Publications

Research Summary

Overview

My main topics of interest in research all center around Africa. It is my ambition to take HBS more into Africa and to bring Africa more into HBS. I am particularly interested in a) the building of businesses in Africa. I want to focus on those elements that an HBS MBA... View Details

16 Oct 2006
Research & Ideas

Report from China: The New Entrepreneurs

different perspective is enlightening. A: We heard the phrase "sea turtle" a few times. These are the Chinese who spend significant time abroad and then come back to China to "lay eggs," that is, start new ventures.... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

August 2010 (Revised October 2014)
Case

Herborist

By: John Deighton, Leora Kornfeld, Yanqun He and Qingyun Jiang

Global brands such as L'Oreal and Oil of Olay dominate China's skin care market. A Chinese domestic brand, after some success in partnership with Sephora in Europe, aspires to challenge the French and U.S. brands' hold on the China market. It must decide how to segment... View Details

Keywords: Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Product Marketing; Product Positioning; Demand and Consumers; Competitive Strategy; Segmentation; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; China

February 17, 2023
Article

Why Ideology Still Matters in Chinese Foreign Policy: China's Quest to Create an Alternative Global Political Ecosystem

By: Jeremy Friedman

Keywords: International Relations; Economic Systems; United States; China

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October 2023 (Revised May 2025)
Case

Nelson Mandela: Changing the World

By: Robert Simons and Shirley Sun

This case traces the rise of Nelson Mandela from his tribal home in South Africa to president of the country. Rejecting expectations that he would be a tribal leader, Mandela instead dedicates his life to fighting Apartheid. After peaceful approaches fail, he joins... View Details

Keywords: Mission and Purpose; Values and Beliefs; Power and Influence; Personal Characteristics; Leadership Style; Success; South Africa

July 2012 (Revised August 2015)
Case

SOHO China: Design, Development, and Social Harmony

By: Arthur I Segel and Mukti Khaire

Founded in 1995 by Zhang Xin and her husband Mr. Pan Shiyi, SOHO China has developed into a world-class real estate development firm that has consistently delivered high-quality projects known for their cutting-edge designs and investment potential. Despite the... View Details

Keywords: Real Estate; Organizational Culture; Leasing; Design; Asset Management; Salesforce Management; Sales; Real Estate Industry; China

March 2007 (Revised August 2009)
Case

Grupo Bimbo

By: Jordan I. Siegel

In 2007 Grupo Bimbo, a leading global player in the baking industry, expands into China while at the same time undertaking initiatives to make its U.S. and South American operations more profitable. Allows students to analyze the company's entire global strategy.... View Details

Keywords: Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Global Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business and Government Relations; Food and Beverage Industry; China; Mexico; United States; South America

23 Mar 2011
Research & Ideas

China’s 60-Year Road from Revolution to World Power

discusses common assumptions about pre-revolutionary China, from both an economic and a political perspective. (Footnotes have been deleted.) Economics At mid-century, Chinese revolutionaries and many foreign scholars believed that China... View Details

Keywords: by William C. Kirby

Edward B. Berk

Ted Berk is the Barry and Teri Volpert Fellow and a Senior Lecturer of Business Administration in the Finance Unit at Harvard Business School. He teaches Private Equity Finance in the elective curriculum and Finance I & II in the required curriculum.

Ted... View Details

November 2009
Article

Finding Missing Markets (and a Disturbing Epilogue): Evidence from an Export Crop Adoption and Marketing Intervention in Kenya

By: Nava Ashraf, Xavier Gine and Dean Karlan

Farmers may grow crops for local consumption despite more profitable export options. DrumNet, a Kenyan NGO that helps small farmers adopt and market export crops, conducted a randomized trial to evaluate its impact. DrumNet services increased production of export crops... View Details

Keywords: Export Crop; Field Experiment; Food Safety Standards; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Trade; Profit; Marketing; Standards; Failure; Non-Governmental Organizations; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Kenya; European Union

Find at Harvard

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25 Mar 2014
Research & Ideas

China’s Economic System has Difficult Road Overcoming its Political System

those three things, you have to ask how could China not lead?” Trouble is, the same sorts of books—and sometimes the exact same titles—beckoned book buyers at the turn of the twentieth-century as well, with entries including Rising China,... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

28 Aug 2020
Video

Peter Vundla

Peter Vundla, who co-founded the first Black-owned advertising agency HerdBuoys in South Africa in 1991, was prominent in building post-apartheid South Afrca, including working on for developing the South African flag, the first democratic ballot paper, and the logo... View Details

November 2003 (Revised June 2004)
Background Note

China's Telecommunications Sector

By: Richard L. Nolan and Stephen P. Bradley

In mid-2003, China was the fastest-growing telecom market. Telecom subscribers are estimated at 472 million. With the size and growth of telecom, China is a hot spot for new telecom and IT technologies. Furthermore, China's sheer market power provides a strong position... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Markets and Industries; Technological Innovation; Policy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Competition; Telecommunications Industry; China

John Macomber is a Senior Lecturer in the Finance unit at Harvard Business School. His professional background includes leadership of real estate, construction, and information technology businesses. At HBS, Mr. Macomber's work focuses on climate adaptation and the... View Details

Keywords: building materials; construction; energy; green technology; infrastructure industry; real estate; transportation; utilities; waste management; insurance industry

03 Jun 2008
First Look

First Look: June 3, 2008

Working PapersAccountability and Inequality in Single-Party Regimes: A Comparative Analysis of Vietnam and China Authors:Regina Abrami, Edmund Malesky, and Yu Zheng Abstract Over the past two decades, no... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

06 Dec 2013
News

HBS Faculty Remember Nelson Mandela

March 2021 (Revised March 2024)
Case

M-KOPA: Empowering Lives

By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Wale Lawal and Pippa Tubman Armerding

The Pay As You Go solar power company in East Africa had sales of $71 million in 2019. It wished to grow to $300 million by 2025. M-KOPA, founded by three entrepreneurs in 2011, had grown nicely in Kenya and Uganda to reach nearly 750,000 households with an innovative... View Details

Keywords: Mobile Payment; Go-to-market Strategy; Business At The Base Of The Pyramid; Business Growth; Social Entrepreneurship; Renewable Energy; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Expansion; Marketing Strategy; Developing Countries and Economies; Kenya; Uganda; Nigeria