Publications

March 2007 (Revised March 2009)
Case

Cherrypicks

By: William R. Kerr

Cherrypicks is a Hong Kong communications start-up approaching a large Korean mobile operator for a partnership to take the operator's products to markets outside of Korea. SK Telecom's (SKT) Ring Back Tones (RBT) product is a spectacular success in South Korea, but... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Business Startups; Communication Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Partners and Partnerships; Communications Industry; China; Hong Kong; South Korea

March 2007 (Revised January 2008)
Case

Korea: After the 1997 Financial Crisis

By: Laura Alfaro, Rafael M. Di Tella and Renee Kim

Examines what happened to Korea after the 1997 financial crisis and the implementation of the IMF-mandated reforms imposed on Korea as conditionalities to the country's emergency loan package. View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Macroeconomics; Financing and Loans; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Crisis Management; South Korea

September 2005 (Revised June 2012)
Case

New Songdo City

By: Arthur I Segel, Brandon Blaser, Gerardo Garza, Albert Kim, John Richard and Andrew Murphy

The government of South Korea has chosen John Hynes and Gale International to construct New Songdo City. This is an entirely new city, about the size of Boston, between the new Incheon airport and the capital of Seoul. The proposed city is the government's attempt to... View Details

Keywords: Buildings and Facilities; Urban Development; Construction; Design; Climate Change; South Korea

13 Jan 2015
First Look

First Look: January 13

"ladder of engagement." Publisher's link: http://www.ieseinsight.com/review/articulo.aspx?doc=119397&seccion=6&idioma=2 Working Papers College Admissions as Non-Price Competition: The Case of South View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

March 2000 (Revised May 2002)
Case

Korea: On the Back of a Tiger

Describes the development strategy followed by Korea under the leadership of Park Chung Hee as well as the reform efforts embarked on by his successors. View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Developing Countries and Economies; Government and Politics; Growth and Development Strategy; Public Administration Industry; South Korea

April 2008 (Revised June 2008)
Case

Korea: On the Back of a Tiger (Abridged)

What caused the 1997 Korea crisis? Did the International Monetary Fund (IMF) help or hinder recovery? Did democracy help or hinder recovery? Seen as an economic miracle, Korea succumbed to the wave of currency crises sweeping Asia in late 1997. Did the same state-led... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Trade; Currency Exchange Rate; Foreign Direct Investment; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Business and Government Relations; Asia; South Korea

09 Jun 2015
First Look

First Look: June 9, 2015

new Philips HealthSuite Digital Platform find success in the rapidly evolving industry? Purchase this case: https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/515052-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 715-047 Korea View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

August 1996 (Revised December 1996)
Case

Korean Development and Western Economics

By: George C. Lodge and Courtenay Sprague

Provides a summary of Korea's economic performance during the past 40 years. Korea's economic strategy is discussed with regard to context--both the domestic (historic) and the international factors that have informed Korea's development. Simultaneously, Korea also... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Development Economics; Decision Making; Policy; North Korea; South Korea

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October 1994
Case

Daewoo Shipbuilding and Heavy Machinery

Daewoo Shipbuilding and Heavy Machinery rescued its plant from the labor riots of 1987 to make it the fastest improving shipyard in the world by 1994. With its competition in Korea making huge investments in additional capacity in anticipation of the end of the... View Details

Keywords: Management; Machinery and Machining; Performance Improvement; Manufacturing Industry; South Korea

November 2023
Case

Riiid: Scaling AI Educational Services Globally

By: John Jong-Hyun Kim, Nancy Dai and Ruru Hoong

This article explores the definition and evolution of AI, its applications in education, and the role of AI, particularly in K-12 education. It discusses the founding of Riiid, an AI-driven educational technology company, and its journey in the education sector, with a... View Details

Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Economic Sectors; Technological Innovation; Education Industry; South Korea; Asia

July 1984 (Revised September 1986)
Case

Daewoo Group

By: Francis Aguilar

Focuses on the entrepreneurship of Chairman Kim Woo-Choong of Daewoo Group which became one of the 4 major group companies in Korea in just 17 years. The group's overall strategies are explored in conjunction with the evolution of Korea's industrial policies. The case... View Details

