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Spreadsheet supplement for case 796-077.

Describes the aftermath of the explosion at Bhopal.

In the latter half of the 1980s, the collapse of the Soviet empire created an unprecedented opportunity for Western businesses. Among those most attracted were the oil firms, who rushed to investigate Russia's vast petroleum reserves. But, as they soon discovered, investing in Russia still entailed tremendous risks--commercial, legal, and political. The case examines how three companies (Phibro, Mobil, and Conoco) have evaluated the risks of Russia and formulated a strategy for investment.

In December 1984, a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, sprung a leak, releasing thousands of gallons of highly toxic gas into the atmosphere. By the time the leak was sealed, over 2,000 people had died. In a series of three excerpts from published accounts, the case covers the events that led up to the tragedy and the aftermath--financial, legal, and emotional--for Union Carbide's management. The case is designed to allow students to explore the complex set of responsibilities that surround foreign direct investment. It enables them to discuss the extent to which Union Carbide's U.S.-based management was responsible for actions undertaken by Indians in India, and then to think of this responsibility in terms of its various components--financial, commercial, and moral.

Between 1985 and 1990, the global economy witnessed an unprecedented surge in flows of foreign direct investment (FDI). This sudden increase called back into prominence the range of questions that have long surrounded FDI. What causes firms to expand or contract their purchase of foreign assets? How do patterns of investment affect trade and development? What is the impact of FDI on host countries? This note explores these questions in some detail and includes data summarizing recent trends in FDI flows.

Examines the experience of Polaroid of Shanghai Ltd. (PSL), a joint venture between the U.S.-based Polaroid Corp. and the Shanghai Motion Picture Industry Co., within the framework of China's foreign investment climate. Discusses the evolution of foreign investment in China, from the so-called treaty ports in the mid-nineteenth century to the creation of Special Economic Zones in the latter part of the twentieth century. A major section on the current investment regime details the negotiation and approval process, management and labor relations, the foreign exchange system, and the macroeconomic environment.

As the third largest economy after the United States and Japan, China's startling economic growth has spurred increasing interest in the economic, social, and political factors that catapulted the country to sudden prominence. This case starts with an overview of the country's ancient and modern history, and then focuses on the dramatic transition in the mid-twentieth century under Communist rule. The case analysis divides recent economic reforms into three distinct phases: reform in the countryside (1978-84), financial and enterprise reform (1984-88), and current efforts at monetary and fiscal reform following the Tiananmen crisis of 1989.

Examines Gerber Products Co.'s evaluation of Alima S.A., one of Poland's largest food processing plants, as a potential overseas investment in 1991. Factors that influenced Gerber's decision are discussed in detail: property rights, taxation issues, and Poland's political economy.

Describes the political and economic situation in Poland in 1989, following the country's first democratic elections and the subsequent establishment of a Solidarity-led government. After examining the legacies left by 40 years of Communist rule, the case lays out the problems that face the new government and the choices it must make. Most centrally, it outlines the Sachs proposal for a rapid "leap to the market" and lays out the arguments for and against such a move. Designed to encourage students to think about the structural prerequisites for capitalism and to realize the difficulties the new Polish government will face as it tries to balance its economic and political objectives.