Investors the world over are jockeying for their share of the giant emerging market in China. But China's explosive political, economic, and social forces could propel it toward some unexpected future—not necessarily one of growth and prosperity. This larger concern—the fundamental...

This case is a cautionary tale. Though “RosyOpticals.com” was one of analysts’ favorite start‐ups in the Internet boom, this San Francisco company’s prodigious plans to get big in a hurry caused it to ignore some basic tenets of strategic management. It is not that giving their...