Keywords: Joint Ventures; Entrepreneurship; Values and Beliefs; Policy; Government and Politics; Business or Company Management; Business and Government Relations; Business Strategy; South Korea; United States

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11 Oct 2010
Research & Ideas

It Pays to Hire Women in Countries That Won’t

co-wrote with Lynn Pyun of MIT and B.Y. Cheon of Hanshin University and the Korea Labor Institute. Focusing on South Korea, the team interviewed scores of multinational and local executives to find out... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

November 2003 (Revised June 2004)
Case

Samsung and Daewoo: Two Tales of One City

By fiscal year 2000, Samsung had pulled far ahead of other "chaebols," Korean conglomerates. For example, the market value of Samsung affiliates listed on the Korea Stock Exchange exceeded the sum of the market value of listed affiliates of second, third, and fourth... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Business Conglomerates; Corporate Strategy; Emerging Markets; Crisis Management; Electronics Industry; South Korea

13 Dec 2022
Cold Call Podcast

Metaverse Seoul: How One City Used Citizen Input to Pilot a Government-Run Metaverse

Keywords: Re: Mitchell B. Weiss; Technology; Entertainment & Recreation

October 2002 (Revised April 2005)
Case

Jinwoong: Financing an Entrepreneurial Firm in the Wake of the Korean Financial Crisis

Describes T.P. Lee, the founder and CEO of Jinwoong, a 19-year-old entrepreneurial company in Korea that has grown to become the world's largest manufacturer of camping tents. Labeled by Fortune as one of the most promising entrepreneurs in Asia in 1993, Lee faces some... View Details

Keywords: Emerging Markets; Entrepreneurship; Financing and Loans; Financial Crisis; Manufacturing Industry; Consumer Products Industry; South Korea

October 2013 (Revised January 2017)
Case

Walmart around the World

By: Juan Alcácer, Abhishek Agrawal and Harshit Vaish

After reaching the limits of its successful expansion in the United States in the early 1990s, Walmart sought growth opportunities in markets abroad. This case describes Walmart's attempts to replicate its successful U.S. business model in Mexico, Canada, Brazil,... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Success; Globalized Markets and Industries; Expansion; Market Entry and Exit; Failure; Retail Industry; Germany; China; Argentina; South Korea; Canada; Japan; Brazil; Africa; United Kingdom; United States; Mexico

September 2024 (Revised March 2025)
Supplement

Wemade: (Re)Establishing Trust in Blockchain Games (B)

By: Jung Koo Kang, Charles C.Y. Wang, David Allen and Kwangmoon So

This supplement reviews Wemade's efforts to rebuild confidence in its business after its WEMIX coin was delisted from the major South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges on December 8, 2022. It outlines Wemade's strategy of transparency, which included partnerships with... View Details

Keywords: Blockchain; Cryptocurrency; Crypto Economy; Accounting; Financial Reporting; Revenue Recognition; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Corporate Disclosure; Information Technology; Financial Markets; Governance; Accounting Industry; Video Game Industry; South Korea

April 1998 (Revised January 2005)
Case

Bahtulism, Collapse, Resurrection? Financial Crisis in Asia: 1997-1998

By: Huw Pill and Donald H. Mathis

Describes, in detail, events precipitating crises. Provides both conventional and new explanations of crises. Presents a chronology of crises as the events unfold, and a brief summary of four particular countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand) and their... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Crisis Management; International Finance; Development Economics; Thailand; Malaysia; South Korea; Indonesia

January 2025
Case

Olive Young: Formulating Beauty Innovation

By: Rebecca Karp and Shu Lin

Sun-jung Lee, CEO of Olive Young, South Korea's largest beauty and health retailer, saw significant potential in the U.S. market and considered three pathways: replicating Korea's omnichannel model, adopting a digital-native approach with curated products, or relying... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Market Entry and Exit; Business Strategy; Distribution Channels; Retail Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; South Korea; East Asia; United States