Insights

As tempting as it is to think only of the shiny, exciting advancements that technology provides (here’s looking at you, AI), the reality is that most organizations are in need of more basic digital transformation. Nowhere is this truer than in the healthcare industry, where IT systems that support process improvement and innovation are hard to come by. This article from the Harvard Business Review makes the case for importance of IT management and data interoperability within healthcare and argues that such investments can both lower costs and improve quality.

While still the gold standard in clinical research, randomized controlled trials can be costly, time-consuming, and limited in their scope. This case from Professor Ariel Stern explores the potential of an innovative new approach to clinical trials and cancer therapies – adaptive platform trials. Could this design offer a more flexible and efficient way forward for clinical trials as a whole?

Healthcare companies are lagging behind. Oftentimes, clinical trial research still uses old-school processes like physical protocol binders, paper diaries, and decade old-software. Furthermore, only 5% of the U.S. population participates in clinical research. Andrea Coravos (MBA ’17) believes the time is ripe for innovative technologies – from virtual trials and digital biomarkers to improved software tools – to improve clinical trial execution and encourage broader participation from the public.

Just getting started learning about blockchain? This primer from DI professor, Karim Lakhani is the place to start. In this HBR Whiteboard Session, Professor Lakhani explains how the blockchain works and why we should care. Finally, Lakhani provides a brief roadmap for leaders looking to implement the promising technology within their own organizations.

On December 13th, 2017 the Digital Seminar series hosted Chris Forman from the Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management at Cornell University.

Despite its centrality to the functioning of society, the technology that governs contracts, transactions, and record keeping has not kept up with the digital transformation of the economy. Blockchain, however, has the potential to change all that – that is, if it can overcome multiple barriers to adoption. In this article for HBR, DI professors Marco Iansiti and Karim Lakhani share what it would really take for blockchain to become the revolutionary technology everyone hopes it will be.

With a finance empire spanning mobile/online payments, wealth management, digital-first banking, credit scoring, and yes, cryptocurrencies, Ant Financial is one of the most influential fintech companies in the world. This case from DI professor Feng Zhu on how Ant Financial has managed its growth strategy is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the current state of fintech innovation today.

Cryptocurrency certainly has its appeal. The lack of middle men or local regulatory bodies make it an efficient transaction method, and many in the finance industry now see digital currencies as the natural and unavoidable future. But is the new technology worth the hype? Professor emeritus James Haskett takes a look back at the meteoric rise of another trend in finance – hedge funds – and determines that the answer is ‘maybe’.

In a way, 2017 was the year of the ICO. 2017 saw over 700 initial coin offerings will almost $5 billion raised according to ICO Data (compared with less than $1 billion in 2016). It is no surprise then that this fundraising phenomenon has left the finance world and VC firms in particular with a lot to talk about. This article from Harvard Business Review highlights some of the advantages and disadvantages of this disruptive new fundraising tactic.

New tech-heavy financial firms are helping millennials invest, but with a twist. They are swapping out investment advisers for financial robots, and passing along the savings. Luis Viceira explains the rise of “fintech” in a new case study.