Internet →
- 08 Feb 2010
- HBS Case
Looking Behind Google’s Stand in China
Google's threat to pull out of China is either a blow for Internet freedom or cover for a failed business strategy, depending on with whom you talk. Professor John A. Quelch looks behind the headlines in a new case. Key concepts include: China has become more emboldened and self-confident as a result of its increasing economic significance. Google acted precipitously without giving due consideration to the impact of its announcement on stakeholders. The Google issue has become a cause célèbre that exacerbates the already fragile and festering U.S.-China relationship. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 17 Aug 2009
- Research & Ideas
Quantifying the Economic Impact of the Internet
Businesses around the advertising-supported Internet have incredible multiplier effects throughout the economy and society. Professor John Quelch starts to put some numbers on the impact. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 27 Jul 2009
- Research & Ideas
Social Network Marketing: What Works?
Purchase decisions are influenced differently in social networks than in the brick-and-mortar world, says Harvard Business School professor Sunil Gupta. The key: Marketers should tap into the networking aspect of sites such as Facebook. Key concepts include: Some social network users are influenced by the purchases of their friends. Of these users, 40 percent show a strong "keeping up with the Joneses" behavior, increasing sales by 5 percent. "High-status" users are more likely to not purchase something that others have bought. On social networks, viral campaigns may work better than advertising. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 03 Apr 2009
- What Do You Think?
How Much Obsolescence Can Business and Society Absorb?
This month's question brought out both the poets and the engineers among respondents. The rapid pace of new technology adoption within organizations implies change for management and society, says HBS professor Jim Heskett. How does change affect the open sharing of information? (Forum now closed; next forum begins May 1.) Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 16 Mar 2009
- Working Paper Summaries
Running Out of Numbers: Scarcity of IP Addresses and What To Do About It
Hidden from view of typical users, every Internet communication relies on an underlying system of numbers to identify data sources and destinations. Users typically specify online destinations by entering domain names (e.g. "congress.gov"). But the Internet's routers forward data according to numeric IP addresses (e.g. 140.147.249.9). To date, the Internet has enjoyed an ample supply of "IPv4" IP addresses, but demand is substantial and growing. Current allocation rates suggest IPv4 exhaustion by approximately 2011. A new numbering system, IPv6, would relieve scarcity, but incentives hinder transition: IPv4 works well for existing networks, and offers easier and simpler access to existing Internet content and services. As a result, to date few networks have begun to support v6. In principle regulators could order networks to implement v6, but the applicable Internet coordinating organizations lack authority or power to force such a transition. In the meantime, a market mechanism for v4 addresses offers important benefits, including allocating scarce v4 addresses to those who need them most, and putting a positive price on v4 space in order to encourage transition to v6. Thus, it seems v4 transfers can help both to mitigate the worst effects of v4 scarcity, and to build the incentives necessary for transition to v6. Key concepts include: IPv4 scarcity will limit future expansion, hinder some technologies, and impose new costs on networks and users. Engineers have developed a new numbering system, IPv6, which offers many more possible addresses than the current IPv4 address system. But incentives hinder transition. An IP address "market" for the paid transfer of IP addresses could offer important benefits and avoid the worst effects of v4 scarcity. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 16 Mar 2009
- Research & Ideas
When the Internet Runs Out of IP Addresses
Experts predict that within three years we will see the last of new Web addresses. What will happen then? The best solution is to create a market for already assigned but unwanted numbers, says Harvard Business School professor Ben Edelman. Key concepts include: Internet regulators are running out of IP addresses to assign new Web-based sites and services. The next IP standard is probably years away from widespread deployment. In the meantime, creating a market for unused addresses could help bridge the gap. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 10 Nov 2008
- Research Event
Social Media Leads the Future of Technology
From Facebook to smartphones, advances in technology are changing the way we work and communicate. Professor David Yoffie led three experts in a recent panel discussion on "The Technology Revolution and its Implications for the Future" at the HBS Centennial Business Summit. Key concepts include: A lot of growth potential remains worldwide. The sticking point for business is spanning the gap between the physical and digital worlds. For example, it remains difficult to figure out consumers' specific intent on the Web. What people want most of all is technology that is simple to use, said one panelist. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 16 Apr 2007
- Research & Ideas
Delivering the Digital Goods: iTunes vs. Peer-to-Peer
Apple's iTunes music download service and illegal peer-to-peer music downloads offer two contrasting approaches to delivering digital content to users. Can Apple and the recording industry seriously compete against free? Do iTunes and p2p help each other in some ways? Professor Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and collaborator Andres Hervas-Drane discuss their recent research on competition in digital distribution. Key concepts include: ITunes demonstrates that to compete effectively against free p2p networks, online digital distribution must deliver experiences to consumers that cannot be easily matched by decentralized, self-sustained peer-to-peer networks. In designing new models, managers must consider how robust a given design is to models of other industry participants with which they interact. Managers must also ponder how aggressive their business models are toward those of other players and ask whether or not complementarities are exploited. The "scarce" resource in digital goods distribution through p2p networks is not content, but bandwidth. As a consequence, ISPs will have a more visible role in shaping industry structure. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 25 Sep 2006
- Research & Ideas
How Software Platforms Revolutionize Business
