Nairobi - Publications - Faculty & Research

Profile

Mike Watitwa

"The Green City in the Sun" for a reason. Nairobi has a lovely climate with a warm and cool atmosphere for most of the year. Nairobi is a very dynamic city; it offers something for everyone. Whether you are... View Details

15 Oct 2019
News

Engaging More Deeply with Business in Africa

members arrived at Kenya’s State House in Nairobi to meet with the country’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta, as part of the School’s faculty immersion in Africa. “Business and entrepreneurship are ingrained in the Kenyan psyche, whether it is... View Details

September 2019 (Revised May 2020)
Case

Keroche (A): Fighting for Share in the Kenyan Alcoholic Drinks Market

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Pippa Tubman Armerding

This case discusses the challenges faced by Kenyan alcoholic drinks producer Keroche Industries Limited in 2003, when the Kenyan government accused the company of manufacturing and selling substandard alcoholic drinks, revoked its liquor licenses, and shut down its... View Details

Keywords: Keroche; Alcohol; Wine; Manufacturing; Informal Market; Regulation; Illicit; Illegal; Shutdown; Factory; Low-income Consumers; Multinational; Local; Government; Allegations; Accusations; Negative Press; EABL; Tusker; Beer; SAB; Chang'aa; Naivasha; Rift Valley; East Africa; Lawsuit; Legal Battle; Business Ventures; Business Exit or Shutdown; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Production; Safety; Quality; Distribution; Small Business; Family Business; Crime and Corruption; Customer Focus and Relationships; Decisions; Income; Demographics; Geographic Scope; Geographic Location; Goods and Commodities; Government Legislation; Growth and Development; Business History; Lawsuits and Litigation; Laws and Statutes; Lawfulness; Goals and Objectives; Consumer Behavior; Market Entry and Exit; Problems and Challenges; Social Issues; Poverty; Strategy; Competition; Entrepreneurship; Manufacturing Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Kenya; Nairobi; Africa

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20 Oct 2016
Blog Post

An Interview with Associate Director, Phillip Andrews

first-year students and returning second-years really energize the campus. I really enjoy meeting new students through my career coaching and hearing about their career vision. Sometimes, students think that CPD can’t possibly have connections to impact investors in... View Details

Keywords: All Industries

01 Dec 2015
News

In My Humble Opinion: Joss Kent (MBA 1997)

don’t travel and look for yourself, and learn for yourself, and touch for yourself, and think for yourself, I’m not sure you can be a better kind of global citizen.” + ONLINE web-only content Most memorable trip: Driving from London to View Details

Keywords: April White

Profile

Amanda Pratt

test your hypotheses; you learn strategic thinking through practice." Last summer, Amanda went to Nairobi where she took an internship working on the supply chain and operations for a company that runs a number of American fast-food... View Details

Keywords: Healthcare/Biotech

01 Dec 2015
News

Truth in Lending

across different cultures,” says DiDonna. In other words, many of the things that make an entrepreneur successful are constant from Boston to Nairobi and from Bogotá to Jakarta. View Details

Keywords: April White

September 2019 (Revised May 2020)
Supplement

Keroche (F): Future Growth Plans

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Pippa Tubman Armerding

This case describes Keroche co-founder Tabitha Karanja’s 2012 decision to invest in additional production capacity. In November 2012, with a loan from Barclay’s bank, Keroche began constructing a new state-of-the-art beer brewery using German technology. The new plant,... View Details

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February 2023 (Revised February 2024)
Case

Doing Business in Nairobi, Kenya

By: Archie L. Jones, Leonard A. Schlesinger, Pippa Tubman Armerding and Kuria Kamau

This case examines the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Nairobi, Kenya. It highlights Kenya's economic transformation in the decades leading up to 2024 in the context of its history, culture, and politics. The case gives an overview of some of the main... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Business and Government Relations; Technological Innovation; Foreign Direct Investment; Economic Growth; Financial Crisis; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Fashion Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Retail Industry; Kenya; Nairobi; Africa

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September 2019
Supplement

Keroche (B): Considering Entry into the Kenyan Beer Market

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Pippa Tubman Armerding

This case discusses the situation of the Kenyan alcoholic drinks producer Keroche in July 2004, when co-founder Tabitha Karanja was debating whether to enter the Kenyan beer market. Doing so would mean direct competition with the multinational EABL in an industry and... View Details

