Security Strategies in International Business History

German Companies in Asia in the 20th Century
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-032-90870-0
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 240 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 453 g

Reihe: Routledge International Studies in Business History

This edited volume explores how German companies managed security challenges in Asia from the late 19th to the late 20th century. Through case studies in Japan, China, India, Malaysia, and Southeast Asia, it examines how firms in sectors like pharmaceuticals, electronics, banking, and trade adapted to colonial legacies, decolonization, and Cold War tensions. The book adopts a security- focused framework that goes beyond standard risk analysis, highlighting how businesses responded to political instability, cultural differences, and regulatory shifts. Drawing from rarely used German and Asian archives, contributors uncover the strategies companies used to maintain stability in uncertain environments. Aimed at business historians, scholars of international business, and those studying colonialism, diplomacy, and development, the volume also appeals to students and researchers in Asian, German, international relations, and security studies. By offering a comparative and cross- sectoral approach, it fills key gaps in understanding German- Asian economic ties and offers fresh theoretical insights into business resilience. The rich empirical material makes it a valuable resource for teaching and research on how international firms shaped and adapted to the global changes of the 20th century.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kleinschmidt, Christian

Huber, Marie

Yacob, Shakila

Fachgebiete

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftswissenschaften Unternehmensgeschichte, Einzelne Branchen und Unternehmer
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Betriebswirtschaft Organisationstheorie, Organisationssoziologie, Organisationspsychologie
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Internationale Wirtschaft
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Betriebswirtschaft Management Unternehmensorganisation & Entwicklungsstrategien

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction PART I: Beyond Formal Colonialism – Economic actors and their interests in the “Far East” in imperial, interwar and fascist Germany 2. Should We Own a Plantation? German Pharmaceutical Companies, Resource Security, and Cinchona Production in the Dutch East Indies, 1870-1900 3. “The Art Trade Here Is Possibly Even More Dangerous Than in Europe” – Risk Perceptions by German Art Dealers, Connoisseurs, and Collectors in the Japanese and Chinese Art Markets 1900 – 1940s 4. Risky Business: The Straits and Sunda Syndicate (1910–1945). German Investments in the Plantation Economy of Southeast Asia Part II: Postcolonial profiteers? Challenges and Opportunities for German companies in nationalising economies 5. Navigating Post-Colonial Landscapes: Analyzing the Strategies of German Corporations in Malaysia 6. Struggling for the release of German Enemy Property in India (1953 – 1963) PART III: Business Strategies in Emerging Markets 7. Cooperation and Catching up. Telefunken's Relationships with Japanese Companies (1920s-1970s) 8. UnRisk Management of Market Entry: Early Korean-German Business Cooperation in the Pharmaceutical Industry, 1957-1972  9. German Chemical Enterprises and Investment Licensing in Post-WWII Japan: High-growth Japan and Political Risk, 1950–1975 PART IV: Cooperation with Communism - West German interests in the People's Republic of China 10. Secured Legitimacy: Deutsch-Asiatische Bank’s Strategy for Mitigating Political Risks in Chinese business (1945-1957) 11. Balancing Opportunities and Risks. A Case Study of Sartorius’ Approach to the Chinese Market, 1945-1995 12. Concluding Summary: Risk Mitigation Strategies in Uncertain Political Landscapes

Über Autor(innen)

Marie Huber is a historian at Philipps University Marburg specializing in economic history with a focus on postcolonial contexts in Africa and Asia. Her research interests include global industrialization processes, (post-) colonial business history, and the intersection of development studies with historical analysis.

Shakila Yacob is a professor at the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia at Sunway University. At the intersection of her expertise as a business historian and political scientist, her research explores business history, international business, comparative politics, and more recently, public policy.

Christian Kleinschmidt is professor for economic and social history at Philipps University Marburg. His main research topics are business history, consumption history and the history of international economic relations.