147 Posts Found

Comparisons between business and warfare are not new. But while writers have sought over the years to apply military metaphors to corporate strategy, the debate on how appropriate this is remains unresolved.

Content: Article | Author: Morgen Witzel | Source: European Business Forum (EBF) | Subjects: History, Miscellaneous

Modern sales management is a uniquely American story, says Harvard Business School’s Walter A. Friedman, author of Birth of a Salesman. PLUS: Book excerpt.

Content: Article | Author: Laura Linard | Source: Harvard Business School (HBS) Working Knowledge | Subjects: History, Marketing / Sales

Tide detergent was disruptive technology at its best, positioning Procter & Gamble for decades of growth. An excerpt from Rising Tide, a new history of Procter & Gamble from Harvard Business School Press.

Content: Case Study | Authors: David Dyer, Frederick Dalzell, Rowena Olegario | Source: Harvard Business School (HBS) Working Knowledge | Subjects: History, Industry Specific | Industry: Consumer Products | Company: Procter & Gamble (P&G)

After 150 years, the department store concept is still going strong thanks to a husband and wife team who pioneered the ‘retail experience’ – a philosophy of customer service, quality and fair pricing for all.

Content: Article | Author: Morgen Witzel | Source: European Business Forum (EBF) | Subjects: History, Industry Specific | Industry: Retail

The founding fathers of European socialism are testimony that the principles of good management are universal, no matter what the ideology.

Content: Article | Author: Morgen Witzel | Source: European Business Forum (EBF) | Subjects: History, International – Europe

This site offers an interesting view on the shadier side of finance by listing links to information sources covering various types of financial scandals. Topics include:
– Classic Financial and Corporate Scandals
– Scandals involving Central Banks
– Political Corruption
– Organized Crime: the Mafia etc.
– Money Laundering
– Bankers Behaving Badly
– Official Regulatory and Anti-Fraud … [ Read more ]

Content: Online Resource | Author: Roy Davies | Subjects: Finance, History | Industry: Finance / Banking

The history of the twentieth century is most often told through its world wars, the rise and fall of communism, or its economic upheavals. In his startling new book, J. R. McNeill gives us our first general account of what may prove to be the most significant dimension of the twentieth century: its environmental history. To a degree unprecedented in human history, we have refashioned … [ Read more ]

Content: Book | Authors: John Robert McNeill, Paul Kennedy | Subjects: History, Social Responsibility (ESG)

The first railroad czar, the first trade regulator, the first Wall Street watchdog, the economist who shook up the airlines in the ‘70s-these are McCraw’s titular prophets, the guys who mastered the art of keeping business in check. McCraw tells their engaging stories-like that of James Landis, father of the SEC, dean of Harvard Law School, alcoholic, tax evader, reported suicide-covering 100 years of U.S. … [ Read more ]

Content: Book | Author: Thomas K. McCraw | Subjects: History, Legal

The definitive guide to the most influential 100 management ideas of the past 100 years.
A lot has changed in the way businesses have been managed in the last hundred years. This lively and authoritative guide explores the hundred ideas that have most influenced approaches to business management during the past 100 years-and which are likely to continue to do so long into this century. … [ Read more ]

Content: Book | Author: Tim Hindle | Subjects: History, Management

Considering the astounding impact companies have had on every corner of civilization, it’s amazing that the development of the institution has been largely unexamined. Economist editors Micklethwait and Wooldridge present a compact and timely book that deftly sketches the history of the company. They trace its progress from Assyrian partnership agreements through the 16th- and 17th-century European “charter companies” that opened trade with distant parts … [ Read more ]

Content: Book | Authors: Adrian Wooldridge, John Micklethwait | Subjects: General, History

Economic historians continue to debate the causes of the great divergence of economic fortunes which has characterized the last half millennium. In this debate, the role of colonialism and specifically the British Empire has a crucial role to play. If geography, climate, and disease provide a sufficient explanation for the widening of global inequalities, then the policies and institutions exported by British imperialism were of … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Niall Ferguson | Source: STERNbusiness (NYU) | Subjects: Economics, History

