HomeResearch & Knowledgeback to HomeFamily Businessback to Research & KnowledgeAmer International Groupback to Family Business

Case Study

Amer International Group

By Denise H. Kenyon-Rouvinez and Nan Li

4 pages

November 2015

Order this case study

Reference: IMD-7-1666

Wang Wenyin, founder and chairman of the Amer International Group, was born to farmer parents in 1968 in a small village in China’s eastern Anhui Province. After finishing university, he worked for a state-owned petrochemical company in Shanghai, but what he really wanted was to have his own business. In 1994, Wang started a power cord business which by 2014 had grown to be one of the world’s biggest copper players, ranking No. 295 on Fortune’s Global 500 list. He relied soley on his own talent strategy, soliciting the world’s top talent across the copper value chain. In fact, he was a staunch believer that passing one’s business on to one’s children was the surest way to kill a business. None of his relatives owned any equity in Amer and if they worked in the company, they received 30% less salary than non-family employees.

Learning Objective

This case sets the scene for a discussion on the different philosophies and business models illustrated by the Amer and Fotile cases.

Keywords

Family Business, Non-family Member, Talent Management

Settings

Asia, China
Amer International, Materials, Metals and Mining
1994-2014

Type

Published Sources

Available Languages

English

IMD case studies are distributed through case clearing houses. In order to browse the collection and purchase copies please visit the links below.

The Case Centre

Cranfield University

Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK
Tel +44 (0)1234 750903
Email [email protected]

Harvard Business School Publishing

60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163, USA
Tel (800) 545-7685 Tel (617)-783-7600
Fax (617) 783-7666
Email [email protected]

Asia Pacific Case Center

NUCB Business School

1-3-1 Nishiki Naka
Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0003
Tel +81 52 20 38 111
Email [email protected]

IMD retains all proprietary interests in its case studies and notes. Without prior written permission, IMD cases and notes may not be reproduced, used, translated, included in books or other publications, distributed in any form or by any means, stored in a database or in other retrieval systems. For additional copyright information related to case studies, please contact Case Services.

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Keep reading

Book

The family business book

Families are the most prevalent type of business owners in any global economy. But succeeding across generations is tricky, and only a few continue...

Family Business Global Business Entrepreneurship

By Alfredo De Massis and Emanuela Rondi

Article

Redefining wealth management: How family offices can lead the charge in responsible investing

Family offices are uniquely positioned to drive positive change through impact investing by leveraging their wealth, influence, and values to creat...

Family Business Finance

By Peter Vogel and Risto Väyrynen

in I by IMD

Article

Family businesses and strategic change: The role of family ownership

In this study, we analyze how the performance-aspiration gap influences strategic change in family firms, providing evidence of the moderating role...

Family Business Strategy

By Nina Schweiger, Kurt Matzler, Julia Hautz and Alfredo De Massis

in Review of Managerial Science

October 2024, vol. 18, pp. 2981-3005 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-023-00703-3

Article

«Founder mode»: che cos’è, perché può spaccare la Silicon Valley (e segnare la fine dell’era del management)

September 2024 marks a turning point in the world of corporate management. Paul Graham, a prominent figure in Silicon Valley and founder of Y Combi...

Family Business Leadership Innovation Disruption

By Alfredo De Massis and Paolo Lacchè

in Corriere della Sera

30 September 2024

Article

Generational wealth: Embracing "Lotus" model for family business succession

There is a Chinese saying that wealth does not last beyond three generations, and the reality is that sustaining family businesses is a significant...

Family Business Strategy Organizational Design

By Marleen Dieleman

in The Edge Malaysia

5 September 2024

Article

Family control, political risk and employment security: A cross-national study

Combining insights from the socioemotional wealth and institutional perspectives, we hypothesize that firms controlled by families offer greater jo...

Family Business

By Luis R. Gomez-Mejia, Maria J. Sanchez-Bueno, Ivan Miroshnychenko, Robert M. Wiseman, Fernando Muñoz-Bullón and Alfredo De Massis

in Journal of Management Studies

September 2024, vol. 61, no. 6, pp. 2338-2372 https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12970

Article

Preserving the longevity of long-lasting family businesses: A multilevel model

Prior research lacks an understanding of how decision makers preserve longevity within family businesses. This study examines longevity under a mic...

Family Business

By Elisa Conz, Stefano Denicolai and Alfredo De Massis

in Journal of Management and Governance

September 2024, vol. 28, pp. 707-744, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10997-023-09670-z

Article

Digital product innovation within family firms: A construal level perspective

Digital product innovation (DPI) is critical for the survival of firms, especially those operating in traditional industrial-age industries. While ...

Family Business Digital Innovation

By Paolo Capolupo, Lorenzo Ardito, Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli, Nadine Kammerlander and Alfredo De Massis

in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice

28 August 2024, ePub before print, https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587241268029

Article

How to collaborate for systems change: Lessons from the world of giving

Philanthropic foundations are combining resources to tackle grand challenges and increase impact. Peter Vogel and Malgorzata Smulowitz explain how ...

Family Business Social Innovation

By Peter Vogel and Malgorzata Smulowitz

in I by IMD

19 August 2024

The family business book

By Alfredo De Massis and Emanuela Rondi
Published by Pearson Education ©2024

Summary

Families are the most prevalent type of business owners in any global economy. But succeeding across generations is tricky, and only a few continue...

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Family Business

Global Business

Entrepreneurship

Browse all topics

Family businesses and strategic change: The role of family ownership

By Nina Schweiger Kurt Matzler Julia Hautz and Alfredo De Massis
in Review of Managerial Science October 2024, vol. 18, pp. 2981-3005 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-023-00703-3

Summary

In this study, we analyze how the performance-aspiration gap influences strategic change in family firms, providing evidence of the moderating role...

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Family Business

Strategy

Browse all topics

«Founder mode»: che cos’è, perché può spaccare la Silicon Valley (e segnare la fine dell’era del management)

By Alfredo De Massis and Paolo Lacchè
in Corriere della Sera 30 September 2024

Summary

September 2024 marks a turning point in the world of corporate management. Paul Graham, a prominent figure in Silicon Valley and founder of Y Combi...

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Family Business

Leadership

Innovation

Disruption

Browse all topics

Generational wealth: Embracing "Lotus" model for family business succession

By Marleen Dieleman
in The Edge Malaysia 5 September 2024

Summary

There is a Chinese saying that wealth does not last beyond three generations, and the reality is that sustaining family businesses is a significant...

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Family Business

Strategy

Organizational Design

Browse all topics

Digital product innovation within family firms: A construal level perspective

By Paolo Capolupo Lorenzo Ardito Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli Nadine Kammerlander and Alfredo De Massis
in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 28 August 2024, ePub before print, https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587241268029

Summary

Digital product innovation (DPI) is critical for the survival of firms, especially those operating in traditional industrial-age industries. While ...

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Family Business

Digital

Innovation

Browse all topics

How to collaborate for systems change: Lessons from the world of giving

By Peter Vogel and Malgorzata Smulowitz
in I by IMD 19 August 2024

Summary

Philanthropic foundations are combining resources to tackle grand challenges and increase impact. Peter Vogel and Malgorzata Smulowitz explain how ...

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Family Business

Social Innovation

Browse all topics