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Online Platforms Have Become Chaos Machines. Can We Rein Them In?
Global Business Digital ArticleAn interview with MIT Sloan's Sinan Aral about the GameStop frenzy - and where we go from here. -
Why Network Neutrality Is Good for Business
Web-based technologies Digital ArticleEditor’s note: For an opposing viewpoint on this topic, see Robert E. Litan’s and Hal J. Singer’s entry “Why Business Should Oppose Net Neutrality.” In business school, where I teach, students are often predisposed to see legal concepts as impenetrable and foreign. I watch the lightbulbs go on as they see that Microsoft’s antitrust woes, […] -
Craigslist: In Praise of Primitive
Web-based technologies Digital ArticleEarlier this year, Gary Wolf wrote a great article in Wired magazine about Craigslist, the world’s dominant classified ad site. Wolf cites astonishing statistics: It’s the most popular site in the US for dating, jobs, and apartments. It gets more traffic than the job sites Monster, CareerBuilder, and HotJobs combined. It also gets more traffic […] -
The Online Talent War
Hiring and recruitment Digital Article(I wrote this post with Diamond CTO Chris Curran) Are you taking no more than a squirt gun to the talent wars? Most people find jobs through social connections. In 1974, Harvard sociologist Mark Granovetter published his landmark study that showed four out of five people find jobs through personal connections. Yet, in our recent […] -
Guidelines for Cultivating Customer Altruism
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleTapping into the natural human instinct to help your neighbor. -
New Books from the Press in September (Let Us Know What You Think!)
Decision making and problem solving Digital ArticleAs a matter of policy, we don’t review our own books, but we hope you will. Keep an eye out for the following Press titles in September, and let us know what you think of them in the comments. Empowered: Unleash Your Employees, Energize Your Customers, and Transform Your Business by Josh Bernoff and Ted […] -
In Praise of Uncertainty
Decision making and problem solving Magazine ArticleThe information technology explosion was set off by visionaries who thrive on uncertainty. Today that innovation-fueling uncertainty is in danger, a victim of its own success and excess. IT producers have historically built platforms that are useless standing alone, inviting others to parlay them into a variety of useful applications. The first PC makers shipped […] -
What Marketers Need to Know About Chat Apps
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleSnapchat and WhatsApp are trickier to figure out than Facebook and Twitter. -
Who's Managing Your Company's Network Effects?
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleOnly a Chief Network Effects Officer should be entrusted with handling such value. -
Publishers, Stop Crying Over Spilled Ink
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleMore people are consuming content than ever, so leave your sad trombone at home. -
The Hidden Power of Mundane Ideas
Innovation Digital ArticlePicture this: a nutrition scientist does a study with one person, limiting him to a 1500 calorie diet and having him run for 15 minutes on a treadmill each day. The man loses three pounds in a month. Can we safely assume that this experiment, when repeated with others, will produce the exact same result? […] -
What Customers Want from the Collaborative Economy
Innovation Digital ArticleAnd why your company can’t ignore it. -
Five Ways Twitter Can Help You Conquer Distraction
Social media Digital ArticleIf you were going to design the perfect distraction, you’d probably make it irresistibly urgent, gossipy, and/or funny. You’d design it to be able to reach you any way possible, whether by e-mail, web site, or smart phone. You’d have it come from a trusted voice that you want to hear from, like a friend […] -
How E-Commerce Will Trump Brand Management
Marketing Magazine ArticleThe Internet promises to give marketing the same boost in productivity that new operational strategies have given to manufacturing. -
Can Big Tech Be Disrupted?
Strategy & Execution SpotlightThe tech giants Facebook (now Meta), Amazon, Apple, Google (now Alphabet), Microsoft, and Netflix are all so successful--and generate so much cash--that... -
The Customer Support Hierarchy of Needs
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleYour customers won't settle for chaos, and neither should you. -
It’s Time for a “Slow Conversation” Movement
Business communication Digital ArticleThree resolutions that swim against the mass-connectivity tide. -
The Humans Working Behind the AI Curtain
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleThe dirty little secret of automation is that people make it possible. -
The New Economy Is Stronger Than You Think
Government policy and regulation Magazine ArticleSome people—in particular, panicky policy makers at the Fed—fear that the new economy is a bubble about to burst. They’re dead wrong. Barring any government interference, the new economy is rock solid and here to stay.