“If you wonder why the corporate world constantly lurches from malaise to oppression to governmental corruption and back, Unequal Protection reveals the untold story. Beneath the success and rise of American enterprise is an untold history that is antithetical to every value Americans hold dear. This is a seminal work, a godsend really, a clear message to every citizen about the need to reform our … [ Read more ]

Content: Book | Author: Thom Hartmann | Subjects: Economics, History

Cool, informed historical primer from journalist-novelist Buruma (The Missionary and the Libertine, 2000, etc.), tracing Japan from its opening to the West in 1853 through its transformation into a militaristic state to its reemergence as a peaceful, pacifistic host of the 1964 Olympics. From start to finish, this concise narrative unfolds in dense ironies. In the 19th century, Commodore Matthew Perry’s interpreter observed that the … [ Read more ]

Content: Book | Author: Ian Buruma | Subjects: History, International – Asia

In this provocative and incisive social history of the corporation, British journalist Sampson observes that the “organization man” of the 1950s and ’60s – a loyal worker confident of annual raises and a growing pension – is virtually extinct. Today’s company men and company women face insecurity in offices that seem placeless networks of telecommuters and data banks, with short-term specialists and consultants increasingly replacing … [ Read more ]

Content: Book | Authors: Anthony Sampson, John Mahaney | Subjects: History, Miscellaneous

What can a man born in 356 BC teach business leaders today? Plenty, says Professor Manfred Kets de Vries in this new Working Paper about Alexander the Great of Macedonia, one of history’s most successful leaders. His successes and failures, says the author, offer insights into what makes for effective leadership and what contributes to leadership derailment.

Content: Article | Source: INSEAD Knowledge | Subjects: History, Leadership

“In an era when “dark, satanic mills” were the norm, Owen took young children out of his Scottish factory and put them in a school he funded. He invented day care, unemployment insurance, contributory sickness and retirement plans, and a credit union. He reduced his employees’ workdays from 13 to 10 hours, gave them job security during recessions, and established their right to appeal supervisors’ … [ Read more ]

Content: Book | Authors: Gregory Claeys, Robert Owen | Subjects: History, Social Responsibility (ESG)

Democracy in America is the classic analysis of America’s unique political character, quoted heavily by politicians and perennially popping up on history professors’ reading lists. The book’s enduring appeal lies in the eloquent, prophetic voice of Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859), a French aristocrat who visited the United States in 1831. A thoughtful young man in a still-young country, he succeeded in penning this penetrating study … [ Read more ]

Content: Book | Authors: Alexis De Tocqueville, Richard D. Heffner | Subjects: History, International – Americas

Harvard Business School professor Alfred Chandler continues the story of the modern corporation in his sequel to The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business. In this history we find much about the past that can teach us about the future.

Content: Book | Author: Alfred D. Chandler Jr. | Subjects: History, Industry Specific | Industry: Consumer Electronics

This article was written in August, 2000 and examines the births and personalities of a handful of New Economy magazine start-ups, including:
– Red Herring
– Business 2.0
– The Industry Standard
– Fast Company
– Upside
– eCompany Now
You’ll notice that some of these have perished and likewise the article isn’t that fresh, but it is an interesting … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Samir A. Husni | Source: Forbes | Subjects: History, Industry Specific | Industry: Publishing

Nothing rivals oil as the world’s most strategic commodity. Yergin’s deftly recorded history of the industry, which seems particularly relevant at the moment, culminates in Saddam Hussein’s attempt to take over Kuwait’s oil resources in 1990 and the resulting gulf war. An important read, because for the last 150 years or so, oil has equaled mastery, an equation unlikely to change-at least while SUVs roam … [ Read more ]

Content: Book | Author: Daniel Yergin | Subjects: History, Industry Specific | Industry: Petro / Chemical