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- March 2023
- Article
Learning to Successfully Hire in Online Labor Markets
By: Marios Kokkodis and Sam Ransbotham
Hiring in online labor markets involves considerable uncertainty: which hiring choices are more likely to yield successful outcomes and how do employers adjust their hiring behaviors to make such choices? We argue that employers will initially explore the value of...
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- February 22, 2023
- Article
How to Seed Organic Marketing in a Video-First World
By: Ayelet Israeli, Leonard A. Schlesinger and Matt Higgins
Early direct-to-consumer (DTC) companies relied on plentiful capital and low-cost digital marketing to power growth. But as this sector has matured, capital is more constrained, social media is more cluttered, and customer acquisition costs are rising. DTC companies...
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Keywords:
Online Business;
Ecommerce;
E-commerce;
E-Commerce Strategy;
Omnichannel Retail;
Omnichannel Retailing;
Influencer Marketing;
Consumer;
Organic Growth;
Video Advertising;
Promotion;
Celebrities;
Online Advertising;
Online Channel;
Online Communities;
Online Community;
Go To Market Strategy;
Platform;
Media;
Media Content;
Digital;
Digital Culture;
Digital Influencers;
Direct To Consumer Marketing;
Direct-to-consumer;
Innovation ＆ Entrepreneurship;
Innovation;
Sales;
Digital Platforms;
Digital Marketing;
Digital Strategy;
Consumer Behavior;
Internet and the Web;
Advertising;
Business Model;
Growth Management;
Marketing;
Marketing Strategy;
Marketing Channels;
Marketing Communications;
Communication Strategy;
Innovation Strategy;
Retail Industry;
Consumer Products Industry;
Fashion Industry;
Advertising Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
Food and Beverage Industry;
Media and Broadcasting Industry;
United States;
North America
- February 2023
- Case
Roblox: Virtual Commerce in the Metaverse
By: Ayelet Israeli and Nicole Tempest Keller
In 2022, Roblox had 58.8 million daily active users, including over half of all children and teens under the age of 16 in the United States. Roblox, a free-to-use “co-experience platform”, allowed users to come together in immersive 3D experiences to socialize, work,...
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Keywords:
Entertainment;
Games, Gaming, and Gambling;
Market Design;
Marketing;
Brands and Branding;
Marketing Channels;
Marketing Strategy;
Business Strategy;
Economics;
Economy;
Economic Systems;
Advertising;
Advertising Campaigns;
Digital Platforms;
Markets;
Price;
Innovation and Management;
Entertainment and Recreation Industry;
Video Game Industry;
Technology Industry;
United States;
California;
North America;
South America;
Asia;
Europe
- 2023
- Working Paper
Black Ownership Matters: Does Revealing Race Increase Demand for Minority-Owned Businesses?
By: Abhay Aneja, Michael Luca and Oren Reshef
Is there consumer demand to support Black-owned businesses? To explore, we investigate the impact of a new feature on a large online platform that made the race of a set of Black business owners salient to customers. We find that this feature substantially increased...
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- January 2023
- Case
Digital Transformation at Tata Steel
By: Krishna Palepu, Das Narayandas and Radhika Kak
T.V. Narendran, CEO of Tata Steel, India’s oldest steel manufacturing firm, had taken concrete business and cultural transformation steps to future-ready the firm since taking over in 2013. He had deleveraged and instilled financial discipline, acquired new businesses,...
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- January 2023
- Case
Proday: Calling the Right Play
By: Lindsay N. Hyde, Thomas R. Eisenmann and Tom Quinn
Sarah Kunst knew the elements of a successful startup from her tenure at venture capital firms. In April 2018, however, her own app – Proday, a home fitness platform featuring exercises filmed by professional sports stars – was floundering. Kunst theorized that...
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- January 2023
- Case
Thomas Buberl: Refounding AXA
By: Hubert Joly, Mihir Desai and Amram Migdal
In 2022, AXA and its CEO Thomas Buberl faced new types of challenges, including systemic risks such as climate change, geopolitical instability, public health crises, and social tensions caused by economic risks. AXA was one of the world’s largest insurers. Since...
