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Keywords: Phosphates

04 Feb 2020
Video

Savannah Maziya

Savannah Maziya, the founder of South Africa-based Bunengi Holdings, recounts how her involvement in the mining industry naturally led to involvement in both infrastructure and agriculture as the business needed to supply logistics as well as food for its workers. View Details

November 2004
Case

Deere & Company

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Hal Hogan

John Deere & Co. wants to improve shareholder value and provide incentives to do so. The task is difficult in a volatile agriculture and construction industry. It also wants to be more global and provide machinery that traces commodities from the field to the consumer. View Details

Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Volatility; Machinery and Machining; Multinational Firms and Management; Goods and Commodities; Goals and Objectives; Strategic Planning; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

January 2015 (Revised May 2015)
Case

Syngenta: Committing to Africa

By: Forest Reinhardt and Mary Shelman

In 2012, Syngenta, one of the world's largest agricultural input companies, committed to build a $1 billion business in Africa over the next 10 years. In mid-2014, CEO Michael Mack and Africa Venture Team head Dimitri Pauwels are reviewing progress. Was the company's... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Africa; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Africa

August 2024
Background Note

Mitigating Climate Change with Machine Learning

By: Michael W. Toffel, Kelsey Carter, Amy Chambers, Avery Park and Susan Pinckney

This note highlights how machine learning is being used to decarbonize (reduce GHG emissions) several key sectors including electricity, transportation, building, industrial processes, and agriculture -- and how machine learning is being used to accelerate efforts to... View Details

Keywords: Climate; Artificial Intelligence; Adaptation; Climate Change; AI and Machine Learning; Innovation and Invention

October 2001 (Revised December 2004)
Case

Chiang-Sho Ltd.

Chiang-Sho Ltd. is a joint venture producing agricultural machinery in China. The CEO must decide how to respond to pressure from the Chinese partner--also the joint venture's largest customer--to increase production and lower prices. The CEO must choose either a... View Details

Keywords: Joint Ventures; Business Strategy; Manufacturing Industry; China

December 2015 (Revised April 2019)
Case

Chicken Republic

By: Jose Alvarez and Natalie Kindred

Deji Akinyanju, founder of Nigerian fast-food chain Chicken Republic, and Ayo Oduntan, founder of an integrated Nigerian poultry operation (Amo Byng Group), are among a growing cadre of skilled food-industry entrepreneurs for whom the opportunities to serve the... View Details

September 2023 (Revised January 2024)
Case

Helmy Abouleish: Making a Desert Bloom

By: Geoffrey G. Jones and Maxim Pike Harrell

This case examines the history of prominent Egyptian-based social enterprise SEKEM from its foundation in 1977 until the COP27 conference held in Sharm El-Sheikh in 2022. Led by father and son team Ibrahim and Helmy Abouleish, SEKEM turned desert into farmland using... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Climate Change; Values and Beliefs; Social Enterprise; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Egypt

April 2007 (Revised May 2007)
Case

John Mackey and Whole Foods Market

By: Nancy F. Koehn and Katherine Miller

Traces the history of organic agriculture from its pre-industrial roots to the present day, and examines the growth of Whole Foods Market in the context of the broader growth of the organic industry. Also investigates John Mackey's role as a founder and leader of the... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Food; Entrepreneurship; Agribusiness; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry

Shawn Cole is the John G. McLean Professor in the Finance Unit at Harvard Business School, where he teaches and conducts research on financial services, impact investing, and Social Enterprise. He serves as faculty chair of the Social Enterprise... View Details

Keywords: banking; financial services; microfinance

28 Nov 2018
News

Catching up with the Class of ’48

December 2001
Background Note

Reporting on Agribusiness in the 21st Century

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Anne M Fitzgerald

Agriculture is not what it used to be. Neither is coverage of the industry by news organizations. A century ago, about 40% of the U.S. population lived on the farm, and one in three U.S. jobs was tied to agriculture. It made sense for daily newspapers to cover farming... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Newspapers; Media; Perception; Change; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; United States

Video

2012 New Venture Contest: Runner-up

January 2020
Background Note

Climate Change in 2020: Implications for Business

By: Rebecca M. Henderson, Sophus A. Reinert and Mariana Oseguera

This note provides general information about climate change and its implications for business. Included is an overview of climate change science and a number of its impacts, including rising sea levels, changing weather patterns and extreme weather, pressure on water... View Details

August 2012 (Revised November 2012)
Case

Viterra

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Matthew Preble

As Mayo Schmidt's tenure as CEO of the Canadian-based agribusiness Viterra wound down before its sale to the Swiss-based commodity company Glencore, he reflected on his tenure, which had seen the firm grow from a Canadian-focused agricultural cooperative to an... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Vision; Strategy And Execution; Growth Strategy; Organizational Change And Transformation; International Business; Farm Cooperatives; Agribusiness; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Canada; Australia; Asia; North America; Europe

February 2001
Case

Free Trade vs. Protectionism: The Great Corn-Laws Debate

By: David A. Moss, Kevin P. Brennan, Matthew B. Gorin and Marian Lee

Examines the extended conflict between free traders and protectionists in nineteenth-century Britain. It culminates with Prime Minister Robert Peel's decision at the end of 1845 about whether to repeal the Corn Laws, a series of acts that had protected British... View Details

Keywords: Conflict of Interests; Trade; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Policy; Government Legislation; Change Management; Competitive Advantage; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Market Entry and Exit; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Great Britain