About the same time, the Business School launched its Global Initiative to improve its ability to research and teach about economies around the world.

One of the most important aspects of the Global Initiatives is the development of a physical base in important regions around the world through the outposts.

"The idea behind all of these efforts is to increase and improve and deepen the international capability in the school," Clark says.

The aim for the Business School is to start with outposts in key areas-Asia, Latin America, Europe-and grow from there.

We "focused on areas of the world where we needed to build relationships and build a presence," Clark says.

The Hong Kong outpost officially opened in January 1999 and has a staff of about five. About 25 to 30 professors are expected to make use of it each year, staff said last year.

Harvard's first outpost was established in 1997 in Silicon Valley's Menlo Park, Calif. Used exclusively by the business school, the outpost is currently staffed with a researcher and an executive director.