Filter Results
:
(91)
Show Results For
-
All HBS Web
(721)
- Faculty Publications (91)
Show Results For
-
All HBS Web
(721)
- Faculty Publications (91)
- April 2019 (Revised March 2020)
- Case
Handy: The Future of Work? (A)
By: Nien-hê Hsieh and Kieron Stopforth
Witnessing numerous lawsuits alleging that online platform companies misclassified workers as contractors when they were actually employees, Handy’s founders faced a series of decisions. Handy was an online platform business that enabled customers to book appointments...
View Details
Keywords:
Employment;
Working Conditions;
Entrepreneurship;
Compensation and Benefits;
Internet and the Web;
Ethics;
Fairness;
Service Industry;
United States
Hsieh, Nien-hê, and Kieron Stopforth. "Handy: The Future of Work? (A)." Harvard Business School Case 319-103, April 2019. (Revised March 2020.)
- March 2019
- Case
Wattpad
By: John Deighton and Leora Kornfeld
How to run a platform to match four million writers of stories to 75 million readers? Use data science. Make money by doing deals with television and filmmakers and book publishers. The case describes the challenges of matching readers to stories and of helping writers...
View Details
Keywords:
Platform Businesses;
Creative Industries;
Publishing;
Data Science;
Machine Learning;
Collaborative Filtering;
Women And Leadership;
Managing Data Scientists;
Big Data;
Recommender Systems;
Digital Platforms;
Information Technology;
Intellectual Property;
Analytics and Data Science;
Publishing Industry;
Entertainment and Recreation Industry;
Canada;
United States;
Philippines;
Viet Nam;
Turkey;
Indonesia;
Brazil
Deighton, John, and Leora Kornfeld. "Wattpad." Harvard Business School Case 919-413, March 2019.
- 2023
- Working Paper
When Does Gamified Training Improve Performance? The Roles of Office and Leader Engagement
By: Ryan W. Buell, Wei Cai and Tatiana Sandino
Gamified training is a novel management control system in which companies use gamification
techniques to engage and motivate employees to learn. This study empirically examines the
performance consequences of gamified training using data from a natural field...
View Details
Keywords:
Gamified Training;
Management Control Systems;
Employee Engagement;
Employees;
Learning;
Training;
Motivation and Incentives;
Performance
Buell, Ryan W., Wei Cai, and Tatiana Sandino. "When Does Gamified Training Improve Performance? The Roles of Office and Leader Engagement." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 19-101, March 2019. (Revised October 2023.)
- 2019
- Working Paper
Design Rules, Volume 2: How Technology Shapes Organizations: Chapter 13 Platform Systems vs. Step Processes—The Value of Options and the Power of Modularity
This is the first chapter in Part 3. Its purpose is to contrast the value structure of platform systems with step processes from a technological perspective. I first review the basic technical architecture of computers and argue that every computer is inherently a...
View Details
Keywords:
Platform Systems;
Step Processes;
Computer Architecture;
Modularity;
Information Technology;
Digital Platforms
Baldwin, Carliss Y. "Design Rules, Volume 2: How Technology Shapes Organizations: Chapter 13 Platform Systems vs. Step Processes—The Value of Options and the Power of Modularity." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 19-073, January 2019.
- 2019
- Working Paper
Design Rules, Volume 2: How Technology Shapes Organizations: Chapter 15 The IBM PC
The IBM PC was the first digital computer platform that was open by as a matter of strategy, not necessity. The purpose of this chapter is to understand the IBM PC as a technical system and set of organization choices in light of the theory of how technology shapes...
View Details
Baldwin, Carliss Y. "Design Rules, Volume 2: How Technology Shapes Organizations: Chapter 15 The IBM PC." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 19-074, January 2019.
- November 2018
- Case
Swissgrid: Enterprise Risk Management in a Digital Age
By: Robert S. Kaplan and Anette Mikes
Kurt Meyer, chief risk officer of Swissgrid, the Swiss national electricity transmission system operator, reflects on the risk management system he installed after the deregulation and liberalization of the European energy market. With 41 connections to other European...
View Details
Keywords:
Enterprise Risk Management;
Energy Transmission;
Risk and Uncertainty;
Risk Management;
Energy;
Energy Industry;
Utilities Industry;
Switzerland
Kaplan, Robert S., and Anette Mikes. "Swissgrid: Enterprise Risk Management in a Digital Age." Harvard Business School Case 119-045, November 2018.
- March 2018
- Teaching Note
Twine Health
By: Robert S. Huckman and Ariel D. Stern
In late 2014, Dr. John Moore (CEO), Frank Moss (chairman), and Scott Gilroy (CTO) of Twine Health (Twine) had to resolve several challenges that threatened to restrict the widespread dissemination of its sole product, Twine. Twine was a cloud-based platform that...
View Details
- June 2017
- Teaching Note
IBM Transforming, 2012–2016: Ginni Rometty Steers Watson
By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Jonathan Cohen
Ginni Rometty, who became IBM CEO in 2012, led efforts to transform the company around cognitive computing and the AI platform Watson. This Teaching Note helps instructors understand and teach the Harvard Business School case “IBM Transforming, 2012–2016: Ginni Rometty...
