Advanced Search

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

---

The first rule of football you teach children is: "Never touch the ball with your hands." But it seems some corporations in Pakistan forgot that rule when they hired children in their football manufacturing plants. There, it took a corporate agreement to phase out the use of child labour. Professor Olivier Cadot, Professor Daniel Traça and Robert Crawford use the international agreement, hailed as a prime example of socially responsible corporate policy, to discuss child labour and examine international labour agreements.

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

---

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

---

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

---

Buy low, sell high - the Luksic Group began small using this business tactic, and soon, the formula was highly successful. Over the years, it grew into one of Chile's largest conglomerates. But a tougher challenge followed when the group attempted to convert its local successes into global ones. In this recent case study, Paulina Cuadra and Professors Lourdes Casanova and Gonzalo Jimenez explain how the group developed its approach to globalization.

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

---

Even if you can't put your finger on it, and even if you can't express it in one statement, there is something different about doing business in Asia. With respect to cultural nuance and regional resources, Asian business is distinguishable from business in the rest of the world. Professors Ming Zeng and Ingmar Björkman explain that Guangdong Electronics provides a textbook example.

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

---

A Texas oil tycoon takes half his trusty drills and heads for new territory. But he's not moving West, he's headed to the Far East. Can Tex count on any success from this globalisation? Professor Philippe Lasserre and Jocelyn Probert explain that for Ahlstrom Korea's similar expansion effort, it must deal with a wealth of stumbling blocks to make headway.

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

---

David, the entrepreneur, is considering a new venture - entering the Asian wine market with French wine. This is hardly a vintage market, with consumers only just beginning to increase their wine purchases. So in order to give us an appreciation of the market's flavour, Professor Hellmut Schütte and David Remmers identify some key factors in this true-story case.

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

---

What motives propel international expansion? It seems like it's a trend for so many businesses, but in the case of Vedior, Professor Paul Verdin and Nick Van Heck query the real benefits and the classic expansion dichotomy of Europeanisation versus localisation.

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

---

It's a critical time for Procter and Gamble - no fun or games. The company is planning product development through a major pan-European project. It must consider intricacies such as cross-border processes and interaction between strategic and organisational developments. Read why Professor Paul Verdin, Professor Christopher A. Bartlett and co-author Alice De Koning propose a bit of "play time" at this juncture - role-playing time, that is.

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

---

Great Eastern Toys dolled up its management plan in 1996, to focus on expanding sales. Its plan, however, didn't face up to the potential problem of working with other currencies, which is was forced to do in 1998. Its banker pointed out that the depreciation of the European currencies during the previous two years had resulted in substantial lost income. Although this is a ficticious company, this toy story has real relevance to globalisation issues. In this case study, INSEAD Professors Gabriel Hawawini and Lee Remmers discuss the toy company's policy options in the international trade playground.

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

---

Your idea of private banking might begin and end with your ATM PIN, but UBS has a better idea of what it entails. Thanks to its expansive reach, UBS has a presence in every major capital-market around the world. In this case study, the first modern one written about international private banking, Professor Ingo Walter shows how UBS created its global strategy and made it work.

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

---

Not long ago, Monsanto offered a host of attractive products to agriculturists and multinational companies. But in the space of two years, those products became much less tempting. A surprisingly virulent anti-genetically modified organisms (GMO) campaign in Europe and the EU's new and restrictive regulatory policy on GMOs presented Monsanto with a bleak future. Professors Olivier Cadot, Landis H. Gabel and Daniel Traça ask where Monsanto went wrong.

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

---

It took just one merger, and literally overnight, a new multinational shuffled the ranks of the drinks industry. Two large beverage companies, Brahma and Antarctica, formed AmBev, instantly claiming the number three spot on the list of the largest beer companies in the world. Professor Lourdes Casanova explains in this case study what's even more surprising to the drinks industry - this new multinational was coming from Brazil.

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

---

Consider a magazine's positioning - it needs to lie somewhere between global and local, between hard news and soft news, and in the right place to deal with the competition. Professor Hellmut Schütte and Jocelyn Probert examine Asiaweek's positioning, its history and how it struggled to strike a balance in its Asian market.

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

---

BASF is a multi-national producer of petro-chemicals that has enjoyed a comfortable, well-padded history of success in the packaging industry. The company's product Styropor®, one of the few branded chemicals on the market, is a commodity - somewhat like Lycra®. The authors explain BASF's problem in this case study: since Styropor®, by nature, costs more than similar products produced locally in China, it needs to differentiate its brand. The challenge is to counterbalance Styropor®'s cost disadvantage with a new positioning strategy for BASF to allow it to expand within an oversupplied, competitive market.

