Peter Olson
Senior Lecturer of Business Administration
Peter Olson is Senior Lecturer of Business Administration in the Strategy Unit at Harvard Business School. He graduated from Harvard College in 1972 (magna cum laude in History), Harvard Law School in 1976 (cum laude), and Harvard Business School in 1976. He worked as an attorney for three years, in commercial and investment banking for nine years, and for the international media group Bertelsmann for twenty years; from 2001 to 2008 he was a member of the Executive Board of Bertelsmann; from 1998 to 2008 he was the Chairman and CEO of Random House, the world's largest trade book publisher. From 2000 to 2001 he was a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Vienna. He is fluent in German and Russian. His interests include mountain biking and playing baseball. He is married and has seven children.
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Case
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2011
(Revised from original 2009 version)
The Guardian: Transition to the Online World
David J. Collis, Peter W. Olson and Mary Furey
The Guardian had been an early innovator in online newspapers and had not only become the leading U.K. newspaper web site, but was making strides with audiences outside of the U.K. However, The Guardian had been losing money since 2000, and, in spite of the relative success of the website, online revenue remained less than 20% of the newspaper's total revenue. What changes would The Guardian have to make to sustain its mission of being "the world's leading liberal voice in perpetuity?"
Keywords: Business Model;
Revenue;
Newspapers;
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Risk and Uncertainty;
Business Strategy;
Online Technology;
Journalism and News Industry;
Publishing Industry;
United Kingdom;
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Case
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2011
(Revised from original 2010 version)
The Random House Response to the Kindle
Bharat N. Anand and Peter Olson
In early 2010, e-readers, like Amazon's Kindle and Apple's impending iPad, threatened to disrupt the book publishing industry. The case provides an overview of the industry, describes the broader trends regarding e-readers, and asks: how should major publishers like Random House respond to these trends?
Keywords: Change Management;
Trends;
Disruptive Innovation;
Technological Innovation;
Consumer Behavior;
Industry Structures;
Corporate Strategy;
Hardware;
Publishing Industry;
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Background Note
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2010
(Revised from original 2009 version)
The Newspaper Industry in Crisis
David J. Collis, Peter W. Olson and Mary Furey
This note is a primer on the newspaper industry, which has been in decline in the U.S. and Western Europe. The 19th century business model whereby news and editorial content was packaged and delivered to homes daily and paid for by national advertisers has been overturned by the Internet and the corresponding immediate access to global information. The note covers the history of newspapers, industry economics, current news consumption trends, the response of the newspapers to the threat of the Internet, and vignettes highlighting newspaper business models throughout the world.
Keywords: Business Model;
Business History;
Newspapers;
Disruptive Innovation;
Consumer Behavior;
Business Strategy;
Internet;
Journalism and News Industry;
Publishing Industry;
Europe;
United States;
Citation: Collis, David J., Peter W. Olson, and Mary Furey. " The Newspaper Industry in Crisis." Harvard Business School Background Note 709-463, January 2010. (Revised from original March 2009 version.)
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Case
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2009
(Revised from original 2009 version)
eReading: Amazon's Kindle
Bharat N. Anand, Peter W. Olson Esq. and Mary Tripsas
In November 2007, Amazon introduced the Kindle, the first electronic reader with wireless functionality. The case describes the launch of the Kindle and provides information on representative players in the industry (or broader ecosystem) who are likely to be affected and react, including Penguin (the leading educational publisher), Barnes & Noble (the largest bricks-&-mortar retailer), Apple and Sony (as manufacturers of competing devices), Google (as a major provider of free e-content), and Adobe (as a competitor in creating an e-book standard).
Keywords: Books;
Disruptive Innovation;
Technological Innovation;
Industry Structures;
Standards;
Distribution Channels;
Competitive Strategy;
Publishing Industry;
Citation: Anand, Bharat N., Peter W. Olson Esq., and Mary Tripsas. " eReading: Amazon's Kindle." Harvard Business School Case 709-486, December 2009. (Revised from original February 2009 version.)
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