Monkey Business

Ep2. Rakuten: English Only, Please


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Welcome back to the podcast šŸ’¼šŸ’, where Harvard Business School cases come alive with sharp storytelling, bold insights, and business drama.

In this episode, we dive into Rakuten: Englishnization, a case that asks a daring question:Can changing your company’s language transform its future?

Join us as we explore:

* Why CEO Hiroshi Mikitani bet on English as a strategy for global growth

* How language intersects with power, identity, and culture

* What it takes to lead—and survive—radical organizational change

Whether you're a leader scaling globally, a change management nerd, or just curious how a Japanese e-commerce giant took on the English-speaking world, this one’s for you.

šŸŽ“ Case:Neeley, Tsedal. "Language and Globalization: 'Englishnization' at Rakuten (A)." Harvard Business School Case 412-002, August 2011. (Revised April 2013.)



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Monkey BusinessBy Mirah Xu & Ale Eguren