Cell phones, the Game Boy, and PCs are examples of products based upon software platforms—ecosystems where independent companies can provide products and services tied to the core technology. Playing in a software platform world can make you rich—ask ringtone creators—but it also demands special management skills that emphasize cooperation over competition. Professor Andrei Hagiu discusses his new book, Invisible Engines. Key concepts include: Software platforms have improved productivity and innovation in many industries, disrupted or destroyed others, and created entirely new businesses. Software platforms are powerful engines of change because of the malleability of code and of the fundamental functions they perform, which make it easy for them to march across industry boundaries; and because their multi-sided nature allows them to spawn vibrant ecosystems of complementors. Managing software platforms is about much more than creating technology. It takes skills in navigating cooperation and competition, building creative business models, and anticipating competition across industries. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 05 Jul 2006
- Working Paper Summaries
Economic and Technical Drivers of Technology Choice: Browsers
Did Microsoft defeat Netscape in the browser war because its technology was better, or because MS created a better business strategy? The authors draw on the 1996-1999 browser battles to examine technical progress versus economic forces in driving diffusion on new technologies. Key concepts include: Rapid expansion of demand for PCs allowed Internet Explorer to capture new browser users and swamp the number of existing users of Netscape in the 1990s. More than better technology, better distribution can help second movers overcome first-mover advantage. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 10 Apr 2006
- Research & Ideas
Lessons from the Browser Wars
The first-mover advantage is well chronicled, but it didn't help Netscape when Microsoft launched Internet Explorer. What drives technology adoption, and do browser upstarts such as Firefox stand a chance? A Q&A with professor Pai-Ling Yin. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 12 Sep 2005
- Research & Ideas
The Broadband Explosion: Thinking About a Truly Interactive World
When true broadband arrives, everything will change—work, play, and society—say professors Robert Austin and Stephen Bradley. What a truly interactive world will look like is the subject of their new book The Broadband Explosion. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 16 May 2005
- Research & Ideas
Confronting the Reality of Web Services
Web services have made huge strides, but two hurdles remain, one technical, the other organizational, says HBS professor Andrew P. McAfee. "It is in fact getting easier to integrate applications, but it's never going to be easy." Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 28 Feb 2005
- Research & Ideas
Amazon, eBay and the Bidding Wars
"Sniping" is a popular way of winning a bid in the world of online auctions. But how far can it change the playing field? HBS professor Alvin Roth takes a look at how bidding rules change the way the game is played. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 28 Feb 2005
- Research & Ideas
How to Harness Auction Fever
HBS assistant professor Deepak Malhotra talks about the phenomena of "auction fever" in which bidders are driven to win at irrational costs. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 04 Oct 2004
- Research & Ideas
Start to Measure Your E-commerce Success
After the dot-com fallout, surviving companies needed to sharpen strategy and analyze metrics much better. Visiting professor Marc J. Epstein shows how to put metrics to work. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 21 Jun 2004
- Research & Ideas
Music Downloads: Pirates—or Customers?
Professor Felix Oberholzer-Gee and co-author Koleman Strumpf floored the disbelieving music industry with their findings that illegal music downloads don’t hurt CD sales. Oberholzer discusses what the industry should do next. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 12 May 2003
- Research & Ideas
How Hot is the “Hot Spot” Business?
Wi-Fi hot spots and the future of broadband were on the minds of attendees at the Bandwidth Explosion colloquium at Harvard Business School. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 03 Feb 2003
- Research & Ideas
Web Services
Web services are being touted as the latest, greatest technologies. So late, in fact, they aren't even on most of the general public's radar yet. And so great that they just may jumpstart the sluggish tech market. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
The Effect of Market Leadership in Business Process Innovation: The Case(s) of E-Business Adoption
The connection between market leadership and the adoption of new technologies is central to understanding how firms maintain or gain competitive advantage over time. One key determinant of firm openness to either product or process innovation is how radical or incremental a particular change is for the organization. Using the context of IT-enabled business processes for e-buying and e-selling, a setting that offers a complementary view to studies that have focused on R&D expenditure and patents as measures of innovation, HBS professor Kristina McElheran sheds light on whether, when, and why market leaders might be more likely to adopt new innovations. This study represents the first robust, multi-industry evidence that market leaders are far more likely to adopt incremental rather than radical business process innovations. Key concepts include: Extensive survey data for 1999 show that e-buying constituted a relatively incremental process innovation, while e-selling was far more radical. Market leaders were more likely than laggards to adopt incremental business process innovations. External market factors and internal characteristics reinforced each other to make adoption relatively more beneficial and/or easier for the largest, most successful firms. Market leaders were less likely than laggards to adopt radical business process innovations. For the complex, strategically sensitive activity of e-selling, market leaders faced disproportionate risks and adjustment costs, making adoption less attractive for firms with the largest market shares. The combination of complexity, strategic sensitivity, and boundary-spanning created the particular challenge observed for market leaders in the case of e-selling and potentially other business process innovations. Inter-firm coordination is an important strategic consideration as businesses grow ever more dependent on the performance of their extended value chain for success. Lagging firms may discover new opportunities to leapfrog their larger competitors using certain business-to-business process innovations and IT-enabled supply chain relationships. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.