Mira Wilkins

The Neglected Intangible Asset: The Influence of the Trade Mark on the Rise of the Modern Corporation

Trade marks are, and have been since the late nineteenth century and throughout the twentieth century, vital business assets. The paper argues that they (along with brand names, trade names, and company names) have been of crucial importance to the rise of the modern corporation. US law and the courts have protected these property rights at the same time as the value of these assets to the modern firm has increased. The paper explains the significant role of trade marks in the evolution of the modern enterprise; provides historical data on US laws and court rulings; compares the trade mark and the patent; and indicates how, over time, the trade mark has contributed to efficiency gains in the modern firm.

The Role of Private Business in the International Diffusion of Technology

Clearly, private business is but one agent for the diffusion of technology. Yet it is an important one. In the normal pursuit of business, technological knowledge and skills pass over political boundaries and private enterprise takes part in the international diffusion of technology. In this paper I want to try to delineate the means by which private companies have shared in the international diffusion of technology in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. I will note briefly the “imitation lag” and then what I want to call the “absorption gap.” From generalizations, I will turn to some explicit examples and analysis. Finally, in conclusion, I want to return to my concept of the absorption gap and the role of private enterprise in bridging that gap.

Japanese Multinationals in the United States: Continuity and Change, 1879–1990

A great deal of attention has recently been focused on the extent of Japanese direct investment in the United States. In the following historical survey, Professor Wilkins details the size and scope of these investments from the late nineteenth century, showing that Japanese involvements in America have deep historical roots. At the same time, she analyzes the ways in which late twentieth century Japanese direct investment differs from the earlier phenomenon and attempts to explain why it has aroused such concern among both business leaders and the general public.

Multinational enterprise in insurance: An historical overview

The article traces the history of multinational enterprise (MNE) in insurance from the nineteenth century to the present, highlighting the importance of this topic. The essay breaks new ground in providing the first overall historical snapshot of MNEs in insurance. Long before the First World War, MNE insurers had substantial global interests. MNEs from the UK, the European continent, the United States and Canada in non-life and life insurance as well as in reinsurance established business around the world, obtaining substantial revenues from the operations in foreign locales. In many countries they were the innovators in the provision of this service. The article found differing patterns through time, discontinuities (exits), and a range of differences when comparing the non-life and life insurance sectors. Home and host country regulations and other government actions during war and peace always affected the historical developments and thus are not neglected in this survey. The article provides sample statistics to demonstrate the significance of MNEs in insurance. Within this article, the author seeks to identify research done and that which is in progress on the path of MNEs in insurance; it concludes that this is a topic where there is still major research to be accomplished.

Japanese Multinational Enterprise before 1914

The current scholarly interest in contemporary Japanese businesses has somewhat obscured their equally fascinating early historical development. In this article, Professor Wilkins emphasizes both the extent and the variety of Japanese multinational enterprise before the First World War, and offers a basis for comparing its differences and similarities with the conventional American model.

Multinational Oil Companies in South America in the 1920s: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru

Generalizations are always difficult, especially in the context of varied national experiences. But by looking at the evolution of oil company activity in the 1920s in South America and by examining the range of relevant business functions — marketing, refining, production, exploration, transportation — the author throws light on the development of business-government relations in that part of the world, where the hostility of host nations to multinational enterprises was to grow so strong.

The ‘2008 Crisis’ in an economic history perspective: Looking at the twentieth century

This introduction sets the articles in this special issue into their historical context and explores some of the definitional problems associated with discussions of financial and economic crises. It highlights some of the unifying themes and wider lessons of the papers found in the issue and makes the case for greater historical understanding of crises while outlining the limits of historical analogy.

American-Japanese Direct Foreign Investment Relationships, 1930–1952

One of the leading experts on the history of multinational enterprise, Mira Wilkins here sets forth the history of American multinational investment in Japan and Japanese multinational investment in the United States during two crucial decades. The tumultuous years from 1930 to 1952 forced these companies to deal with the vastly different challenges of depression, war, and peace. Professor Wilkins explains how they adapted to their changing environment. She also provides noteworthy support for the view that cross-investment was not symmetrical.

Chandler and Global Business History

What was Alfred D. Chandlers significance in the study of business history throughout the world? How did his views evolve? Why was his approach so influential? How did his thinking contribute to comparative business history and to the history of international business? This essay is designed to answer these questions.

Dutch Multinational Enterprises in the United States: A Historical Summary

The story of Dutch business in America began in the colonial period and continues into the present. The early Dutch trading companies of the seventeenth century, including the Dutch West India Company, were followed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by such firms as the Holland-America Line, Unilever, Royal Dutch Shell, and NV Philips. The historical pattern of these Dutch businesses contributes to the growing literature on multinational enterprises (MNEs) and is relevant to recent debates on the historical convergence and/or divergence of living standards and productivity in national economies. An examination of the history of Dutch MNEs operating in the United States reveals some of the ways that these firms fit into the larger framework of Dutch business overall and provides a way to compare the strategies of Dutch MNEs with those of MNEs from other countries.