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Keywords:
Change;
Change Management;
Transformation;
Transition;
Trends;
Environmental Management;
Climate Change;
Ethics;
Values and Beliefs;
Finance;
Insurance;
Management;
Management Succession;
Risk Management;
Organizations;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Mission and Purpose;
Organizational Change and Adaptation;
Planning;
Strategic Planning;
Risk and Uncertainty;
Society;
Human Needs;
Social Issues;
Strategy;
Adaptation;
Business Strategy;
Corporate Strategy;
Insurance Industry;
Europe;
France;
Paris
- December 2022 (Revised January 2023)
- Case
Cann: High Hopes for Cannabis Infused Beverages
By: Ayelet Israeli and Anne V. Wilson
Founded in 2018 by Jake Bullock and Luke Anderson, Cann sold “social tonics,” or cannabis-infused beverages. By 2022, the company had several notable celebrity investors and talent partners, had sold over 10 million beverages to consumers, was distributing in six...
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Keywords:
Stigma;
Product Innovation;
Product Introduction;
Product Differentiation;
New Products;
New Product Marketing;
New Product Management;
Brand Management;
Branding;
Packaging;
Positioning;
Growth Strategy And Execution;
Growth;
Cannabis Industry;
Purpose;
Purpose Brands;
LGBTQ;
Direct-to-consumer;
DTC;
Regulations;
Channels Of Distribution;
Product Development;
Product Marketing;
Product Positioning;
Product;
Innovation and Invention;
Brands and Branding;
Marketing;
Marketing Communications;
Marketing Channels;
Advertising;
Advertising Campaigns;
Digital Marketing;
Market Entry and Exit;
Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms;
Consumer Products Industry;
Food and Beverage Industry;
United States;
Canada;
North America
- December 7, 2022
- Article
Why Decentralized Crypto Platforms Are Weathering the Crash
By: Shai Bernstein and Scott Duke Kominers
In the past year, crypto markets dropped from $2.9 trillion in value to around $800 billion. In the wake of the collapse, crypto lenders and exchanges have been accused of fraud and other wrongdoing. What went wrong? One factor is competition. In theory, competition...
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- December 2022
- Article
Competition, Contracts, and Creativity: Evidence from Novel Writing in a Platform Market
By: Yanhui Wu and Feng Zhu
A growing number of people today are participating in the gig economy, working as independent contractors on short-term projects. We study the effects of competition on gig workers' effort and creativity on a Chinese novel-writing platform. Authors produce and sell...
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- December 2022
- Case
Freelancer, Ltd.
By: Christopher Stanton, Karim R. Lakhani, Jin Hyun Paik and Nina Cohodes
Over the course of the 2010s, the rapid advancement of mobile technologies and the rise of online freelancing platforms seemed to portend a radical transformation of labor markets into on-demand, flexible talent pools. Even though several Fortune 500...
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- December 2022
- Supplement
Freelancer, Ltd. Case Supplement
By: Christopher Stanton, Karim R. Lakhani, Jin Hyun Paik and Nina Cohodes
Over the course of the 2010s, the rapid advancement of mobile technologies and the rise of online freelancing platforms seemed to portend a radical transformation of labor markets into on-demand, flexible talent pools. Even though several Fortune 500 companies,...
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Keywords:
Labor Markets;
Freelancers;
Change Management;
Corporate Entrepreneurship;
Globalized Firms and Management;
Human Capital;
Employment;
Digital Platforms;
Global Range;
Adoption;
Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Computer Industry;
Electronics Industry;
Employment Industry;
Information Industry;
Australia;
United States;
Philippines
- November 2022
- Teaching Note
Proximie: Using XR Technology to Create Borderless Operating Rooms
By: Ariel D. Stern, Alpana Thapar and Menna Hassan
Founded by Nadine Hachach-Haram in 2016, Proximie was a digital medicine platform that used mixed reality and a host of digital audio and visual tools to enable clinicians, proctors, and medical device company personnel to be virtually present in operating rooms (ORs),...
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- November 2022
- Background Note
The Future of E-Commerce: Lessons from the Livestream Wars in China
By: Ayelet Israeli, Jeremy Yang and Billy Chan
This note explores the emerging multi-billion dollar commerce trend of livestream commerce. Livestream commerce is the sale of goods or services directly to consumers via live shows on digital platforms (such as social media or e-commerce platforms). It is a form of...
