Article | Business History Review | Fall 2017

The Alternative Business History: Business in Emerging Markets

by Gareth Austin, Carlos Davila and Geoffrey Jones

Abstract

This article suggests that the business history of emerging markets should be seen as an alternative business history rather than merely adding new settings to explore established core debates. The discipline of business history evolved around the corporate strategies and structures of developed economies. The growing literature on the business history of emerging markets addresses contexts that are different from developed markets. These regions experienced long eras of foreign domination, dealt with extensive state intervention, faced institutional inefficiencies, and experienced extended turbulence. This article suggests that this context drove different business responses than in the developed world. Entrepreneurs counted more than managerial hierarchies, immigrants and diaspora were critical sources of entrepreneurship, illegal and informal forms of business were commonplace, diversified business groups rather than the M-form became the major form of large-scale business, corporate strategies to deal with turbulence were essential, and radical corporate social responsibility concepts were pursued by some firms.

Keywords: business history; Globalization; History; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Developing Countries and Economies; Business History; Asia; Latin America; Africa;

Format: Print Find at Harvard

Citation:

Austin, Gareth, Carlos Davila, and Geoffrey Jones. "The Alternative Business History: Business in Emerging Markets." Special Issue on Methodologies. Business History Review 91, no. 3 (Fall 2017): 537–569.

About the Author

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Geoffrey G. Jones
Isidor Straus Professor of Business History
General Management

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