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| Summer 2009 | Volume 83 | Issue 2 |
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Article Abstracts "Fishers, Fishing, and Overfishing: American Experiences in Global Perspective, 1976-2006" Since the mid-1970s, overfishing has had a considerable impact on the American seafood industry, and companies serving the American seafood market have taken steps to respond to the crisis. Following a brief survey of modern-day fishing and of the steps that have been taken to mitigate overfishing, the strategies adopted for commercial fishing in American waters, especially those in Alaska, are examined. Through their attempts to deal with the challenges posed by overfishing, fishers, seafood-processing and wholesaling companies, and retailers have fundamentally altered the industry. In conclusion, a summary of studies by historians and other scholars of fishery matters is followed by suggestions for historical research on the topic. Historians are reminded of the need to consider environmental factors when writing about business developments. "Democratizing Luxury and the Contentious 'Invention of the Technological Chicken' in Britain" In 1950, poultry comprised 1 percent of the total meat consumed in Britain. But over the next thirty years, chicken consumption grew at the rate of 10 percent per annum, while overall meat consumption remained stagnant. By 1980, poultry made up a quarter of the total share of the market, replacing beef, mutton, and bacon in the British diet. This transformation was made possible by dramatic changes in production, dependent on technological innovations across several unrelated sectors. While the widespread distribution of cheap chicken led to its mass adoption, the transformation in meat-eating habits was not without its controversies. The leading retailers, in particular J. Sainsbury, acted as critical intermediaries in this contested market, reconciling consumer uncertainty by attaching their own reputations to product quality, and then by intervening in the quality standards employed in their supply chains. "Twentieth-Century Product Innovations in the German Food Industry" Product innovation, a decisive factor in modern economies, is usually analyzed from one point of view—that of the producers. A more realistic approach to the subject would add at least four dimensions to a consideration of the topic: the perspective of consumers and the cultural context within which they form their views; the differences in how experts and consumers acquire knowledge about products; the increasing influence of retailers at the point of sale; and the technological options available to producers and households. Two twentieth-century German case studies—on the scientific innovation of yogurt and the preserving and canning of food—connect the often separate perspectives of business, consumers, and culture. "Bottles for Beer: The Business of Technological Innovation in Mexico, 1890-1920" Successful technological change in countries outside the northern Atlantic during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries depended on entrepreneurial skills, not on inventive expertise. In this examination of the Owens automatic glass-bottle-blowing machine in Mexico between 1905 and 1912, innovation is seen to have occurred within a broad context of incipient social and economic modernization. Although the obstacles encountered by technology importers and innovators were both substantial and stubbornly persistent, in this case, they turned out to be malleable. "Innovation as Adaptation: The Digital Challenge in the Norwegian Fishing Industry, 1970-1985" The introduction of a sonar system for fisheries by the Norwegian firm Simrad had lasting effects on the industry, as the system was based on digital mastery that could be utilized for other products. Norwegian engineers with sonar experience were the driving force behind this breakthrough, demonstrating the relevance of theories of national agglomerations of competence. In one important, though unintended, outcome, internal failures forced the company to hire new people who adopted creative strategies to meet the competitive situation presented by Japan. |
Selected Book Reviews *Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view the book reviews. If you cannot open the files,
download Adobe Acrobat here for free! Swindled: The Dark History of Food Fraud, from Poisoned Candy to Counterfeit Coffee. By Bee Wilson. Reviewed by Stephen Mihm. Financial Reporting and Global Capital Markets: A History of the International Accounting Standards Committee, 1973-2000. By Kees Camfferman and Stephen A. Zeff. Reviewed by Paul J. Miranti. The Skyscraper and the City: The Woolworth Building and the Making of Modern New York. By Gail Fenske. Reviewed by Peter Eisenstadt. Banking on Global Markets: Deutsche Bank and the United States, 1870 to the Present. By Christopher Kobrak. Reviewed by Jeremy Leaman. Blue Skies: A History of Cable Television. By Patrick R. Parsons. Reviewed by Thomas R. Eisenmann. |