Publications

March 2002 (Revised October 2005)
Case

Wal-Mart in 2002

By: David B. Yoffie and Yusi Wang

In its first quarter of 2002, Wal-Mart became the largest company on the globe (by sales) and expanded into Japan. Was the giant retailer unstoppable? This case explores Wal-Mart's top issues in fueling top- and bottom-line growth: diversification into groceries, new... View Details

Keywords: Diversification; Expansion; Multinational Firms and Management; Corporate Strategy; Global Strategy; Retail Industry; Japan; United States

January 2014 (Revised February 2014)
Teaching Note

Rana Plaza: Workplace Safety In Bangladesh (A) and (B)

By: John A. Quelch and Margaret L. Rodriguez

On April 24, 2013 the Rana Plaza factory building collapsed in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Over 1,100 people were killed in the worst industrial accident since the Union Carbide plant gas leak in Bhopal, India. Most of the victims worked for garment factories,... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Multinational Firms and Management; Labor Unions; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Working Conditions; Corporate Accountability; Crisis Management; Manufacturing Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Bangladesh

02 Aug 2011
First Look

First Look: August 2

working paper shows that the costs faced by multinational corporations in managing governments and political risk grew sharply. Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/12-003.pdf The Architecture... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Oct 1998
News

A Career to Smile About

Foods, joined Colgate in 1988 as head of its Far East and Canada operations. "How do you take an idea or product that may work in Latin America and introduce it into Asia or Africa, instantaneously? All multinationals are working on this... View Details

Keywords: Dun Gifford, Jr.

Web

Business at the Base of the Pyramid - Course Catalog

significantly underserved. This makes possible innovative, disruptive models that dramatically expand access while generating commercial returns equal to or greater than conventional businesses. This success has drawn the attention of large View Details

23 Jul 2024
In Practice

The New Rules of Trade with China: Navigating Tariffs, Turmoil, and Opportunities

upending longstanding principles of free trade established when China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001. Today, multinational firms must adapt, both in terms of trade and doing business within China itself. In fact, some experts... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Manufacturing; Retail; Fashion; Industrial Products; Consumer Products; Steel; Transportation; Telecommunications

30 Jun 2020
Book

Capitalism Is More at Risk Than Ever

S. Paine When Unilever CEO Paul Polman announced the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) in November 2010, commentators took notice. The plan set ambitious goals, to be sure, but more than that, the nature of the goals was highly unusual for a publicly traded,... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

February 2010
Case

Shurgard Self-Storage: Expansion to Europe (Abridged)

By: Richard G. Hamermesh

Shurgard, a U.S.-based firm that rents storage facilities to consumers and small businesses, is considering financing options for rapid expansion of its European operations. Five years after entering Europe, Shurgard Europe has opened 17 facilities in Belgium, France,... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Business Growth and Maturation; Multinational Firms and Management; Logistics; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Trade; Equity; Corporate Finance; United States; Europe

March 2007 (Revised April 2007)
Case

McDonald's Corporation: Managing a Sustainable Supply Chain

By: Ray A. Goldberg and Jessica Droste Yagan

McDonald's seeks to learn from a successful response to Greenpeace's Amazon deforestation campaign in order to make its supply chain more socially and environmentally responsible. View Details

Keywords: Food; Supply Chain Management; Multinational Firms and Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Management Systems; Food and Beverage Industry