<p align= "justify">Many factors influence corporate governance in a family firm, the most prevalent form of business entity in Latin America. National culture affects a family firm's societal values, as well as economic, political, and legal systems of governance. Normative behaviour and expectations are also key factors that affect both individual and organizational norms. The firm’s characteristics are another major source of .....more

Boards of directors have important responsibilities in the context of top management succession processes. However, their role has not been sufficiently studied in the setting of family-controlled firms. Meanwhile, family executives often play a major role in the performance of family firms. In fact, replacing those family managers has important implications and needs to be treated as a priority by boards of directors. In this industry note, we explore .....more

In mid-2020, Uber Technologies, Inc. (Uber) acquired Latin American-based mobile application Cornershop, which delivered online grocery purchases to the consumer’s home. The operation involved technology firms based on multisided platforms. Uber, which focused on the intermediation of passenger transport, had expanded to businesses such Uber Eats for the delivery of restaurant meals, while Cornershop’s focus was the purchase and delivery of supermarket .....more

On August 12, 1819, a crew set sail for the Pacific Ocean on a three-year voyage on the Essex whaling ship. On November 20, 1820, a giant sperm whale emerged from the ocean and critically damaged the Essex’s starboard hull. The crew consisted of the captain, two officers, three boat steerers, and 13 sailors, most of whom lacked experience. While the captain and officers of the Essex huddled to plan their next move, the crew trusted the first officer .....more

In 2020, Falabella, one of the largest Latin American multi-format and multi-country retailers, faced increasing competition from the online world. The growth of online giants posed significant challenges for Falabella’s senior executives, who needed to decide how to allocate investments in this highly competitive environment. There were also growth opportunities in the brick-and-mortar business in many Latin American countries. Falabella needed to .....more

The case recounts the development and implementation of the first social media campaign at La Protectora de la Infancia (La Protectora), a centenary, Chilean non-profit organization offering education and social assistance to children in need. With a large number of non-profits operating in several domains across the country, competition for volunteers and donations was high in the sector. However, Chile had one of the most engaged social media markets .....more

In June 2017, a journalist was preparing a major news story about Lumni Inc. (Lumni), a company that he wanted to profile in the next issue of his Mexico City–based magazine. Lumni's mission was essentially a social one: to improve the conditions, access, and quality of higher education for young students, especially in Latin America. However, although its mission was originally non-profit, Lumni was not considered a non-governmental organization .....more

On February 27, 2010, Chile was razed by a three-minute earthquake of 8.8 magnitude on the Richter scale. More than 500 people died and nearly 400,000 homes were destroyed. The overall cost was estimated at US$20 billion. Over 70 per cent of the people who had died in the earthquake were from the coastal town of Constitucion. Celulosa Arauco y Constitucion (Arauco), a Chilean-based forestry and timber company, was Constitucion’s largest employer. .....more

The third-generation leader of CFR Pharmaceuticals had been successful in executing a strategy of consolidating pharmaceutical firms across Latin America. As part of the company’s expansion strategy, the CEO explored opportunities to develop multiple sources of growth and expand CFR Pharmaceutical’s footprint in emerging markets; to do this, he found a company in South Africa, Adcock Ingram, to acquire. The combined company would offer CFR product .....more

A wealth management company in Chile that provided financial advisory services to high net worth individuals and pension funds was at a crossroads. After 15 years in business, the company had become very successful. To increase its value without incurring undue corporate financial risk, the owner, who has invested most of his personal wealth in the company, has the opportunity to make an investment in a similar wealth management company in Colombia. .....more