Business History Research Articles

Gendered enterprise: Women and Australian business history

AbstractThis special issue examines women and Australian business history. Contributions explore women's entrepreneurship in small urban businesses, side hustles, agriculture, and family companies. Articles highlight the importance of women's businesses, as a financial necessity for women, their families, and their communities. Authors examine the barriers for women in business, including legislation, licensing, societal expectations, and discrimination. Articles also explore women's intersections with other demographic characteristics, with access to enterprise mediated by class and the rural–urban divide. Finally, contributions examine the way traditional archives have obscured histories of businesswomen, and the opportunities offered by feminist historical methodologies for studying business history.

Explicating archival ethnography: Helmut Käser’s business trip

ABSTRACT Archival ethnography using microhistorical approaches has considerable untapped potential as a research approach in management and business history. We use a scrapbook compiled by the mid-twentieth century football administrator Dr Helmut Käser on a business trip to Northern Ireland and London in 1967 to illustrate the ethnographic potential of the emic perspective for narrating microhistorical cases. The scrapbook demonstrates Käser’s interaction with several contexts which have been understood very separately by historians on his journey and we illustrate how this rare window into business travel in the 1960s helps us to understand how they coexisted and were experienced by actors themselves embedded in global organizations. We can therefore ethnographically experience the world of the past through collections of documents and abstracts which at first might appear ephemeral. We conclude that archival ethnography based on microhistorical approaches has the potential to be a fruitful new avenue of research for management and business historians.

Spatial Development of Technological Knowledge and the Evolution of International Business Activity across Technological Paradigms

How has the spatial structure of the development of technological knowledge in international business (IB) shifted over time, moving between paradigms for IB and society? To answer this research question, we use the method of historical analysis and attempt to synthesize literature streams on international business history and technological paradigms to trace this evolution. Drawing insights from this synthesis and building on evolutionary theoretical approaches in IB, we argue that three elements - (i) technological (T), (ii) global institutional (G), and (iii) local institutional (L) – are key to understanding the spatial development of technological knowledge in IB, as these elements enable, expedite, or constrain technological and organizational change in MNEs within a paradigm and during periods of paradigmatic shifts. We conclude with a case illustration of a firm founded in the 1700s to assess its responses to (and actions that may have prompted) the shifts in the T, G, and L elements across the three technological paradigms – mechanical (1780-1880), electromechanical (1880-1980), and digital (1980-present).

History-informed institutional change: Houghton Mifflin and the shifting dynamics of the US book publishing industry (1950–1970)

After World War II, the United States experienced a robust economy marked by growing demand for information and education, alongside the emergence of leisure activities. Quantitative data spanning from 1950 to 1970, along with the reconstruction of Houghton Mifflin’s business trajectory, indicate that economic and social factors laid the groundwork for a transformation in the publishing industry. Through a meticulously structured historical analysis, this article contributes to the field of business history by elucidating the evolution of the publishing industry during this period of observation. Furthermore, it offers valuable insights into institutional theory by demonstrating how historical contexts and environments shape new practices and stimulate organisational change.

Entrepreneurs in Africa – the agenda for Business History in Africa: Complexity and continuity

Abstract Africa has been the location of centuries of business activity. African business displays a complex development path through early indigenous kingdoms, colonial control and post–1950 independence. The historiography on these developments is unbalanced in favour of the role performed by enterprises embedded in capitalist metropolitan economies. Complex and dynamic African entrepreneurial activity persisted but adapted to global market changes. Business historians have not systematically explored African agencies in business, the management systems and the organisational evolution of enterprise in Africa. As market liberalisation provided new business opportunities, African businesses emerged to complement and compete with foreign-owned enterprises. As market liberalisation stimulated globalisation, multi-national companies returned to African markets, fostering competition and collaboration. Changes in the political economy of many African states gave rise to more dynamic regulatory contexts and public-private partnerships in different sectors of developing African economies. These trends appear in the Business History of Africa from the perspective of African business, owned by Africans from diverse ethnic origins as proof of the complex trends and processes in African enterprise development. This contribution seeks to refine the focus on business and entrepreneurs in Africa as agents in the continent’s business landscape. The manuscript acknowledges the diversity among African entrepreneurs and the dynamically changing state-business nexus through history. Can one identify a distinct «African» nature of enterprise? This manuscript addresses aspects of conceptual clarity on what constitutes African business in an attempt to map the agenda for Business History in Africa.

