Publications

September 2021 (Revised March 2024)
Case

Bühler: Mobilizing Industry around a Common Purpose

By: Ranjay Gulati, Franz Wohlgezogen and Malini Sen

Bühler Group, a Swiss multinational processing technology provider, started by selling machines for processing grains and later transitioned into selling food processing solutions. A family-owned business in the fifth generation, Bühler’s high-end milling, grinding,... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Customer Focus and Relationships; Machinery and Machining; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mission and Purpose; Innovation Leadership; Switzerland

28 Mar 2018
HBS Seminar

Tim O’Reilly, O’Reilly Media

Learning to Successfully Hire in Online Labor Markets

Hiring in online labor markets involves considerable uncertainty: which hiring choices are more likely to yield successful outcomes and how do employers adjust their hiring behaviors to make such choices? We argue that employers will initially explore the value... View Details

11 Dec 2023
Blog Post

Building Iconic Brands and Brighter Futures: Interview with Glossier CEO, Kyle Leahy

that personally inspired me.” To make this career transition, Leahy made the move from New York back to her home state of Massachusetts to attend Harvard Business School. “HBS opened up my global perspective,” said Leahy. “It allowed me to see the world through the... View Details

23 May 2018
Research & Ideas

How to Know If Your Neighborhood Is Being Gentrified

uncomfortable spot of trying to maintain the tricky balance of bolstering economic development without completely killing cultural diversity. Glaeser, Kim, and Luca believe their novel approach, which mashes up data from online platforms... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

07 Apr 2023
Research & Ideas

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

leverage social media platforms to provide useful information and “use their influence to promote philanthropic endeavors and advocate for economic freedom.” When regulations lack bite Pacelli does not recommend outlawing paid promotion... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

May–June 2025
Article

Algorithmic Assortment Curation: An Empirical Study of Buybox in Online Marketplaces

By: Santiago Gallino, Nil Karacaoglu and Antonio Moreno

Most online sales worldwide take place in marketplaces that connect sellers and buyers. The presence of numerous third-party sellers leads to a proliferation of listings for each product, making it difficult for customers to choose between the available options. Online... View Details

Keywords: Algorithms; Marketplaces; Marketplace Matching; E-commerce; Demand and Consumers; Customer Focus and Relationships; Market Participation; Technology Adoption

SSRN

March 2025
Case

Stagwell: AI and the Future of Marketing

By: Suraj Srinivasan and Radhika Kak

In early 2025, Mark Penn, Founder, CEO and Chairman of Stagwell, a global marketing company with a network of over 70+ agencies that served over 4000 blue-chip customers across 40 countries, was looking at ways that marketers should navigate the disruption emanating... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Innovation Strategy; Change Management; AI and Machine Learning; Digital Transformation; Technology Adoption; Marketing Strategy; Service Delivery; Creativity; Business Model; Advertising Industry; Technology Industry

Web

Online Business Strategy Courses | HBS Online

Online vs. Other Top Business Schools with Online, Asynchronous Courses HBS Online HBSO Others Considered more impactful than other online programs by learners* Yes No The preferred brand among prospective online learners* Yes No Reimagined the case study method... View Details

Web

Online Entrepreneurship & Innovation Courses | HBS Online

organization. 8 weeks, 4-5 hrs/week Pay by September 11 $1,850 Certificate Winning with Digital Platforms Professor Feng Zhu Explore digital platforms' unique properties, opportunities, and risks, and develop scalable strategies that... View Details

01 Jun 2023
News

Buy Big, Sell Small

cofounder of ApnaKlub, a wholesale digital platform that helps kirana owners aggregate their buying power and access credit tools and other services. “These are micro businesses that run on tight margins. If shopkeepers run out of... View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg; retail; supply chain management; entrepreneurship; leadership; innovation; Miscellaneous Store Retailers; Retail Trade

03 Oct 2005
Research & Ideas

The Truck Driver Who Reinvented Shipping

and would have to fit neatly in stacks. McLean patented a steel-reinforced corner-post structure, which allowed the trailers to be gripped for loading from their wheeled platforms and provided the strength needed for stacking. At the same... View Details

Keywords: by Anthony J. Mayo & Nitin Nohria; Manufacturing; Transportation; Aerospace

February 2023
Case

Roblox: Virtual Commerce in the Metaverse

By: Ayelet Israeli and Nicole Tempest Keller

In 2022, Roblox had 58.8 million daily active users, including over half of all children and teens under the age of 16 in the United States. Roblox, a free-to-use “co-experience platform”, allowed users to come together in immersive 3D experiences to socialize, work,... View Details

27 Jun 2019
Blog Post

My Week at Harvard Business School's Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP)

prohibited. When a student is selected to speak, all other hands must go down to give the student an emphasized platform on which to thoughtfully express themselves. The questions asked are concise and specific and redundancy of responses... View Details

09 Nov 2023
Blog Post

The No. 1 Character Trait You Will Need to Succeed in Business

Imagine someone with no experience diving standing above the deep end of a pool and, “Watch me do a 10-meter platform dive!” Would you consider that person to be courageous – or reckless? In short, overcoming fear and uncertainty when it... View Details

June 2024
Module Note

Value Creation Potential of New Business Models

By: David J. Collis

A business model is composed of three elements. These describe a generic way of creating value and identify the maximum potential value of that model for customers. The elements of a business model are the “job to be done” for the customer, the asset configuration, or... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Corporate Strategy; Mission and Purpose; Competitive Strategy; Value Creation