Publications

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December 2008 (Revised October 2009)
Case

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

By: David E. Bell and Brian Matthew Milder

In 2006, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation joined together to form a new organization, AGRA, to tackle the historic challenge of increasing agricultural production in Africa. Launched with much fanfare and led by former U.N.... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Investment Funds; Food; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Business and Government Relations; Non-Governmental Organizations; Poverty; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Africa

02 May 2020
News

The Great Convergence: Mass Schooling and Skill Accumulation in Africa and Asia since 1870

December 2008 (Revised June 2009)
Case

Lapdesk Goes Global - Africa First

Shane Immelman, founding CEO of the Lapdesk Company of South Africa, is facing a number of challenges in taking Lapdesk from South Africa and into the rest of the African continent. How should the African strategy be different from that of South Africa? What is the... View Details

Keywords: Global Strategy; Problems and Challenges; Africa; South Africa

June 2013 (Revised November 2016)
Case

Goldfinger: Charles W. Engelhard Jr. and Apartheid-era South Africa

By: Geoffrey Jones and Elliot R. Benton

This case considers the strategies of Charles W. Engelhard, an American mining magnate who made large investments in apartheid-era South Africa. Engelhard was widely believed to have been the model for the James Bond villan Auric Goldfinger. During the 1950s and 1960s... View Details

Keywords: Political Economy; Business History; FDI; Corporate Social Responsibility And Impact; South Africa; Mining; Ethics; Globalization; Government and Politics; History; Mining Industry; Africa; South Africa

18 Nov 2014
News

Enhancing educational opportunities in the community

Courtney Miller Cavatoni (MBA 1999) works to further educational opportunities as board chair of an independent school in southwestern Virginia, where good schools are attracting families and businesses to... View Details

December 2004
Class Lecture

The Case Method in Professional Education

By: David A. Garvin

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April 2011 (Revised July 2011)
Case

Renewing GE: The Africa Project (A)

By: David A. Thomas and Stephanie J. Creary

This case profiles the evolution of General Electric's African American Form (AAF), an employee affinity group, and its efforts to increase the company's involvement in Africa. The AAF formed in 1991 to help advance GE's recruitment, retention and development of black... View Details

Keywords: Diversity; Global Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Employees; Employee Relationship Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Africa; United States

12 Sep 2023

HBS Perspectives from Africa

Please join us in this virtual event to meet Harvard Business School students from Africa and learn more about our MBA Program from their perspective. View Details

April 2024
Teaching Note

eBee: Affordable Mobility for Africa

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Gamze Yucaoglu and Jordan Mitchell

The case opens in March 2023, as Sten van der Ham and Jaap Maljers, CEO and co-founder of eBee, an electric bike (e-bike) company in Africa, are contemplating the different avenues for growth and path to profitability for the young and ambitious company. In 2023, the... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Value Creation; Competition; Expansion; Logistics; Profit; Resource Allocation; Corporate Strategy; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Strategy; Product Marketing; Entrepreneurial Finance; Bicycle Industry; Africa; Kenya

Clubs

Middle East & North Africa Club

Clubs

Africa Business Club

January 2019
Background Note

Blockchain and the Movement of Value in Africa

By: John D. Macomber, Liang Wu and Ina Folea

This technical note discusses the potential of Blockchain technologies in Africa, particularly to overcome institutional voids in trust and transactions. View Details

Keywords: Blockchain; Technological Innovation; Value; Trust; Africa

September 2020 (Revised December 2020)
Case

Siba Mtongana: A Pioneering Chef in South Africa

By: Boris Groysberg, Susan Seligson, Katherine Connolly Baden and Robin Abrahams

For Siba Mtongana, South African celebrity chef, the year 2020 was fraught with challenges and unknowns. Her brand was strong and she was certain it would survive. But as she fine-tuned her growth and innovation strategy in a shaky, unpredictable economy in the midst... View Details

Keywords: Food; Crisis Management; Health Pandemics; Growth and Development Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; South Africa

25 Jun 2011
News

It's Africa calling for mobile operators

March 2017
Case

Mindspark: Improving Educational Outcomes in India

By: Shawn Cole and Tony L. He

July 2003 (Revised January 2013)
Background Note

Note on Organized Labor in U.S. Public Education

Surveys the history, structure, and activities of the two dominant U.S. teachers unions—the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). The NEA and AFT represent approximately 90% of U.S. public school teachers and have grown... View Details

Keywords: Labor Unions; Education; Education Industry; United States

04 Aug 2015

HBS & HKS Information Session in South Africa

Hosted by the Africa Business Club, this event is designed for prospective students to learn about HBS, HKS, and the joint degree program from a student and alumni perspective. The event will include a presentation and reception.... View Details

February 2024
Case

Tony Elumelu Foundation: Democratizing Luck Across Africa

By: Paul A. Gompers and Samir Saxena

Founded in 2010, The Tony Elumelu Foundation is Africa’s leading philanthropy working to support entrepreneurs in Africa with access to seed capital, business management training, mentorship, and access to networks. Through a $100 million commitment but its founder,... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Innovation Leadership; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Mission and Purpose; Education Industry; Nigeria; Africa