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    Online TechnologyRemove Online Technology →

    New research on online technology from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including ideological segregation among online collaborators, and the importance of a digital strategy that focuses on creating the best connections.
    Page 1 of 29 Results →
    • 31 Jan 2023
    • Cold Call Podcast

    Addressing Racial Discrimination on Airbnb

    Re: Michael Luca

    For years, Airbnb gave hosts extensive discretion to accept or reject a guest after seeing little more than a name and a picture, believing that eliminating anonymity was the best way for the company to build trust. However, the apartment rental platform failed to track or account for the possibility that this could facilitate discrimination. After research published by Professor Michael Luca and others provided evidence that Black hosts received less in rent than hosts of other races and showed signs of discrimination against guests with African American sounding names, the company had to decide what to do. In the case, “Racial Discrimination on Airbnb,” Luca discusses his research and explores the implication for Airbnb and other platform companies. Should they change the design of the platform to reduce discrimination? And what’s the best way to measure the success of any changes?

    • 13 Dec 2022
    • Cold Call Podcast

    Metaverse Seoul: How One City Used Citizen Input to Pilot a Government-Run Metaverse

    Re: Mitchell B. Weiss

    In May 2022, the Seoul Metropolitan Government in Seoul, Korea launched the pilot of Metaverse Seoul, a virtual version of Seoul’s mayor’s office. As they worked towards building a broad, immersive, online government platform, they hoped to gain insights from citizens about everything from popular local tourist sites that could be experienced virtually to government services that could be delivered in the metaverse. But to do that, the team had to figure out how to solicit ideas from citizens and then determine which ideas to put to use. Professor Mitchell Weiss discusses their approach, as well as questions relating to his research on public entrepreneurship and what he calls “possibility government,” in his case, “Metaverse Seoul.”

    • 21 Nov 2022
    • Research & Ideas

    Buy Now, Pay Later: How Retail's Hot Feature Hurts Low-Income Shoppers

    by Rachel Layne

    More consumers may opt to "buy now, pay later" this holiday season, but what happens if they can't make that last payment? Research by Marco Di Maggio and Emily Williams highlights the risks of these financing services, especially for lower-income shoppers.

    • 26 Jul 2022
    • Research & Ideas

    Burgers with Bugs? What Happens When Restaurants Ignore Online Reviews

    by Kara Baskin

    Negative Yelp reviews hold more sway with consumers than restaurateurs might think. A machine learning study by Chiara Farronato reveals how online platforms amplify the customer voice, and why business owners should listen.

    • 21 Jun 2022
    • HBS Case

    Free Isn’t Always Better: How Slack Holds Its Own Against Microsoft Teams

    by Lane Lambert

    What will it take to win the collaboration app wars: massive scale or a loyal following? A case study by David Yoffie digs into the intense competition between Microsoft Teams and Salesforce's Slack.

    • 13 May 2022
    • Research & Ideas

    Company Reviews on Glassdoor: Petty Complaints or Signs of Potential Misconduct?

    by Michael Blanding

    Online reviews by employees can signal internal factors that raise the risk of scandal. Research by Dennis Campbell, who analyzed reviews of 4,000 companies, offers insights for managers trying to prevent misdeeds long before they happen.

    • 19 Jan 2021
    • Working Paper Summaries

    The Value of Descriptive Analytics: Evidence from Online Retailers

    by Ron Berman and Ayelet Israeli

    Analytics are descriptive when they describe what happened. Descriptive-analytics solutions are popular among marketers and retailers. This paper provides a benchmark for the benefits of using a descriptive dashboard and illustrates how to potentially extract these benefits.

    • 15 Sep 2020
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Time and the Value of Data

    by Ehsan Valavi, Joel Hestness, Newsha Ardalani, and Marco Iansiti

    This paper studies the impact of time-dependency and data perishability on a dataset's effectiveness in creating value for a business, and shows the value of data in the search engine and advertisement businesses perishes quickly.