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Keywords:
Retail;
Retailing;
E-commerce;
E-Commerce Strategy;
Ecommerce;
Channels Of Distribution;
Marketing Communication;
Livestream Commerce;
Marketing;
Marketing Channels;
Marketing Strategy;
Advertising;
Brands and Branding;
Media;
Consumer Behavior;
Social Media;
Retail Industry;
Consumer Products Industry;
Advertising Industry;
China;
United States;
United Kingdom
- November 2022
- Case
Arcos Dorados’ Quest for the Digitalization of Last-Mile Delivery in Colombia
By: Jorge Tamayo, Jenyfeer Martinez Buitrago and Mariana Cal
In 2018, Francisco Staton, Managing Director of Arcos Dorados in Colombia had to decide on the company’s strategy to expand its food ordering and delivery business in the country. Arcos Dorados stood as McDonald’s largest independent franchisee, and Colombia was one of...
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Keywords:
Digital Transformation;
Delivery;
McDonald's;
Latin America;
Quick Serve Restaurants;
QSR;
Transformation;
Decision Making;
Decision Choices and Conditions;
Global Strategy;
Technological Innovation;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Agreements and Arrangements;
Negotiation Tactics;
Logistics;
Service Delivery;
Organizational Culture;
Performance Improvement;
Partners and Partnerships;
Strategy;
Food and Beverage Industry;
Latin America;
South America;
Colombia
- October 2022
- Case
Volt Lines: Leading a B2B Service Provider through a Crisis (A)
By: Navid Mojir and Gamze Yucaoglu
Volt Lines was a next-generation transportation service in Istanbul, Turkey. The company was trying to disrupt the traditional corporate transportation market by developing software that allowed it to offer subscription-based transportation. Under the subscription...
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Keywords:
Business To Business Marketing;
B2B Marketing;
B2B Pricing;
Subscription Model;
Crisis Marketing;
Startup;
Service Management;
Information Technology;
Transportation;
COVID-19 Pandemic;
Disruptive Innovation;
Digital Platforms;
Business Model;
Price;
Crisis Management;
Opportunities;
Transportation Industry;
Technology Industry;
Turkey
- October 2022
- Case
Colette Phillips and GetKonnected!: Creating Inclusive Ecosystems
By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Amy Chiu and Joyce Kim
Colette Phillips’ marketing firm had just won the City of Boston’s 2nd largest contract in history to a Black-owned company. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Get Konnected!, the networking organization for people of color that she founded 15 years earlier and led to...
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Keywords:
Diversity;
Ecosystem;
Inclusion;
People Of Color;
Network;
Racial Bias;
Gender Bias;
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem;
Entrepreneur;
Change;
Change Barriers;
Change Leadership;
Community;
Innovation;
Pandemic;
Impact;
Systemic Racism;
Minority-owned Businesses;
Social and Collaborative Networks;
Equity;
Race;
Small Business;
Prejudice and Bias;
Boston
- September–October 2022
- Article
Should Your Company Sell on Amazon?: Reach Comes at a Price
By: Ayelet Israeli, Leonard A. Schlesinger, Matt Higgins and Sabir Semerkant
Selling on Amazon allows brands to reach millions of consumers—but that exposure comes with costs. They include smaller margins, more competition, the risk of commoditization, and less knowledge about customers.
In this article, the authors present a scorecard to...
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Keywords:
Retail;
Retailing;
Online Business;
Ecommerce;
E-commerce;
E-Commerce Strategy;
Omnichannel Retail;
Omnichannel Retailing;
Amazon;
Amazon.com;
Sales;
Digital Marketing;
Internet and the Web;
Business Model;
Retail Industry;
Consumer Products Industry;
Fashion Industry;
Advertising Industry;
Battery Industry;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
Distribution Industry;
Electronics Industry;
Food and Beverage Industry;
United States
- 2022
- Working Paper
Algorithmic Assortment Curation: An Empirical Study of Buybox in Online Marketplaces
By: Santiago Gallino, Nil Karacaoglu and Antonio Moreno
Most online sales worldwide take place in marketplaces that connect sellers and buyers. The presence of numerous third-party sellers leads to a proliferation of listings for each product, making it difficult for customers to choose between the available options. Online...
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- August 2022 (Revised March 2023)
- Exercise
How Should Netflix Add an Ad-Supported Tier?
By: Elie Ofek and Olivier Toubia
In the summer of 2022, it became clear that Netflix would introduce an ad-supported tier alongside its existing subscription plans in the near future. Speculation abounded as to the details of the new tier: How many minutes of advertising would it include? What picture...
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