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All HBS Web
(836)
- People (1)
- News (113)
- Research (545)
- Events (4)
- Multimedia (13)
- Faculty Publications (257)
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- March 2014
- Teaching Note
Intuit QuickBooks: From Product to Platform
By: Andrei Hagiu and Elizabeth J. Altman
This case focuses on the challenges and opportunities faced by a successful incumbent organization attempting to transform a large portion of its business from a traditionally product-centric operating mode to a platform-based one that leverages network effects to...
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- 2021
- Working Paper
The Value of Data and Its Impact on Competition
By: Marco Iansiti
Common regulatory perspective on the relationship between data, value, and competition in online platforms has increasingly centered on the volume of data accumulated by incumbent firms. This view posits the existence of "data network effects," where more data leads to...
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Keywords:
Online Platforms;
Data Network Effects;
Analytics and Data Science;
Value;
Competition;
Digital Platforms
Iansiti, Marco. "The Value of Data and Its Impact on Competition." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 22-002, July 2021.
- Article
Managing Proprietary and Shared Platforms
In a platform-mediated network, users rely on a common platform, provided by one or more intermediaries, that encompasses infrastructure and rules required by users to transact with each other. A fundamental design decision for firms that aspire to develop...
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Keywords:
Governance Controls;
Digital Platforms;
Infrastructure;
Competition;
Cooperation;
Information Infrastructure
Eisenmann, Thomas R. "Managing Proprietary and Shared Platforms." California Management Review 50, no. 4 (Summer 2008).
- 2008
- Working Paper
Platform Competition, Compatibility, and Social Efficiency
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Francisco Ruiz-Aliseda
Katz and Shapiro (1985) study systems compatibility in settings with one-sided plat- forms and direct network effects. We consider systems compatibility in settings with two-sided platforms and indirect network effects to develop an explanation why markets with...
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Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and Francisco Ruiz-Aliseda. "Platform Competition, Compatibility, and Social Efficiency." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 09-058, October 2008. (Revised November 2009.)
- Teaching Interest
Competing in the Age of Digital Platforms
By: Andy Wu
Without exception, the most valuable companies in the world today are platforms: Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook, and many other firms have built their fortunes by facilitating innovation across global ecosystems or enabling the broad exchange of goods...
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- January–February 2019
- Article
Why Some Platforms Thrive and Others Don't
By: Feng Zhu and Marco Iansiti
In the digital economy, scale is no guarantee of continued success. After all, the same factors that help an online platform expand quickly—such as the low cost of adding new customers—work for challengers too. What, then, allows platforms to fight off rivals and grow...
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Zhu, Feng, and Marco Iansiti. "Why Some Platforms Thrive and Others Don't." Harvard Business Review 97, no. 1 (January–February 2019): 118–125.
- Research Summary
Dynamics of Platform Competition: Exploring the Role of Installed Base, Platform Quality and Consumer Expectations
Researchers debate the role of installed base, platform quality and consumer expectations in driving the success of platforms. We analyze these three factors in a dynamic model where a new entrant with superior quality competes with an incumbent platform, and... View Details
- May 2011 (Revised May 2011)
- Case
Nokia: The Burning Platform
By: Juan Alcacer, Tarun Khanna and Mary Furey
Overview on the state of Nokia since the “Emerging Nokia?” case was written.
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Keywords:
Business Strategy;
Corporate Strategy;
Competitive Advantage;
Marketing Strategy;
Emerging Markets;
Network Effects;
Telecommunications Industry;
Computer Industry
Alcacer, Juan, Tarun Khanna, and Mary Furey. "Nokia: The Burning Platform." Harvard Business School Case 711-514, May 2011. (Revised May 2011.)
- May 2019 (Revised March 2022)
- Module Note
Nascent Platform Strategy: Overcoming the Chicken-or-Egg Problem
By: Andy Wu, David R. Clough and Sasha Kaletsky
This note provides a framework for addressing the classic chicken-or-egg dilemma facing entrepreneurs launching nascent multi-sided platforms. There are several conditions that lead to a difficult chicken-or-egg problem: strong network effects, high multi-homing costs,...
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Keywords:
Multi-Sided Platforms;
Strategy;
Entrepreneurship;
Market Entry and Exit;
Problems and Challenges;
Competitive Advantage
Wu, Andy, David R. Clough, and Sasha Kaletsky. "Nascent Platform Strategy: Overcoming the Chicken-or-Egg Problem." Harvard Business School Module Note 719-507, May 2019. (Revised March 2022.)
