Publications
Publications
- October 2000 (Revised March 2001)
- HBS Case Collection
eLance.com: Building a Professional Services Marketplace
By: Lynda M. Applegate and Kristin Kohler
Abstract
Launched as an eBay for services, eLance promises to leverage the capabilities of the Internet to not only change the way services are bought and sold, but change the fundamental dynamics of the global economy. Building on theories posited in the HBR article by Tim Malone and Robert Laubaucher, eLance enables individuals and companies to buy and sell services using an RFP-based pricing model. Will eLance be the next eBay? The case explores the challenges facing eLance as the team attempts to both create a new means of exchanging professional services in the marketplace and develop an online services model that can succeed in the increasingly competitive and profit-conscious Internet economy.
Keywords
Entrepreneurship; Technological Innovation; Job Search; Business or Company Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Web Sites; Information Technology Industry; Service Industry
Citation
Applegate, Lynda M., and Kristin Kohler. "eLance.com: Building a Professional Services Marketplace." Harvard Business School Case 801-224, October 2000. (Revised March 2001.)
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