More from these Authors

• Case | HBS Case Collection | August 2013 (Revised January 2019)

  Kumbh Mela: India's Pop-up Mega-City

  Tarun Khanna, John Macomber and Saloni Chaturvedi

  Keywords: India;

  Citation:

  Khanna, Tarun, John Macomber, and Saloni Chaturvedi. "Kumbh Mela: India's Pop-up Mega-City." Harvard Business School Case 214-023, August 2013. (Revised January 2019.)  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2019

  Rural Taobao: Alibaba's Expansion into Rural E-Commerce

  Tarun Khanna, Ryan Allen, Adam Frost and Wesley Koo

  Alibaba's Rural Taobao initiative had been launched in 2014 as a public service initiative to increase e-commerce adoption in China’s remote rural areas. In the first two iterations of the initiative, dubbed “1.0” and “2.0”, Alibaba had partnered with local businesses and young returnees to operate village stations. Village stations served as logistical and educational hubs to help villagers make online purchases. Despite significant growth in sales through village stations, the business model was operating at a loss, and competitors JD and Pinduoduo were growing quickly, threatening to challenge Alibaba by claiming the rural e-commerce markets. Bill Wang, the head of the initiative, was tasked with designing and implementing the next model for Alibaba’s future expansion into rural areas. The decision centers around whether Alibaba should copy the successes of competitors JD and Pinduoduo, escalate commitment to its original value proposition (hands-on service to villagers), or embrace an entirely new model. The case highlights the competing pressures of financial performance, CSR and corporate mission, government relations, and long-term competitive positioning that are common to major strategic decisions.

  Keywords: strategy; Business growth; ecommerce; corporate social responsibility; Business and Government; emerging market; Market Platforms; Online Technology; Emerging Markets; Rural Scope; Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Government Relations; Decision Making; China;

  Citation:

  Khanna, Tarun, Ryan Allen, Adam Frost, and Wesley Koo. "Rural Taobao: Alibaba's Expansion into Rural E-Commerce." Harvard Business School Case 719-433, January 2019.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | May 2017 (Revised November 2018)

  Talent@Tencent

  Tarun Khanna, Nancy Hua Dai and Shu Lin

  On November 11, 2016, Xi Dan, Senior Vice President of Tencent, and Ma Yongwu, Dean of Tencent Academy, were discussing how Tencent could develop new capabilities to sustain its growth miracle and entry into new technologies, expansion into B2B businesses, and internationalization.

  Keywords: Talent and Talent Management; Training; Emerging Markets; Entrepreneurship; Globalization; Human Resources; Innovation and Management; Leadership Development; Business Strategy; Technology; Internet; China;

  Citation:

  Khanna, Tarun, Nancy Hua Dai, and Shu Lin. "Talent@Tencent." Harvard Business School Case 717-500, May 2017. (Revised November 2018.)  View Details

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