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Describes the evolution and current situation of Germany's financial system. Based on a discussion of the German economy in the postwar period, the case highlights the impact of financial globalization and EU policies on Germany's domestic system of banking and finance, corporate governance, and banking regulation.

Describes the sixth and final module of the Harvard Business School MBA second-year elective course Legal Aspects of Management. This module deals with the way firms should approach business risks in order to avoid legal liability and how firms can use contracts to allocate risk.

Argentina has flourished under a fixed exchange rate system, yet there are large income and employment fluctuations. The social cost of unemployment is threatening the viability of the economic model. Building a welfare state is one alternative, but this may be a return to the populist policies of the past.

Vina San Pedro (VSP) is the third-largest vineyard in Chile and has recently expanded its capacity. The new president is considering how fast to push into both foreign and domestic markets, where efforts should be focused, and how to balance capacity within the context of uncertain, volatile markets and the vagaries of foreign exchange. Meanwhile he must position growth in the context of new return-on-capital-employed objectives.

Supplements The Reagan Plan.

Describes the development strategy followed by Korea under the leadership of Park Chung Hee as well as the reform efforts embarked on by his successors.

Conventional wisdom says that companies from the periphery of the global market can't compete against established global giants from Europe, Japan, and the United States. Companies from developing countries have entered the game too late; they don't have the resources. But Christopher Bartlett and Sumantra Ghoshal disagree. The problem for most aspiring multinationals from peripheral countries, say the authors, is that they enter the global marketplace in low-margin businesses at the bottom of the value curve, and they stay there. But it doesn't have to be that way. They studied 12 emerging multinationals based in such countries--from emerging markets like Brazil to relatively more prosperous yet still peripheral nations like Australia to developing countries like the Philippines. These companies now enjoy global success because they treated global competition as an opportunity to build capabilities and move into more profitable segments of their industry. The path to globalization isn't easy, but the authors show that it is possible. Each company in the study overcame the same core challenges. They broke out of the mind-set that they were unable to compete successfully on the global stage. They adopted strategies that made being a late mover a source of competitive advantage. They developed a culture of continual cross-border learning. And they all had leaders who drove them relentlessly up the value curve. The companies discussed in this article are models for the thousands of marginal companies in peripheral economies that have the potential to become legitimate global players.

Explores the development of the Internet in China. Starts with background information on China, the Internet, and several common Internet business models. Discusses regulatory and business obstacles to the growth of e-commerce in China. Finally, presents forecasts and an overview of several leading firms.

For over a century, the international diamond market has been dominated by one of the most successful cartels on earth. Run by the legendary De Beers Corp., the cartel has managed to keep diamond prices increasing and to prevent the defection that dooms most other "orderly marketing arrangements." It has also managed to uphold one of the greatest marketing coups of history: convincing millions of customers that diamonds are actually rare and therefore highly prized. There is only one problem for the cartel. It is illegal in the United States (the world's largest market for gem diamonds) and has been under constant attack by the U.S. Justice Department. The case describes how De Beers has dealt with this problem in the past and how, in the late 1990s, changes in the African political situation and the world diamond market may suggest a new relationship with the U.S. government.

The case 'Hitting the Wall: Nike and International Labor Practices' is set in the mid-1990s, when Nike, one of the world's most successful footwear companies, is hit by a spate of alarmingly bad publicity. After years of high-profile media attention as the company that can "just do it," Nike is suddenly being portrayed as a firm that relies on low-cost, exploited labor in its overseas plants. Nike officials vigorously deny the charges, claiming that Nike has no control over the independent contractors who manufacture Nike shoes. But the activists will not retreat. Eventually, Nike must learn to deal with the activists' claims and with the tangle of conflicting data that surrounds the concept of a "fair" or "living" wage.

Spreadsheet supplement for case 700-047.

Law, by definition, was jurisdictional, yet in cyberspace, it had become increasingly questionable whether laws regulating the physical marketplace were able to be superimposed onto this new marketspace or were altogether redundant. The collapsing of time and space that Internet-based commerce enabled had huge implications for international trade. This case outlines the international implications of "doing business" on the Internet. While the issues of "multi-jurisdictional compliance" are wide ranging, an example in the case draws attention to the protection of intellectual property rights. In particular, issues related to the use of trademarks on Web sites, in hyperlinks or as metatags are raised, as are the implications for registered trademark owners in cyberspace.

Discusses Schneider Electric's shift from local to global account management. Focuses on the experience of Fritz Keller, international account manager in Switzerland. Covers the main challenges a global account manager faces, including internal issues and client examples. Looks at organizational issues, local vs. global issues, defining and setting up a global account structure, information management issues, as well as internal buy-in issues. Ends with the current challenges the global account manager faces when attempting to reconcile local and international priorities.

Despite the rapid growth of Asian businesses, the center of the world economy in the next century will continue to be North America and Europe.

Canadian Closures was a joint venture (JV) between the Australian firm, Melbourne Closures (Melbourne), and Macklin Breweries (Macklin) which was based in Canada. The JV manufactured beer bottle caps based on Melbourne's technology; its only customer was Macklin's 10 breweries. Continuing product quality and performance problems resulted in the general manager being replaced. The new general manager was faced with the challenge of resolving these issues and balancing what was best for the parent companies in the short-term and what was best for the JV in the long-term. Macklin wanted reimbursement for faulty caps, which would have a significant impact on the profit objectives that both parent companies expected the JV to meet. The general manager had to find a solution that would satisfy both parent companies while minimizing negative impacts on the JV's results. The supplemental case, Canadian Closures (B), product 900M20, presents what happened and addresses another challenge later in the JV's life cycle.

Supplements the (A) case 900M19.

Programs of economic liberalization often lead to dramatic changes in industry structure. This note presents excerpts from several research papers that summarize findings on how industries evolve following abrupt policy reforms. The note is organized into seven sections. The first introduces the concept of competitive shocks and briefly discusses their prevalence. Subsequent sections discuss typical patterns of industry transformation, entry and exit, changes in concentration levels, and changes in foreign presence (defined as imports plus sales of foreign-owned plants).

Supplements Tax Cut of 1964 (9-382-078), Nixon's Economic Strategy--1969 (8-378-258), and The Reagan Plan (9-381-173).

Many policy makers at the Fed contend that the new economy is a fragile bubble--and that with the "irrational exuberance" of the capital markets, the sky is going to fall on the U.S. economy. That couldn't be further from the truth, according to William Sahlman. As long as the government doesn't interfere, he argues, the economy is sturdy, resilient, and raring to grow. The new economy is strong for several reasons. First, it is based on a business model that works. Any business system that relentlessly drives out inefficiency, forces intelligent business-process reengineering, and gives customers more of what they want will be sustainable. Second, it is built on America's admiration for entrepreneurs and its tolerance for failure, not to mention its easy access to capital. Third, the new economy is attracting the best and brightest minds in the country. And finally, says Sahlman, the new economy is strong because it is spreading. It may be primarily an American phenomenon now, but in a few short years it will start to show its effects everywhere, making the whole world a more productive place. Still, Sahlman believes, the road ahead is not without potholes and sharp curves. But that is what the new economy is all about, he maintains--companies attacking the status quo and entrenched players, companies experimenting to find new technologies that improve or replace earlier ones. Such activity presents no cause for alarm. The economic, social, and cultural factors undergirding the new economy are rock solid. It's simply a matter of letting them stand.

Information industries are at the core of the celebrated new economy; they may also be at the core of a sharp deterioration in the U.S. trade position.