Publications

October 1999 (Revised July 2002)
Case

WingspanBank.com (A)

By: Sandra J. Sucher and Daniel Galvin

The case describes the new product development process for WingspanBank.com, an Internet-only financial services "infomediary" created by a team from Bank One's First USA division. The creation of the bank is described from concept development to prelaunch decision... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Decision Making; Information Management; Management Practices and Processes; Managerial Roles; Product Development; Performance Consistency; Competitive Advantage; Internet; Web Services Industry; Web Services Industry; United States

September 1998 (Revised August 1999)
Case

IBM's Lotus Development in 1999

By: Stephen P. Bradley and Kelley Porter

Describes Lotus' acquisition by IBM, its movement from proprietary standards to open standards, and its current market position. Microsoft is gaining ground with its Exchange Server, and Lotus has received unfavorable press. View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Technological Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Product Marketing; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Web Services Industry; Web Services Industry

Educators

18 Sep 2008
News

HBS Olympians

Albertville, France—but I was sure there were more. Who were they? When I saw a list of about 200 Harvard College Olympians, my zeal to compile a list of HBS Olympians was awakened. I turned to the marvelous search engine on the HBS Web... View Details

Keywords: Keith Larson; Olympics; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Arts, Entertainment

01 Feb 2000
News

The Future Is Now: 21st-Century Business Pondered at HBS Forum

will soon move from HTML programming language to XML. Ballmer stated that this shift would alter the current Internet balance of power in which consumers are in a reactive position as they relate to company (or "publisher's") Web sites.... View Details

October 2003 (Revised January 2004)
Background Note

Online Securities Trading in Japan

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Jamie Ladge, Haruki Umezawa and Masako Egawa

Provides an overview of the Japanese securities industry and discusses how the online trading/brokerage industry grew as a result of deregulation of financial markets and penetration of the Internet in Japan. Describes major players in the online industry--Matsui... View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Competitive Strategy; Emerging Markets; Financial Markets; Business Strategy; Financial Instruments; Globalized Markets and Industries; Internet and the Web; Japan

2018
Working Paper

Executive Education in the Digital Matrix: The Disruption of the Supply Landscape

By: Mihnea Moldoveanu and Das Narayandas

Even as the demand for managerial skills continues to grow, executive education worldwide has entered a period of disruption caused by the digitalization of content, connectivity, and communication. The current offerings of many executive education program providers... View Details

Keywords: Executive Education; Internet and the Web; Disruption; Competency and Skills; Leadership Development

Read Now

November 2013
Teaching Note

Barnes & Noble: Managing the E-Book Revolution

By: Alan MacCormack, Brian Kimball Dunn and Chris F. Kemerer

In 2012, Barnes & Noble found itself in a difficult position. While the company had weathered the advent of online retailing relatively well, the arrival of electronic books (e-books) threatened the company's viability. Primary competitor Borders had already fallen by... View Details

Keywords: Technological Innovation; Internet and the Web; Adaptation; Books; Retail Industry

October 2010
Teaching Note

Nettwerk: Digital Marketing in the Music Industry (TN)

By: John A. Deighton and Leora Kornfeld

Teaching Note for 510055. View Details

Keywords: Music Entertainment; Internet and the Web; Contracts; Arts; Projects; Venture Capital; Music Industry

April 2000 (Revised June 2000)
Case

E-Loan: The CarFinance.com Acquisition

E-Loan is an online mortgage lender that acquired an auto-lending arm in August of 1999. This case examines E-Loan's purchase of CarFinance.com and highlights E-Loan's strategy-setting process. In addition, the case explores business development as a strategic process... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Internet and the Web; Change Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Financial Services Industry

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

25 Jun 2018
Blog Post

The Internship Search: “Is this just a personal interest, or is there a real professional opportunity here?”

talking to friends, family, and HBS colleagues to expand his web of relationships within his target market. “I was really just getting a sense of the landscape,” he says. “Most of these companies are small; I didn’t expect them to hire... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products / Retail

Profile

Kimball Thomas

says. The business, PoolTables.com, grew fast, expanding into an ongoing Web enterprise with five retail locations, employing a total of twenty people. Moving to a larger stage PoolTables.com remains a going concern. “But,” says Kimball,... View Details

08 Nov 2019
Blog Post

Staying Connected to the Harvard Veterans Community After HBS

during an on-campus visit before I applied, and I also connected with HBS's Armed Forces Alumni Association (AFAA) through their club web page. Through the page, I was able to speak directly with AFAA Veterans for admissions advice and... View Details

01 Mar 2008
News

Negotiating with Wal-Mart

really come together,” says Sebenius. And the payoffs — as Muccio and Talley discover — are well worth the effort. Sarah Talley’s key negotiation principles in dealing with Wal-Mart. Web Extra Sarah Talley’s Key Negotiation Principles View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; General Merchandise Stores; Retail Trade

01 Feb 2000
News

Youth Movement: HBS Clubs Make Students a Top Priority

tkwiker@mba1995.hbs.edu. For more information about HBSA-SNE, visit www.reade.com/_HBS/hbsgate.html or contact mpernorio@mba1990.hbs.edu. For information on clubs in general, visit the HBS Alumni Clubs Web site at www.alumni.hbs.edu/clubs... View Details

Keywords: Amy E. Dean

01 Sep 2013
News

Faculty Books

by visiting their web links. How to Spot a Liar Key linguistic cues can help reveal dishonesty during business negotiations, whether it's a flat-out lie or a deliberate omission of key information, according to research by Professor... View Details

Keywords: Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

July 2022
Case

Metaverse Seoul

By: Mitchell Weiss and Samantha Markowitz

In May 2022, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) launched the pilot of Metaverse Seoul, a government-run metaverse. SMG had delivered a virtual version of Seoul’s mayor’s office. The team aimed to gain insights as they worked towards building a broad, immersive,... View Details

Keywords: Metaverse; Entrepreneurship; Innovation and Invention; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Government Administration; Public Administration Industry; South Korea; Asia

Educators

March 2022
Article

Learning to Rank an Assortment of Products

By: Kris Ferreira, Sunanda Parthasarathy and Shreyas Sekar

We consider the product ranking challenge that online retailers face when their customers typically behave as “window shoppers”: they form an impression of the assortment after browsing products ranked in the initial positions and then decide whether to continue... View Details

Keywords: Online Learning; Product Ranking; Assortment Optimization; Learning; Internet and the Web; Product Marketing; Consumer Behavior; E-commerce

July–August 2016
Article

The Decoupling Effect of Digital Disruptors

By: Thales S. Teixeira and Peter Jamieson

A new wave of Internet startups is disrupting established businesses by the process of “decoupling.” In this article, the authors discuss how these new digital disruptors allow consumers to benefit from one activity (e.g., watching shows) without incurring the cost of... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Internet and the Web; Business Startups; Product Marketing; Customization and Personalization