Publications

January 1992 (Revised March 2006)
Case

The DAG Group

Chris Hackett and Val Rayzman have spent six months after graduating from business school exploring the possibility of building a chain of upscale drycleaners. This fragmented industry looked ripe for an innovative new entrant. Chris and Val have researched the... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Market Entry and Exit; Entrepreneurship; Acquisition; Service Industry

April 2007 (Revised April 2008)
Case

Corrections Corporation of America

This case illustrates a comprehensive valuation of a publicly traded firm specializing in building and managing prisons. Students must assess the firm's strategy and risks, evaluate key financial reports, derive forecasts of future performance, and use these forecasts... View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Buildings and Facilities; For-Profit Firms; Crime and Corruption; Forecasting and Prediction; Risk Management; Valuation; Service Industry; Service Industry; Service Industry

Web

Becoming a Board Member - Alumni

others with whom you suggest I meet? + – The Independent Directors What is the organization's management style? What is the culture of the board? What is the current succession plan for executive management? What external sources do you View Details

01 Apr 2014
First Look

First Look: April 1

been more desirable, as a policy matter, but is now a missed opportunity. Using this experience on staggered boards as a motivating case study, the article then examines a policy choice regarding Section 203 of the Delaware corporate... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

07 Jul 2019
HBS Case

Walmart's Workforce of the Future

Any discussion of the future of retail—or how we work—has to include Walmart. As of 2017, 90 percent of the US population lived within 10 miles of a Walmart store; with 11,766 locations worldwide and $514 billion in annual revenues, the... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail

September 2017 (Revised June 2019)
Case

Dianrong: Marketplace Lending, Blockchain, and 'The New Finance' in China

By: Christopher J. Malloy, Lauren H. Cohen and Anthony K. Woo

This case examines the strategic positioning of Dianrong, one of the largest online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms in China, in its attempt to become a foundational player in the expansion of the FinTech sector in Asia. Dianrong had recently announced the... View Details

Keywords: Financing and Loans; Internet and the Web; Supply Chain; Finance; Innovation and Invention; Competition; Product Positioning; Strategy; Financial Services Industry; China

September 2009 (Revised February 2011)
Case

Intellectual Ventures

By: Andrei Hagiu, David B. Yoffie and Alison Berkley Wagonfeld

Intellectual Ventures creates and acquires intellectual property, which it then seeks to monetize through non-exclusive licensing. In early 2009, as an increasing number of companies were trying to position themselves as leading intermediaries in the market for... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Innovation and Invention; Intellectual Property; Rights; Service Operations; Research and Development; Technology; Service Industry

13 May 2014
First Look

First Look: May 13

Materials Harvard Business School Case 814-073 Entrepreneurial Finance Lab: Scaling an Innovative Start-up Financing Venture Entrepreneurial Finance Lab provides credit-scoring services in developing countries View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

12 Aug 2020
Research & Ideas

Why Investors Often Lose When They Sue Their Financial Adviser

proliferation of arbitration Companies from internet service providers to nursing home operators use arbitration to shield themselves from expensive, protracted lawsuits. Proponents say the approach resolves... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Financial Services

Web

Planned Giving - Alumni

Giving Planned Giving Giving Planned Giving Leave a Legacy Through planned giving, you can use a variety of strategies and assets to support HBS during your lifetime or at your passing, while also fulfilling your financial planning goals.... View Details

13 Mar 2007
First Look

First Look: March 13, 2007

paradox by considering the enabling role of actors' social position. Adopting a relational view of human agency, I model the impact of their social position on the likelihood that actors will initiate changes that diverge from the existing institutions. I test this... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Web

Historical Data & Sources - Business History

Ford on Six Continents , Cambridge University Press, June 2011. Ford Motor Company Annual Reports, various years Directory of American Firms Operating in Foreign Countries , various editions OneSource database Map created by John Regan, MBA 2016 Download Data Set in... View Details

