Publications

October 1994 (Revised January 1995)
Case

Rhone-Poulenc (A) and (B) Condensed

Rhone-Poulenc, France's largest chemical firm, has achieved a major position in the United States as the result of an ambitious series of acquisitions. As it expanded in the United States from 1986 to 1990, Rhone-Poulenc management sought to take a "hands-off" approach... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Multinational Firms and Management; Organizational Structure; Chemical Industry; France; United States

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September 1993
Case

Rhone-Poulenc (B)

Rhone-Poulenc, France's largest chemical firm, has achieved a major position in the United States as the result of an ambitious series of acquisitions. As it expanded in the United States from 1986 to 1990, Rhone-Poulenc management sought to take a "hands-off" approach... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Multinational Firms and Management; Organizational Structure; Chemical Industry; France; United States

July 2016
Case

The EC Rains on Oracle/Sun (A)

By: Lena G. Goldberg

Oracle's proposed acquisition of Sun was on a fast track until the EC's antitrust concerns about open-source MySQL ignited a transatlantic war of words delaying the deal. Sun's performance suffered and its customers were approached by competitors while regulatory... View Details

Keywords: Law; Antitrust; EC Regulation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Multinational Firms and Management; Laws and Statutes; Monopoly; Business and Government Relations

July 2011
Teaching Note

Suntech Power (TN)

By: Richard H.K. Vietor

Teaching Note for 712001. View Details

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Sales; Information Technology; Business Subsidiaries; System; Competition; Renewable Energy; Semiconductor Industry; Germany; Spain; United States; China; Japan

April 2001 (Revised September 2001)
Case

Merloni Elettrodomestici: Building for a New Century

By: Joseph L. Bower

In 2001 a young new CEO has to develop a strategy to move his company beyond the hyper-competitive conditions of Western Europe. A major acquisition in Russia and a new Web-based service business provide interesting new directions. This case traces the development of... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Multinational Firms and Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Structure; Business Strategy; Web; Russia

1976
Chapter

More or Less Poverty? The Economic Effects of the MNE at Home and in the LDC's

By: L. T. Wells Jr.

Keywords: Poverty; Developing Countries and Economies; Multinational Firms and Management; Globalized Economies and Regions

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Value Judgments: Business Ethics Across Borders

course-development project in 1997. Writing cases on firms in China, Japan, Thailand, Argentina, Nigeria, and Russia, she focused on businesses indigenous to each culture as well as multinationals moving between cultures. In addition, she... View Details

Keywords: by Judith A. Ross

23 Jun 2016
Op-Ed

Brexit: Should Britain Stay or Go?

Harvard Business School faculty offer their views: Isidor Straus Professor of Business History Geoff Jones, who researches the evolution, impact, and responsibility of global business and has authored numerous books on these topics, including View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey G. Jones & Dante Roscini

18 Nov 2014
First Look

First Look: November 18

different review settings. Download working paper: http://www.people.hbs.edu/mluca/OptimalAggregation.pdf International Trade, Multinational Activity, and Corporate Finance By: Foley, C. Fritz, and Kalina Manova Abstract—An emerging new... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

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

01 Mar 2010
News

Sole Mates

truly multinational countries in Europe, where all religions and ethnicities can feel they belong. Macedonians can now travel visa free to all of Europe except for the UK and Ireland. People study English starting in primary school, so it... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; Forestry and Logging; Agriculture; Monetary Authorities-Central Bank; Finance; Administration of Environmental Quality Programs; Government

11 Mar 2014
First Look

First Look: March 11

greater competence. August 2013 Business History Review Charting Dynamic Trajectories: Multinational Firms in India By: Choudhury, Prithwiraj, and Tarun Khanna Abstract—In this article, we provide a synthesizing framework that we call the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Apr 2000
News

Q & A: A Conversation with IRS Chief Charles Rossotti

technically be within the law but has no practical business purpose. It's just sleight of hand to reduce taxes without a legitimate reason. Typically, it's the bigger companies and multinationals that engage in this activity. People in... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons

May 2018
Case

Inditex: 2018

By: John R. Wells and Gabriel Ellsworth

In 2018, Inditex, based in Spain, was the largest specialist fashion retailer in the world, generating sales of $31.5 billion in 2017 from a portfolio of eight retail brands selling through a total of 7,475 stores located in 96 countries and from websites in 49... View Details

Keywords: Fashion; Succession; IPO; Competition; Initial Public Offering; Multinational Firms and Management; Management Succession; Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Retail Industry; Fashion Industry

May 1992 (Revised January 2000)
Supplement

ABB: Accountability Times Two (B)

By: Robert L. Simons

Describes internal allocation conflicts in a complex global company structured as a matrix organization. ABB Switzerland has secured and will build an important power station project; however, internal market allocation policies dictate that this work be handled by ABB... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Conflict Management; Complexity; Sweden; Switzerland