In 1997, amid Japan’s continuing financial troubles, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto attempted to restructure the financial sector to make it more transparent and more competitive globally. He hoped that this attempt, dubbed the “Big Bang” after Britain’s financial restructuring a decade earlier, would be successful. But the financial problems, which had apparently subsided, seemed to …
This is a case that could stimulate discussions about political strategies and the relationship between marginalized cultural groups and the mainstream. It tells the story of an attempt in 1988 to make English the official language of the state of Florida, inspired in part by tension and jealousy over the arrival and relative prosperity of …
The Dalian Wanda Group Co. Ltd. (Wanda) was a rapidly growing real estate empire in China built by Jianlin Wang, the richest man in China. In 2010, Wang transformed Wanda into an entertainment company and embarked on an ambitious international growth strategy. There were hardly any limits to his ambitions; However, one of his acquisitions, …
It analyzes the macroeconomic and political situation in the UK from the end of the Second World War to 2001. It focuses on the interactions between macroeconomic performance, industrial relations, the corporate governance system and social services. Specifically, it compares and contrasts the policies (and their effects) adopted by successive government administrations, from the postwar …
In October 2018, LIU Chang (Angela), president of Beijing-based New Hope Liuhe (NHL), reflected on the company’s strategy. With sales of $ 9 billion and a presence in nearly 20 countries, NHL was China’s largest animal feed manufacturer and one of the leading producers and processors of pork and poultry. The company also marketed a …
In 1976, US Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger led a series of complicated multi-party negotiations in southern Africa to persuade Rhodesia’s white leader, Ian Smith, to join the majority black government. Kissinger’s efforts, carried out toward the end of President Gerald Ford’s term and against considerable opposition in the United States, culminated in Smith’s …
The collapse of central authority in the Soviet Union in 1991 ushered in a period of revolutionary transformations for the resulting states. The leaders of Russia, the successor to the USSR, struggled to restore central authority while trying to prevent further disintegration, create democratic politics, and introduce a market economy in the years to come. …
It’s June 1997 and a team from International Finance Corp. (IFC) recommends that the board approve a $ 120 million investment in a $ 1.4 billion aluminum smelter in Mozambique, known as Project Mozal. Four factors make the investment controversial: it would be the largest IFC investment in the world, the total investment is almost …
When Ukraine becomes independent after the collapse and dissolution of the Soviet Union, the nation that is suddenly the third most populous nation in Europe finds itself almost immediately in high-level international diplomacy and negotiations. A significant part of the former nuclear arsenal of the Soviet Union, including ICBMs destined for the United States, is …
Jefferson County, Alabama, is facing a mandate from the EPA that requires updating its sewer system. How will you finance the updates? What are the consequences?