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  • July 2022 (Revised September 2022)
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Birla Carbon Egypt: Building Soft Power in a Foreign Country

By: Jeremy Friedman and Malini Sen
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:31
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Abstract

Birla Carbon, a flagship business of the nearly $60-billion global conglomerate and India-headquartered Aditya Birla Group (ABG), is one of the world's top manufacturers and suppliers of high-quality carbon black. The largest among its 16 manufacturing plants is Birla Carbon Egypt (BCE), situated in the port city of Alexandria. BCE started its operations in 1994, to become the first carbon black manufacturing unit in Egypt and the Middle East. Over three decades it has grown to become a leading exporter in the region, playing a significant role in the Egyptian economy. However, the journey has not been without its challenges as BCE has tackled political unrest and frequent changes in government, besides growing concerns about pollution. Given Egypt's recent volatile political history, would BCE be able to successfully continue to separate business from politics? More broadly, what would BCE's success or failure mean on a global scale? As India seeks to grow into a great power, how would its economic footprint abroad distinguish it from other great powers? Could BCE represent a new, Indian version of FDI?

Keywords

Acquisition; Family Business; Disruption; Transformation; Diversity; Trade; Energy; Values and Beliefs; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Global Strategy; Government and Politics; Private Ownership; Civil Society or Community; Risk and Uncertainty; Value Creation; Industrial Products Industry; Rubber Industry; Egypt; Africa; India; Asia; Atlanta; United States

Citation

Friedman, Jeremy, and Malini Sen. "Birla Carbon Egypt: Building Soft Power in a Foreign Country." Harvard Business School Case 723-003, July 2022. (Revised September 2022.)
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About The Author

Jeremy S. Friedman

Business, Government and the International Economy
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Related Work

    • July 2022 (Revised September 2022)
    • Faculty Research

    Birla Carbon Egypt: Building Soft Power in a Foreign Country

    By: Jeremy Friedman and Malini Sen
Related Work
  • Birla Carbon Egypt: Building Soft Power in a Foreign Country By: Jeremy Friedman and Malini Sen
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