Publications
Publications
- April 1997
- HBS Case Collection
ABB Germany
By: Hugo Uyterhoeven
Abstract
Describes Europe's most famous postwar multinational merger between Asea of Sweden and Brown Boveri of Switzerland. Gives background on both companies and focuses particularly on BBC's geographic organization, its corporate culture, and the relationship between its large German subsidiary and its Swiss parent. ABB's new policies, in terms of strategy, organization behavior, and financial targets, are portrayed. Against this backdrop, the new head of ABB Germany sets a five-fold profit improvement target. A rewritten version of an earlier case.
Keywords
Mergers and Acquisitions; Multinational Firms and Management; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Goals and Objectives; Organizational Culture; Performance Improvement; Geographic Location; Rank and Position; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Sweden; Switzerland; Germany
Citation
Uyterhoeven, Hugo. "ABB Germany." Harvard Business School Case 397-096, April 1997.