Publications

May 2006 (Revised June 2006)
Case

Codon Devices

By: Joseph B. Lassiter III and David Kiron

In December 2005, 40-year-old John Danner was about to make his first presentation to the board of directors of Codon Devices, a one-year-old biotechnology start-up based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After a month as the company's CEO, Danner was prepared to lay out... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Venture Capital; Intellectual Property; Governing and Advisory Boards; Genetics; Competitive Advantage; Science-Based Business; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Biotechnology Industry; Cambridge

Find at Harvard

April 2011 (Revised June 2011)
Case

Internet Securities, Inc.: Path to Sustainability

By: Lynda M. Applegate, William R. Kerr and Ryan Johnson

Founded in 1994 when the Internet was still a "toy for techies," the case is set in 1998 when Internet IPOs were red-hot. Internet Securities provides hard-to-find financial, business, economic, and political information on emerging markets. Information from over 600... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Business Model; Business Startups; Decision Choices and Conditions; Venture Capital; Cash Flow; Initial Public Offering; Analytics and Data Science; Growth and Development Strategy; Valuation

07 Apr 2015
News

Warrior Spirit

martial arts for the last 5,000 years, and MMA is a sport that is intuitively grasped, like hockey is for Canadians. But until now, no one here has tried to commercialize martial arts for the masses.” As a catchall Cui adds, “Asia” doesn’t really capture the diversity... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Arts, Entertainment; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries; Arts, Entertainment; Technical and Trade Schools; Educational Services

26 Sep 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, September 26, 2017

forthcoming Review of Financial Studies Managing the Family Firm: Evidence from CEOs at Work By: Bandiera, Oriana, Andrea Prat, Renata Lemos, and Raffaella Sadun Abstract—We present evidence on the labor supply of CEOs and on whether... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

16 Aug 2022
Op-Ed

Now Is the Time for Entrepreneurs to Play Offense

stocks, startups. With the market correction, suddenly assets are more interesting to acquire. Many, many startups are flailing. Cash reserves are dwindling and they are desperate to find a safe landing.... View Details

Keywords: by Jeffrey Bussgang

23 Apr 2018
Research & Ideas

Sponsorship Programs Could Actually Widen the Gender Gap

sponsor and protégé look good. “Sponsorship builds on traditional mentorship by adding a more transactional nature to the relationship,” explains Coffman, who works in the Negotiations, Organizations, and Markets Unit at HBS. “It’s not... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

Web

Buy Now, Pay Later: Home Finance

HBS Quick Links MBA Executive Education Doctoral Programs Faculty and Research Alumni HBS Publishing Site Index HBS Home Contact Us Map/Directions Introduction Credit in Pre-Industrial Society Credit and the Market Economy: The Rise of... View Details

10 Oct 2011
Research & Ideas

Retailing Revolution: Category Killers on the Brink

near 20 percent online market share. Apparel, greeting cards, party supplies, and office products have reached double-digit penetration as well while sporting goods and cosmetics will likely reach double-digit share in 2011. Pet products... View Details

Keywords: by Rajiv Lal & Jose B. Alvarez; Retail

January 2002 (Revised April 2002)
Case

Space Data Corporation

By: Alan D. MacCormack and Jay Wynn

Space Data Corp. plans to partner with the U.S. National Weather Service to place transceivers on weather balloons and thereby create a national mobile communications network. The company is in the late development stages and is planning to launch a regional test that... View Details

Keywords: Wireless Technology; Business Startups; Business Processes; Adaptation; Partners and Partnerships; Opportunities; Telecommunications Industry; Public Administration Industry; United States

28 Jun 2011
First Look

First Look: June 28

and George Serafeim Publication:Journal of Finance (forthcoming) Abstract In tests of the equity market timing theory of external finance, the prior literature has used overvaluation identifiers such as high market-to-book and high prior... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

06 Jun 2005
What Do You Think?

Is a “Level Playing Field” a Good Thing?

very notion of a level playing field is a myth. There never has been a level field and there never will be. . . . Let the market decide for itself and it will work out." Radhika Unni adds, "I don't think that there will ever be... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

07 Aug 2007
First Look

First Look: August 7, 2007

acceptance algorithm proposed by Gale and Shapley (1962) has had a profound influence on market design, both directly, by being adapted into practical matching mechanisms, and, indirectly, by raising new theoretical questions. Deferred... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Profile

Enrico Ferrari

technology, he spent nights and weekends learning how to code; soon, he started developing his own algorithms to scale and automate digital marketing campaigns, a skill he applied to successfully expand a classifieds business into fifteen... View Details

Keywords: Tech

01 Aug 2001
News

Richard B. Fisher (MBA '62)

significance of globalization by taking a much-publicized gamble in relatively untested markets such as India and China. In 1997, getting out in front of the industry's move toward consolidation, he helped negotiate a $10 billion merger... View Details

Keywords: Richard B. Fisher; Warren A. Law; Alumni Achievement Award; Finance; Management of Companies and Enterprises; Management

16 May 2000
Research & Ideas

The Simple Economics of Open Source

outwardly the situation smells of economic anarchy. Where are the market forces, when thousands of talented programmers—and even many commercial firms—spend inordinate amounts of time writing and sharing computer source code: an activity... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Technology

18 Oct 2017
Research & Ideas

How Economic Clusters Drive Globalization

two locations shared knowledge of palm oil production even as they competed for market share—a contest that Malaysia eventually won thanks to its more stable political climate and higher quality of institutions. “Because the Malaysian... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Agriculture & Agribusiness

June 2018
Case

Meridian Systems

By: Frank V. Cespedes and Michael J. Roberts

The Meridian Systems case focuses on a start-up in the restaurant point of sale (POS) systems market. In early 2018, Meridian is getting ready to roll out a POS system based on a new technology—a tablet-based, Wi-Fi-enabled POS system (the "tablet" system, or... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Sales; Strategy; Salesforce Management; Organizational Structure; Technological Innovation; Marketing Strategy