- 14 Sep 2016
- Research & Ideas
Web Surfers Have a Schedule and Stick to It
Note to web marketers: Consumers won't carve out more time to visit your site. So how do you attract them? Start by understanding their online habits, reports new research by Shane Greenstein and colleagues. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 07 Sep 2016
- What Do You Think?
How Can the Threat of Networks Be Reduced?
SUMMING UP Are ever-expanding technology networks a threat to business leadership? Jim Heskett's readers are largely doubtful. What do YOU think? Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 17 Aug 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
The Empirical Economics of Online Attention
This study uses extensive data on user online activity between 2008 and 2013 to examine the links between user allocation of attention and characteristics of user. Findings show remarkable stability in how households allocated their scarce attention over the five years. Results imply that suppliers are competing for a finite supply of user time while generally lacking the ability to use price discounts to attract user attention.
- 15 Aug 2016
- Research & Ideas
Black Swans and Big Trends Can Ruin Anyone's Internet Prediction
Coming off the dot-com bust, Thomas R. Eisenmann was confident enough in his internet vision that he wrote a book about what would happen next. For the most part, he was wrong. He offers lessons learned for navigating the boom-bust cycle. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 26 Jul 2016
- Research & Ideas
Where will Pokémon Go with Your Personal Information?
Pokémon Go is a game sensation, no doubt about that. But users should worry about where their personal information is going as well. Willy Shih discusses what happens when technology wizardry meets personal privacy. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 11 May 2016
- Cold Call Podcast
Who Owns Space?
Entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are tapping into their vast personal wealth to make commercial space travel a reality. In the process, they're revitalizing a listless national space program. Professor Matthew Weinzierl discusses his new case on New Space, and how public-private partnerships are becoming the building blocks for the hottest new startup sector. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 04 May 2016
- What Do You Think?
What Does Boaty McBoatface Tell Us About Brand Control on the Internet?
SUMMING UP. Boaty McBoatface may have been shot down as the social-media sourced name of a research vessel, but James Heskett's readers are up to their hip-boots in opinions on the matter. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 07 Apr 2016
- Cold Call Podcast
The Key to Keeping Resolutions? Betting Against Yourself
It’s been a few months since many of us made New Year’s resolutions. Have you stuck with yours? Professor Leslie John studies how to help people change bad habits (and reinforce good ones) by looking at what makes them tick. Here, she discusses stickK, an application that motivates people by forcing them to put skin in the game of self-improvement. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 07 Mar 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
Net Neutrality: A Fast Lane to Understanding the Trade-offs
Shane Greenstein and colleagues identify the economic dimensions involved with net neutrality and show that many questions can be informed by simple economic models of the market for internet services.
- 02 Mar 2016
- What Do You Think?
Is Apple’s Real Privacy Challenge Technology Innovation Itself?
SUMMING UP: Apple's battle with the FBI over the iPhone contents of one of the San Bernardino shooters raises a question for James Heskett. Given the relentless pace of technology, can any company guarantee the privacy and security of its users? What do YOU think? Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 29 Feb 2016
- HBS Case
Bigbelly's Big Bet on the Digital Trash Can
Bigbelly wants to transform its solar-powered trash cans into digital hubs offering Wi-Fi access, advertising, and data-collecting sensors. (Oh, and garbage receptacles, too.) A new case study by Mitchell Weiss explores the challenges of a bold strategy pivot. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 08 Feb 2016
- Research & Ideas
The Civic Benefits of Google Street View and Yelp
Cities are increasingly rich in citizen-created data, which can be used to improve programs and services, says Michael Luca and his research colleagues. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 25 Jan 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
Racial Discrimination in the Sharing Economy: Evidence from a Field Experiment
Online platforms such as Airbnb create new markets by eliminating search frictions, building trust, and facilitating transactions. With the rise of the sharing economy, however, comes the prospect of racial discrimination that is unheard of in established platforms. The authors suggest changes to Airbnb’s site design to reduce or prevent discrimination.
- 20 Jan 2016
- Research & Ideas
Maybe Uber isn't God's Gift to Mankind
Benjamin G. Edelman discusses the potential negative effects of transportation network companies in the so-called sharing economy. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 06 Jan 2016
- Cold Call Podcast
A Microchip in Your Medicine
Digitally-enabled prescription medication may sound futuristic. Thanks to Proteus, the future is now. The company has developed the technology to place microchips inside prescription pills, allowing doctors to retrieve real-time updates on everything from dosing, to vital signs, to the efficacy of different medications. However, regulating and marketing such ground-breaking technology is almost as complicated as the medical conditions it can help cure. Professor Richard Hamermesh unpacks the challenges of changing the world of medicine. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 14 Dec 2015
- Research & Ideas
Airbnb Hosts Discriminate Against African-American Guests
Experimental research by Ben Edelman, Michael Luca, and Daniel Svirsky revealed widespread discrimination against African-American guests on Airbnb. Now the researchers have created an online tool to mitigate it. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 09 Dec 2015
- Research Event
When Hosts Attack: The Competitive Threat of Online Platforms
Online retail platforms like Amazon are great for the third-party businesses that use them—until the platform’s owner decides to start competing with them. Feng Zhu looks at the factors that turn hosts into predators. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 18 Nov 2015
- Cold Call Podcast
A Hard Sell: Bringing Cultured Beef to Market
Tissue culture beef could revolutionize the meat industry. But how do you market against the “yuck factor?" Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 02 Nov 2015
- Book
Dear Internet: You Are Extraordinary, But Not Exceptional
Professor Shane Greenstein is annoyed by “Internet exceptionalism,” the prevalent idea that the Internet defies economic logic, that there’s never been anything like it in business history, and that its impact supersedes everything. In his new book, Greenstein argues that the Internet actually follows classic patterns of economic behavior, detailing the commercial forces that guided the Internet’s path from cool invention to successful innovation. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
Three Critical Mistakes Digital Businesses Make With Content
Do companies really understand the nature of today's digital transformation? Bharat Anand's book The Content Trap offers a new view of digital strategy that shifts the focus from "produce the best content" to "create the best connections." Open for comment; 0 Comments.