schools are slow to... View Details

Keywords: Business Education; Social Issues; Values and Beliefs; Mission and Purpose

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Research Summary

Energy Strategy

By: Forest L. Reinhardt

Forest L. Reinhardt is writing cases and other materials on the strategic problems and opportunitites faced by firms in the energy industry. Significant economies of scale and scope, combined with rapid technological change, present firms in the industry with a... View Details

01 Mar 2011
First Look

First Look: March 1

PublicationsThe New M&A Playbook Authors:Clayton M. Christensen, Richard Alton, Curtis Rising, and Andrew Waldeck Publication:Harvard Business Review 89, no. 3 (March 2011) Abstract Companies spend more than $2 trillion on acquisitions every year, yet the M&A... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

22 Jul 2008
First Look

First Look: July 22, 2008

Working PapersFixing Market Failures or Fixing Elections? Agricultural Credit in India Authors:Shawn A. Cole Abstract This paper integrates theories of political budget cycles with theories of tactical electoral redistribution to test for political capture in a novel... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Article

Anti-imperialism: The Leninist Legacy and the Fate of World Revolution

By: Jeremy Friedman and Peter Rutland

The most important of Lenin’s writings was, arguably, Imperialism: the Highest Stage of Capitalism. That work shifted the focus from workers’ struggles within one country to the dynamics of capitalism as a global system. The Leninist project thereby inextricably... View Details

Keywords: Economic Systems; Global Range; History

Find at Harvard

07 Apr 2015
First Look

First Look: April 7

Publications April 2015 Harvard Business Review How to Really Motivate Salespeople By: Chung, Doug J. Abstract—Much of what we believe about the best ways to compensate and motivate the sales force is based on theory and lab experiments. But in the past decade,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

22 Sep 2009
First Look

First Look: September 22

Working PapersMixed Source Authors:Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Gastón Llanes Abstract We study competitive interaction between profit-maximizing firms that sell software and complementary goods or services. In addition to tactical price competition, we allow firms... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

24 Mar 2015
First Look

First Look: March 24

company? On the other hand, there may never be a good time to write a book. He also has to consider the potential impact of a book project on his personal brand and the Mandalay company brand. Purchase this case:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

March 2021
Case

VideaHealth: Building the AI Factory

By: Karim R. Lakhani and Amy Klopfenstein

Florian Hillen, co-founder and CEO of VideaHealth, a startup that used artificial intelligence (AI) to detect dental conditions on x-rays, spent the early years of his company laying the groundwork for an AI factory. A process for quickly building and iterating on new... View Details

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Innovation and Invention; Disruptive Innovation; Technological Innovation; Information Technology; Applications and Software; Technology Adoption; Digital Platforms; Entrepreneurship; AI and Machine Learning; Technology Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; North and Central America; United States; Massachusetts; Cambridge

February 1994 (Revised August 1998)
Case

Newell Co.: Acquisition Strategy

By: David J. Collis

Newell is a $1.5 billion manufacturer and distributor of low-tech home and hardware products, geared to serve volume purchasers. In 1992, Newell is considering two approaches to expand its current product line with the acquisitions of Sanford Corp., a $140 million... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Marketing Channels; Corporate Strategy; Diversification; Expansion; Manufacturing Industry

22 Aug 2006
First Look

First Look: August 22, 2006

Working PapersCartels and Competition: Neither Markets nor Hierarchies Author:Jeffrey Fear Abstract This article provides an overview on the rise and fall of cartels since the late 19th century when the modern cartel movement properly arrived with the rise of big... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

September 2023
Technical Note

Note on Family Constitutions

By: Christina R. Wing

Less than half of family businesses will survive generational transfer. While sometimes this is due to operating company issues, in many cases it is because of conflict within the family. Many families create and adopt a family constitution to proactively mitigate... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Policy; Organizational Structure; Family Ownership; Conflict Management; Agreements and Arrangements

2012
Book

Ernest Shackleton, Exploring Leadership

By: Nancy F. Koehn

Broadly speaking, polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton was not successful; he never achieved any of the goals he originally set for himself. But when confronted with crushing adversity, he inspired his crew to work together to survive against incredible odds. While... View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Leadership; Cooperation

2011
Working Paper

The Cost of Capital for Alternative Investments

By: Jakub W. Jurek and Erik Stafford

This paper studies the cost of capital for alternative investments. We document that the risk profile of the aggregate hedge fund universe can be accurately matched by a simple index put option writing strategy that offers monthly liquidity and complete transparency... View Details

Keywords: Cost of Capital; Financial Liquidity; Investment; Investment Return; Mathematical Methods; Risk and Uncertainty

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June 2002
Case

"One Country, Two Systems"? Italy and the Mezzogiorno (B)

By: Bruce R. Scott and Jamie Matthews

In 1992, a corruption investigation and two assassinations created a crisis that prompted the Italian government to dispatch 7,000 troops to Sicily to "retake the island" from the Mafia. This case examines the crisis and the efforts of both the Italian state and the... View Details

Keywords: History; National Security; Crime and Corruption; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Italy