- 08 Dec 2015
- Research Event
Research Trends Discussed at India and South Asia Conference
Harvard Business School recently brought together scholars to discuss the business history and current research trends in India and South Asia. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 09 Jan 2014
- Research & Ideas
Excerpt: ’Fortune Tellers’
An excerpt from Walter A. Friedman's book, Fortune Tellers: The Story of America's Economic Forecasters. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 09 Jan 2014
- Research & Ideas
The Entrepreneurs Who Invented Economic Forecasting
The new book Fortune Tellers investigates the history of economic forecasting and its roots in the turbulent nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Read an interview with author Walter A. Friedman and an excerpt. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 16 Dec 2011
- Research & Ideas
Reintroducing Intellectual Ambition to the Study of Business History
The editors of Harvard Business School's Business History Review, Walter A. Friedman and Geoffrey Jones, are challenging historians to tackle big subjects with major importance to the future of business. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 08 Jun 2009
- Research & Ideas
The Return of the Salesman
Salesmen have received a bad rap over the years, but increasingly the profession is drawing scholarly interest. Business History Review coeditor Walter A. Friedman discusses the publication's recent themed issue on salesmanship. Key concepts include: Scholarly books on the history of salespeople began to appear more frequently beginning in the 1990s, with more recent work comparing 20th-century salespeople in Europe with those in the United States. In addition to comparative trends, research in this area attempts to place the story of the salesperson within the broader themes of history. Salespeople played a positive role displacing old products and promoting innovation. A strong sales force could also create a barrier to entry, as in the case of IBM. Negative portrayals have had lasting effects on the field. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 19 Apr 2004
- Research & Ideas
Birth of the American Salesman
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. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 01 Nov 1999
- Research & Ideas
John H. Patterson and the Sales Strategy of the National Cash Register Company, 1884 to 1922
John H. Patterson's sales management techniques built National Cash Register into the dominant force in its industry and had a major impact on the development of modern selling. This excerpt from Business History Review looks at one aspect of the Patterson method. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
In a Nutshell, Why American Capitalism Succeeded
Walter Friedman encapsulates four centuries of economic progress—from European merchants to Steve Jobs—in his efficient book, American Business History: A Very Short Introduction. Open for comment; 0 Comments.