Digital Winners and Losers

September 13, 2015

Read The Full Prompt

The basic thesis of our course is that digital technologies are upending many industries and companies. Think about Uber’s impact on the taxi business or Spotify’s impact on music downloads and the record industry.

For this module, we would like you to identify companies/organizations that you think are winning or losing. Just work on either winners or losers. Please focus on just one organization. Tell us why they are a winner or loser. Discuss elements of how they create and/or capture value that is leading you to call them a winner or loser.

Create an approximately 500-750 word post to make your contribution. Please create appropriate tags for your post including if it is a “winner” or “loser” Please also respond to and comment on three other posts per module. Feel free to use graphics, data, videos and links to other sites to corroborate your points.

Selected posts will be discussed in class and also featured on the HBS Digital Initiative website.

Submitted (145)

LinkedIn: Winning with Professional Data
JG
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 11:03 am
LinkedIn has built up an invaluable user base and professional category of data that unlock a number of different and robust revenue streams.
And the next big thing in retail is… Wal-Mart?
Belowthefold
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 7:57 pm
How Wal-Mart is competing against technology companies like Amazon in the digital retail space.
Waze: Redefining Carpooling
RS
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 10:50 pm
In spite of rising costs of car-ownership (>$8,000/year on average) and parking ($3,000/year on average), 80% of Americans still drive alone when commuting to and from work. This has led to a tremendous increase in road congestion, especially in major [...]
The Waze model – make your users do the work!
FB
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 6:42 pm
Combining a large community of users with a navigation app makes Waze well positioned for the future
Nordstrom – Innovating to Stay Relevant
HBStudent2016
Last modified on October 19, 2015 at 6:03 pm
Nordstrom has found a way to seamlessly integrate the shopping experience online and offline to maintain customer loyalty.
Airbnb has truly challenged the status quo of the travel industry
Ximena
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 12:38 am
  With a $25 billion valuation and after only seven years in the market, Airbnb has surpassed the market cap of major hotel companies like Marriott that manages more than 4.000 hotels ($21bn) or Starwood with more than 1.200 properties [...]
The Guardian – how to be a winner in a declining industry
KP
Last modified on September 14, 2015 at 12:54 am
The Guardian has survived one of the biggest industry declines, to become a more relevant newspaper in a digital world. They have beaten their traditional newspaper rivals through the adoption of 'Open Journalism' and digital media - putting their readers [...]
Starbucks – Driving Customer Engagement via Digital Innovation
IR
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 11:55 pm
Starbucks is a great example of a company “winning” by leveraging digital technologies to create value. Technology is increasingly disrupting traditional “brick and mortar” retail businesses, and Starbucks has long been recognized as a leader in harnessing digital tools to [...]
Is it too late for Microsoft?
Sabina
Last modified on October 19, 2015 at 6:03 pm
Microsoft shifted from a company that creates new markets and leads innovation to a company that defends its position in existing markets.
Microsoft is Winning
Esty
Last modified on September 11, 2015 at 9:08 am
Microsoft is winning- taking some bold moves and surprises us with its ability to adjust and react to customer and industry demands
Riot Games – A digital winner, but is it revolutionary?
Allen Yang
Posted on September 11, 2015 at 12:17 pm
Riot Games, the video game publisher behind League of Legends, has proven its prowess in the industry and is a definite digital winner.
Analyzing facial expressions to increase emotional resonance of video ads
hawkeye
Last modified on September 12, 2015 at 10:18 pm
Affectiva is winning by using digital technology to create and capture value in the market research industry.
Gogo Air: Winning through partnerships and contracts
B_Alvy
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 10:15 pm
Gogo Air, a provider of wireless in-flight internet, partners with several companies to serve 80% of the country's airline market
Letterman prompted into retirement by digital changes
Jon Staff
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 10:14 am
David Letterman's retirement was prompted not just by his years of service, but a digital shift in dynamics for Late Night TV
A World Without Borders: How One Beloved Bookstore Chain Signed Its Own Death Certificate
CC24
Last modified on October 19, 2015 at 6:03 pm
Borders used to be the bookstore behemoth that both avid and casual readers loved until a series of poor strategic choices led to their filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. How could such a successful company completely misread the changing [...]
Kickstarter: kicking the habit of turning to angel investors
Asaf Lifshitz
Posted on September 12, 2015 at 9:08 pm
Entrepreneurs raise funds via Kickstarter, and in doing so attract more contributors, who in turn make it an even more appealing platform
Wealthfront: Winning at Wealth Management
Julie
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 3:38 pm
The wealth management industry is stodgy, slow to adopt new technology, highly profitable, and ripe for disruption as Wealthfront is doing just that.
Barnes & Noble: Playing the Digital Game All Wrong
Kathryn R
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 9:10 pm
By now, many of us have forgotten that Barnes & Noble attempted to compete against the likes of Apple and Amazon in the e-reader/tablet market with their ill-fated Nook. Barnes & Noble invested significantly in R&D and actually produced some [...]
Open English: Among the highest growth potential companies in digital consumer business in Latam
Mati G
Last modified on October 19, 2015 at 6:03 pm
Open English: High potential online based English-language shcool is among the highest growth potential consumer companies in Latin America
Nike: Building Communities through Digital
JL
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 10:02 pm
“Digital is an accelerator of growth that is shaping everything we do. We are building deep connections to consumers with digital services and communities to driving rapid expansion of our ecommerce business.” – Mark Parker, CEO Nike Historically, retail and [...]
FT: Keeping up with the times?
Starfish23
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 11:47 pm
How FT has managed to remain relevant, even as the news becomes commoditized.
Comcast: A Winner in the Media Long Game
DIGIT Girl
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 2:00 pm
Lots of buzz on Google, Netflix and other OTT players as innovators in the media space, but traditional cable players like Comcast are paving the way.
Ocado finally makes online grocery retail work
vlad.hanzlik
Last modified on September 12, 2015 at 9:38 pm
UK retailer Ocado creates a viable online grocery service by reinventing operations around online-only grocery retail.
LinkedIn: Digital winner transforming the recruiting industry
Sherry
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 4:05 pm
The business Founded in the early 2000s, LinkedIn is a social network for professionals with one mission: connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. In order to accomplish this mission, LinkedIn has developed three primary product lines [...]
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