Family entrepreneurs and their next generations, 1809–1945: educational pathways of business elite in Finland

ABSTRACT This study investigated the history of family business elite education in Finland. It focused on family entrepreneurs who achieved the highest national business elite status between 1809 and 1945 and their successive generations. It explored the characteristics of their education within the framework of educational pathways. Data were sourced from the National Biography, which enabled the selection and examination of families belonging to the business elite up to the fifth generation. The results revealed that the family entrepreneurs and their successors focused on successor upbringing and competitive continuity in the family business. Their educational pathways, shaped by formal and informal education, varied in terms of the unique cultural contexts of their family dynasties. The families employed diverse strategies, including informal conservative education, self-education, growth-oriented education, family wealth governance, higher education-focused learning, industrial education, and elite education pathways. These pathways mirror first-generation family entrepreneurs’ education, the second generation’s evolving educational requirements (in succession, internationalization, and growth), and the third and subsequent generations (in corporate governance and wealth creation). While there were changes in educational needs and content across generations and contexts, this study underscores the importance of educational pathways in conceptualizing the educational history of family businesses.

Media Review: Reorganizing the world –Postcolonial Transitions and Navigating Nationalism in global business history

Media Review: Reorganizing the world –Postcolonial Transitions and Navigating Nationalism in global business history

Entrepreneurial Imaginaries: Finding the Fortune in Futures

This address calls on historians and other social scientists to delve deeper into the nature of human imagination and its role in business. Interpreting a business plan written by my father prior to his death, I draw attention to the opportunity to use such sources to study the formation and consequences of “entrepreneurial imaginaries.” By this term, I mean the situated and embodied process by which human beings imagine desirable future ventures. Drawing on insights from neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology, I explore how recognizing the embodied nature of human imagination can deepen our understandings of how our subjects (a) imagine their ventures, (b) imagine themselves, and (c) imagine the moral worth of their venture in society. I conclude by highlighting why some of the sources and methods used by business historians may be particularly well suited for studying imagination and its relationship to entrepreneurship and change.

How Social Context Influences CPA Tactics: Insights from the Business History of the British Empire

How Social Context Influences CPA Tactics: Insights from the Business History of the British Empire

Awal Mula Bisnis Waralaba Amerika di Indonesia dan Perkembangannya Hingga Kini

This research discusses the history, development, and influence of the American franchise business in Indonesia. The first American franchise to enter Indonesia was Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in 1979, paving the way for many other American brands. This study uses a qualitative approach with literature review and in-depth interviews with industry players to obtain a comprehensive picture of the evolution of franchise businesses in Indonesia. The results show that American franchises have grown rapidly due to stable economic growth, an increasing middle class, and lifestyle changes favoring convenience. Government support through adequate regulations has also encouraged this growth. However, challenges such as intense competition, adaptation to local tastes, and regulatory issues persist. Despite these challenges, American franchises remain appealing due to their strong brand reputation and proven business systems. The research concludes that American franchises have significantly transformed and continue to play an important role in Indonesia's economy, with substantial potential for future growth.

Works on family business history, 1949-2023

The history of the family business is a well-established field of study within business history. However, there is a lack of bibliometric studies on this topic. This requires, first of all, identifying publications on the subject. This has been precisely the object of our research. To do this, a systematic search has been conducted in three data sources - Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar -, using specific keywords to filter relevant publications, as well as applying inclusion and exclusion criteria to select appropriate works. The result has been the identification of 513 publications on the history of the family business between 1949 and 2023. 62% correspond to articles in academic journals, 23% to book chapters, and 15% to books. This compilation of works will serve as the basis for future bibliometric analyses on the history of the family business and a valuable resource for researchers interested in this field.

Why Do Some Conservative CEOs Publicly Support Liberal Causes? Organizational Ideology, Managerial Discretion, and CEO Sociopolitical Activism

The phenomenon of chief executive officers (CEOs) speaking out on contested social issues is a recent one, as CEO sociopolitical activism was seen as overly risky, and even taboo, for most of American business history. Yet, CEOs are increasingly choosing sides in societal debates despite the inherent risk of alienating stakeholders who disagree with the CEO’s stance. Even more puzzlingly, conservative CEOs sometimes espouse liberal stances in such debates, which runs counter to the otherwise consistent evidence in the upper echelons literature that CEOs are guided by their own values in their actions. Our study addresses this paradox by examining the antecedents of CEO liberal activism, with an emphasis on the interplay between the CEO’s ideology and the prevailing ideological tilt of the employee population in driving CEOs’ activism decisions. Drawing on the concept of managerial discretion, or latitude of action, we theorize that a pronounced organizational ideology constrains a CEO’s ability to act in accordance with their own values—particularly in the highly symbolic domain of activism. We also argue that conservative CEOs are relatively more focused on instrumental rationales for activism, whereas liberal CEOs tend to prioritize more intrinsic rationales, a consequence of which is that conservative CEOs more heavily weight organizational ideology in their activism decisions. We test our theory in the context of a highly publicized letter signed by nearly 100 CEOs of public companies in opposition to North Carolina’s controversial 2016 “bathroom bill.” Relying on a variety of novel data sources, we find robust support for our theory. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.17160 .

