Globalization
Globalization
The globalization of business has long encouraged Harvard Business School (HBS) faculty to research international business practices and the effects of globalization. Seminal contributions - Christopher Bartlett on managing across borders, Michael Porter on competition in global industries, and Louis Wells on foreign investment in emerging markets - helped pave today’s global research path. Supported by eight Global Research Centers that facilitate our contact with global companies and the collection of international data, key investigations concentrate on the effectiveness of management practices in global organizations; cross-cultural learning and adaptation processes; the challenges of taking companies global; emerging-market companies with global potential; and international political economy and its impact on economic development.
Global Initiative
The Global Initiative builds on a legacy of global engagement by supporting faculty, students, and alumni in their work, and encouraging a global outlook in research, study, and practice.
GlobalResearch CentersRecent Publications
Market Dynamics and Moral Dilemmas: Novo Nordisk’s Weight Loss Drugs
- April 2024 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
From "BIG" Ideas to Sustainable Impact at ICL Group (B)
- March 2024 (Revised April 2024) |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
From “BIG” Ideas to Sustainable Impact at ICL Group (A)
- March 2024 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
Funderbeam: Teaming Up or Going Alone?
- March 2024 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
More than Optics: Olympus's Vision to Become a Leading Global MedTech Company
- February 2024 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
When asked if he could have done any better, he laughed with a humble smile. "There's no 'perfect' in the world—but we are doing almost perfectly. I am not a very optimistic type of person. But we are certainly advancing [the transformation] in the right direction. I have to say, it is working very well.'"
Despite being on course, the journey was ongoing. Strategically, the evolving medical technology landscape demanded new capabilities—notably building an integrated digital solutions ecosystem. Organizationally, Takeuchi was at the helm of a matrix organization in which product divisions did not necessarily have full authority for all their activities; corporate functions were learning how to establish their global roles; and regional companies still drove local sales. And personnel issues remained a concern. Senior executive positions were staffed with “two in a box”—one Japanese and one non-Japanese manager—while Japanese employees were adapting to a job-based rather than a seniority system and the widespread use of the English language in meetings. How should Olympus navigate these challenges to deliver on its aspiration to be a leading global MedTech player?
Frank Cornelissen: The Great Sulfite Debate (A)
- January 2024 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
The Commons Project in Rwanda—Building Digital Infrastructure for the Global Public Good
- November 2023 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
Leaders in less-developed markets in Africa saw the value of TCP’s person-centered approach to health data. TCP considered how to reach its goal and scale, and how to fund its ambitious vision. Who should pay for digital infrastructure that was a public good? Were the answers the same in the U.S. and in Africa?
Open Source Software and Global Entrepreneurship
- November 2023 |
- Article |
- Research Policy
JPMorgan Chase in Paris
- October 2023 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
Deglobalization and Entrepreneurial Investment: The Natural Experiment of Brexit
- 2023 |
- Working Paper |
- Faculty Research