Publications

September 2023
Technical Note

Note on Difficult Conversations in the Family Enterprise

By: Christina R. Wing

The best time to have a difficult conversation is, ideally, as soon as possible. Engaging in challenging conversations early can produce beneficial results for several reasons, such as resolving issues, improving communication, preserving relationships, and increasing... View Details

Keywords: Conversation; Family Business; Interpersonal Communication; Conflict and Resolution

May 2002 (Revised August 2006)
Case

Yangcheng: AES in China

By: Richard H.K. Vietor

AES, an American electric power company with 141 plants worldwide, is just completing construction of a 2,100-MW plant in China--the largest ever. The project, a joint venture with five local companies, has several environmental, ownership, and operational issues as... View Details

Keywords: Energy Generation; Joint Ventures; Foreign Direct Investment; Environmental Sustainability; Problems and Challenges; Energy Industry; China

Find at Harvard

October 2021 (Revised November 2021)
Case

Bodega Aurrera: eCommerce at the Base of the Pyramid

By: Michael Chu, Álvaro Rodríguez Arregui, Carla Larangeira and Jenyfeer Martinez Buitrago

Bodega Aurrera, serving the base of the pyramid and Walmart’s main Mexican format, is considering launching a full eCommerce channel as Covid-19 has erupted in the country. In 2019, Bodega Aurrera accounted for 45% of revenues and 2,748 of Walmex’s 3,416 stores. Having... View Details

Keywords: Ecommerce; Bottom Of The Pyramid; Digitalization; Omnichannel; Walmart; Business Model; Internet and the Web; Marketing Channels; Technology Adoption; E-commerce; Retail Industry; Latin America; Mexico

February 2009 (Revised April 2011)
Case

Yahoo! in China (A)

By: Sandra J. Sucher and Daniel Baer

In 2007 Jerry Yang, CEO of Yahoo!, was lambasted by U.S. Representative Tom Lantos, chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, for Yahoo's role in the arrest and imprisonment of Chinese journalist and democracy advocate Shi Tao. The case describes the... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Governance Compliance; Laws and Statutes; Rights; Business and Government Relations; Internet; Information Technology Industry; China; United States

February 2009 (Revised April 2011)
Module Note

Financing Growth in Family and Closely Held Firms

By: Belen Villalonga

This note describes the second of four modules in Financial Management of Family and Closely Held Firms, an elective MBA course at Harvard Business School. The note analyzes the pros and cons of different equity financing options that are available to family firms such... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Finance; Business Growth and Maturation

01 Oct 2000
News

Linda B. Kanner: All in the Family

"counterphobic move." Punch cards and mainframes were the technological order of the day when she enrolled at HBS, and a successful career in... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

12 Mar 2014
Lessons from the Classroom

Managing the Family Business: Firing the CEO

Editor's note: This is part of a series of occasional columns on managing the family business written by Senior... View Details

February 2024 (Revised June 2024)
Case

Can Families Conquer Private Equity? Pritzker Private Capital

By: Lauren Cohen and Sophia Pan

Anthony (Tony) Pritkzer, Paul Carbone, and the Pritzker Private Capital (PPC) team wondered how to approach the firm’s next phase of growth. PPC was a private equity firm that offered a differentiated approach to the family capital market. Back in 2016, the partners... View Details

12 Jun 2012
News

New Harvard Business School Exhibit Chronicles China Trade

23 Feb 2011
News

A Capitalist in China

published his first novel in January, China Fortunes: A Tale of Business in the New... View Details

Keywords: Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

2023
Working Paper

El Dorado Lost: Local Elites, Real Estate and the Education Business in China

By: Geoffrey Jones and Yuhai Wu

This working paper examines the evolving, complex and multifaceted relationship between the real estate industry and the education sector in China. The current crises in the private education and real estate sectors caused by policy shifts reflect the inter-meshing of... View Details

Keywords: Business and Government Relations; Policy; Government and Politics; Economic Sectors; Education Industry; Real Estate Industry; China

SSRN

Read Now

01 Mar 2007
News

The Plight of the Global Poor

anything they can eat or sell. Payatas and the orderly, verdant Harvard Business School campus — nearly equals, as it happens, in terms of View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons; bottom of the pyramid (BOP); Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Social Assistance; Health, Social Assistance

29 Nov 2023
News

A Holiday Benefit Dinner in LA; Seattle Club Revival Underway

Clubs News Clubs News Southern California Holiday Gala Will Boost Scholarship Fund After a brief hiatus due to the pandemic, the HBS Association of Southern California (HBSASC) is once again hosting its annual Holiday Benefit Gala on December 9 to support the HBSASC... View Details

Keywords: Margie Kelley

October 2024 (Revised January 2025)
Case

Citizens of the World: The International Legacy of Gloria von Thurn und Taxis

By: Lauren Cohen, Maximilian Form and Sophia Pan

When her husband passed away and inheritance taxes struck, Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis took decisive action to preserve her family’s fortune and legacy. The Thurn und Taxis family, one of Europe’s oldest aristocratic dynasties, had built their wealth through... View Details

Keywords: Family Office; Real Estate; Legacy; International Business; Germany; Family Business; Economy; Macroeconomics; Financial Crisis; Financial Liquidity; Investment; Global Strategy; Reputation; Diversification; Real Estate Industry; Germany

01 Sep 2006
News

China Dominates HBS Business Plan Contest

The economic power and emerging opportunities in China inspired winners in the tenth annual HBS View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

November 2006 (Revised August 2008)
Supplement

China Resources Corporation (B): China Resources Microelectronics

By: Dennis Campbell and David Lane

Supplements the (A) case. Late in October 2006, China Resources (Holdings) Co., Ltd. (CRC) CEO Charlie Song Lin, CFO Jiang Wel, and Information Center GM Derek Cheng were traveling from Hong Kong to Wuxi, China to attend the first ever meeting of China Resources... View Details

Keywords: Accounting; Business Conglomerates; Profit; Governance Controls; Management Systems; Business Strategy; China

12 PM – 1 PM EST, 06 Nov 2018
Webinars: Trending@HBS

China in the Age of Xi Jinping: Domestic Changes and Global Ambitions

China's outward push will remake the global economic and political environment, and business leaders need an understanding of China's leadership to navigate this new world. Join Associate Professor Rithmire to discuss the evolution of the business landscape in China. View Details

October 2001 (Revised November 2001)
Case

Blethen Family and the Seattle Times Company (A), The

By: John A. Davis and Cathy Quinn

Frank Blethen, the fourth-generation publisher of The Seattle Times, ponders the challenges facing this family business. This case reviews the long history of this business and family and asks whether family ownership and management are in the interests of both the... View Details

Keywords: History; Management; Business or Company Management; Family Business; Family and Family Relationships; Family Ownership; Problems and Challenges; Journalism and News Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry