Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(253)
- Faculty Publications (114)
- October 1996 (Revised December 2022)
- Case
Chiquita Brands International (A)
By: Debora L. Spar and Terence Mulligan
When a new banana import policy is implemented in 1993 by the European Union, Chiquita Brands International, the world's largest banana distributor, watches its sales and net income plummet. The policy, Council Regulation (EEC 404/93), uses a new tariff and quota... View Details
- May–June 1996
- Article
Ruling the Net
By: D. L. Spar and Jeffrey J. Bussgang
The Internet promises a radical new world of business. But for many companies, it has yet to deliver. Although doing business in cyberspace may be novel and exhilarating, it can also be frustrating, confusing, and even unprofitable. Debora Spar and Jeffrey Bussgang... View Details
- March 1996 (Revised October 1996)
- Case
Singapore's Trade in Services
By: Debora L. Spar
Focuses on the efforts of Singapore's Economic Development Board (EDB) to grow the tiny island almost wholly through an expansion of its service economy. Between 1965 and 1990, Singapore achieved a remarkable rate of growth, largely by opening its economy to foreign... View Details
- January 1996 (Revised June 1996)
- Supplement
Toys "R" Us Japan (B)
By: Debora L. Spar
Supplements Toys "R" Us Japan. View Details
- January 1996 (Revised February 1998)
- Case
Japan's Automakers Face Endaka
By: Debora L. Spar
In April 1995, the Japanese yen hit a post-World War II high against the U.S. dollar. The yen's relentless ascent affected firms on both sides of the Pacific, but fell particularly hard on Japan's big four automakers. This case explores how endaka--or"high... View Details
- December 1995 (Revised January 2008)
- Case
Lenzing AG: Expanding in Indonesia
By: Debora L. Spar
In 1994, Lenzing AG, the world's largest rayon manufacturer, is deciding whether to expand production in South Pacific Viscose, its Indonesian subsidiary. Indonesia is a booming market for rayon, but management still has some concerns about the expansion. First, for... View Details
- December 1995
- Case
Layton Canada
By: Debora L. Spar
In 1993, Layton Canada finds itself caught in an intractable political situation. As part of a global reorganization process, the firm has been transformed from a subsidiary of a Dutch parent corporation to a subsidiary of a U.S. parent. Now, if it continues with its... View Details
- December 1995
- Case
Assessing Foreign Business Practices
By: Debora L. Spar
As businesses expand worldwide, corporations are increasingly being forced to grapple with definitions of "acceptable" foreign conduct. What differentiates a "bribe" from a "commission"? Should managers abroad refer to local custom or their own national laws in... View Details
- December 1995 (Revised February 1999)
- Case
Toys "R" Us Japan
By: Debora L. Spar
Documents the American retailer's process of entry into the Japanese toy market. Discusses the history of Toys "R" Us in the United States as well as the history of the Japanese toy market, distribution, wholesaling, and retailing systems. Eager to enter the world's... View Details
- July 1995 (Revised April 1996)
- Case
Union Carbide's Bhopal Plant (B)
By: Debora L. Spar
Describes the aftermath of the explosion at Bhopal. View Details
Keywords: Crisis Management
- June 1995 (Revised June 1996)
- Case
White Nights and Polar Lights: Investing in the Russian Oil Industry
By: Debora L. Spar
In the latter half of the 1980s, the collapse of the Soviet empire created an unprecedented opportunity for Western businesses. Among those most attracted were the oil firms, who rushed to investigate Russia's vast petroleum reserves. But, as they soon discovered,... View Details
- June 1995 (Revised September 1996)
- Case
Union Carbide's Bhopal Plant (A)
By: Debora L. Spar
In December 1984, a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, sprung a leak, releasing thousands of gallons of highly toxic gas into the atmosphere. By the time the leak was sealed, over 2,000 people had died. In a series of three excerpts from published accounts, the case... View Details
- January 1995
- Case
Controlling International Oil (B): The Rise and Fall of OPEC
By: Debora L. Spar and Richard H.K. Vietor
- January 1995
- Background Note
Note on Foreign Direct Investment
By: Debora L. Spar
Between 1985 and 1990, the global economy witnessed an unprecedented surge in flows of foreign direct investment (FDI). This sudden increase called back into prominence the range of questions that have long surrounded FDI. What causes firms to expand or contract their... View Details
Keywords: Foreign Direct Investment
- December 1994
- Case
Being There: Sony Corporation and Columbia Pictures
By: Debora L. Spar
In September 1989, Sony Corp. of Japan bid $3.4 billion for Columbia Pictures. It was the highest bid ever by a Japanese company for any U.S. property. The case examines the validity of Sony's objectives in making this purchase, and also the political uproar that the... View Details
- December 1994 (Revised February 1995)
- Case
Controlling International Oil (A): The Seven Sisters
By: Debora L. Spar and Richard H.K. Vietor
- January 1994
- Case
China (B): Polaroid of Shanghai Ltd.
By: Debora L. Spar
Examines the experience of Polaroid of Shanghai Ltd. (PSL), a joint venture between the U.S.-based Polaroid Corp. and the Shanghai Motion Picture Industry Co., within the framework of China's foreign investment climate. Discusses the evolution of foreign investment in... View Details
- September 1993 (Revised September 1997)
- Case
China (A): The Great Awakening
By: Debora L. Spar
As the third largest economy after the United States and Japan, China's startling economic growth has spurred increasing interest in the economic, social, and political factors that catapulted the country to sudden prominence. This case starts with an overview of the... View Details
- March 1993 (Revised July 1994)
- Case
Gerber Products Company: Investing in the New Poland
By: Debora L. Spar
Examines Gerber Products Co.'s evaluation of Alima S.A., one of Poland's largest food processing plants, as a potential overseas investment in 1991. Factors that influenced Gerber's decision are discussed in detail: property rights, taxation issues, and Poland's... View Details