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Note: INSEAD used to offer free evaluation copies of their cases. They no longer do...

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Beginning with $60,000 and a dream, Alibaba.com shot to the top in less than two years and is now the world's largest online marketplace for international trade among small- and medium-sized enterprises. But just like the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, making it inside the cave is only the beginning of the adventure. Professor Ming Zeng describes Alibaba.com's rise, explains the challenges it faces, and asks where the company should go next.

"This case is a rich source for discussing numerous issues: Chinese entrepreneurship and emerging companies in China; how best to manage and support a fast-growing start-up; the interaction of Chinese culture, Internet culture, and Western managerial practices; and the development of the B2B marketplace, particularly in Asia."

Note: INSEAD used to offer free evaluation copies of their cases. They no longer do...

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When Peugeot pulled out of its partnership with the Guangzhou Automobile Group in 1997, it left behind slow sales, a decrepit factory filled with 20-year-old equipment, and 1,600 exasperated employees. In this new Case Study, Professors Philippe Lasserre and Ming Zeng, and Hiromi Hinata tell how Honda turned this picture around.

Note: INSEAD used to offer free evaluation copies of their cases. They no longer do...

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Note: INSEAD used to offer free evaluation copies of their cases. They no longer do...

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Note: INSEAD used to offer free evaluation copies of their cases. They no longer do...

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Thailand's CP Group became Asia's largest agro-industrial company through the development and geographic expansion of its vertically integrated system. In this new Case Study, Professor Peter Williamson and Keeley Wilson explain how CP build the capabilities required for success and used alliances and joint ventures to expand beyond its core business and into processed foods.

Note: INSEAD used to offer free evaluation copies of their cases. They no longer do...

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A 1998 livestock virus in Malaysia left a gaping hole in the pork market in Singapore, a country that relies solely on imports for its pork consumption. Into the gap stepped Australia, one of the world's largest exports of meat and livestock. Intent on being more than just a short-term solution, Australia's pig farmers took the opportunity to brand its product and succeeded in making "Airpork" a household name.

Note: INSEAD used to offer free evaluation copies of their cases. They no longer do...

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The road to reform in China is paved with detours and dangerous curves. Among the hazards are the traditional values that thrived under state run rule, but which now serve to slow progress. Looking at the case of CINCO, one of China's oldest and largest insurers, Sarah Meegan and Professor Steven White show how the best intentions can be stymied by intractable cultural norms and varying players with vastly different goals.

Infosys has emerged as a titan of the global software industry by carefully designing and constructing a unique corporate culture. Continued growth will test the quality and soundness of the company s architecture.

By developing a low-cost distribution channel, an Indian nonprofit organization can deliver child education and nutrition programs for just a few dollars a child per year.

Mochtar Riady, the son of immigrant shopkeepers, got his start in banking in 1960. Now he heads a global financial powerhouse with $11 billion in assets. The secret? Putting everything into allegiances and alliances to gain a foothold on the world stage.

Wahaha, whose main products are milk drinks, bottled water and mixed congee, is the number one beverage company in China, with revenues of 11.4 billion yuan ($1.37 billion) and profits of 1.35 billion yuan ($162.7 million) in 2004. The company was started in 1987 by Zong Qinghou, its 60-year-old chairman and CEO. In an interview with Wharton marketing professor John Zhang, Zong talks about his first entrepreneurial ventures selling beverages and ice cream, the success of his first major product, "Wahaha nutritional liquid," his joint venture with the French giant Danone Group, and his rapid growth over the past eight years through the establishment of 40 subsidiaries in 16 Chinese provinces. In 1998, Wahaha launched its own brand, "Future Cola," to compete against Coke and Pepsi.

The appliance maker Guangdong Galanz has excelled at managing relationships in a turbulent environment, and its case study illustrates the costs and benefits of relationships, how these pros and cons shift over time, and, most important, how executives can manage them effectively in a constantly shifting context.