Publications

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2010
Working Paper

The Role of Institutional Development in the Prevalence and Value of Family Firms

We investigate the role played by institutional development in the prevalence and value of family firms, while controlling for the potential effect of cultural norms. China provides a good research lab since it combines great heterogeneity in institutional development... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Data and Data Sets; Law; Management; Organizational Culture; Research; Value; China

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01 May 2008
Research & Ideas

The Marketing Challenges of the China Olympics

events can boost brand awareness, preference, and sales over competitors who cannot afford the global sponsorship prices set by the International Olympic Committee. Lenovo hardly wishes to be known as the Chinese PC company that consumers... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Sports

February 2019
Case

Volvo Cars: Acquisition by Geely

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Willy Shih and Nancy Dai

Zheijiang Geely Holding Company's acquisition of Volvo Cars was widely viewed with skepticism because of the poor track record of cross-border auto industry acquisitions. This case looks at the acquisition and post-acquisition integration from the point of view of... View Details

Keywords: Merger Integration; Organization Culture; Organization Behavior; Organizational Alignment; Mergers and Acquisitions; Integration; Alignment; Organizational Culture; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Auto Industry; China; Sweden

December 2013 (Revised March 2014)
Case

Beidahuang

By: Ray A. Goldberg and David Lane

Beidahuang is a major new Chinese player in global grain trading that in 2013 is seeking access to grain both to help assure China's food security and in pursuit of its own commercial goals. Focusing on potential trade in Brazilian soybeans, the case asks students to... View Details

Keywords: China; Brazil; International Trade; Grain; Soybeans; Agribusiness; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Globalized Markets and Industries; Cooperation; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; China; Brazil

06 Aug 2008
Research & Ideas

Are the Olympics a Catalyst for China Reforms?

confrontationally. What is quite interesting is how even ordinary citizens have taken umbrage at some of the so-called politicization of the Games. We should think about what this means. It suggests that purely raining on the Chinese... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

20 Feb 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, February 20, 2018

used in settings with discrete transfers. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=53978 2018 The China Questions: Critical Insights into a Rising Power Why Do So Many Chinese Students Come to the United States?... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 1994 (Revised March 1995)
Case

China (C): Energy and the Environment

By: Richard H.K. Vietor

Describes energy and environmental policy in China during the period 1980-1993. China has implemented ambitious plans for electrification and the substitution of fossil fuels (mostly coal) for biomass. The environmental consequences of these changes, at the local and... View Details

Keywords: Energy Generation; Environmental Sustainability; Policy; Pollutants; Climate Change; Business and Government Relations; Globalization; Energy Industry; China

03 Mar 2020
Working Paper Summaries

Nominal and Opportunity Effects of Managerial Discretion

Keywords: by Wei Cai, Susanna Gallani, and Jee Eun Shin

March 2012
Article

China's Growing IT Services and Software Industry: Challenges and Implications

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Ning Jia and Justin Wong

The Chinese management software and IT services industry has grown dramatically over the past two decades and today is about the size of the Indian industry a decade ago. The objective of this article is to help CIOs in firms outside of China better understand the... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development; Information Technology; Applications and Software; Problems and Challenges; Information Technology Industry; China

July 2021 (Revised October 2023)
Case

K.C. Li: The Tungsten King

By: Geoffrey Jones and Casey Verkamp

This case examines the business career of Kuo-Ching Li, who was born in China in 1892, and built a successful minerals trading business called Wah Chang in the United States during the interwar years. He acquired a prominent role in tungsten, the strongest natural... View Details

Keywords: Immigration Acts; Racial Bias; Globalization; Government and Politics; Business History; Entrepreneurship; Business and Government Relations; Mining Industry; China; United States; Latin America

19 May 2015
First Look

First Look: May 19

Publications May 2015 Cambridge University Press Land Bargains and Chinese Capitalism: The Politics of Property Rights under Reform By: Rithmire, Meg Abstract—Land reforms have been critical to the development of View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 2009 (Revised July 2009)
Case

Alibaba's Taobao (A)

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Julie M. Wulf

This case examines the decision of Alibaba Group to diversify from an international business-to-business (B2B) exchange (Alibaba.com) into a B2C and C2C exchange (Taobao.com) for Chinese retailers and consumers. In China, Taobao had managed to displace the once... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Demand and Consumers; Market Transactions; Service Operations; Diversification; Internet and the Web; China

05 Oct 2021
Cold Call Podcast

How the Clean Network Changed the Future of Global Technology Competition

Keywords: Re: Meg Rithmire

17 Jan 2017
Working Paper Summaries

Foreign Competition and Domestic Innovation: Evidence from US Patents

Keywords: by David Autor, David Dorn, Gordon H. Hanson, Pian Shu and Gary Pisano; Manufacturing

March 2018
Supplement

China Vanke: Battle for Control (D)

By: Lynn S. Paine, Charles C.Y. Wang, Dawn H. Lau and Anthony K. Woo

In the battle for control over China Vanke, the Chinese securities regulator steps in to censure Vanke and Baoneng for acting against the interests of the market and minority shareholders. The Chinese insurance regulator also finds Baoneng to be in violation of... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Governing and Advisory Boards; Business and Shareholder Relations; Conflict and Resolution; Real Estate Industry; China

November 2016
Case

Bayern Munich in China

By: Karim Lakhani, Sascha L. Schmidt, Michael Norris and Kerry Herman

In 2015, German football club Bayern Munich is considering how to enter the Chinese market. Should it build its own infrastructure or rely on third-party partnerships to reach this massive football fan base? View Details

Keywords: Football; Soccer; Bundesliga; Digital Technology; Market Entry; Sports; Global Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Online Technology; Sports Industry; Germany; China

06 Jun 2018
Video

Liz Kwo, Blavatnik Fellow 2018-2019

March 2002
Case

Anthony Neoh

By: Guhan Subramanian, Michelle Kalka and Qian Sun

This case provides a brief history of the development of the Chinese securities market and details Anthony Neoh's involvement with it. It concentrates particularly on exploring issues specific to emerging markets. View Details

Keywords: Development Economics; Financial Markets; Corporate Governance; Emerging Markets

October 2016
Case

Yili Group: Building a Global Dairy Company

By: William C. Kirby and Nancy Hua Dai

From its humble beginnings as a local Chinese dairy company, the Inner Mongolia Yili Group has become one of the largest dairy companies in the world. To achieve this, Yili has aggressively expanded its footprint overseas including building the world’s largest... View Details