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An Insider’s Account of the Yahoo-Alibaba Deal

Harvard Business Review

In May of 2005, Yahoo CEO Terry Semel, cofounder Jerry Yang, corporate development executive Toby Coppel, and I — I was then chief financial officer of the Silicon Valley internet company — went on what would turn out to be a fateful trip to China. Things hadn’t gone well up until that point. search engine company Inktomi in 2002.

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Why Amazon Should Unbundle Prime

Harvard Business Review

In 2005, Amazon introduced its Prime service, which provides members with unlimited “free” two-day delivery (as well as discounted overnight delivery) on eligible products for $79 a year. Marketing' Given these figures, Prime members account for roughly 36% of Amazon’s $74 billion in annual revenues.

Insiders

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Serving on Boards Helps Executives Get Promoted

Harvard Business Review

In an effort to explore executives’ motivations for serving on boards, we looked at how board service is evaluated in the executive labor market. in 2004, and in 2005, her total compensation from her home firm, Whole Foods Market Inc., Yabuki, who was the COO of H&R Block Services Inc in 2003.

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China’s Growth: A Brief History

Harvard Business Review

Some find evidence of a clear improvement of total factor productivity since market-oriented reforms began in 1979, estimating that the increase in TFP contributed about 40% to GDP growth, roughly the same as that contributed by fixed asset investment. In 2005, the OECD estimated that annual TFP growth averaged 3.7%

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How Chinese Companies Can Develop Global Brands

Harvard Business Review

China leads all emerging markets with 89 companies on the latest Fortune Global 500 list of the world’s largest. To many skeptical consumers in developed markets, Brand China still means lower quality. Western brands also want access to China and recent global market turmoil has exposed many targets for astute Chinese brands.

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How to Pull Your Company Out of a Tailspin

Harvard Business Review

Free fall is a crisis of obsolescence and decline that can happen at any point in a company’s life cycle, but most often it affects maturing incumbents whose business model has come under competitive attack from insurgents or is no longer viable in a changing market. The company was in free fall. The company was in free fall.

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Expanding the Reach of Primary Care in Developing Countries

Harvard Business Review

Indeed, a 2003 Lancet study reported that 63% of child deaths in the 42 countries that account for 90% of global child mortality could be prevented each year through more effective primary care. Market focus. North Star Alliance is a strong example in SubSaharan Africa.