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• Case | HBS Case Collection | June 2018 (Revised November 2019)

  John Chambers, Cisco and China: Upgrading a Golden Shield

  Geoffrey Jones and Emily Grandjean

  This case examines the role of Cisco led by John Chambers in facilitating web filtering in China. It begins by tracing the origins of Cisco as a pioneer of networking equipment. John Chambers, who had worked as a sales manager at IBM and Wang Laboratories, joined Cisco in 1991 and became CEO in 1995. The company expanded rapidly thereafter, acquiring many firms and growing globally, including in China, where it virtually created the internet. The case explores how the firm facilitated surveillance and monitoring of the internet under the Golden Shield project launched in 2000, and in 2004 served as a key participant in the CN2 upgrade that greatly enhanced official capability to filter content online. The case ends in 2007 with Chambers announcing further capital expenditure in China but facing growing criticism by U.S. Congress and others for Cisco's human rights record. At the same time, Cisco faced a powerful domestic competitor in China, Huawei, that had grown rapidly by investing in innovation even as Cisco pursued a share buy-back campaign after experiencing a sharp fall in its share price following the end of the Dot-com bubble. The case provides a vehicle for exploring the ethical and human rights responsibilities of corporations in the technology sector, as well as the impact of the internet on democracy.

  Keywords: Cisco; Internet; Governance Controls; Ethics; Rights; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Technology Industry; China;

  Citation:

  Jones, Geoffrey, and Emily Grandjean. "John Chambers, Cisco and China: Upgrading a Golden Shield." Harvard Business School Case 318-158, June 2018. (Revised November 2019.)  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | July 2019 (Revised November 2019)

  Momofuku Ando and the Globalization of Noodles

  Geoffrey Jones and Megumi Takada

  This case examines the entrepreneurial career of Momofuku Ando, the Taiwanese-born Japanese entrepreneur who pioneered instant boodles with his Chicken Ramen (1958) and Cup Noodle (1971) products. It begins by reviewing his many previous unsuccessful ventures, including two jail terms, during the turbulent era of the 1930s, World War II, and postwar Japan. Following the development of Cup Noodle, Ando and his company Nissin began globalizing the product, beginning with the United States, Brazil and Southeast Asia. The case enables a discussion of the factors behind his many entrepreneurial failures, and his eventual success in the food industry. It looks at the social and economic changes which provided the context for his subsequent development of a successful business in instant noodles, and its globalization. The case also provides an opportunity to discuss the responsibilities of the food industry for the health of consumers. Although instant noodles were cheap and convenient, the high sodium content posed potential health risks, while the packaging of Cup Noodle had an adverse environmental impact.

  Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Personal Development and Career; Failure; Success; Globalization; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Food and Beverage Industry; Japan;

  Citation:

  Jones, Geoffrey, and Megumi Takada. "Momofuku Ando and the Globalization of Noodles." Harvard Business School Case 320-006, July 2019. (Revised November 2019.)  View Details

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• Teaching Plan | HBS Case Collection | November 2019

  Momofuku Ando and the Globalization of Noodles

  Geoffrey Jones and Emilie Takayama

  Teaching Note for HBS No. 320-006.

  Citation:

  Jones, Geoffrey, and Emilie Takayama. "Momofuku Ando and the Globalization of Noodles." Harvard Business School Teaching Plan 320-049, November 2019.  View Details

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