Publications

December 2011
Article

Alchemy of Evidence: Mau Mau, the British Empire, and the High Court of Justice

By: Caroline Elkins

Restorative justice in various forms is a phenomenon that has swept across the globe over the last three decades. Most recently, it is unfolding in the High Court of Justice in London where five Kenyans have filed a claim against the British government, alleging that... View Details

Keywords: Colonialism; History; Lawsuits and Litigation; United Kingdom; Kenya

September 2010 (Revised January 2012)
Case

Mobile Banking for the Unbanked

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Katharine Lee

The case describes in detail the workings of two mobile banking operators in Africa—WIZZIT in South Africa and M-PESA in Kenya. It explores the dimensions of strategy that make for success in the market for the unbanked. It raises questions regarding the portability of... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Financial Institutions; Disruptive Innovation; Marketing Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Banking Industry; Kenya; South Africa

14 Jan 2015
Research & Ideas

Thriving in the Turbulence of Emerging Markets

well and make very sure that were seen to be doing good and right." It was not only in Kenya that politics proved a challenge. Chandaria's business survived throughout Africa by virtue of persistence, confidence, and forgiveness. "In... View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones; Manufacturing; Auto

May 2008
Teaching Note

Vegpro Group: Growing in Harmony (TN)

By: David E. Bell and Mary L. Shelman

Teaching Note for [508-001]. View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Customers; Production; Price; Ethics; Environmental Sustainability; Development Economics; Supply Chain; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Europe; United Kingdom; Kenya

10 Sep 2024
Research & Ideas

What Happens When Business Owners Turn to ChatBots for Advice

my mind,” Koning says. “Already we’re seeing how generative AI can change people’s lives.” Chatbot versus an old-fashioned business guide The study enrolled 640 entrepreneurs in Kenya across various sectors, including transportation,... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

22 Apr 2014
First Look

First Look: April 22

would ultimately imply for the world economy. Purchase this case: http://hbr.org/product/the-u-s-shale-revolution-global-rebalancing/an/714008-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School Case 514-055 VP Group: Vegpro Grows Beyond Kenya In 2013,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

October 2012
Teaching Note

Carolina for Kibera (TN)

By: Kathleen L. McGinn

Keywords: Organizational Behavior; Power and Influence; Non-Governmental Organizations; Social Enterprise; Negotiation; Kenya; United States

December 2007 (Revised February 2017)
Case

Vegpro Group: Growing in Harmony

By: David E. Bell, Brian Milder and Mary Shelman

Vegpro, a horticulture company, is Kenya's largest exporter of fresh vegetables and flowers to top supermarkets in the U.K. and Europe. In 2007, Vegpro's business is threatened by growing consumer concern about the environmental impact of food production and transport,... View Details

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction; Developing Countries and Economies; Ethics; Food; Growth and Development Strategy; Operations; Environmental Sustainability; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Kenya; Europe; United Kingdom

May 2011
Teaching Note

The Dutch Flower Cluster (TN)

By: Jorge Ramirez-Vallejo and Michael E. Porter

Teaching Note for 711507. View Details

Keywords: Customer Value and Value Chain; Auctions; Industry Clusters; Competition; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Netherlands; China; Colombia; Ecuador; Kenya

April 2021
Case

Glovo: Expanding Quick Commerce

By: Antonio Moreno and James Barnett

In March 2021, delivery app CEO Oscar Pierre and his team consider strategies to grow Glovo’s quick commerce delivery service and to approach their expansion in Kenya. View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Entrepreneurship; Food; Global Strategy; Operations; Strategy; Distribution Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Web Services Industry; Africa; Kenya; Nairobi; Europe; Spain; Barcelona; Middle East; Central America; South America

2014
Discussion Paper

The Promise of Microfinance and Women's Empowerment: What Does the Evidence Say?

By: Dina D. Pomeranz

The microfinance revolution has transformed access to financial services for low-income populations worldwide. As a result, it has become one of the most talked-about innovations in global development in recent decades. However, its expansion has not been without... View Details

Read Now

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

October 2012 (Revised August 2018)
Case

Carolina for Kibera

By: Kathleen L. McGinn, Beth-Ann Kutchma and Cailin B. Hammer

Carolina for Kibera (CFK) is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to promote youth leadership and gender and ethnic cooperation in Kibera, the largest unstructured settlement situated in the heart of Nairobi, Kenya. CFK's programs constructively... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Behavior; Power and Influence; Non-Governmental Organizations; Social Enterprise; Negotiation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Kenya; United States

30 Aug 2011
First Look

First Look: August 30

Africa. Ten schools were operational in Kenya by 2010. The plan was to franchise nearly 3,000 schools all over Africa. The case is meant to discuss the challenges of scaling. Purchase this... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

15 Feb 2017
Op-Ed

What Africa Can Teach the United States About Funding Infrastructure Projects

African municipalities can’t afford to waste money this way. Solar panels on the Garden City Mall, Nairobi, Kenya financed by CrossBoundary Energy. Credit: John Macomber Highly aspirational cities like Kigali, Rwanda, follow an explicit... View Details

Keywords: by John Macomber; Construction

June 2017
Article

Creating Reciprocal Value Through Operational Transparency

By: Ryan W. Buell, Tami Kim and Chia-Jung Tsay

We investigate whether organizations can create value by introducing visual transparency between consumers and producers. Although operational transparency has been shown to improve consumer perceptions of service value, existing theory posits that increased contact... View Details

Keywords: Operational Transparency; Service Management; Production Management; Organizational Performance; Behavioral Operations; Service Operations; Service Delivery; Consumer Behavior; Labor; Organizational Design; Operations; Service Industry; United States; Kenya

20 Feb 2008
First Look

First Look: February 20, 2008

Working PapersFinding Missing Markets (and a disturbing epilogue): Evidence from an Export Crop Adoption and Marketing Intervention in Kenya Authors:Nava Ashraf, Xavier Gine, and Dean Karlan Abstract In much of the developing world,... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Article

Business Investment in Education in Emerging Markets Since the 1960s

By: Valeria Giacomin, Geoffrey Jones and Erica Salvaj

This article examines non-profit investments by business in education in emerging markets between the 1960s and the present day. Using a sample of 110 interviews with business leaders from an oral history database, the study shows that more than three-quarters of such... View Details

Keywords: Economic History; Oral History; Education; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Business History; Emerging Markets; Reputation; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Education Industry; Africa; Asia; Latin America; Middle East; India; Chile; Colombia; Sri Lanka; Kenya

2022
Chapter

Luxury Tourism and Environmentalism

By: Geoffrey Jones

This chapter examines the evolution of luxury tourism and its environmental impact. Whilst mass tourism is widely seen as environmentally damaging, the impact of luxury tourism is nuanced. During the first stage of the growth in the nineteenth century, the numbers of... View Details