    • 01 Jul 2020
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Scaling Up Behavioral Science Interventions in Online Education

    by Rene F. Kizilcec, Justin Reich, Michael Yeomans, Christoph Dann, Emma Brunskill, Glenn Lopez, Selen Turkay, Joseph J. Williams, and Dustin Tingley

    Online courses can lack support structures that are often bundled with traditional higher education. Short pre-course interventions can have short-term benefits, but more innovation throughout the course is needed to have sustained impact on student success.

    • 01 May 2020
    • What Do You Think?

    Does Remote Work Mix with Organizational Culture?

    by James Heskett

    SUMMING UP: Readers who themselves work from home think differently about how organizations should respond to remote work initiatives. James Heskett sums up the dicussion. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 09 Mar 2020
    • Research & Ideas

    Warring Algorithms Could Be Driving Up Consumer Prices

    by Kristen Senz

    Companies increasingly use software to conduct rapid price changes. Alexander MacKay explains why firms might benefit but consumers should be worried. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 20 Nov 2019
    • Research & Ideas

    It's No Joke: AI Beats Humans at Making You Laugh

    by Dina Gerdeman

    New research shows people don’t trust recommendations from algorithms—and that’s a problem for companies that increasingly rely on AI-based technology to persuade consumers. Michael H. Yeomans explains how businesses can overcome that bias. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 27 Jun 2019
    • Working Paper Summaries

    The Effect of Payment Choices on Online Retail: Evidence from the 2016 Indian Demonetization

    by Chaithanya Bandi, Toni Moreno, Donald Ngwe, and Zhiji Xu

    Online sellers in many emerging markets are in the early stages of a shift from cash-based payments to digital payments. Findings from this study of a leading Indian online retailer show that firms may enjoy gains from consumer demand on top of operational gains resulting from payment digitization.

    • 05 Mar 2019
    • Working Paper Summaries

    The Impacts of Increasing Search Frictions on Online Shopping Behavior: Evidence from a Field Experiment

    by Donald Ngwe, Kris J. Ferreira, and Thales Teixeira

    This paper challenges the logic that making it easier for consumers to search across a wide assortment of products is the best strategy for online retailers. Experiments show that adding extra search costs to find discounted items can improve gross margins and sales by increasing the number of items inspected and serving as a self-selecting price discrimination mechanism among customers.

    • 28 Nov 2018
    • HBS Case

    On Target: Rethinking the Retail Website

    by Dina Gerdeman

    Target is one big-brand retailer that seems to have survived and even thrived in the apocalyptic retail landscape. What's its secret? Srikant Datar discusses the company's relentless focus on online data. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 07 May 2018
    • Research & Ideas

    Why Online Retailers Should Hide Their Best Discounts

    by Michael Blanding

    Online retailers should take a tip from brick-and-mortar shops: Shove your best deals to the back of the store. Research by Thales Teixeira and Donald Ngwe. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 20 Apr 2018
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Executive Education in the Digital Vortex: The Disruption of the Supply Landscape

    by Mihnea Moldoveanu and Das Narayandas

    The competitive landscape of executive education is feeling a tectonic shift even as demand grows for managerial skills. This study maps and analyzes the major providers of executive education programs, including business schools, consultancies, and corporate universities, to better understand and explain the industry’s present and future dynamics.

    • 05 Mar 2018
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Nowcasting Gentrification: Using Yelp Data to Quantify Neighborhood Change

    by Edward L. Glaeser, Hyunjin Kim, and Michael Luca

    This study finds that data from digital platforms (in this case, Yelp) can help forecast which neighborhoods are gentrifying and provide new ways to measure business landscape changes that accompany demographic changes.

    • 26 Oct 2017
    • Research Event

    In an Era of 'Fake News,' What is the Future of Advertising and Publishing?

    by Jen Deaderick

    A recent panel discussion at Harvard Business School considered how traditional institutions of democracy such as publishing and advertising are being undermined by the use of internet technologies. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 17 Jun 2017
    • Research & Ideas

    Amazon, Whole Foods Deal a Big Win for Consumers

    by Jose Alvarez and Len Schlesinger

    What does Amazon's $13.4 billion deal for Whole Foods say about the future of retail? Harvard Business School professors Jose Alvarez and Len Schlesinger see good times ahead for consumers as well as both companies. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

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