Multinational banking in Egypt: A case-study of the Ionian Bank, 1907–1939

Using records left by the Ionian Bank and other British multinational banks, as well as building on the extensive insights provided by leading business historians, the article contributes to the debate about how historical analysis can illuminate the study of international business. We shall achieve this by firstly evaluating the reasons why Ionian moved to Egypt, applying Dunning’s ‘eclectic paradigm’ to the analysis of a highly complex economic and political environment. We shall then address the organisational challenges of managing a geographically dispersed operation, highlighting the principal-agent issues associated with geographically dispersed businesses. This will be followed by an analysis of Ionian’s performance, explaining how the changing environment affected management’s ability to generate a consistent level of profitability.

Oral history and business history in emerging markets

Oral history and business history in emerging markets

Business history as business: the business historian facing the rise of corporate heritage

Business history as business: the business historian facing the rise of corporate heritage

Managing organizational discontinuity in a corporate museum: case study of the Polish Vodka Museum

The article explains how corporate museums employ rhetorical history to construct a narrative of continuity against discontinuities in the organizational past. By analyzing the exhibition narratives and what these communicate to the stakeholders, the article ex- plores the case of the Polish Vodka Museum in Warsaw, which was established in the revitalized remains of a defunct vodka plant. The analysis has revealed that features of the former plant that represented continuity, such as the location, buildings, and brands, were emphasized in the narrative, while discontinuous features, such as ownership, legal status, and the core business were downplayed. The article contributes to the literature on rhetorical history, or the strategic uses of the past, by providing a case study of how corporate museums deal with organizational discontinuity by applying rhetorical tools. The case study is a corporate museum from Eastern Europe, an underrepresented region in the business history field characterized by political and socio-economic discontinuities.

Taking stock and moving forward: What makes a contribution in business history?

This editorial reflects on the research published in Business History in the last few years in the context of wider discussions in the field of business history. In particular, we consider the authors and their thematic orientation, reflection on the geographic and disciplinary distribution and gender balance in the field. Articles published cluster around specific time periods, countries and regions, with early modern or medieval history, and research beyond Europe and North America less well represented. On the basis of this survey, we consider the journal’s recently changed aims and scope and what we see as a contribution to knowledge in business history. We particularly consider the role of theory in historical research and affirm our commitment to a range of relevant contributions in the journal. These are empirical, historiographical and theoretical in nature, and support our strategy to maintain Business History as a journal publishing interdisciplinary and diverse research.

Exploring business history of the Middle East and North Africa region

Exploring business history of the Middle East and North Africa region

Colonial Business in Postcolonial Germany: The Imperial Afterlives of C. Woermann, 1919–1945

Situating itself at the intersection of colonial history, global history and business history, this article highlights the overlooked history of German colonial companies post-First World War. It argues for an ‘imperial afterlife’ through continued German corporate interests in African markets, emphasising the economic dimension of imperialism. Using C. Woermann as an example, it shows how the company adapted to the post-First World War global order, underwent organisational changes, and merged with National Socialist policies in Eastern Europe after 1939, revealing the adaptability of imperial enterprises.

Mites, Mildew and Anheuser-Busch: How Pests, Big Beer, and Hops Shaped the Craft Brewing Industry

The American craft beer industry’s creation narrative is rooted in countercultural food politics. Popular stories describe how plucky brewers pioneered complex and hoppy beers that revolutionized a bland American beer industry dominated by industrial lagers. Hops are now the most celebrated ingredient in the craft beer industry and serve as visual representations of the artisanal and revolutionary values of small brewers that contrasts with the industrial and bland products of the nation’s massive lager brewers. The history of hops and brewing presented here, however, demonstrates the connections between big and small brewers and the environmental impacts of craft brewers’ hoppy beers otherwise obscured by their preferred dichotomous narrative. Craft beer grew in tandem with the modern hop industry and became enmeshed with big business and industrial agricultural practices to access their signature commodity, hops. By integrating environmental and business history, this article explores how brewers, scientists, farmers, and nonhumans influenced each other to create the modern craft brewing industry. This approach demonstrates the often-obscured connections between big and small firms by examining the environments, organisms, and supply chains they depend upon.