- Research Summary
Technological Competition in Computing
On what dimensions do computing platforms compete, and how does that competition help or hinder the deployment of technical standards? What principles shape choices over platform governance, and how do those choices shape competitive outcomes? In this line of... View Details
- 2007
- Working Paper
Dynamics of Platform Competition: Exploring the Role of Installed Base, Platform Quality and Consumer Expectations
By: Feng Zhu and Marco Iansiti
This paper seeks to answer three questions. First, which drives the success of a platform, installed base, platform quality or consumer expectations? Second, when does a monopoly emerge in a platform-based market? Finally, when is a platform-based market socially...
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Keywords:
Price;
Network Effects;
Digital Platforms;
Monopoly;
Quality;
Competitive Advantage;
Digital Platforms
Zhu, Feng, and Marco Iansiti. "Dynamics of Platform Competition: Exploring the Role of Installed Base, Platform Quality and Consumer Expectations." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 08-031, November 2007.
- 31 Jul 2012
- Working Paper Summaries
Investment Incentives in Proprietary and Open-Source Two-Sided Platforms
- 22 Jul 2019
- Book
How to Be a Digital Platform Leader
are very successful in the early stages of a platform they often think the market has tipped and they don't need to worry about competition and new technology. They lose their paranoia. The reality is, even...
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Keywords:
by Martha Lagace
- 28 Mar 2018
- Research & Ideas
Sophisticated Investors May Be Harming Fintech Lending Platforms
iPhoto Marketplace lending platforms such as LendingClub and Prosper have made significant competitive inroads against traditional banks in recent years by bringing together people who want to borrow with...
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- June 21, 2019
- Article
When Tech Companies Compete on Their Own Platforms
By: Feng Zhu
One common complaint from third parties about platform businesses is that they see what succeeds on their platforms and then enter the most profitable areas themselves, often decimating third parties in the process. Studies have identified several motivations for...
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Keywords:
Platform-based Markets;
Platform-owner Entry;
Digital Platforms;
Market Entry and Exit;
Competition
Zhu, Feng. "When Tech Companies Compete on Their Own Platforms." Harvard Business Review (website) (June 21, 2019).
- 05 Nov 2021
- Op-Ed
How to Tap the Talent Automated HR Platforms Miss
As the global staffing shortage grinds on, corporate recruiters everywhere are relying on their online hiring platforms and automated systems to deliver the candidates they need. Too often, these tools will fail them, sidelining many qualified workers in the process....
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Keywords:
by Joseph B. Fuller
- Forthcoming
- Article
Strategic Decision Making at Platform Transitions: The Case of Nokia (2010-2011).
By: Timo O. Vuori and Michael Tushman
We studied Nokia’s decision to adopt the Windows platform in 2011 to induce new theory on the emotional dynamics of incumbent firms’ strategic decision making at platform transitions. We find that platform companies’ entry into an established industry activates a...
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Vuori, Timo O., and Michael Tushman. "Strategic Decision Making at Platform Transitions: The Case of Nokia (2010-2011)." Strategic Management Journal (forthcoming). (Pre-published online April 23, 2024.)
- 2014
- Working Paper
Product to Platform Transitions: Organizational Identity Implications
By: Elizabeth J. Altman and Mary Tripsas
Organizations are increasingly recognizing that value they once derived from offering standalone products can be significantly enhanced if they transition to platform-based businesses that harness the innovative capabilities of complementors. While the competitive...
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Keywords:
Organizational Change;
Organizational Identity;
Ecosystems;
Complementors;
Managing Innovation;
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Multi-Sided Platforms;
Innovation and Management;
Organizational Culture
Altman, Elizabeth J., and Mary Tripsas. "Product to Platform Transitions: Organizational Identity Implications." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 14-045, December 2013. (Revised September 2014.)
- 17 Apr 2017
- Research Event
The Most Pressing Issues for Platform Providers in the Sharing Economy
trying to woo the company with the most market share, Easterly advised; woo the #9 player in the industry who wants to be #1 someday. “If you can’t get new supply then focus on the most hungry supply,” Easterly said. Related Reading: When Hosts Attack: The View Details
- March 2013 (Revised April 2014)
- Case
Barnes & Noble: Managing the E-Book Revolution
By: Alan MacCormack, Brian Kimball Dunn and Chris F. Kemerer
The case describes competition in the market for E-Books, and Barnes & Noble's Strategy in this industry. As a traditional retailer, B&N was challenged by the introduction of digital technologies that allow books to be published, distributed and sold to consumers...
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Keywords:
Innovation;
Technology Strategy;
Platform Competition;
Innovation Strategy;
Information Technology;
Product Development;
Digital Platforms;
Standards;
Disruptive Innovation;
Retail Industry;
Publishing Industry;
North America
MacCormack, Alan, Brian Kimball Dunn, and Chris F. Kemerer. "Barnes & Noble: Managing the E-Book Revolution." Harvard Business School Case 613-073, March 2013. (Revised April 2014.)