Currently, I am a Ph.D. candidate in Technology and Operations Management at Harvard Business School, working on the management of digital platforms and services. Through the course of my degree, I researched how resources like proprietary data or market factors such as network structure and market interconnectivity influence the competitiveness and growth of digital firms.
My job market paper, titled “Time and the Value of Data,” discusses the value of data to a firm and touches upon tradeoffs and strategies managers should consider when the value of data changes over time. In a short follow-up paper, titled “Time-Dependency, Data Flow and Competitive Advantage,” I developed a framework to compare various business areas with respect to their rate of change. I argue that the value of data for businesses in markets with a higher rate of change is derived from the flow of new information, whereas, in markets with lower rates of change, the stock of data is the main value driver. These findings have significant implications for businesses as they provide tools to analyze how firms should manage data as an asset. Furthermore, my work can inform policymakers and regulators on how data ownership influences competition in various markets.
- Journal Articles
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- Zhu, Feng, Xinxin Li, Ehsan Valavi, and Marco Iansiti. "Network Interconnectivity and Entry into Platform Markets." Information Systems Research 32, no. 3 (September 2021): 1009–1024. View Details
- Working Papers
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- Valavi, Ehsan, Joel Hestness, Marco Iansiti, Newsha Ardalani, Feng Zhu, and Karim R. Lakhani. "Time Dependency, Data Flow, and Competitive Advantage." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 21-099, March 2021. View Details
- Valavi, Ehsan, Joel Hestness, Newsha Ardalani, and Marco Iansiti. "Time and the Value of Data." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 21-016, August 2020. (Revised November 2021.) View Details
- Ferreira, Kris J., Joel Goh, and Ehsan Valavi. "Intermediation in the Supply of Agricultural Products in Developing Economies." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 18-033, October 2017. View Details
- Awards & Honors
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Winner of the 2019 Best Conference Paper at the 24th Conference on Information Systems and Technology (CIST) for “Network Interconnectivity and Entry into Platform Markets” with Feng Zhu, Xinxin Li, and Marco Iansiti.
- Area of Study
- Areas of Interest