Publications

October 2024
Case

Sacoor Brothers: From Co-Family CEOs to No Family CEOs?

By: Lauren Cohen, David Ager and Alpana Thapar

Sacoor Brothers, a luxury clothing retail company, was founded in 1989 in Lisbon, Portugal, by four brothers—Malik, Salim, Rahimo, and Moez. After establishing a strong presence in Portugal, the brothers were drawn to the rapidly growing retail markets in the Middle... View Details

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

March 2019 (Revised May 2019)
Case

Fetchr: A New Way of Last Mile Delivery

By: V.G. Narayanan and Eren Kuzucu

By mid-2016, five years of aggressive growth had transformed Fetchr from a small logistics startup to a 1,000-employee, full-fledged last-mile delivery company operating across four countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Already beneficiaries of the... View Details

March 2022
Case

Abu Issa Holding: Navigating the Qatar Blockade

By: Mark Egan and Youssef Abdel Aal

The case follows Ashraf Abu Issa, CEO and chairman of Abu Issa Holding (AIH), as he contemplated the fate of his company’s regional expansion. AIH was a Qatari diversified holding company, whose primary business was luxury retailing and distribution. Abu Issa had set... View Details

Keywords: Luxury Retail; Expansion; Equity; Business Divisions; Growth and Development; Market Entry and Exit; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Consumer Products Industry; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates

March 2016 (Revised May 2017)
Case

Emaar: The Center of Tomorrow, Today

By: Sid Yog, Esel Cekin and Marc Homsy

Starting in 1997, Mohammad Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar, has been largely associated with Dubai's most renowned real estate projects: the world's tallest building, largest mall and biggest fountain show. Emaar's pioneering success attracted a large number of private... View Details

Keywords: Middle East; Market Entry and Exit; Competitive Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Global Strategy; Real Estate Industry; Middle East; Dubai

12 Nov 2008
First Look

First Look: November 12, 2008

front of him. As he sat back in his chair and looked out the window, he began to take stock of how his life had taken such a dramatic path over the last few years. Life was good for the founder and CEO of Lammtara Pictures, the United... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

January 2025
Case

Creating Value by Splitting Aster: Can One Minus One Equal Two?

By: V.G. Narayanan and Kairavi Dey

Aster DM Healthcare (Aster), founded by Dr. Azad Moopen in 1987, is a prominent healthcare conglomerate with operations spanning hospitals, clinics, retail pharmacies, and diagnostic centers across India and the GCC. After its 2018 listing on India’s National Stock... View Details

Keywords: Governance; Corporate Governance; Corporate Accountability; Leadership; Change Management; Mergers and Acquisitions; Health Industry; Asia; India; Middle East; United Arab Emirates

March 2017 (Revised June 2019)
Case

Mubadala and EBX: To X or to X It?

By: Nori Gerardo Lietz, Ricardo Andrade and Sayiddah Fatima McCree

In April 2012, Mubadala, Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund invested $2 billion in Brazilian conglomerate EBX, believing the company to be undervalued by the public markets. Shortly thereafter, however, EBX and its multiple business lines began to spiral downward. Hani... View Details

Keywords: Sovereign Wealth Funds; Conglomerates; Investing; Corporate Structure; International; Sovereign Finance; Business Conglomerates; Investment; Financing and Loans; Restructuring; Organizational Structure; Economy; Brazil; Abu Dhabi

January 2025
Supplement

Creating Value By Splitting Aster (B): Can One Minus One Equal Two?

By: V.G. Narayanan and Kairavi Dey

Keywords: Governance; Corporate Governance; Corporate Accountability; Leadership; Change Management; Mergers and Acquisitions; Health Industry; Asia; India; Middle East; United Arab Emirates

November 2024
Background Note

Social Enterprise in the MENA Region

By: Brian Trelstad and Ahmed Dahawy

This research note provides an overview of the socio-economic landscape of social enterprise in the Middle East and North Africa. It highlights the diversity of players in the region including social enterprise organizations (in their many forms) and supporting... View Details

26 Mar 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, March 26, 2019

the same rate as non-Indigenous students. The case concludes as JMB contemplates taking his successful, sophisticated model to the United States. Purchase this case:https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/919411-PDF-ENG Harvard Business School... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

1987
Book

Banking and Oil

By: Geoffrey Jones

This is the second of two volumes of a business history of a major British bank in the Middle East. Volume 1 traces the history of the bank from its foundation in 1889 as The Imperial Bank of Persia, through the years it was the state bank of Iran, and its... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Economics; Banks and Banking; Government and Politics; Growth and Development; Business History; Problems and Challenges; Iran; Jordan; Kuwait; Oman; Dubai

Find at Harvard

January 2018 (Revised October 2019)
Case

Christie's and Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi: The Value of a Brand

By: Jill Avery

A 16th century Renaissance masterpiece, missing for 137 years, believed by many to have been destroyed and then rediscovered less than a decade ago, becomes the most expensive painting ever sold, all the while surrounded by controversy. Did the buyer of Leonardo da... View Details

01 May 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, May 1, 2018

globally? Purchase this case: https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/product/518071 Harvard Business School Case 918-041 Happy UAE This case centers on the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) national goal of raising the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Teaching Interest

Overview

Globalization and Emerging Markets (Elective Course) The world order has changed significantly in the last two decades. The influence of western-style varieties of capitalism has been challenged by new forms of capitalism that rely less on private enterprise and on the... View Details

30 Mar 2010
First Look

First Look: March 30

employment. Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/10-079.pdf Environmental Federalism in the European Union and the United States Authors:David Vogel, Michael Toffel, Diahanna Post, and Nazli Z. Uludere Aragon Abstract The... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

12 Apr 2016
First Look

April 12, 2016

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=50918 Harvard Business School Case 516-020 Chilli Beans: Peace, Love, and Sunglasses This case illustrates how Chilli Beans became the most popular sunglasses retailer in Brazil and the issues it faced when expanding into... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 2010
Teaching Note

The Cleveland Clinic: Growth Strategy 2008 (TN)

By: Michael E. Porter, Elizabeth O. Teisberg, Jennifer F Baron and Carolyn Daly

Teaching Note for 709473. View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Value; Restructuring; Groups and Teams; System; Transformation; Expansion; Integration; Alignment; Goals and Objectives; Leading Change; Customer Focus and Relationships; Health Industry; Cleveland; United States; Abu Dhabi; Canada