Publications

February 2000 (Revised May 2001)
Case

eBricks.com is developing an online marketplace for construction materials. The start-up company faces two decisions: 1) whether to merge with BluelineOnline.com, a firm providing project management solutions for the construction industry; and 2) whether to develop an... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Marketplace Matching; Decision Choices and Conditions; Business Startups; Construction Industry

July 2024
Case

Jacqueline Cook at Vendasta: Debating an IPO

By: Reza Satchu, Tom Quinn and Andrew Kosc

In May 2021, after a surge in demand for digital services that prompted high valuations for startups across the Canadian tech sector, Saskatchewan-based Vendasta entered the final stages of the initial public offering (IPO) process. COO Jacqueline Cook had invested her... View Details

May 2024
Supplement

gWorks (A)

By: Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff

In January of 2019, Joe Heieck, CEO of gWorks, was deciding whether to proceed with his acquisition of Data Tech, that was a business roughly the same size as gWorks. gWorks, which provided geospatial software to small city and rural county governments, was acquired by... View Details

21 May 2019
Cold Call Podcast

If the Key to Business Success Is Focus, Why Does Amazon Work?

Keywords: Re: Sunil Gupta; Retail

12 Nov 2014
Op-Ed

A Challenge to the New Congress: Pass Housing Finance Reform

investors. Currently Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the plethora of private issuers have their own guidelines. A common platform will make this new system user-friendly. In fact, the federal Housing Finance... View Details

Keywords: by Nicolas Retsinas & Rob Couch; Construction; Real Estate

January 2022
Case

Hybrid Classroom - an Opportunity or a Threat?

By: V.G. Narayanan

When the Covid pandemic struck in the spring of 2020, HBS pivoted to remote instruction while maintaining the interactive and engaged discussions which distinguished the case system pedagogy. In fall 2020 HBS adopted a hybrid approach, fitting out its classrooms with... View Details

Keywords: Education; Teaching; Higher Education; Technology Adoption; Digital Platforms; Internet and the Web; Adaptation; Opportunities; Education Industry

16 Oct 2019
Research & Ideas

Read Our Most Popular Stories of the Quarter

great customer service is no longer the responsibility of just one department. Creating the customer-centric organization. (12,182 visits) What Machine Learning Teaches Us about CEO Leadership Style Researchers use machine-learning to look for links between a CEO's... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

21 Feb 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: February 21

Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=52291 Platforms, Open/User Innovation, and Ecosystems: A Strategic Leadership Perspective By: Altman, Elizabeth J., and Michael L. Tushman... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

04 Jan 2012
First Look

First Look: January 4

http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/11-086.pdf Expectations, Network Effects and Platform Pricing Authors:Andrei Hagiu and Hanna Hałaburda Abstract In markets with network effects,... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

31 Jul 2014
Research & Ideas

A Scholarly Crowd Explores Crowdsourcing

Cox Pahnke, Dan Wang, and Benjamin Hallen. Ripe for study. In a plenary talk on crowdsourced contests and competitions, Lakhani outlined numerous areas in need of further study, which is made much easier by... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

08 Jul 2024
Research & Ideas

The Critical Computer Science Principles Every Strategic Leader Needs to Know

the App Store and its ecosystem of services. Eight of the 10 most valuable companies in the world are currently pursuing platform strategies, Wu says. Ultimately, View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand; Technology; Information Technology

October 2023
Case

CornerUp: Digitizing the Corner Store

By: Álvaro Rodríguez Arregui, Stacy Straaberg and Diego Zainos De La Sota Riva

In July 2023, Jason Diaz, co-founder and CEO of CornerUp, assessed the progress of his business-to-business e-procurement software application (app) startup, founded in January 2022. CornerUp began as a fast-moving consumer packaged goods (FMCG) distributor in New York... View Details

Keywords: Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Small Business; Transition; Decisions; Social Entrepreneurship; Geographic Location; Disruptive Innovation; Market Participation; Digital Platforms; Trust; Business Strategy; Expansion; Information Infrastructure; Internet and the Web; Technology Adoption; Value Creation; Technology Industry; United States

23 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Historically Speaking: A Roundtable at HBS

turn radio, an innovation originally intended to transmit messages, into a platform for entertainment and advertising. While NBC was building lots of radio stations, a slew of individuals, mostly amateur... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Aisner

July 2003 (Revised June 2010)
Case

FrontPoint Partners

By: Jay O. Light

A hedge fund platform, a new and unique kind of asset management firm, contemplates various client markets for its services. View Details

Keywords: Asset Management; Investment; Demand and Consumers; Digital Platforms; Service Delivery; Financial Services Industry

Find at Harvard

08 Oct 2013
First Look

First Look: October 8

with the most experience and those who have worked most recently-precisely the individuals who would recognize that this is a gift. Download working paper: http://people.hbs.edu/mluca/Papers%20on%20RIS/oDesk.pdf Search Diversion View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

02 Aug 2010
Research & Ideas

Modern Indian Art: The Birth of a Market

had had to be actively created. Supply alone did not generate demand. Second, this was a case in which actors other than the producers (that is, the artists) interpreted the product to explain and construct its value to consumers,... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

December 2018
Case

Choosy

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Julia Kelley

Founded in 2017, Choosy is a data-driven fashion startup that uses algorithms to identify styles trending on social media. After manufacturing similar items using a China-based supply chain, Choosy sells them to consumers through its website and social media pages.... View Details