16 Aug 2024
In Practice

Election 2024: What's at Stake for Business and the Workplace?

undergird democracy There are several things businesses can do to strengthen democracy. Here are four of them. Encourage voter participation by providing employees with paid time off to vote, thereby addressing the barrier created by election days falling on weekdays.... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

11 Apr 2023
Research & Ideas

Is Amazon a Retailer, a Tech Firm, or a Media Company? How AI Can Help Investors Decide

companies. Portfolio managers and analysts have been using the Global Industry Classification Standard, or GICS—a taxonomy of 11 sectors, 25 industry groups, and additional subsets—to compare stocks since 1999. Periodically, Standard... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Financial Services; Financial Services; Financial Services; Financial Services

September 2019 (Revised September 2019)
Case

Facebook Fake News in the Post-Truth World

By: John R. Wells, Carole A. Winkler and Benjamin Weinstock

In August 2019, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, was surrounded by controversy. The first major storm of protest followed the surprise election of Donald Trump as President of the United States on November 8, 2016; many put the blame at the door of fake... View Details

Keywords: Facebook; Fake News; Mark Zuckerberg; Donald Trump; Algorithms; Social Networks; Partisanship; Social Media; App Development; Instagram; WhatsApp; Smartphone; Silicon Valley; Office Space; Digital Strategy; Democracy; Entry Barriers; Online Platforms; Controversy; Tencent; Agility; Social Networking; 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; Communication; Communication Technology; Forms of Communication; Interactive Communication; Interpersonal Communication; Talent and Talent Management; Crime and Corruption; Voting; Demographics; Entertainment; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Moral Sensibility; Values and Beliefs; Initial Public Offering; Profit; Revenue; Geography; Geographic Location; Global Range; Local Range; Country; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Globalized Firms and Management; Globalized Markets and Industries; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Government and Politics; International Relations; National Security; Political Elections; Business History; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Information Management; Information Publishing; News; Newspapers; Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Knowledge Dissemination; Human Capital; Law; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Business or Company Management; Crisis Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Management Practices and Processes; Management Style; Management Systems; Management Teams; Managerial Roles; Marketing Channels; Social Marketing; Network Effects; Market Entry and Exit; Digital Platforms; Marketplace Matching; Industry Growth; Industry Structures; Monopoly; Media; Product Development; Service Delivery; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Organizational Structure; Public Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Business and Community Relations; Business and Government Relations; Groups and Teams; Networks; Rank and Position; Opportunities; Behavior; Emotions; Identity; Power and Influence; Prejudice and Bias; Reputation; Social and Collaborative Networks; Status and Position; Trust; Society; Civil Society or Community; Culture; Public Opinion; Social Issues; Societal Protocols; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Commercialization; Competition; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Customization and Personalization; Diversification; Expansion; Horizontal Integration; Segmentation; Information Technology; Internet and the Web; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Information Infrastructure; Valuation; 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

01 Aug 2011
Research & Ideas

Immigrant Innovators: Job Stealers or Job Creators?

IBM. But the program also has granted thousands of visas to India-based technology services companies that have US entities, including Infosys, Wipro, and Tata Consultancy Services. As with any controversial... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Technology

09 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

It’s Time to Reset Decision-Making in Your Organization

[Editor’s note: This is the third installment of a continuing series on issues that 600 CEOs told us keeps them awake at night. Today's topic: The challenges of making organizational decisions in this uncertain environment.] While we may... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Sarah Abbott

04 Apr 2023
What Do You Think?

How Does Remote Work Affect Innovation?

the most money possible is the real objective.” Thoughtful responses suggested more useful ways of examining the question as well as measuring and taking advantage of the relationship. Dan Wallace asked, “why you feel it’s so important to... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

December 2000
Background Note

Online Market Makers

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Chris Hackett

Describes the business model for online market makers, firms that use the Internet to organize a marketplace, providing participants with a virtual "place" to trade, rules to govern their exchanges, and infrastructure to support trading. First it proposes a definition... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Web Services Industry