Publications

13 Jan 2021
News

Stress Test

the manufacturer to each individual, Kelley says. “They need to be sure 100 percent of the vaccines are administered to the community in the right way.” —April White The COVID-19 vaccines currently on the market went from concept to approval in record time. Is setting... View Details

14 Apr 2021
Research & Ideas

The High Cost of the Slow COVID Vaccine Rollout

Government officials should have poured much more money into producing and distributing COVID-19 vaccines to save more lives and rescue the economy faster, according to new research co-authored by 16 researchers including Harvard Business... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Health

July 2011
Article

Mixed Source

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Gaston Llanes

We study competitive interaction between a profit-maximizing firm that sells software and complementary services and a free open source competitor. We examine the firm's choice of business model between the proprietary model (where all software modules are... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Open Source Distribution; Profit; Sales; Applications and Software; Service Operations; Business Model; Decision Choices and Conditions; Quality; Value Creation

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February 2009 (Revised December 2009)
Case

eReading: Amazon's Kindle

By: Bharat N. Anand, Peter W. Olson Esq. and Mary Tripsas

In November 2007, Amazon introduced the Kindle, the first electronic reader with wireless functionality. The case describes the launch of the Kindle and provides information on representative players in the industry (or broader ecosystem) who are likely to be affected... View Details

Keywords: Books; Disruptive Innovation; Technological Innovation; Industry Structures; Standards; Distribution Channels; Competitive Strategy; Publishing Industry

October 1990 (Revised August 1991)
Case

Peanut Butter Fantasies

By: Amar Bhide and Myra M. Hart

Addresses the interrelated challenges of marketing and finance faced by a small, struggling packaged foods company. View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Finance; Business or Company Management; Marketing; Distribution; Problems and Challenges; Food and Beverage Industry

Four years before owning his record label outright, Geffen structured a deal with Warner Communications to provide distribution services and financial underwriting. Geffen was extremely adept at spotting and promoting talent. He convinced... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment & Broadcast Media

05 Dec 2013
What Do You Think?

Is Walmart Defying Economic Gravity?

two seconds added up the savings delivered to Walmart's customers over the company's lifetime. How you feel about Walmart's future may depend on how you feel about its policies and business model. Clearly, leadership has chosen to View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Retail

04 Jan 2012
What Do You Think?

Income Inequality: What’s the Right Amount?

inequality is measured in terms of opportunity or the actual accumulation of varying levels of income and wealth. Inequality is inevitable and perhaps necessary in a free society, according to one line of thought. As Guy Higgins put it, "Inequality in the View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

01 Jun 2006
News

HBS Annual Report Details Strong Financial Growth

management knowledge fueled revenue growth, more than half of which came from two market-sensitive units — Executive Education and Harvard Business School Publishing. Both units have rebounded strongly from the recession four years ago. Endowment View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

24 Apr 2014
News

For African farmers looking to escape poverty, honey brings sweet success

beekeeping demonstrations and training. It purchases honey at fair-trade prices and also processes, packages, and distributes the honey to markets. HCA’s business model, which is being replicated in other African countries, places an... View Details

19 Sep 2012
News

On a Sound Track

Zurich and secured European distribution rights for our products, set up a joint venture with a partner in Mexico to build our brand there, and purchased Astro Gaming, a California-based gaming accessories company. Our office in southern... View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg; audio equipment; fashion; Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing; Manufacturing

Web

HBS - Financials | From the Chief Financial Officer

pressured by higher student acquisition costs amid heightened competition from other online offerings. The School’s annual endowment distribution revenue for fiscal 2023 increased 9 percent year over year to $208 million, or 20 percent of... View Details

01 Jun 2015
News

Screen Grab

passionate about you,” said creator Jill Soloway, herself the daughter of a transgender father, adding Amazon “has been wonderful.” That moment, transformative in more ways than one, follows in the wake of numerous successes represented by shows View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; HBO; Netflix; Hulu; Vimeo; YouTube; Telecommunications; Information; Arts, Entertainment

September – October 2011
Article

The Manufacturer's Incentive to Reduce Lead Times

By: Santiago Kraiselburd, Richard Pibernik and Ananth Raman

It is generally a well acknowledged fact that, ceteris paribus, reducing the lead times between downstream and upstream parties in a supply chain is desirable from an overall system perspective. However, an upstream party (e.g., a manufacturer) may have strong... View Details

Keywords: Cost; Demand and Consumers; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Production; Supply Chain Management; Sales; Manufacturing Industry; Retail Industry

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September 1999 (Revised November 1999)
Case

Explore, Inc.

By: Allen S. Grossman, James E. Austin, Myra M. Hart and Sharon Peyus

Documents the creation of a national before and after-school day care program aimed at bridging the gap between school and parents' work schedules. This high-growth, for-profit social enterprise organization operated in what was historically the domain of nonprofit or... View Details

Keywords: Microeconomics; Growth and Development; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Mission and Purpose; Performance Expectations; Quality; Social Enterprise; Travel Industry

27 May 2020
Research & Ideas

What South Korea Teaches the World About Fighting COVID

distribution of face masks and the promotion of their use, are winning strategies in this battle. As other countries begin to reopen their economies, how can they apply these lessons to combat COVID-19? Proactive testing and tracing As... View Details

Keywords: by Doug J. Chung; Health

07 Mar 2019
News

Smart Marketing Brings Rapid Growth to Latino Brands

accomplish that was to create their own distribution network. Therefore, we are able to control how the brand should look like, how the brand should be able to be established in the marketplace, and how that brand could revolutionize... View Details

October 2015
Case

Facebook: The First Ten Years

By: Shane Greenstein, Marco Iansiti and Christine Snively

Facebook celebrated its ten year anniversary in February 2014. Over the past decade it has grown into the largest social network in the world with one billion users. After filing an IPO in 2012 at a $104 billion valuation (the third largest IPO in U.S. history), the... View Details

Keywords: Social Networks; Technology; Facebook; Entrepreneurship; Profit; Open Source Distribution; Social and Collaborative Networks; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Internet and the Web; Digital Platforms; Social Media; Information Technology Industry