Keywords: Keroche; Alcohol; Alcoholic Drinks; Alcoholic Beverages; Beverages; Drinks; Wine Industry; Wine; Fortified Wine; Viena; Beer; Beer Market; Manufacturing; Production Capacity; Capacity; Growth; Regulated; Unregulated; Informal; Informal Market; Regulation; Illicit; Illegal; Substandard; Dangerous; Shutdown; Factory; Safe; Affordable; Low-income Consumers; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Startups; Production; Investment; Safety; Quality; Small Business; Family Business; Crime and Corruption; Customer Focus and Relationships; Decisions; Income; Demographics; Geographic Scope; Geographic Location; Goods and Commodities; Government Legislation; Growth and Development; Business History; Lawsuits and Litigation; Laws and Statutes; Lawfulness; Goals and Objectives; Consumer Behavior; Market Entry and Exit; Problems and Challenges; Social Issues; Poverty; Strategy; Competition; Entrepreneurship; Marketing; Manufacturing Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Kenya; Nairobi; Africa

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Profile

Alexandra Stanek

passion, a call to service. Can business make a difference? I believe it can. I took my HBS summer internship in Nairobi with Sanergy, a hybrid for-profit/nonprofit company that’s developing a sanitation system practical for shanty towns.... View Details

Keywords: Consulting

01 Jun 2012
News

Think Locally, Act Globally

its own operation. “We are now in 17 African countries,” Mittal observes, “and it’s essential that we keep local requirements in mind. All regional and country heads run their operations independently, reporting to Bharti Airtel senior management at our View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; Telecommunications; Information

14 Apr 2023
Blog Post

New MBA Course Asks Students: What’s More Important—Purpose or Profits?

following the course, SPF capped its new program with a live, four-hour event featuring three of the case protagonists, who flew in from Seattle, Stockholm, and Nairobi to connect with students and bring the cases to life. Microsoft CEO... View Details

14 Feb 2021
Blog Post

Celebrating Love @ HBS in 2021

we've been doing this, my breath always catches when he picks up and his face floats onto the phone screen. "Hello, beautiful!" he always says. It never gets old, and always makes me miss him more.Charles and I met at a housewarming party in View Details

September 2019 (Revised May 2020)
Supplement

Keroche (D): Transforming the Core Business

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Pippa Tubman Armerding

This case describes Keroche co-founder Tabitha Karanja’s decision to exit the wine business following the Kenyan government’s 2007 increase in excise taxes on wine. In August 2007, Keroche introduced the vodka drink Viena Ice as a replacement for its fortified wines,... View Details

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September 2019 (Revised May 2020)
Supplement

Keroche (C): The Excise Tax Increase

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Pippa Tubman Armerding

This case discusses the Kenyan government’s decision to increase excise taxes on wines in 2007. The tax increase would cause an average increase in price of 367% on Keroche’s fortified wines. Meanwhile, Keroche’s competitor EABL had effectively lobbied the government... View Details

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01 Jun 2006
News

A Capital Asset

people. When Cohen visited Nairobi to survey the damage, she found the embassy site a “tangled, chaotic mess,” with stairs that ended in midair and entire floors blown open to the elements. SaysCohen, “The bombings were horrific. The... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support; Government

23 Sep 2024
Blog Post

2024 Summer Internships in Business & Environment

What are the career opportunities in business and environment? In Summer 2024, over 100 MBA students found internships at the intersection of business and the environment. This post provides a sample of some of the types of companies that students worked at this summer... View Details

02 Jan 2018
Op-Ed

'Dear Working Knowledge'--Our Favorite Reader Comments of the Year

for two reasons: 1) You can build dramatic tension by starting a list. How an African History Scholar Became a Modern Righter of Wrongs Malcolm Harper comments: Thank you, very much, for bringing this to my attention. I lived in Nairobi... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

October 2009 (Revised August 2013)
Case

Carolina for Kibera

By: Kathleen L. McGinn and Cailin B. Hammer

A growing NGO based in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, is facing a complete change in leadership as the founders step back. At the same time, a $1 million grant presents new opportunities and challenges. View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Negotiation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Non-Governmental Organizations; Power and Influence; Nairobi; North Carolina

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