View Details
- 2017
- Working Paper
Explaining the Vertical-to-Horizontal Transition in the Computer Industry
This paper seeks to explain the technological forces that led to the rise of vertically integrated corporations in the late 19th century and the opposing forces that led to a vertical-to-horizontal transition in the computer industry 100 years later. I first model the...
View Details
Keywords:
Organizational Design;
Business History;
Vertical Integration;
Horizontal Integration;
Digital Platforms;
Computer Industry
Baldwin, Carliss Y. "Explaining the Vertical-to-Horizontal Transition in the Computer Industry." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 17-084, March 2017.
- June 2016
- Case
Big Spaceship: The Evolving Agency
By: Boris Groysberg and Matthew G. Preble
This case discusses the evolution of Big Spaceship, an advertising and marketing agency, from a product-focused business to a relationship-oriented one as clients seek deeper and more meaningful long-term partnerships. The 15-year-old company had already evolved...
View Details
Keywords:
Digital Marketing;
Advertising;
Advertising Campaigns;
Marketing;
Organizational Structure;
Organizational Design;
Organizational Culture;
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Social Media;
Advertising Industry;
United States;
New York (city, NY)
Groysberg, Boris, and Matthew G. Preble. "Big Spaceship: The Evolving Agency." Harvard Business School Case 416-003, June 2016.
- May 2016 (Revised April 2018)
- Case
Building the Digital Manufacturing Enterprise of the Future at Siemens
By: Willy Shih
This case describes the motivation for and the development of Siemens' digital manufacturing enterprise vision, which became the foundation for its implementation of Industrie 4.0. While the effort started with a purely defensive move by Anton Huber, head of the...
View Details
Keywords:
Big Data;
Internet Of Things;
Internet Of Everything;
Industrie 4.0;
Digital Factory;
Digital Enterprise;
Digital Manufacturing;
Manufacturing;
Production Management;
Production Planning;
Computer Software;
Germany;
German Manufacturing;
Machinery and Machining;
Information Technology;
Digital Platforms;
Technological Innovation;
Production;
Supply Chain;
Applications and Software;
Information Infrastructure;
Internet and the Web;
Analytics and Data Science;
Manufacturing Industry;
Germany
Shih, Willy. "Building the Digital Manufacturing Enterprise of the Future at Siemens." Harvard Business School Case 616-060, May 2016. (Revised April 2018.)
- 2016
- Working Paper
The Impact of Patent Wars on Firm Strategy: Evidence from the Global Smartphone Market
By: Feng Zhu
Strategy scholars have documented in various empirical settings that firms seek and leverage stronger institutions to mitigate hazards and gain competitive advantage. In this paper, we argue that such “institution-seeking” behavior may not be confined to the pursuit of...
View Details
Keywords:
Patent Wars;
Patent Litigation;
Intellectual Property (IP) Enforcement;
Institutions;
Smartphone;
Patent Thicket;
Digital Platforms;
Patents;
Lawsuits and Litigation;
Globalized Markets and Industries;
Business Strategy;
Telecommunications Industry
Paik, Yongwook, and Feng Zhu. "The Impact of Patent Wars on Firm Strategy: Evidence from the Global Smartphone Market." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 14-015, August 2013. (Revised March 2016.)
- March 2015 (Revised April 2015)
- Case
The Heat Is On: Emerging Ecosystems in the Thermostat Industry
By: David Collis and Ashley Hartman
Beth Wozniak, President of Honeywell Environmental and Combustion Controls (ECC) at Honeywell International Inc., spun around in her office chair, reflecting about how the classic, mature thermostat industry was rapidly evolving. In February 2014, Google paid $3.2...
View Details
Keywords:
Honeywell;
Thermostats;
Internet Of Things;
Smart Thermostats;
Google;
Nest;
Apple;
HomeKit;
SmartThings;
Partnerships;
Platforms And Ecosystems;
Linkages;
Communication Protocols;
Strategy;
Technology;
Home Automation;
Connected Home;
Buildings and Facilities;
Energy;
Information Infrastructure;
Applications and Software;
Internet and the Web;
Digital Platforms;
Partners and Partnerships;
Manufacturing Industry;
Industrial Products Industry;
Energy Industry;
Electronics Industry;
Consumer Products Industry
Collis, David, and Ashley Hartman. "The Heat Is On: Emerging Ecosytems in the Thermostat Industry." Harvard Business School Case 715-455, March 2015. (Revised April 2015.)
- March 2015
- Case
Twine Health
By: Robert S. Huckman, Ariel D. Stern and Matthew G. Preble
In late 2014, Dr. John Moore (CEO), Frank Moss (chairman), and Scott Gilroy (CTO) of Twine Health (Twine) had to resolve several challenges that threatened to restrict the widespread dissemination of its sole product, Twine. Twine was a cloud-based platform that...
