Publications

January 2008 (Revised September 2008)
Supplement

Marketing the "$100 Laptop" (C)

By: John A. Quelch and David Chen

In October 2007, the OLPC reported production delays and missed its shipment date. In early November, the $100 PC finally went into production, with initial shipments planned for Uruguay and Mongolia, and mid-month launched the "Give One, Get One" program. It enabled... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit Organizations; For-Profit Firms; Partners and Partnerships; Information Infrastructure; Problems and Challenges; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Computer Industry; Canada; Mongolia; Uruguay; United States

November 2006 (Revised March 2008)
Case

Kendall Square Research Corporation

By: F. Warren McFarlan

Kendall Square Research was a small competitor in the supercomputer industry. Sales grew rapidly in 1992 and early 1993 and the company sold stock to the public for the first time. Analysts forecast higher earnings for 1993, then the company's revenue recognition... View Details

Keywords: Revenue Recognition; Standards; Accounting Audits; Computer Industry

Article

The Rigid Disk Drive Industry, 1956-90: A History of Commercial and Technological Turbulence

By: C. M. Christensen

Keywords: History; Technology; Hardware; Computer Industry

February 2005 (Revised November 2006)
Case

Hewlett-Packard (A)

By: Rohit Deshpande and Seth Schulman

Since its controversial merger with Compaq, Hewlett-Packard had been under pressure by analysts and some stockholders to divest itself of its low-margin PC business. For CEO Carly Fiorina and others on HP's management team, however, PCs seemed integral to the company's... View Details

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Customer Focus and Relationships; Mergers and Acquisitions; Information Infrastructure; Business Strategy; Price; Computer Industry

November 2004 (Revised May 2010)
Case

RightNow Technologies

By: William A. Sahlman and Dan Heath

The founder and CEO of a CRM software start-up must decide between an attractive acquisition offer and the opportunity to go public. Discusses the growth of the company--including a lengthy discussion of entrepreneurial bootstrapping--as well as an aborted IPO attempt... View Details

Keywords: Business Exit or Shutdown; Applications and Software; Going Public; Management Teams; Finance; Strategy; Value Creation; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Acquisition; Computer Industry

April 2002
Teaching Note

Accounting for the Intel Pentium Chip Flaw TN

By: Gregory S. Miller and V.G. Narayanan

Teaching Note for (9-101-072). View Details

Keywords: Computer Industry

May 2000
Teaching Note

Hewlett Packard's Merced Decision TN

By: Clayton M. Christensen and Tara Donovan

Teaching Note for (9-699-011). View Details

Keywords: Computer Industry

September 1995 (Revised May 1997)
Teaching Note

Microsoft, 1995 TN

By: Tarun Khanna

Teaching Note for (9-795-147) and (9-799-003). View Details

Keywords: Computer Industry

June 1992 (Revised November 1995)
Supplement

Transformation of IBM, The, Supplement

By: David B. Yoffie

Provides an update to the case. View Details

Keywords: Computer Industry

August 1995
Teaching Note

IBM After-Sales Service TN

By: Janice H. Hammond

Teaching Note for (9-693-001). View Details

Keywords: Computer Industry

July 1993
Teaching Note

Acer Incorporated TN

By: David B. Yoffie

Teaching Note for (9-691-104). View Details

Keywords: Computer Industry; Taiwan

June 1991 (Revised April 1993)
Case

Acer, Inc.

By: Robert H. Hayes

Acer is undergoing two major transitions at the time of this case: from a small, entrepreneurially-run company to a large professionally-run one; and from a largely domestic company to a multinational one. After a decade of phenomenal growth, it is now facing a major... View Details

Keywords: Transition; Motivation and Incentives; Multinational Firms and Management; Business Growth and Maturation; Employees; Resignation and Termination; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Diversity; Computer Industry; Taiwan

January 1992 (Revised June 1994)
Case

IBM: Assistant General Manager of Marketing (A)

By: Frank V. Cespedes

Keywords: Marketing; Computer Industry

August 1997 (Revised September 1997)
Case

Hewlett-Packard's Santa Rosa Systems Division (B3): Assessing Organizational Fitness Profiling

By: Michael Beer and Gregory C. Rogers

Supplements the (B) case. View Details

Keywords: Computer Industry

March 1995 (Revised July 1995)
Supplement

Datavision (B)

By: Michael Beer and Gregory C. Rogers

To be handed out in class as a follow-up to Datavision (A). View Details

Keywords: Computer Industry

January 1989
Case

IBM Corp.: The Full Employment Practice (A)

By: D. Quinn Mills

Keywords: Selection and Staffing; Human Resources; Management; Computer Industry

2003
Book

The Watson Dynasty: The Fiery Reign and Troubled Legacy of IBM's Founding Father and Son

By: R. S. Tedlow

Keywords: Information Technology; Business Ventures; Computer Industry

June 1995
Teaching Note

Lexon Corporation Series TN

By: Lynn S. Paine and Sarah Gant

Teaching Note for (9-392-071) and (9-392-072). View Details

Keywords: Computer Industry

June 1990 (Revised January 1994)
Case

Desktop Printer Industry in 1990

The desktop printer industry in 1990 is characterized by significant uncertainty about new technologies and about the types of features customers may demand in the next decade. The case looks at the positions of Hewlett-Packard, Canon, Kodak, Xerox, and IBM enabling... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Change Management; Competition; Hardware; Computer Industry