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New research on business globalization from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including strategy and tactics, executive skills, risk management.
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Of Learning and Forgetting: Centrism, Populism, and the Legitimacy Crisis of Globalization

by Rawi Abdelal

Cycles of liberation and regulation of global finance follow a pattern of learning and forgetting. This essay argues that liberalization and globalization created the instability and inequality that have begun to undermine the system from within.

Dignity, Inequality, and the Populist Backlash: Lessons from America and Europe for a Sustainable Globalization

by Rawi Abdelal

COVID-19 has enhanced already existing fissures undermining some societies’ commitments to globalization. Governments and firms need to act decisively to make the models of capitalism in the United States and Europe more friendly to small- and medium-sized firms, more equal in opportunity, and more meritocratic.

Has COVID-19 Broken the Global Value Chain?

by Sean Silverthorne

4Questions Companies and consumers depend on the global value chain to create and distribute products around the world. What happens when the chain breaks? Insights from Laura Alfaro and Ester Faia. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Is There a Winner in Huawei’s Digital Cold War with the US?

Bill Kirby discusses his case study of China-based Huawei’s growth and ultimate confrontation with the United States government, and China's response to the coronavirus. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The Little Understood Problem Confronting Diverse Workplaces

by Julia Hanna

Knitting together a diverse workforce into a common fabric is a difficult challenge for managers—and even more difficult for the workers themselves, say Lakshmi Ramarajan and Erin Reid. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

China-based Fuyao Glass Considers Manufacturing in the US

Not many Chinese companies open manufacturing facilities in the US, but automotive glass maker Fuyao is considering just that. In a recent case study, Willy Shih examines factors that go into deciding where companies should locate production centers. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The Controversial History of United Fruit

Geoffrey Jones discusses the overthrow of President Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala in 1954 in a US-backed coup supporting United Fruit Company and a key landmark in the history of globalization. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The Unconventional Capitalism That Shapes Business History

by Geoffrey G. Jones

Geoffrey G. Jones reports on a business history conference studying the many shades of capitalism around the world and through time. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Branding Sells Cereal, Handbags, and Vacations. Can It Sell a Country?

by Danielle Kost

Countries such as Israel now realize they need to engage in public diplomacy as well as foreign diplomacy, and in place branding, not just political advocacy, says Elie Ofek. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The UK Needs a Bold Strategy Around Competition to Survive Brexit

by Michael Blanding

There is little doubt that the United Kingdom’s separation from Europe will reduce its competitiveness for the foreseeable future, argues Michael E. Porter. Here's what can be done about it. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Free Trade Needs Nurturing—and Other Lessons from History

by Staff

Global free trade is not the natural order of things, so it needs to be carefully tended to and maintained. Sophus Reinert and Dante Roscini discuss trade over time and what history teaches. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Towards a New Approach for Upgrading Europe’s Competitiveness

by Christian Ketels and Michael E. Porter

Is the EU’s model of European integration a driver or a barrier towards higher European prosperity? This paper analyzes why the integration model that was successful in the past has lost effectiveness, and sets out strategic principles to guide a new approach. Integration remains key for upgrading European competitiveness, but needs to move towards a new form.

Shifting Centers of Gravity: Host Country versus Headquarters Influences on MNC Subsidiary Knowledge Inheritance

by Prithwiraj Choudhury, Mike Horia Teodorescu, and Tarun Khanna

This study compares how multinational corporation subsidiaries inherit knowledge from both the headquarters and the local context. To do so the authors analyzed seven years of data (2005–2011) of US patents filed by all subsidiaries of the top 25 US headquartered multinationals.

Op-Ed: The Trouble with Tariffs

by Willy C. Shih

The world's economies are interconnected by globalization, which makes threats of tariff wars doubly dangerous, says Willy Shih. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Trump’s Populism: What Business Leaders Need To Understand

Whether you are a fan of populism or not, it is vital for business leaders to understand the debate around it, says Rafael Di Tella in our latest Cold Call podcast. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The New History of American Capitalism

Historians are taking a new look at capitalism in light of its adoption in most of the developed world. From the edited volume American Capitalism: New Histories, by Sven Beckert and Christine Desan, the authors delve into the evolution of these new historic views. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Language and Globalization: The Mandate to Speak English at Rakuten

Japan’s largest online retailer, Rakuten, is rapidly expanding into global markets and requiring all employees, where ever they are located, to conduct business in English. Tsedal Neeley discusses the strong connection between language and globalization. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

How Economic Clusters Drive Globalization

by Julia Hanna

Historical research by Valeria Giacomin shows that industrial clusters, often cited in explaining local economic growth, have had a much wider impact, especially in developing countries. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

International Business and Emerging Markets: A Long-Run Perspective

by Geoffrey Jones

This paper examines how strategies by Western multinational enterprises in emerging markets over the last century have been shaped by context. These strategies evolved from resolving logistical challenges to managing assertive governments. More recently the focus has been to locate activities in the lower end of global value chains, whilst responding to local competitors.

A Historical Approach to Clustering in Emerging Economies

by Valeria Giacomin

Clusters are geographically concentrated and interlinked agglomerations of specialized firms in a particular domain. This paper argues that long-term studies of clusters in developing countries are necessary to explain the relevance of clusters for the activities of multinational enterprises, making of global business, and building of an integrated marketplace.