Product Diffusion - Publications - Faculty & Research

17 Jul 2007
First Look

First Look: July 17, 2007

Autor, William R. Kerr, and Adriana D. Kugler Periodical:Economic Journal 117 (2007): F189-F217 Abstract Theory predicts that mandated employment protections may reduce productivity by distorting production... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

10 Dec 2007
HBS Case

One Laptop per Child

agreed to manufacture the laptop. On the technological front, OLPC tackled puzzles such as creating a product both useful and fun for children of primary school age. (See CloseUp below). But despite its visionary goals and widespread... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Computer

04 Jun 2013
First Look

First Look: June 4

into a productive working relationship? Purchase this case: http://hbr.org/search/413099-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 512-047 Four Products: Predicting Diffusion (2011) An updated "Four... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

10 Dec 2001
Research & Ideas

Governance in India and Around the Globe

Indian software maker Infosys specifically, and other Indian firms more generally.We document the under-studied effect that global product and labor markets can play in the convergence of corporate governance systems worldwide. This... View Details

Keywords: by Tarun Khanna & Krishna Palepu; Technology

13 Aug 2007
Research & Ideas

The Dark Side of Trust

barrier to entry to competitors offering innovative products. What were your main findings about how trust influences the speed at which new ideas and products diffuse in the economy? A: We found that the... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Service

24 Sep 2014
Op-Ed

Tackling Climate Change Will Cost Less Than We Think

No one knows how much it will cost to keep the risks of significant climate disruption to a reasonable level. One commonly cited estimate puts the cost at roughly 1 percent of world GDP a year, or about $840 billion. This is a large number, but it seems smaller when... View Details

Keywords: by Rebecca Henderson; Energy; Utilities

11 Dec 2018
Research & Ideas

Free Trade Needs Nurturing—and Other Lessons from History

the Mekong Delta, where you have the same. The US producers felt that they were being threatened by cheap fish from Vietnam, and local politicians went all the way up to Washington, which imposed a series of trade barriers. The costs are borne by View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

10 May 2004
Research & Ideas

Rethink the Value of Joint Ventures

more than 3,000 American transnationals suggests that JVs are falling out of favor. Why? Increasing forces of globalization such as increasingly fragmented production processes make the decision not to collaborate pay off. That's one... View Details

Keywords: by Cynthia Churchwell

16 Oct 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, October 16, 2018

be used to forecast product life cycles at scale. In two empirical studies, one of search interest in social networks and the other of new computer sales, we demonstrate that our model outperforms leading View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

19 Dec 2017
First Look

New Research and Ideas, December 19, 2017

term scale and scope. Though tractors are now used in nearly every agricultural field operation and in the production of nearly all crops, they first developed with much more limited application. Early View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

15 Sep 2009
First Look

First Look: September 15

the firm than in its absence. An Exploration of Technology Diffusion Author:Diego A. Comin Publication:American Economic Review (forthcoming) Abstract We develop a model that, at the aggregate level, is similar to the one sector... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

17 Nov 2020
In Practice

How Retailers Can Thrive in a Shopping Season Like No Other

online will likely worry about receiving gifts on time. Training staff to enforce rapidly changing health guidelines and diffuse tension with customers who don’t comply mask-wearing regulations will also be critical to keeping the peace... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Retail

26 Nov 2013
First Look

First Look: November 26

international trade. The empirical analysis has three comparative advantages: including emerging and advanced economies, isolating panel variation regarding the link between productivity and exports, and exploiting heterogeneous... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

12 Apr 2004
Research & Ideas

Waking Up a Sleeping Company

issue of Medtronic's performance standards, I found that goals and deadlines were routinely set, missed, and then simply adjusted. Poor performance was rationalized by excuses. Even incentive payments were adjusted upward to reflect these excuses. As a result, sales... View Details

Keywords: by Bill George

22 Jan 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, January 22, 2019

institutions? The answer, the authors argue, is yes. The key lies in market-creating innovations: products and services that speak to unmet local needs, create local jobs, and scale up quickly. Examples include MicroEnsure, which has made... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

29 Nov 2004
Research & Ideas

Caves, Clusters, and Weak Ties: The Six Degrees World of Inventors

work on knowledge diffusion demonstrates that knowledge flows along these collaborative relationships, even years after they were formed," says Fleming. At the same time, the world of inventors "is getting smaller," he... View Details

Keywords: by Sara Grant; Publishing

02 Jul 2013
First Look

First Look: July 2

Measurement, Causes, and Consequences By: Comin, Diego A., and Marti Mestieri Abstract—This chapter discusses different approaches pursued to explore three broad questions related to technology diffusion: what general patterns characterize the View Details

Keywords: Anna Secino

22 Jan 2007
Research & Ideas

The Immigrant Technologist: Studying Technology Transfer with China

as well as the subsequent diffusion of new innovations to the immigrants' home countries. In June, Kerr and nine other HBS faculty members spent six days in China to learn more about entrepreneurship in one of the world's fastest-growing... View Details

Keywords: Re: William R. Kerr; Technology; Computer

05 Sep 2000
What Do You Think?

Whither the Information Economy?

the end is better products and services. According to Bob DeNoble, "... information is a tool to help get the real work done. It enables us to produce food, clothing, and shelter, run our transportation and banking systems, and keep... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

24 Dec 2013
First Look

First Look: December 24

differs by firm ownership. We study CEOs in the Indian manufacturing sector, where family ownership is widespread and the productivity dispersion across firms is substantial. Time use analysis of 356 CEOs of listed firms yields three sets... View Details