by Mark Mortensen - Publications - Faculty & Research

November 2017
Teaching Note

Facebook Fake News in the Post-Truth World

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

Teaching Note for HBS No. 717-473. In January 2017, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, was surrounded by controversy. The election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States in November 2016 had triggered a national storm of protests, and... View Details

Keywords: Facebook; Fake News; Mark Zuckerberg; Donald Trump; Algorithms; Social Networking; Social Networks; Partisanship; Social Media; App Development; Instagram; WhatsApp; Smartphone; Silicon Valley; Office Space; Digital Strategy; Democracy; Entry Barriers; Online Platforms; Controversy; Tencent; Agility; Gaming; Gaming Industry; Computer Games; Mobile Gaming; Messaging; Monetization Strategy; Advertising; Digital Marketing; Business Ventures; Acquisition; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Headquarters; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Trends; Advertising Industry; Communications Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Information Industry; Information Technology Industry; Journalism and News Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Service Industry; Technology Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Video Game Industry; United States; California; Sunnyvale; Russia

Citation

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07 Apr 2023
Research & Ideas

When Celebrity ‘Crypto-Influencers’ Rake in Cash, Investors Lose Big

coins and tokens—payments they often fail to disclose. Unfortunately for retail investors, following online crypto advice, especially from self-described “experts,” has the potential to bring significant financial losses, according to new research View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

09 Jan 2024
In Practice

Harnessing AI: What Businesses Need to Know in ChatGPT’s Second Year

the assistance of ChatGPT) Throughout 2023, we dedicated considerable effort to assessing whether the recent strides in generative AI were mere fads or indicative of a transformative future. This period was marked View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Information Technology

29 Feb 2024
HBS Case

Beyond Goals: David Beckham's Playbook for Mobilizing Star Talent

its own right, amplified by the power of social media. “You can build a follower base that’s bigger than what traditional media can offer, and you can reproduce that talent on a much larger scale than before,” Elberse explains. “That... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman; Sports

October 1997 (Revised June 1998)
Case

Woolworths South Africa

By: David B. Yoffie and Anthony St. George

Woolworths South Africa is one of the most successful retail chains in the country, modeled on Marks and Spencer of the United Kingdom. This case focuses on the sources of Woolworth's competitive advantage within South Africa and the challenges of growth in the wake of... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Growth Management; Global Strategy; Industry Structures; Marketing Strategy; Strategy; Business or Company Management; Retail Industry; South Africa

Citation

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17 Aug 2023
Research & Ideas

‘Not a Bunch of Weirdos’: Why Mainstream Investors Buy Crypto

wild ride. That is, until now. A new study by Harvard Business School professor Marco Di Maggio shows that on average, cryptocurrency investors have higher household incomes, live in wealthier and more educated ZIP codes, like to gamble,... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

23 Jun 2022
Research & Ideas

All Those Zoom Meetings May Boost Connection and Curb Loneliness

remote work. “There’s a huge value to real interactions even if they are occurring virtually,” says Goldenberg, who is a psychologist by training and an assistant professor at HBS. To test online experiences, the group took advantage of... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

15 Aug 2023
HBS Case

(Virtual) Reality Check: How Long Before We Live in the 'Metaverse'?

virtual-reality future yet to materialize as hoped by its biggest proponents. Chief among its backers: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who two years ago went so far as to change his social media company’s... View Details

Keywords: by Jay Fitzgerald; Technology; Computer; Information Technology

19 Dec 2023
Research & Ideas

$15 Billion in Five Years: What Data Tells Us About MacKenzie Scott’s Philanthropy

achievement gap, she started giving to affiliates of Communities in Schools, a nonprofit that supports public schools. In 2022—a year marked by rising homelessness, a mental health crisis among American... View Details

Keywords: by Matthew Lee, Brian Trelstad, and Ethan Tran

25 Oct 2010
HBS Case

Tesco’s Stumble into the US Market

poses its own obstacles for multinationals entering new geographies. Your recent case on Tesco highlights challenges faced by companies coming to do business in the United States. Tell us about the initial strategy to conquer the United... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail

06 May 2021
HBS Case

How Four Women Made Miami More Equitable for Startups

Despite widespread investment in entrepreneurship in cities across America, venture capital-funded startups still tend to be founded by white men in Silicon Valley. In contrast, businesses led by women are... View Details

Keywords: by Carolyn DiPaolo

10 Nov 2022
Research & Ideas

Too Nice to Lead? Unpacking the Gender Stereotype That Holds Women Back

series of experiments led by Harvard Business School Associate Professor Christine Exley show that people generally view women as more generous and equality-minded than men—but actually, men and women have similar behaviors and beliefs... View Details

Keywords: by Shalene Gupta

08 Dec 2022
HBS Case

The War in Ukraine and Nestlé’s Moral Dilemma: Stay or Leave Russia?

Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company, faced a difficult choice last February as Russian tanks rolled across Ukraine, and the 24/7 news and social media cycle amplified the company’s every move. CEO Mark Schneider was... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Consumer Products

02 Jul 2018
Research & Ideas

Corporate Tax Cuts Don't Increase Middle Class Incomes

University professors Suresh Nallareddy and Juan Carlos Suárez Serrato, analyze data created by tax filings to compare effects on workers at varying compensation levels in different US states with and without tax cuts. The result: Tax... View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland

07 Jul 2019
HBS Case

Walmart's Workforce of the Future

private employer in the United States, with 1.5 million workers (2.2 million worldwide). But that size and dominance doesn’t make Walmart immune to pressures faced by any other retail operation. In the second-year Harvard Business School... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

18 May 2022
Research & Ideas

Are Banks the ‘Bad Guys’? Overdraft Fees Are Crushing Low-Income Customers

down accounts, which often happens if a customer fails to repay overdraft fees and other outstanding balances for two months. That black mark can prevent a consumer from opening a bank account elsewhere for up to five years, the authors... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Financial Services

01 Jun 2023
HBS Case

A Nike Executive Hid His Criminal Past to Turn His Life Around. What If He Didn't Have To?

street-to-prison cycle that had ravaged his youth. He had passed a high school equivalency test and had earned a college degree, and by that point could envision a bright future as a budding accountant at Arthur Andersen, the firm he... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Apparel & Accessories

27 Jan 2023
Op-Ed

Have We Lost Sight of Integrity?

Easterbrook, and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Rife with bravado, New York Congressman Santos campaigned on being the “full embodiment of the American dream.” The only problem was that many of his personal claims—including tentpoles punctuating... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

13 Apr 2009
Research & Ideas

Kind of Blue: Pushing Boundaries with Miles Davis

only two short sessions in 1959. At the age of 32, Davis coaxed innovative ideas out of his players—among them greats including John Coltrane and Bill Evans—that took everyone by surprise. He also remade the industry, introducing longer,... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Music

01 Mar 2021
Research & Ideas

How Systemic Racism Can Threaten National Security

expect an equal contribution from your citizens, all citizens must be treated equally,” says Tabellini. “It reveals the costs for society as a whole if you don’t.” Despite the national reckoning in the United States after the killing of George Floyd View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

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