Publications
Publications
- September 2010 (Revised December 2011)
- HBS Case Collection
WildChina: Taking the Road Less Traveled
By: Mukti Khaire, Daniel Isenberg, Victoria Song and Shirley Spence
Abstract
This case deals with supplier difficulties faced by WildChina—a travel service provider in China. WildChina is a classic case of a company that is trying to bring a local, within-country product to a market outside the country (in this case, travelers to China from around the world). In doing so, start-ups have to build competences to deal with local suppliers and global customers. The case describes the operations of WildChina providing detailed information on how they evaluated suppliers to determine their appropriateness, given WildChina's customers. The decision in the case revolves around what the founder should do when faced with a supplier who is trying to bypass WildChina to reach customers directly—a common problem faced by intermediaries.
Keywords
Business Model; Business Startups; Customer Focus and Relationships; Local Range; Globalized Markets and Industries; Supply Chain Management; Conflict Management; Travel Industry; China
Citation
Khaire, Mukti, Daniel Isenberg, Victoria Song, and Shirley Spence. "WildChina: Taking the Road Less Traveled." Harvard Business School Case 811-019, September 2010. (Revised December 2011.)