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)

Yu’E Bao turned 185M e-commerce customers into financial investors
Emilie Valentova
Last modified on October 19, 2015 at 6:03 pm
The mighty Alibaba ecosystem managed to scale up internet finance while driving core e-commerce growth.
Curriculum Associates: a digital winner disrupting education publishing
Jennifer B.
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 3:01 pm
A print publisher disrupts public education with its transition to digital
The Struggle of a Retail Giant: From Catalog to Clicks.
David
Last modified on October 19, 2015 at 6:03 pm
Among all industries transformed by the digitization of our economy, the retail industry has been among the first and most heavily affected markets during the last decade. The Information Age spawned many new powerful retailers like Amazon – and caused [...]
Niche: Winning the Race to Become a Digital Advertising Marketplace for Social Media Stars
jeffzeller
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 10:24 pm
How digital and social media have spawned a new generation of advertising agencies, and why companies like Niche have been able to capitalize.
The demise of the land lines and the future of the phone service industry
Gonzalo
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 4:03 pm
The telephone service industry has evolved and will continue to do so in a world were consumers' conception of value constantly changes.
New York Times: Winning with Leaky Paywall
BrittW
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 5:42 pm
The New York Times is an example of a digital “winner” amidst rapid declines in revenue and circulation for most in the newspaper industry. In 2011, The New York Times effectively introduced a paywall and in 4 years has signed [...]
Coupang – Changing the face of retail and distribution
Cal K
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 11:07 pm
Korean e-commerce winner Coupang : analysis
FreshDirect: A Beloved Loser
Qing
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 4:45 pm
An online grocer's asset heavy and local focused business model come at odds with the rapid scalability often associated with the digital era.
Zillow: Bringing Data and Transparency to the Neighborhood
Fisher
Posted on September 11, 2015 at 8:39 pm
Zillow brings data and transparency to neighborhoods across the U.S.
Vertical Integration Maximizes Creativity and Profit at Audible
The future ex Mrs. Kevin Branch-Elliman-Obara
Posted on September 14, 2015 at 12:36 pm
The near market monopoly enjoyed by Amazon/Audible demonstrates the ability of vertically integrated media companies to maximize value for the customer
Fidor – Digital winner in the banking industry?
SJB
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 8:39 pm
Fidor, a fully digital bank from Germany is trying to revolutionize the way we do banking!
Is Rebecca Minkoff’s smart in-store shopping the future of fashion retail?
Golden
Posted on September 14, 2015 at 11:28 pm
Have you ever been in a fitting room, half naked with the wrong size and no sales associate in sight? Or wished that someone would bring you a cup of water or coffee while you shop? Rebecca Minkoff’s Soho store [...]
VIVE: An Almost Too-Good-To-Be True #DigitalWinner
#mustshop
Last modified on September 14, 2015 at 11:39 pm
VIVE: An Almost Too-Good-To-Be True #DigitalWinner. Unlimited blowouts for $99 a month. What?!
You say you want a REVOLUTION
AlonKremer
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 4:58 pm
The New England Revolution integrates technology to win on and off the field.
Hybrid Cloud, What’s Next?
HBSSectB
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 9:14 pm
EMC began in 1979 as a reseller of memory chips. Through strategic acquisitions and in-house innovation, EMC now offers data storage, information security, cloud computing, Big Data analytics and virtualization that enable small, medium and large businesses to store, manage, [...]
The demise of the LPs: Who are real losers in this new era of digitized music?
NoMoreOrders
Last modified on September 14, 2015 at 6:14 pm
The demise of the LP and the end of the Album Era has spurred the rise of 1-hit wonders. Good-looking slightly-talented hungry YouTube tweens stars are now topping our charts. So, who are the real losers of the digitization of [...]
Digital healthcare by Medicover Group
ilny
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 10:21 pm
One of Europe's largest private healthcare providers wins in the digital space, offering seamless health management to their patients and vast savings to themselves
Rockwell Automation : Leading Digitization in Manufacturing
MaskOfZorro
Posted on September 14, 2015 at 11:27 am
Rockwell Automation : Leading Digitization in Manufacturing
Ravel Law: Unraveling Justice Through Big Data
xyz
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 11:49 pm
Ravel Law has employed digital tools to brilliantly upset the status quo of a digital-phobic industry.
Facebook’s bet on mobile
Yannis
Posted on September 13, 2015 at 9:30 pm
In 2012 Facebook became a “mobile-first” platform. By betting on mobile, Facebook created value for its users and increased its ad value capture, positioning itself to compete against Google.
First Post! Welcome to our Learning Community
Karim Lakhani
Last modified on September 8, 2015 at 3:40 pm
Hi All, We would like to welcome you to the Fall 2015 Digital Innovation and Transformation Course at HBS. Over the next four months we are going to be exploring the ins and outs of how digital technologies are transforming [...]
Commercializing Color
Tikola Nesla
Posted on September 12, 2015 at 4:41 pm
How Pantone won the color game
Outfront Media: Billboard of the Future
AP
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 5:50 pm
Outfront Media is keeping out-of-home advertising relevant in the online world
P&G leads consumer goods giants in race to figure out digital
Jon Malankar
Last modified on September 13, 2015 at 3:22 pm
Procter and Gamble's award winning digital advertising combined with willingness to disrupt its sales process makes it a winner in digital
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