Professor Aneel Karnani’s interests are focused on the basic question in strategic management: Why do firms succeed? This involves understanding the structure of industries and the sources of sustainable competitive advantage. He studies how firms can leverage existing competitive advantages and create new ones to achieve rapid growth. He is also interested in global competition, particularly in the context of emerging economies. He studies both how local companies can compete against large multinational firms, and how multinational firms can succeed in these unfamiliar markets. Another current research interest of Prof. Karnani is the role of the private sector in poverty reduction.