Ideas: Books
Leviathans
Multinational Corporations and the New Global History
edited by Alfred D. Chandler Jr. and Bruce Mazlish
(Cambridge University Press)
In this collection of articles gathered by HBS professor emeritus (and Pulitzer Prize-winner) Chandler and coeditor Mazlish, multinational corporations are examined not only as economic entities but as businesses affecting almost all areas of our experience. The book explores the history and various aspects of the multinational, concluding with the principal developments of the 20th century and a look at the future.
The New Global Brands
Managing Non-Government Organizations in the 21st Century
by John A. Quelch and Nathalie Laidler-Kylander
(Thomson South-Western)
Using twelve HBS cases, Professor Quelch and Laidler-Kylander (MBA ’92) examine how NGOs like Oxfam America, Doctors Without Borders, and Care USA deal with marketing issues such as establishing brand identity, identifying the organizational mission, communicating the meaning of the brand, and leveraging brand values.
Organizing Control
August Thyssen and the Construction of German Corporate Management
by Jeffrey R. Fear
(Harvard University Press)
Associate Professor Fear examines August Thyssen and the management of his Thyssen & Co., Thyssen-Konzern, and Vereinigte Stahlwerke (United Steel Works) from 1871 to 1936. He disproves the idea that German business management was backward and rigid until it adopted American methods. Instead, Fear finds a multitude of German innovations in management practices and production technology in the Thyssen firms.
Restoring Trust in American Business
edited by Jay W. Lorsch, Leslie Berlowitz, and Andy Zelleke
(MIT Press)
HBS professor Lorsch, Zelleke (PHDOB ’03), and Berlowitz have collected essays by contributors from institutions ranging from Wall Street, to law and business schools, to the AFL-CIO examining the responsibilities of “gatekeepers” — corporate directors, regulators, auditors, lawyers, investment bankers, and journalists. They find that market pressures too often have this group focused on financial self-interest. The book offers ideas for improving gatekeeper professionalism and responsibility to the public.