View Details
Keywords:
Health Care;
Chronic Disease;
Technology Adoption;
Digital Health;
Health Acceleration Challenge;
Strategy;
Disease Management;
Health;
Health Care and Treatment;
Information Technology;
Mobile and Wireless Technology;
Health Industry;
United States;
Massachusetts
Huckman, Robert S., Ariel D. Stern, and Matthew G. Preble. "Twine Health." Harvard Business School Case 615-068, March 2015.
- Summer 2014
- Article
When Does a Platform Create Value by Limiting Choice?
By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Hanna Halaburda
We present a theory for why it might be rational for a platform to limit the number of applications available on it. Our model is based on the observation that even if users prefer application variety, applications often also exhibit direct network effects. When there...
View Details
Keywords:
Platform Governance;
Direct Network Effects;
Indirect Network Effects;
Complements;
Tragedy Of The Commons;
Equilibrium Selection;
Coordination;
Foresight;
Strategy;
Value Creation;
Digital Platforms;
Balance and Stability;
Decision Choices and Conditions;
Consumer Behavior;
Applications and Software;
Network Effects
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and Hanna Halaburda. "When Does a Platform Create Value by Limiting Choice?" Journal of Economics & Management Strategy 23, no. 2 (Summer 2014): 259–293.
- January 2014 (Revised May 2015)
- Case
Open English
By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Lisa Mazzanti
Open English, a Miami-based startup offering online English language learning services, had more than 30,000 active students across Latin America in 2012. The company had just closed a $43 million financing round in order to rapidly scale its service to the next level....
View Details
Keywords:
Technology Strategy;
Product Management;
Startup;
Online Learning;
Digital Platforms;
Entrepreneurship;
Business Startups;
Technology Industry;
Miami;
Venezuela
Bussgang, Jeffrey J., and Lisa Mazzanti. "Open English." Harvard Business School Case 814-020, January 2014. (Revised May 2015.)
- August 2013
- Technical Note
Raising the Level of Abstraction
By: Willy Shih
This technical note discusses abstraction as a way of generalizing a process or component for wider application. By hiding complexity inside a module, abstraction enables system designers to think at a higher level. This lowers entry barriers to using (and reusing) a...
View Details
Keywords:
Abstraction;
Modularity;
Commercialization;
Information Technology;
Information Infrastructure;
Information Technology;
Applications and Software;
Digital Platforms;
United States;
Asia;
Europe
Shih, Willy. "Raising the Level of Abstraction." Harvard Business School Technical Note 614-019, August 2013.
- April 2013 (Revised October 2013)
- Case
National Instruments
By: Lynda M. Applegate, Keri Pearlson and Natalie Kindred
This case explores the use of social media to support product design, customer support, marketing and HR activities at National Instruments (NI). Based in Austin, Texas, with over $1 billion in 2011 sales, NI designs, produces, and sells software and hardware platforms...
View Details
Keywords:
Organizational Structure;
Applications and Software;
Organizational Culture;
Technological Innovation;
Digital Platforms;
Innovation and Management;
Media;
Management Systems;
Social and Collaborative Networks;
Information Technology Industry;
Service Industry;
Texas
Applegate, Lynda M., Keri Pearlson, and Natalie Kindred. "National Instruments." Harvard Business School Case 813-001, April 2013. (Revised October 2013.)
- December 2012 (Revised October 2022)
- Case
Plastiq
By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Gaurav Jain, Liroy Haddad, Luke Langford and Matt Noble
The young CEO of a venture-backed startup needs to figure out his go to market strategy and the right profile for his first key sales hires. Should he develop partnerships with channels that would provide leverage or build out a direct sales force? And should the sales...
View Details
Keywords:
Payments;
Sales;
Channels;
Credit Cards;
Digital Platforms;
Selection and Staffing;
Cost vs Benefits;
Salesforce Management;
Marketing Channels;
Business Startups;
Business Strategy;
Marketing Strategy;
Partners and Partnerships;
Management Systems
Bussgang, Jeffrey J., Gaurav Jain, Liroy Haddad, Luke Langford, and Matt Noble. "Plastiq." Harvard Business School Case 813-125, December 2012. (Revised October 2022.)
- November 2012 (Revised August 2013)
- Supplement
Global Unichip Corporation (B)
By: Willy Shih and Chen-Fu Chien
Jim Lai, President of Global Unichip Corporation (GUC), mapped out the changes he saw coming to the global semiconductor industry. The big question was how many system developers would start coming directly to GUC.
View Details
Keywords:
Abstraction;
Value-network;
Vertical Integration;
Entry Barriers;
Intermediaries;
Dis-intermediation;
Aggregator;
Vertical Specialization;
Technology Adoption;
Digital Platforms;
Competitive Strategy;
Corporate Strategy;
Integration;
Technological Innovation;
Innovation Strategy;
Innovation and Management;
Industry Structures;
Information Infrastructure;
Information Technology;
Complexity;
Semiconductor Industry;
Technology Industry;
Telecommunications Industry;
Taiwan
Shih, Willy, and Chen-Fu Chien. "Global Unichip Corporation (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 613-049, November 2012. (Revised August 2013.)