Publications

Find at Harvard

Read Now

March 2016 (Revised September 2021)
Case

South Africa: A Fractured Rainbow?

By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Haviland Sheldahl-Thomason

Twenty years after the end of Apartheid, South Africa's democracy persists, albeit with problems. A tripartite coalition — the African National Congress, the labor unions, and the Communist Party — still controls the political system but with diminishing economic... View Details

Keywords: Politics; Development; Productivity; Labor; Labor Unions; Infrastructure; Government and Politics; Economic Growth; Performance Productivity; Economy; Social Issues; South Africa

06 Feb 2012
Research & Ideas

Kodak: A Parable of American Competitiveness

manufactured its products in the US, and even built its own factory. But today, iPhones, iPads, and other Apple products are made overseas, largely because a country like China is able to get the job done... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Manufacturing

13 Feb 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, February 13, 2018

President Richard Brodhead, Duke first built a medical school in Singapore in collaboration with the National University of Singapore, then embarked on a journey to build a university on American standards... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Oct 1999
News

Eight Among Many: Antoinette J. ("Toni") Rapone

Macy's and Fortunoff in the 1970s and 1980s, she helped usher in a new consumer trend: designer housewares. "I was going to Italy to import ceramics, China to import baskets,... View Details

Keywords: Marguerite Rigoglioso

August 2023 (Revised December 2023)
Case

Automating Morality: Ethics for Intelligent Machines

By: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr. and Tom Quinn

As autonomy became a more significant part of modern life – most notably in autonomous vehicles (AVs), such as Teslas – ethical debates about whether and how to impart ethics to machines heated up. Utilitarians pointed out that autonomous vehicles crashed much less... View Details

Keywords: Cost vs Benefits; Judgments; Fairness; Moral Sensibility; Values and Beliefs; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Disruptive Innovation; Technology Adoption; Risk and Uncertainty; Cognition and Thinking; Technological Innovation; Auto Industry; Technology Industry; Africa; Asia; Europe; North and Central America; Oceania; South America

November 2016 (Revised July 2019)
Case

Lenovo to Buy IBM PC: Integration Challenges

By: David G. Fubini and Christine Snively

In December 2004, Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo announced its purchase of IBM’s PC division. At the time, few industry observers were optimistic about the merger of these entities with seemingly opposite company cultures. How should the two entities plan to... View Details

Keywords: Integration; Strategy; Organizational Culture; Computer Industry; Technology Industry; United States; China

12 Aug 2008
First Look

First Look: August 12, 2008

that Enhance the Effectiveness of Workforce Diversity Initiatives in Knowledge Intensive Firms Authors: Modupe N. Akinola, David A. Thomas Abstract Workforce diversity continues to be a key focus for organizations, driven by globalization... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Sep 2011
News

Faculty Learn Firsthand about Chinese Business

Related Links More faculty takeaways on the IXP Read about the Harvard Center Shanghai View upcoming executive programs in China Find HBS Alumni Clubs in View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

23 Feb 2010
First Look

First Look: Feb. 23

client. (SEPs perform an oversight role for the work being done by the GEP and his or her team and are typically very senior members of the firm.) The case also raises areas where Everson can improve. Purchase this... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

2024
Working Paper

FinTech & Financial Frictions: The Rise of Revenue-Based Financing

By: Dominic Russel, Claire Shi and Rowan Clarke

We use data from a major South African payment processor to study how digital payments mitigate asymmetric information challenges in small business “revenue-based financing” contracts, which tie repayment schedules to future revenue. Eight months post-financing,... View Details

Keywords: Fintech; Small Business; Financing and Loans; South Africa

SSRN

2017
Book

Profits and Sustainability: A History of Green Entrepreneurship

By: Geoffrey Jones

This book explores whether profits and environmental sustainability are compatible through the lens of a global history of green entrepreneurship between the nineteenth century and today. It tells the story of the extraordinary and often eccentric men and women who... View Details

Find at Harvard

November 2023
Case

From Imitation to Innovation: Zongshen Industrial Group (Abridged)

By: Willy Shih and Nancy Dai

Like other small shops based in Chongqing, China, Zongshen Industrial Group started by assembling motorcycles from "standard" parts. The quality of its early products was good enough for rural Chinese buyers, though wealthier consumers usually purchased premium... View Details

Keywords: Disruptive Innovation; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Competitive Strategy; Supply Chain; Product Positioning; Manufacturing Industry; Motorcycle Industry; China

01 Mar 2010
News

Analyze This

(239), Chile (159), Colombia (83), Ecuador (39), Peru (82), and Venezuela (85). On the African continent? Answer: South Africa (775), followed by Nigeria (239), the only other country in triple digits. It... View Details

Keywords: Roger Thompson; Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services; Information

10 Jan 2012
First Look

First Look: January 10

extreme dehydration caused by diarrhea, which was a leading cause of death among young children in developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia. Heralded View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2014
Article

Framework for China's Novel Sustainable Evaluation System Strategy

By: Robert G. Eccles and Peijun Duan

China’s sustainable development faces three challenges: first, the follow-up momentum of sustainable economic growth and economic transformation is insufficient; second, some resources and environment loads have reached their limits; third, some products affecting the... View Details

Keywords: Sustainable Development; Integrated Report; New Evaluation System; China

Read Now

25 Apr 2014
News

Self-awareness is important if you want to be a good general manager

role that is part ambassador, part recruiter. “I will pay attention to job opportunities in the Greater China area,” he says, “and pass the information along to the club members and also coordinate when... View Details

22 Jan 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, January 22, 2019

enterprises seem incapable of transformative innovation, it is due to how we design and manage them, rather than anything inherent in their scale. In fact, Creative Construction argues, if used properly,... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

August 2022
Case

One Tiger Per Mountain: The He Family Office

By: Lauren Cohen, Fei Wu and Grace Headinger

Roy He, founder and majority shareholder of his family construction material production company, was preparing to pass down the family business through its first generational handover to his children. His decision would establish his familial legacy and set a precedent... View Details

Keywords: Governance Structure; Family Business; Family Ownership; Strategic Planning; Family and Family Relationships; Leadership; Construction Industry; Canton (city, China); Canton (province, China); China

December 2013 (Revised August 2015)
Case

Viva Macau (A)

By: Dante Roscini and G. A. Donovan

A fast-growing Macau-based airline backed by private US investors faces a dramatic expropriation in the wake of the first change of head of government since the former Portuguese colony became a Special Administrative Region of China. The case allows students to... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Air Transportation; Ownership; Foreign Direct Investment; Government and Politics; Emerging Markets; Venture Capital; China; Macau