Geography and Strategy in Developing Countries

Abstract

Geography plays a central role in firms’ strategic choices. Deciding where to locate operations and employees, as well as whether to move or not, can have critical performance implications. At the same time, a growing literature in strategy shows that conditions in developing economies often necessitate different firm strategies. This raises an important question at the intersection of these literatures: how do choices about geography shape firm strategy in developing economies? In this symposium, we explore this new area of research through a set of cutting edge studies, each of which examines a different way in which geography and firm strategy interact in developing economies. Our discussant, Professor Lamar Pierce, will build on these presentations and his own expertise on firm strategy in Africa to synthesize and critique the studies. Following this, the host will encourage a lively debate about how geography matters for strategy and organization theory in developing economies. Location, Gendered Constraints and Business Performance Presenter: Solene Delecourt; Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley Employee Work Novelty and Communication in a Hybrid Remote Workplace Presenter: Tarun Khanna; Harvard U. Presenter: Kyle Schirmann; Harvard Business School Presenter: Christos Makridis; MIT Sloan School of Management The Impact of Capital Constraints on Strategic Misconduct Presenter: Fulton C. Eaglin; Harvard Business School Won’t you be my neighbor? Geography, networking, and entrepreneur performance in Togo Presenter: Stefan Dimitriadis; U. of Toronto, Rotman School of Management Presenter: Rembrand Michael Koning; Harvard Business School