History →
- 13 Mar 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
The Consequences of Invention Secrecy: Evidence from the USPTO Patent Secrecy Program in World War II
Information plays a critical role in technological progress, yet many inventors opt for trade secrecy to protect their intellectual property. This paper studies the myriad repercussions of concealing new inventions through the lens of a systematic and sweeping invention secrecy policy implemented by the USPTO during World War II.
- 14 Feb 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
The Delicious History of Hershey's Chocolate
Milton Hershey, the candy king, pioneered chocolate treats for the masses. But he also built a controversial company town and what today is one of the richest schools in America. Nancy Koehn discusses Hershey's innovative life and vision. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 04 Feb 2019
- Book
Green Businesses Are Incredibly Difficult to Make Profitable. Try It Anyway
Making a business successful is a challenge in itself, but making a green business profitable is an even harder journey. For society's sake, entrepreneurs must be prepared to make that journey, says Geoffrey Jones. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 07 Dec 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Oral History and Writing the Business History of Emerging Markets
Oral history is a valuable resource to explore how businesses developed and functioned in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, regions with a growing share of global economic activity and the majority of the world’s population. While oral history is not uncritical, it provides openings for opinions, voices, and judgements on events on which there was often silence.
- 20 Sep 2018
- Cold Call Podcast
Did Entrepreneur Ernesto Tornquist Help or Hurt Argentina?
Geoffrey Jones examines the career of Ernesto Tornquist, a cosmopolitan financier considered to be the most significant entrepreneur in Argentina at the end of the 19th century. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 19 Jun 2018
- Research Event
Has Environmental Sustainability Lost its Relevance?
Companies have thought for decades about business-focused solutions to fix the deteriorating environment. But judging by continually rising waters and temperatures, we may need a rethink about what sustainability means, suggest participants at a recent conference at Harvard Business School. A report by co-organizer Geoffrey Jones. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 21 May 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Business, Governments, and Political Risk in South Asia and Latin America Since 1970
This study shows how perceptions of political risk by business leaders in emerging markets have differed between regions. For Latin Americans, macroeconomic and policy turbulence were the biggest sources of risk. For South Asians, excessive bureaucracy was the biggest source of risk. The study is based on a unique Harvard Business School oral history database.
- 16 May 2018
- Research & Ideas
How Companies Managed Risk (and Even Benefitted) in World War Internment Camps
Foreign businesses located in at-war countries are often victims of expropriation. Historian Valeria Giacomin explores how German businesses in the United Kingdom and India mitigated risk and even benefitted when their employees were placed in internment camps during the World Wars. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 20 Mar 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Countering Political Risk in Colonial India: German Multinationals and the Challenge of Internment (1914–1947)
Internment during wartime is a frequent occurrence, but little has been written about internment as a political risk for multinational enterprises. Examining German businesspeople interned in British camps in India during both World War I and II, this study identifies major issues and questions for future scholarly research on internment.
- 22 Feb 2018
- Book
The New History of American Capitalism
Historians are taking a new look at capitalism in light of its adoption in most of the developed world. From the edited volume American Capitalism: New Histories, by Sven Beckert and Christine Desan, the authors delve into the evolution of these new historic views. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 05 Dec 2017
- Research & Ideas
What We've Learned from 101 Entrepreneurs in Emerging Markets
Harvard Business School’s project exploring the evolution of business leadership in emerging economies has reached an important milestone. Project leaders Geoffrey Jones and Tarun Khanna discuss what's been learned from the Creating Emerging Markets study so far. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 29 Nov 2017
- Research & Ideas
How to Succeed in Business (According to a 15th Century Trade Merchant)
Does a 15th century Italian merchant have something to teach leaders about the proper ways to conduct business? Sophus Reinert and Dante Roscini discuss the first English translation of The Book of the Art of Trade. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 07 Nov 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
Business and Sustainability: New Business History Perspectives
This paper provides a long-term business history perspective on sustainability, arguing that it is now matter of urgency to make sustainability a mainstream topic in business history.
- 18 Oct 2017
- Research & Ideas
How Economic Clusters Drive Globalization
Historical research by Valeria Giacomin shows that industrial clusters, often cited in explaining local economic growth, have had a much wider impact, especially in developing countries. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 04 Oct 2017
- Book
Five Leaders Forged in Crisis, and What We Can Learn From Them
Business historian Nancy Koehn details the leadership skills of five people forged in crisis: Abraham Lincoln, Ernest Shackleton, Frederick Douglass, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Rachel Carson. Includes book excerpt. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 29 Sep 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
International Business and Emerging Markets: A Long-Run Perspective
This paper examines how strategies by Western multinational enterprises in emerging markets over the last century have been shaped by context. These strategies evolved from resolving logistical challenges to managing assertive governments. More recently the focus has been to locate activities in the lower end of global value chains, whilst responding to local competitors.
- 26 Sep 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
Merchants and the Origins of Capitalism
This chapter shows how a new kind of predominantly Italian merchants emerged as global figures during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Then as now, they pooled capital and shared risk to enrich themselves and their polities, utilized the infrastructure and markets that they helped make, and created new legal and financial instruments to facilitate their ventures.
- 11 Sep 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
A Historical Approach to Clustering in Emerging Economies
Clusters are geographically concentrated and interlinked agglomerations of specialized firms in a particular domain. This paper argues that long-term studies of clusters in developing countries are necessary to explain the relevance of clusters for the activities of multinational enterprises, making of global business, and building of an integrated marketplace.
- 18 Aug 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
Emerging Markets and the Future of Business History
This paper argues that there are important commonalities about the business history of countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America despite differences between countries and within regions of each country. It is possible to discern a distinctive body of scholarship different from that on the West.
How Helena Rubinstein Used Tall Tales to Turn Cosmetics into a Luxury Brand
Professor Geoff Jones examines the career of Helena Rubinstein, one of the trailblazing female entrepreneurs of the 20th century. Using guile, brilliant branding, and more than a few falsehoods, Rubinstein lifted cosmetics from an accessory item for prostitutes to a great luxury product during the Great Depression. Open for comment; 0 Comments.