Publications

February 2006 (Revised August 2006)
Case

deCODE Genetics: Hunting for Genes to Develop Drugs

In 1996, Kari Stefansson launched a new kind of biotechnology company and a whole new way of attacking diseases. Based in Iceland, his firm, deCODE Genetics, plans to identify the individual genetic markers that lead to society's most prevalent diseases. To do so, it... View Details

Keywords: Information; Innovation Strategy; Genetics; Ethics; Health Disorders; Biotechnology Industry; Iceland

January 2004 (Revised November 2004)
Case

Rwandan Tea Industry, The: Looking into the Future

In 2003, the Rwandan government was focused on transforming the nation's tea industry into a world-class competitor. To accomplish this objective and stave off the downward prices that plagued the international tea market, the government believed that the industry... View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Market Entry and Exit; Competitive Strategy; Privatization; Government and Politics; Developing Countries and Economies; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Rwanda

September 1997
Background Note

Note on Political Risk Analysis

Describes the emergence and subsequent decline of the political risk analysis industry. Discusses what political risk means for multinational firms and various ways in which firms have tried to analyze and grapple with these risks. View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Foreign Direct Investment; Government and Politics

December 1995
Case

Layton Canada

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

Keywords: Trade; Government and Politics

January 1996 (Revised June 1996)
Supplement

Toys "R" Us Japan (B)

Supplements Toys "R" Us Japan. View Details

July 1995 (Revised April 1996)
Case

Union Carbide's Bhopal Plant (B)

Describes the aftermath of the explosion at Bhopal. View Details

Keywords: Crisis Management

September 1993 (Revised September 1997)
Case

China (A): The Great Awakening

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

Keywords: History; Government and Politics; Society; Macroeconomics; China

October 1992 (Revised October 1994)
Case

Foreign Investment and Free Trade: Canada in the 1990s

January 1999 (Revised March 1999)
Background Note

Note on Rules

A central document for the Managing International Trade and Investment (MITI) course and its cases. Provides a conceptual framework for the course and a systematic way of analyzing the political circumstances that confront firms engaged in international trade and... View Details

Keywords: Trade; Government and Politics

November 2023
Supplement

'Care in Every Drop': Ayala Corporation and Manila Water (B)

By: Debora L. Spar, Paul Healy, Tricia Peralta and Julia Comeau

Since 1834, eight generations of the Ayala family have used their conglomerate to fund nation-building projects in the Philippines, including investments in tramcars, telecommunications, hospitals, and schools. In 1997, Ayala’s subsidiary, Manila Water, took control of... View Details

Keywords: Family Business; Economic Growth; Social Entrepreneurship; Climate Change; Natural Resources; Crisis Management; Failure; Privatization; Social Issues; Urban Development; Adaptation; Infrastructure; Utilities Industry; Philippines

01 Mar 2014
News

Faculty and Alumni Books for March 2014

trek to summit Kala Patthar, a mountain towering above Mount Everest Base Camp (17,598 feet) in the Himalayas. Wonder Women: Sex, Power, and the Quest for Perfection by Debora View Details

01 Dec 2002
News

Think Globally, Teach Locally

abroad, he now has plenty of company: More than half of the School's faculty conducts research overseas each year. HBS professor Thomas R. Piper, who also taught in the ISMP program, currently heads two Senior Executive Programs in Africa and the Middle East. Professor... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna

11 Oct 2024
News

Highlights from the Fall 2024 Alumni Board Meeting

mission and work of the Institute for Business in Global Society (BiGS) from Debora Spar (PMD 62, 1991), Senior Associate Dean of BiGS and Unit Head of General Management, and Drew Keller (MBA 2022),... View Details

01 Aug 2002
News

For Alumni Only: Breakthrough Insights Program Debuts

Revlon founder who was among those profiled in Tedlow's recent book, Giants of Enterprise. His session examined the roots of eth-ical decay in America's “quiz show scandal” of the 1950s, which was driven in part by the aggressive tactics... View Details

Keywords: Laura Singleton

01 Mar 2004
News

Drug Imports a Hot Topic at Alumni Health-Care Conference

response to escalating health-care costs, and HBS professor Debora L. Spar on the market realities of adoption and in vitro fertilization (see “The Business of Babies”). For... View Details

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

April 2025
Teaching Note

'Care in Every Drop': Ayala Corporation and Manila Water (A) and (B)

By: Debora L. Spar and Sarah Sasso

Teaching Note for HBS Case Nos. 324-038 and 324-039. View Details

October 2019
Teaching Note

Extend Fertility: Conceiving the Market for Egg Preservation

By: Debora L. Spar and Olivia Hull

Teaching Note for HBS No. 719-019. View Details