Publications

August 2011 (Revised October 2015)
Case

Boardroom Battle Behind Bars: Gome Electrical Appliances Holdings—A Corporate Governance Drama

By: William C. Kirby and Tracy Yuen Manty

Despite widespread news of the incarceration of Gome Electronics' CEO, Huang Guangyu, Bain Capital felt they carefully undertook due diligence before making a significant investment in the company. The venture capital firm was confident that it and the current... View Details

Keywords: China; Legal Aspects Of Business; Corruption; Risk; Corporate Governance; Crime and Corruption; Power and Influence; Risk Management; Business and Shareholder Relations; Venture Capital; Ethics; Governing and Advisory Boards; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Values and Beliefs; Private Equity; China

August 2016
Teaching Note

Augustine Heard & Co.: Building a Family Business in the China Trade (A) and (B)

By: William C. Kirby and Joycelyn W. Eby

Teaching Note for cases 316-185 and 316-186. View Details

June 2016
Case

Augustine Heard & Co.: Building a Family Business in the China Trade (B)

By: William C. Kirby and Joycelyn W. Eby

In 1861, the Heard brothers faced a decision: should they continue their family firm's business model that had made them a successful commission house in China, or was it time to make fundamental adjustments to their work? This case reveals that the brothers decided to... View Details

Keywords: China; Mercantilism; Family Business; China

October 2015 (Revised November 2016)
Background Note

'World-Class' Universities: Rankings and Reputation in Global Higher Education

By: William C. Kirby and Joycelyn W. Eby

Discussions of "world-class" universities have become an academic cottage industry in the 21st century, and definitions of the term are complex and at times contradictory. This background note traces the origins of university ranking systems and their evolution from a... View Details

Keywords: Rankings; University Faculty; University Curriculum; University Administration; Higher Education; Education Industry

April 2014
Teaching Note

From Beijing Jeep to ASC Fine Wines: The Story of an American Family Business in China

By: William C. Kirby and Erica M. Zendell

April 2014
Teaching Note

Taikang Insurance: Standing Out In China's Crowded Insurance Market

By: William C. Kirby and Erica M. Zendell

May 2014
Teaching Note

Wanxiang Group: A Chinese Company's Global Strategy (B)

By: William C. Kirby and Erica M. Zendell

September 2010
Teaching Note

China Mobile's Rural Communications Strategy (TN)

By: William C. Kirby and F. Warren McFarlan

Teaching Note for 309034. View Details

Keywords: Rural Scope; Investment; Communication Strategy; Information Management; Government and Politics; Governance Controls; China

2016
Other Article

Editors' Note

By: William C. Kirby and Marijk C. van der Wende

Find at Harvard

2016
Book

Experiences in Liberal Arts and Science Education from America, Europe, and Asia: A Dialogue Across Continents

By: William C. Kirby and Marijk C. van der Wende

This book highlights the experiences of international leaders in liberal arts and science education from around the world as they discuss regional trends and models, with a specific focus on developments in and cooperation with China. Focusing on why this model... View Details

Keywords: International And Comparative Education; Educational Policy And Politics; Science Education; Arts; Global Range; Education; Science

Find at Harvard

August 2023
Teaching Note

Kunshan, Incorporated: The Making of China’s Richest Town

By: William C. Kirby and Noah B. Truwit

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 313-103. The case is designed to give the students an understanding of the local Chinese entrepreneurial state and how foreign and Chinese firms have worked with it to create China’s richest small city. The major themes are—local state... View Details

Keywords: Higher Education; Entrepreneurship; Economic Growth; Economic Systems; Business and Government Relations; Development Economics; China

September 2023
Teaching Note

Esquel Group

By: William C. Kirby and Noah B. Truwit

Teaching Note for HBS Case Nos. 307-076 and 322-058. These cases focus on the experience of China's largest shirt manufacturer, Esquel Group, and how it manages various aspects of government relations in China and abroad. The A case identifies a wide variety of social... View Details

Keywords: International Relations; Trade; Globalized Markets and Industries; Fashion Industry; China

December 2016
Case

Public Mission, Private Funding: The University of California, Berkeley

By: William C. Kirby and Joycelyn W. Eby

UC Berkley, long known as one of the leading public universities in both the U.S. and the world, has seen turbulent times recently. While student enrollment and costs have increased steadily in recent years, the school, which has been fiercely proud of its public... View Details

January 2016 (Revised August 2019)
Case

From Preparatory Academy to National Flagship: The Evolution of Tsinghua University

By: William C. Kirby and Joycelyn W. Eby

Tsinghua University is one of the most prominent universities in China, and, increasingly, in the world. Its evolution to this position reflects the major developments in Chinese history—outward looking internationalism in the 1920s and 1930s, creative survival in the... View Details

Keywords: University Administration; University Curriculum; University Faculty; World-class Universities; Higher Education; History; Governance; Education Industry; China; Beijing

April 2014
Teaching Note

Teach For China and the Chinese Nonprofit Sector

By: William C. Kirby and Erica M. Zendell

April 2014
Teaching Note

Boardroom Battle Behind Bars: Gome Electrical Appliances Holdings—A Corporate Governance Drama

By: William C. Kirby and Erica M. Zendell

April 2014
Teaching Note

The China Entrepreneurs Forum

By: William C. Kirby and Erica M. Zendell