Publications

January 2016 (Revised October 2016)
Case

Saudi Aramco and Corporate Venture Capital

By: Joseph B. Fuller, Matthew Rhodes-Kropf and Nathaniel Burbank

Saudi Aramco launched an internal venture capital arm in 2011, which promptly became the world's largest investor in energy related startups. In choosing to proceed, the company's New Business Development unit (NPD) wrestled with a number of challenges. How should the... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Energy Industry; Saudi Arabia

January 2018 (Revised September 2021)
Case

Saudi Arabia: Vision 2030

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

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman faces several challenges, both domestic and foreign. Domestically, he needs to build the country’s economy to accommodate a "youth bulge" while balancing between liberals and conservatives. And he needs to diversify the economy away from its... View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Economy; Demographics; Diversification; Government and Politics; International Relations; Saudi Arabia

March 2002 (Revised March 2008)
Case

Saudi Arabia: Getting the House in Order

By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Rebecca Evans

Provides a vehicle to explore Islamic development and political issues within BGIE (business, government, and international economy). Set in early 2002, the case focuses on Crown Prince Abdullah's efforts to liberalize a failing rentier state, that had been dependent... View Details

Keywords: Disruption; Development Economics; Non-Renewable Energy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; International Relations; Leading Change; Saudi Arabia; Middle East

February 2009 (Revised August 2010)
Case

Saudi Arabia: Modern Reform, Enduring Stability

By: Richard H. K. Vietor and Nicole Michele Forrest

This case, along with “Dubai: Global Economy” (709-043), provides an opportunity to discuss Saudi Arabia's efforts to modernize, without really Westernizing, in sharp contrast to Dubai, a nearby Arab Emirate. As Saudi Arabia's development strategy unfolds in the past... View Details

Keywords: Development Economics; Non-Renewable Energy; Globalized Markets and Industries; Government and Politics; Growth and Development Strategy; Saudi Arabia; Dubai; Middle East

April 2018
Teaching Note

Saudi Arabia: Vision 2030

By: Richard H.K. Vietor

Teaching Note for HBS No. 718-034. View Details

Keywords: Saudi Arabia

August 2019 (Revised March 2022)
Case

Family Matters: Governance at the Zamil Group

By: Christina R. Wing, Suraj Srinivasan and Esel Çekin

This case focuses on a large Saudi Arabian industrial conglomerate and family business Zamil Group’s corporate and family governance journey. The 12 sons of the founder led and grew the group successfully after taking over from their father in 1961. The secret to their... View Details

Keywords: Middle East; Family Ownership; Family-owned Business; Saudi Arabia; Family Business; Governance; Organizational Structure; Values and Beliefs; Steel Industry; Industrial Products Industry; Middle East; Saudi Arabia; Bahrain

01 Sep 2005
News

Get Ready for Saudi Oil Shock

Houston-based investment bank that specializes in the energy industry. The future oil shortage, he says, is a problem we should address right now. Based on your research, how soon will we feel the effects of the diminished Saudi oil... View Details

Keywords: Lewis I. Rice; Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Educational Services; Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing; Manufacturing

16 Feb 2017
News

Saudi Stock Exchange Picks First Female Chair

Keywords: Securities, Commodities, and Other Financial Investments; Finance

June 2025
Case

Redefining the Edge: Jahez’s Strategic Pivot in Saudi Arabia’s Food Delivery Battle

By: Krishna G. Palepu and Ahmed Dahawy

Jahez made its mark in Saudi Arabia’s food delivery market by serving customers willing to pay more for reliable, high-quality service—a segment largely overlooked by other platforms. As the company grew, it expanded into the mass market and developed a network of... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Business Conglomerates; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Innovation Strategy; Digital Platforms; Logistics; Business Strategy; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Expansion; Food and Beverage Industry; Saudi Arabia

March 2002 (Revised June 2002)
Teaching Note

Saudi Arabia: Getting the House in Order/World Oil Markets, TN

By: Richard H.K. Vietor

Teaching Note for (9-702-031) and (9-702-030). View Details

Keywords: Saudi Arabia

November 2010
Teaching Note

Saudi Arabia: Modern Reform, Enduring Stability. Dubai: Global Economy (TN)

By: Richard H.K. Vietor

Teaching Note for 709042 and 709043. View Details

Keywords: Economy; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Globalization; Balance and Stability; Saudi Arabia; Dubai

April 2011
Teaching Note

Filling the Empty Quarter: Saudi Aramco and the World Oil Market (TN)

By: Noel Maurer

Teaching Note for 708048. View Details

Keywords: Saudi Arabia

February 2008 (Revised June 2010)
Case

Filling the Empty Quarter: Saudi Aramco and the World Oil Market

By: Noel Maurer

Keywords: Globalized Markets and Industries; Saudi Arabia

Web

IFC: Saudi Arabia; A Nation and its Oil Economy Reimagined - Course Catalog

also elevated its prominence on the global stage. While Saudi Arabia has tended to be seen through a set of limited lenses in the West, like any other society it is multifaceted and should be understood... View Details

Video

Adib AlZamil

Adib AlZamil, CEO of Zamil Group Holding Company, outlines the ways Saudi Arabia used its oil reserves towards the country's development and addresses the involvement of the private sector in the government's "Saudi Vision 2030" program. View Details

04 Dec 2013
Research & Ideas

The Fantastic Horizon: How to Invest in a New City

Senior Lecturer John Macomber writes about his recent investigative visits to nascent privately-funded municipalities in Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. KING ABDULLAH ECONOMIC CITY, View Details

Keywords: by John Macomber; Construction; Real Estate

04 Dec 2013
News

The Fantastic Horizon: How to Invest in a New City

January 2019
Case

King Abdullah Economic City: Population Drivers and Cash Flow

By: John D. Macomber

CEO of high profile new economic city in Saudi Arabia must decide how to allocate limited investment funds across projects under duress. Issues include understanding core economic drivers; planning infrastructure investment and return; attracting multinationals; and... View Details

Keywords: Urban Development; Infrastructure; Project Finance; Resource Allocation; Decision Making; City; Real Estate Industry; Saudi Arabia

February 2013 (Revised February 2013)
Case

King Abdullah Economic City in 2009: Population Drivers and Cash Flow

By: John D. Macomber

CEO of high profile new economic city in Saudi Arabia must decide how to allocate limited investment funds across projects under duress. Issues include understanding core economic drivers, planning infrastructure investment and return, attracting multinationals, energy... View Details

Keywords: Urban Development; Infrastructure; Real Estate Industry; Saudi Arabia