Publications

April 2005 (Revised February 2006)
Case

L'Oreal and the Globalization of American Beauty

By: Geoffrey G. Jones, David Kiron, Vincent Dessain and Anders Sjoman

Examines L'Oreal's acquisition of leading U.S. cosmetics brands, including Maybelline, Redken, and Kiehl's, and their subsequent renewal and globalization. Reviews the history of L'Oreal, now the world's largest cosmetics company, from its origins in France in 1907.... View Details

Keywords: Management; Corporate Strategy; Problems and Challenges; Brands and Branding; Business History; Globalization; Acquisition; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Consumer Products Industry; France; United States

April 2022 (Revised July 2022)
Case

Stalin’s Capitalists: American Business and Soviet Industrialization

By: Jeremy Friedman, Jingyu Liu and Christine Riggle

In the late 1920s and early 1930s when Joseph Stalin, leader of the world’s first Communist state, sought to industrialize his largely peasant country on an unprecedented scale, he turned for help to those who had the most experience constructing on such a scale:... View Details

Keywords: Communism; Industrialization; Socialism; History; Industry Growth; Economic Systems; Soviet Union

Web

Historical Data & Sources - Business History

Download Data Set in Excel IBM: Countries of Operation J. Connolly, History of Computing in Europe, 1967 IBM Annual Reports, various years Directory of American Firms Operating in Foreign Countries , various... View Details

06 Feb 2014
Research & Ideas

The Art of American Advertising

Harvard Business School's Baker Library is hosting a historical exhibit that examines the advertising industry in a bygone era, when marketers still had to depend on printed materials to capture consumer attention. The Art of American... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Advertising

2018
Book

American Fair Trade: Proprietary Capitalism, Corporatism, and the 'New Competition,' 1890–1940

By: Laura Phillips Sawyer

American Fair Trade explores the contested political and legal meanings of the term fair trade from the late nineteenth century through the New Deal era. This history of American capitalism argues that business associations partnered with regulators to... View Details

Keywords: Economic Systems; Competition; Policy; Fairness; History; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; United States

21 May 2019
Blog Post

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month at HBS

old as history itself, and that these interactions, despite their difficulties, is rich and beautiful. After graduation, I will be building a brand called Kin Objects with my husband. We will be making home accessories that showcase... View Details

29 Oct 2006
Research & Ideas

The History and Influence of Andy Grove

biographer Richard S. Tedlow puts it, Grove was "one of the master managers in the history of American business." A new biography, Andy Grove: The Life and Times of an American, will debut next... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Computer

12 Jul 2019
News

The short but destructive history of mass layoffs

Web

Black History Month | Baker Library

Black History Month Explore Baker Library resources with a connection to Black culture and identity. Want to stay up-to-date on DEI topics? Consider subscribing to our monthly Diversity Equity and Inclusion Newsletter . Quick Research... View Details

28 Apr 2020
Blog Post

HBS African American Student Union

Black History Month programming. Youtube Video "We just cheer each other on... during all of my most exciting and terrifying moments at HBS, an AASU member has been in my corner making this place feel like home. That's the type of... View Details

2014
Chapter

Firms and Global Capitalism

By: Geoffrey Jones

This chapter forms part of the two-volume Cambridge History of Capitalism, a definitive new reference work that traces the history of capitalism from its origins to the present day. The chapter focuses on the role of business enterprises as powerful actors in... View Details

Keywords: Political Economy; American History; Economic History; Business History; Labor History; Slavery; Numeracy And Quantification; Science And Technology Studies; History Of The Book; International Investment; International Business; International Marketing; Globalization; History

Find at Harvard

09 Nov 2009
Research & Ideas

Come Fly with Me: A History of Airline Leadership

1978, U.S. airlines were one of the most government-regulated businesses, when suddenly full deregulation changed the competitive landscape once again. How individual executives both shaped the industry and were shaped by it is the subject of a new View Details

Keywords: by Sarah Jane Gilbert; Air Transportation

30 Apr 2018
Blog Post

Reflecting on AASU50: Advancing African American Business Leadership

history and experience at HBS as African Americans- from the earliest graduates to the founders of AASU and to all who, as students and alumni, have made a difference at HBS, in the African American... View Details

08 Jan 2007
Research & Ideas

Who Rises to Power in American Business?

"outsiders," such as Elizabeth Arden, created their own road to success, overcoming significant odds. The new book Paths to Power: How Insiders and Outsiders Shaped American Business Leadership explores the demographics of... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

February 2004
Case

C.W. Post: An American Legacy

By: Nitin Nohria

Keywords: Business History; United States