Publications

February 2014 (Revised April 2014)
Case

Komatsu in China

By: Krishna Palepu, Akiko Kanno and Nobuo Sato

Komatsu built a very successful business in China over the last two decades. But it is now facing rising competition from lower cost domestic Chinese companies which are themselves trying to become global players. Facing the same situation, Caterpillar is implementing... View Details

Keywords: Leading A Global Business; Building A Business In Emerging Markets; Emerging Markets; Construction Industry; China; Japan

2020
Working Paper

Party-State Capitalism in China

By: Margaret Pearson, Meg Rithmire and Kellee Tsai

The “state capitalism” model, in which the state retains a dominant role as owner or investor-shareholder amidst the presence of markets and private firms, has received increasing attention, with China cited as the main exemplar. Yet as models evolve, so has China’s... View Details

Keywords: Capitalism; State Capitalism; Economic Systems; China

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June 2016
Case

Augustine Heard & Co.: Building a Family Business in the China Trade (B)

By: William C. Kirby and Joycelyn W. Eby

In 1861, the Heard brothers faced a decision: should they continue their family firm's business model that had made them a successful commission house in China, or was it time to make fundamental adjustments to their work? This case reveals that the brothers decided to... View Details

Keywords: China; Mercantilism; Family Business; China

2013
Teaching Note

Innovation and Development of China Machine Press in the New Century (TN)

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Ning Jia and Guo Jia

China Machine Press (CMP), founded in 1952, is a leading multi-field, multi-discipline and multimedia publishing group in China with large scale, comprehensive and specialized business that integrates paper media, audiovisual media and online media, and combines... View Details

Keywords: General Management; Organizational Structure; Strategy; China; China

December 1999 (Revised April 2001)
Case

Avon Products China (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Jennifer Gui

In April 1998, when the Chinese central government bans all forms of direct selling in China in April 1998, executives at Avon China must decide how to respond. The first direct sales company to enter China after its opening to outsiders, Avon sparked widespread... View Details

Keywords: Crisis Management; Sales; Trade; Business and Government Relations; Government and Politics; Market Participation; China

October 2011
Case

Levendary Cafe: The China Challenge

By: Christopher A. Bartlett and Arar Han

Just weeks into her new job, Mia Foster, a first time CEO with no international management experience, is faced with a major challenge at Levendary Cafe, a $10 billion US-based fast food chain. Strategically, many of her corporate staff have become concerned that the... View Details

Keywords: Globalization; International Management; Foreign Subsidiaries; General Managers; Strategy; Management Style; Strategic Planning; Business Subsidiaries; Multinational Firms and Management; Adaptation; Entrepreneurship; Relationships; Standards; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; China; United States

August 2016
Article

Independent Directors' Dissent on Boards: Evidence from Listed Companies in China

By: Juan Ma and Tarun Khanna

In this paper, we examine the circumstances under which so-called "independent" directors voice their independent views on public boards in a sample of Chinese firms. First, we ask why independent directors dissent, i.e. how they justify such dissent to public... View Details

Keywords: Independent Directors; China; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; China

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February 2020 (Revised June 2020)
Background Note

China Commerce 2020

By: William R. Kerr, Daniel O'Connor and Nathaniel Schwalb

China's digital commerce platforms engage billions of consumers daily across a number of routine tasks from banking, retail purchases, travel, gaming, payments, and more. These platforms are the most sophisticated/informed and highest performing/capable in the world.... View Details

Keywords: Platforms; Strategy; Leadership; E-commerce; Digital Platforms; Retail Industry; Technology Industry; Consumer Products Industry; China

March 1997 (Revised July 1997)
Case

Morgan Stanley in China

The Asian economy, particularly China's, is experiencing explosive growth. China needs capital to fund the growth, and this presents a tremendous opportunity for an investment bank that can penetrate the market. Morgan Stanley establishes a joint venture with the China... View Details

Keywords: Joint Ventures; Investment Banking; Emerging Markets; Developing Countries and Economies; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry; China

November 1998 (Revised November 1999)
Case

British Sugar in China

By: Ray A. Goldberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Srinivas Sunder

British Sugar, the first major diversification of Associated British Foods, is entering China as part of the global sweetener, starch, and ingredient strategy. View Details

Keywords: Trade; Food; Globalization; Marketing Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Diversification; Consumer Products Industry; China; United Kingdom

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March 2014
Article

Why China Can't Innovate

By: Regina M. Abrami, William C. Kirby and F. Warren McFarlan

A look at how innovation is happening in China—from the top down, from the bottom up, through acquisition, and through education. Sheds light on the complexities of the issue, highlighting the promise and the problems China faces in its quest to become the world's... View Details

Keywords: Failure; Innovation and Invention; China

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25 Mar 2014
Research & Ideas

Book Excerpt: ‘Can China Lead?’

book excerpt The Importance Of Being Innovative From Chapter 4, Can China Lead: Reaching the Limits of Power and Growth By Regina M. Abrami, William C. Kirby, and F. Warren McFarlan One can surely doubt that creativity can be mandated or... View Details

Keywords: Re: William C. Kirby & F. Warren McFarlan; Education; Technology

28 Jan 2008
Research & Ideas

Billions of Entrepreneurs in China and India

Entrepreneurship in the world's two most populous nations, China and India, has through modern times been somewhat asleep. But now, says HBS professor Tarun Khanna in a new book, both societies "have woken up," and the results... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

December 2001
Case

Cisco China

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Guoqing Chen and David Kiron

Designed to show how Cisco has taken its U.S.-based infrastructure and applied it to China. It is stunning in its impact as one notes how so much of what is being done in the United States in terms of the intranet has been transferred to China. View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Web Services Industry; Information Technology Industry; China; United States

December 2013
Teaching Note

Urbanizing China

By: Lakshmi Iyer

April 2017
Case

China Hospitals Inc.: The Growth of Private Hospitals in China

By: Kevin Schulman, Xiao Yu and Ariel Hwang

This case examines the privatization of hospitals in China. China Hospitals, Inc. has become the largest for-profit hospital company in China, purchasing government owned hospitals in Tier 2 cities. The case profiles CEO Frank Hu. To build his company, he has to... View Details

Keywords: Privatization; For-Profit Firms; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Model; Health Industry; China

March 2003 (Revised January 2011)
Case

SOHO China

Describes the success and rapid growth of a real estate entrepreneurial firm, SOHO China. As the firm enters into a new stage, its founders, Xin Zhang and Shiyi Pan, consider their next big strategic move. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Real Estate Industry; China

18 Sep 2007
Research & Ideas

How Brand China Can Succeed

autobiographies in 3 manuscripts: the book of their deeds, the book of their words, and the book of their art." China has a long and proud history and a rich culture. In deeds, today's Chinese businesspeople and government officials... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

September 2000 (Revised April 2004)
Supplement

China Supplement

By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Rebecca Evans

Updates the case. View Details

Keywords: China