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Ana by Karma: One Scarf, One Hope
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details In 2014, a Hong Kong-based chartered accountant inadvertently started a social enterprise called Ana by Karma. The initial intent of helping an illiterate... -
Evan Williams: From Blogger to Odeo (B)
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study5.00View Details For several months, founder-CEO Evan Williams has felt trapped, unable to control Odeo and its strategic direction. He longs for the "simple" days of... -
Spotify
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details In November 2014, Spotify's chief content officer Ken Parks learns that record label Big Machine Records has requested the immediate removal of superstar... -
Taking Dell Private
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details In July 2012, Michael Dell, CEO and founder of Dell, Inc., met with a representative of Silver Lake Partners to explore taking his company private. The... -
Morocco: Country Image Management and Nation Branding
Management Case Study11.95View Details The case presents information about Morocco as a rapidly developing emerging economy which is achieving notable success in a range of global business... -
Mountjoy Sparkling: Creating a Buzz in the Cannabis-Infused Beverage Business
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details In the summer of 2017, with over half of the United States and a growing number of other countries allowing the use of either medical or recreational... -
GE and the Industrial Internet
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details CEO Jeff Immelt considers whether GE is moving fast enough on its new Industrial Internet initiative. The undertaking includes building out an Industrial... -
Transformational Gaming: Zynga's Social Strategy (B)
Communication Case Study5.00View Details The B case of this three-case series outlines how Mark Pincus, with help from his sister Laura Hartman, began to implement his new brand of social strategy.... -
Philips versus Matsushita: The Competitive Battle Continues
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details Describes the development of the global strategies and organizations of two major competitors in the consumer electronics industry. Over four decades,... -
upLIFT: The Use of Gender Pronouns in Email Signatures
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details The director of diversity and inclusion at a community agency is trying to decide whether to update her business email signature to express her gender... -
XCMG: DIGITAL BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION OF A MANUFACTURING GIANT
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details This case was written in 2019, 10 years after Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group Co. Ltd. (XCMG) initiated its SAP ERP project in 2009. The digital transformation... -
Findasense (B): A New Path for Scaling Up
Management Case Study5.00View Details Global digital and omnichannel customer experience company headquartered in Spain with revenues of 17.4 million euros. An ever-expanding company for the... -
1933: Germany's Economic Crises (A)
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details In January 1933, German president Paul von Hindenburg confronted the dilemma of whom to appoint as chancellor in the midst of the Great Depression, polarization... -
The Year in Tech, 2023: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review
22.95View Details A year of HBR's essential thinking on tech--all in one place. Easy-to-use AI tools, contactless commerce, crypto for business, the mature metaverse--new... -
The WestJet Christmas Miracle (A)
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details WestJet, Canada's second largest national airline, is preparing to launch a social media initiative to coincide with the year-end holiday season. As the... -
Sephora Direct: Investing in Social Media, Video, and Mobile
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Julie Bornstein, senior vice president of Sephora Direct, is seeking to double her budget for social media and other digital marketing initiatives for... -
Wildfire Interactive Inc. (A)
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details It was June 2011, and Alain Chuard and Victoria Ransom reflected on their history as founders of Wildfire Interactive Inc. (Wildfire). Originally called... -
RelishMIX:Building Social Media Management Tools for Hollywood
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details A serial entrepreneur in the entertainment space develops a data analytics system based on social media activity. The startup faces the challenges of... -
Mountain Equipment Co-op: Engaging Stakeholders on Social Media
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details In 2012, Mountain Equipment Co-op, a members-only Canadian consumers' co-operative that sold outdoor recreational gear and clothing, underwent a major... -
eGrocery and the Role of Data for CPG Firms
Sales & Marketing Case Study8.95View Details This notes provides information about the eGrocery industry and how traditional CPG companies handle this channel and potential data. It is recommended...
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Online Platforms Have Become Chaos Machines. Can We Rein Them In?
Global Business Digital ArticleAn interview with MIT Sloan's Sinan Aral about the GameStop frenzy - and where we go from here. -
Why Network Neutrality Is Good for Business
Web-based technologies Digital ArticleEditor’s note: For an opposing viewpoint on this topic, see Robert E. Litan’s and Hal J. Singer’s entry “Why Business Should Oppose Net Neutrality.” In business school, where I teach, students are often predisposed to see legal concepts as impenetrable and foreign. I watch the lightbulbs go on as they see that Microsoft’s antitrust woes, […] -
Craigslist: In Praise of Primitive
Web-based technologies Digital ArticleEarlier this year, Gary Wolf wrote a great article in Wired magazine about Craigslist, the world’s dominant classified ad site. Wolf cites astonishing statistics: It’s the most popular site in the US for dating, jobs, and apartments. It gets more traffic than the job sites Monster, CareerBuilder, and HotJobs combined. It also gets more traffic […] -
Ana by Karma: One Scarf, One Hope
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details In 2014, a Hong Kong-based chartered accountant inadvertently started a social enterprise called Ana by Karma. The initial intent of helping an illiterate... -
The Online Talent War
Hiring and recruitment Digital Article(I wrote this post with Diamond CTO Chris Curran) Are you taking no more than a squirt gun to the talent wars? Most people find jobs through social connections. In 1974, Harvard sociologist Mark Granovetter published his landmark study that showed four out of five people find jobs through personal connections. Yet, in our recent […] -
Guidelines for Cultivating Customer Altruism
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleTapping into the natural human instinct to help your neighbor. -
New Books from the Press in September (Let Us Know What You Think!)
Decision making and problem solving Digital ArticleAs a matter of policy, we don’t review our own books, but we hope you will. Keep an eye out for the following Press titles in September, and let us know what you think of them in the comments. Empowered: Unleash Your Employees, Energize Your Customers, and Transform Your Business by Josh Bernoff and Ted […] -
Evan Williams: From Blogger to Odeo (B)
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study5.00View Details For several months, founder-CEO Evan Williams has felt trapped, unable to control Odeo and its strategic direction. He longs for the "simple" days of... -
Doodling Helped This Artist Deal with Depression
Leadership & Managing People InterviewInstagram artist Chuck Mullin shares her mental health journey.