- 14 Nov 2019
- Book
Lifting the Lid on Turkey's Hidden Business History
The business history of modern Turkey has been largely hidden from view, but a new book edited by Geoffrey Jones and Asli M. Colpan pulls back the covers. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 06 Nov 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Why Does Business Invest in Education in Emerging Markets? Why Does It Matter?
Drawing on 110 interviews with business leaders as part of the Creating Emerging Markets project at Harvard Business School, this paper represents the first systematic attempt to identify and compare investment in education across emerging economies, specifically in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Turkey, and the Persian Gulf between the 1960s and the present day.
- 26 Aug 2019
- Research & Ideas
Lipstick Tips: How Influencers Are Making Over Beauty Marketing
Influencer marketing has quickly become the best way to reach beauty consumers, proving more effective than celebrity endorsements and company ads, according to research by Alessia Vettese. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 03 Jul 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
The Controversial History of United Fruit
Geoffrey Jones discusses the overthrow of President Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala in 1954 in a US-backed coup supporting United Fruit Company and a key landmark in the history of globalization. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 11 Jun 2019
- Book
These Aren't Beach Books, but Managers Should Read Them Anyway
As you contemplate your summer reading, consider these recent books from Harvard Business School management scholars that can boost your career and improve on-the-ground management skills. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 15 May 2019
- Research Event
The Unconventional Capitalism That Shapes Business History
Geoffrey G. Jones reports on a business history conference studying the many shades of capitalism around the world and through time. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 14 Mar 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
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; Comment(s) posted.
- 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; Comment(s) posted.
- 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; Comment(s) posted.
- 22 Aug 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Sustainability and Green Business in Latin America During Globalization Waves
Capitalism has created much wealth, but at the cost of massive ecological destruction. This has been particularly severe in Latin America over the past century. Yet the last three decades have also seen a wave of businesses across sectors ranging from beauty to eco-tourism aimed at greater sustainability.
- 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; Comment(s) posted.
- 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.
- 04 Jan 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Creating the Market for Organic Wine: Sulfites, Certification, and Green Values
Certified organic wine remains a tiny percentage of the global wine market. This paper provides a case study of failed new category creation, analyzing the challenges for the organic wine market over time, including overcoming an initial reputation for quality, wines being labeled with multiple names (“organic,” “biodynamic,” “natural”), and competing certification schemes.
- 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; Comment(s) posted.
- 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.
- 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.
- 15 Aug 2017
- First Look
First Look at New Research and Ideas, August 15, 2017
You’ll come around ... Is a deeply religious business culture ready for an acquisition? ... How historians should look at emerging markets
- 01 Aug 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
Business History, the Great Divergence and the Great Convergence
Among economic historians, the Great Divergence means the rise of the income gap between the West and the Rest since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The more recent Great Convergence is a narrowing of that gap. This paper integrates a business history perspective into debates surrounding these macro transformations. It calls for greater attention to micro processes that generate productive firms and entrepreneurs.
Lessons from IBM in Nazi Germany
Geoffrey Jones discusses his case study, "Thomas J. Watson, IBM and Nazi Germany," exploring the options and responsibilities of multinationals with investments in politically reprehensible regimes. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.