Entrepreneurship and Multinationals

Geoffrey  Jones

Book | 2013

Entrepreneurship and Multinationals: Global Business and the Making of the Modern World

Abstract

This book examines the history of entrepreneurship and multinationals in the making of the modern world. In recent years economists, historians, and political scientists have written extensively on the history of globalization and patterns of global wealth and poverty, but business enterprises have rarely been identified as significant independent actors. This book argues that firms mattered and shows how they have mattered. It explores the role of firms as facilitators of globalization during the nineteenth century and more recently and as preservers of it when governments sought to close it down in the interwar years. However the ability of firms to shape the world was always constrained, especially by governments. The outcomes of global capitalism are also shown to have been complex. The book demonstrates the unique ability of capitalism to create wealth for societies through innovation, yet also cautions that the history of global capitalism since the nineteenth century was associated with an enormous divergence in the wealth of the developed West compared to the rest of the world, which is only now partially closing.

Keywords: FDI; Economic History; business history; entrepreneurship; industrial organization; Chinitz; agglomeration; clusters; cities; mines; Globalization; Entrepreneurship; Government and Politics; Banking Industry; Chemical Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Electronics Industry; Africa; Asia; Europe; Latin America; Middle East; North and Central America; South America;

Format: Print

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Citation:

Jones, Geoffrey. Entrepreneurship and Multinationals: Global Business and the Making of the Modern World. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013.

Recent years have seen an increasing interest in the use of history and historical research methods in strategy research. This article discusses how and why history and historical research methods can enrich theoretical explanations of strategy phenomena. The article also introduces the notions of "history-informed strategy research" distinguishing between the dimensions of "history to theory" and "history in theory" and discussing under-utilized methods that may further work on history-informed strategy research. The article discusses how contemporary research contributes to history-informed research within the strategy field, examines key methodological and empirical challenges associated with such research, and develops an agenda for future research.

Case | HBS Case Collection | July 2015 (Revised January 2020)

Horst Dassler, Adidas, and the Commercialization of Sport

Geoffrey Jones, Michael Norris and Sophi Kim

The case focuses on the career of Horst Dassler, the son of the founder of the German-based sports shoe manufacturer Adidas. The origins of the firm were in the interwar years, and it rose to public prominence after it provided spikes for Jesse Owens, the famous African-American sprinter, in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. From the 1950s Horst cultivated relationships with athletes and national associations to expand his sports apparel business and develop sports sponsorship, competing fiercely against competitors such as Puma and Nike. During the 1970s he played a key role in commercializing the international soccer federation FIFA, including creating a television market for soccer, and he subsequently became a key force behind arranging sponsorships and broadcasting rights for the Olympics. The case explores the drivers of success of this major consumer brand and provides the opportunity to discuss the positives and negatives of the globalization and commercialization of sport.

Keywords: corruption; Economic History; business history; entertainment; business; strategy; media; Sports; Digital technology; blockbuster; superstar; film; television; music; publishing; performing arts; nightlife; Crime and Corruption; Entrepreneurship; Globalization; History; Sports; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Fashion Industry; Sports Industry; Germany; South America; Europe; Asia; North and Central America;

Citation:

Jones, Geoffrey, Michael Norris, and Sophi Kim. "Horst Dassler, Adidas, and the Commercialization of Sport." Harvard Business School Case 316-007, July 2015. (Revised January 2020.) View Details

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The case examines the entrepreneurial career of Rupert Murdoch and the growth of News Corporation from a small Australian newspaper to a global media giant. It shows how he expanded geographically to Europe, the United States, and Asia and from newspapers to the film and television industries. The case identifies the personal role of Murdoch in this growth and the role of his family in its management. The case considers the political impact of News Corporation's newspapers and other media and their alleged role in shaping political opinion.

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Entrepreneurship and Multinationals: Global Business and the Making of the Modern World

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