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

---

Russian Standard may not be a household name in trendy New York bars yet, but Roustam Tariko would like it to be. When Tariko introduced Russian Standard Vodka in 1998, he wasn't interested in just vodka. The young entrepreneur established Russian Standard to become a high-quality international multi-category icon of the new Russia, the "Virgin" of Russia. As a result, Russian Standard is not only a vodka, it is now a thriving bank. In this new case study, Professor Pierre Chandon and Vadim Grigorian ask us to consider the value of horizontal brand extensions across widely different product categories (e.g., banking and vodka) and to examine how Russian Standard can compete in the vastly different US market.

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

---

Doing business in a country known for corruption? Be prepared for anything, say Professor Douglas Webber and Ulla Fionna, who recount the bizarre and frightening experience of Canadian insurance company, Manulife, in Indonesia.

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

---

The scenario seems simple enough: an expatriated employee goes off to an assignment, gains new knowledge and insights, and eventually returns to the home office, energized by the experience and ready to take on new responsibilities that will enrich the company. Unfortunately, say Professor Günter Stahl and Mark Mendenhall, the reality does not always follow this path.

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

---

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

---

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

---

Tata Tea is one of the largest tea companies in the world. Sheltered from competition by a protectionist Indian government for most of its history, the company in 1999 faced several new challenges: upcoming deregulation and changing consumer tastes. How should the company react? Research Associate Ulrike Wiehr and Professor Amitava Chattopadhyay review potential strategies.

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

---

To overcome sales growth problems in the US, California-based, venture capital-backed start-up Whistle Communications looks at developing a number of strategic partnerships in Asia. While the product (the first Internet appliance for small-to-medium size businesses) attracts interest from numerous high-profile companies, Whistle must weigh the short-term gains against its long-term goals. Professor Ha Hoang and Michel Darnaud explain more in this new Case Study series.

This is not a traditional academic case, but rather a detailed interview with David Reid, deputy chairman of the United Kingdom's largest grocer, Tesco. In it he explains the company's international strategy and their online delivery model among other items.

What retailers can learn from Wal-Mart's international expansion.

Editor's Note: the discussion centers on the seven sources of competitive advantage in retail:
- Inputs
- Technology
- Operations
- Offering & Brand
- Access
- Segmentation
- Customers

Relief organizations have a mission close to home: improving their own efficiency and accountability.

How the U.K. retailer won over the world, one market at a time.

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

---

In October 2003, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russia's richest man and the CEO of Yukos, the second-largest Russian oil producer with a market capitalization of US$26 billion, was arrested and thrown into jail on charges of fraud and tax evasion. Several days later he resigned as CEO of Yukos. This case study tells the story of the rise and (temporary?) fall of a young man whom some would call a brilliant entrepreneur, and others call a scoundrel. The case includes an interview with Khodorkovsky when he was still CEO, and offers a rare opportunity to examine the leadership philosophy of one of Russia's top business leaders .

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

---

The complex history of the relationship between the companies in the Acela Express railway installation is mined for key lessons for future marketing relationships with particular pertinence to relationships within international marketing projects.

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

---

Ruben Vardanian, CEO of Troika, is a "Golden Boy of Russian capitalism". Unlike his fellow members of the Russian oligarchs' club, Vardanian started from scratch and climbed upwards. This case, Ruben Vardanian at the Helm of Troika Dialog by Stanislav Shekshnia, Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at INSEAD with Manfred Kets de Vries, Raoul de Vitry d'Avaucourt Professor of Human Resource Management at INSEAD scrutinizes Vardanian's success as he guides his investment bank Troika Dialog to a new level and scale of business.

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

---

As India edged nearer to full membership of the World Trade Organisation in 2005, Indian pharmaceutical companies faced new realities. For Ranbaxy Laboratories, a major player in the Indian generic drugs market, a successful adaptation to life in this new market was key to the company's future. This case, Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited: At the Crossroads by Amitava Chattopadhyay and Swati Srivastava examines one company facing choices in one of the fastest growing sectors of the Indian economy.

Joint ventures can hold the key to expanding globally, introducing new product lines and leveraging brand capital. But it takes good relationships - and patience.

Emerging markets are enticing to companies because of the growth potential they present. But when cultural, economic, and logistical issues arise, survival in these markets is often a challenge. Recently, Stan Sthanunathan, vice president of Knowledge & Insights with The Coca-Cola Company, spoke to MBA students in a global business environments course at Emory University's Goizueta Business School about the intricacies of doing business in India. Among the insights -- how a thorough understanding of consumer behavior helped the soft-drink giant turn a losing proposition into a winning strategy in only two years.