Aufsätze (Articles)

Christian Kleinschmidt
Sprungbrett für den US-Markt. Das Beispiel Sartorius und die Sonderwirtschaftszone Puerto Rico 1
Springboard for the US market. The example of Sartorius and the Puerto Rico Special Economic Zone

In the context of the internationalisation and globalisation of the economy, special economic zones are playing an increasingly important role. The economic-historical evaluation of these special economic zones is controversially discussed and fluctuates between a «neo-colonialist exploitation of the Global South» based on low wages and poor working conditions as well as the exploitation of tax havens on the one hand and the emphasis on economic development potentials in these countries on the other. Using the non-representative corporate history case study of the medical technology manufacturer Sartorius, the aim is to ask, based on the motives, expectations and decision-making processes of a company in a specific economic-historical situation between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s, what significance the special economic zone of Puerto Rico had for corporate strategy in this phase. It will be shown that the corporate development and growth of Sartorius at the Goettingen location reached its limits during this period and that alternative investment opportunities were sought, which were found primarily in the world’s largest market for its products: the US market. High customs duties and transport costs ultimately led to considerations of direct investment on the American continent, whereby the investment incentives in the US special economic zone of Puerto Rico, supported by government subsidy programmes of the Federal Republic, offered considerably more advantages than on the mainland. In the case of Sartorius, with regard to the Puerto Rico Special Economic Zone, it is less about the exploitation of «neocolonial exploitation mechanisms» in a region of the Global South than about the use of Puerto Rican as well as Federal Republic investment incentives, which also offered development potential for Puerto Rico itself.
Keywords: Special Economic Zones; Globalization; Puerto Rico; Global South; Sartorius; US-Market; state subsidy programmes

Carsten Burhop/Sergey Gelman
Trading costs and trading quantity at the Berlin Stock Exchange, 1892–1913 21

We estimate two components of stock market liquidity, namely trading costs and trading volume, for the Berlin Stock Exchange, 1892–1913. Our three trading cost indicators are highly correlated with each other. To estimate trading volume, we use turnover tax revenues and turnover data from the Berliner Kassenverein. We use information on stock exchange turnover taxes collected in Berlin and we have compiled monthly data. We show that the three indicators of trading volume are highly correlated.
Keywords: Banking history; stock market; Berlin Stock Exchange

Meral Avci/Christian Henrich-Franke
Kartellierte internationale Märkte und innovative Produkte 43
Cartelized international markets and innovative products. The Bayer dyestuffs factories and their synthetic antimalarial drugs (1924 to 1937)

The Bayer AG was cut off from the quinine world trade by the quinine cartel, existing mainly of Great Britain, France and Netherlands, during the Great War. Being unable to purchase ingredients to produce malaria drug Bayer decided to develop synthetic active ingredients to treat malaria patients. This was an innovative approach to the malaria problem by Bayer’s research department accompanied with an organizational change. This paper analyzes the international cooperation of the Bayer tropical medicine department in the 1920s and 1930s with regard to the development of test fields and sales markets for the synthetic antimalarial agents. How and why did the tropical medicine research department develop into a significant international player with innovative products? How did the tension between international research cooperation and commercial exploitation change? What role did the particular political circumstances and their change play in the transformation of cooperation and the development of markets? By answering these questions, this paper demonstrates that Bayer quite successfully pursued an innovation-based strategy of market development, which aimed at convincing the international scientific community and generating international prestige. Nevertheless, the Italian demand and the specific interests of Italian malaria research – low cost domestic supply of antimalarial drugs, colonial expansionism, and international influence – were crucial door openers for the breakthrough on the international market.
Keywords: Bayer AG; antimalarial drugs; League of Nations; product innovation; quinine cartel; international cooperation

Horst A. Wessel
Der berufliche Werdegang der Mannesmann-Vorstandsvorsitzenden und ihre Arbeit im Team 73
The professional career of the Mannesmann CEOs and their teamwork

The article examines the careers of the ten chairmen of the Board of Directors (CEOs) of the pioneer enterprise Mannesmann from its founding in 1890 to its takeover and dismantling by Vodafone in 2000. The company, which was originally founded to use a revolutionary invention for the production of seamless steel tubes from a solid block of steel alone by rolling, developed into an integrated vertical organized mining group of Ruhr-typical character due to reasons of market organization. As the first mining enterprise it diversified to a technology group after World War II and created a new basis as the first private provider of telecommunications services in the 1990s.
Keywords: careers; teamwork; Mannesmann

Aus aktuellem Anlass (for topical reasons)

Jan-Otmar Hesse/Christian Kleinschmidt/Werner Plumpe
Erinnerungen an Thomas Welskopp (1961–2021) 101

Marianna Astore/Veronica Binda
Business History in Europe 107

This article examines the working conditions of young business historians in Europe, looking at both the demand and the supply side of the junior job market. It is based on responses to a questionnaire submitted to all the participants in the European Business History Association (EBHA) Doctoral Summer School, and on a database of the positions offered in BH (or related fields) from 2016 up to 2020. The analysis brings to light several problems connected with the precariousness of the job market and the shortage of opportunities. Even so, young scholars’ job satisfaction is generally high overall, though less so in Southern Europe.
Keywords: academia; job market; business history

Rezensionen (Reviews)

Johanna Steinfeld
Hartmut Berghoff/Christian Kleinschmidt/Stephan H. Lindner/Luitgard Marschall, Sartorius 1870–2020 133

Ralf Banken
Lutz Niethammer (Hg.), mit Beiträgen von Karin Hartewig/Almut Leh/Daniela Rüther, Tengelmann im Dritten Reich. Ein Familienunternehmen des Lebensmittelhandels und der Nationalsozialismus 134

Paloma Fernández Pérez
Jörg Lesczenski/Andrea H. Schneider-Braunberger, The Finest Colors for Artists. The History of the Art Paint Factory H. Schmincke & Co.
Jörg Lesczenski/Andrea H. Schneider-Braunberger, Farben für die Kunst. Die Geschichte der Künstlerfarbenfabrik H. Schmincke & Co. 137

Alexander von den Benken
Mathias Pfaffel, Vom selbstständigen Unternehmen zum integrierten Konzernstandort. Die AUDI NSU AUTO UNION AG in Neckarsulm 1969–1984 139

Ulrich van der Heyden
Sven Frotscher, Das stählerne Herz von Halle. Lindner/Waggonbau Ammendorf/MSG, Bd. VIII: 1987–1990 141

Jonathan Voges
Andrea Rudorff, Katzbach – das KZ in der Stadt. Zwangsarbeit in den Adlerwerken Frankfurt am Main 1944/45 144

Werner Bührer
Johann Chapoutot, Gehorsam macht frei. Eine kurze Geschichte des Managements – von Hitler bis heute 145

Holger Blisse
Tode Todev/Johann Brazda, Aufstieg und Untergang der Österreichischen Volksbanken AG. Analyse einer der größten Pleiten in der österreichischen Wirtschaftsgeschichte 147

Manfred Rasch
Marcel Boldorf (Hg.), Deutsche Wirtschaft im Ersten Weltkrieg 149

Martijn Lak
Marten Boon/Hein A.M. Klemann/Ben Wubs (eds.), Transnational Regions in Historical Perspective 152

Gerhard Deter
Franz Dominic Esser, Der Wandel der rheinischen Agrarverfassung. Der Einfluss französischer und preußischer Agrarreformen zwischen 1794 und 1850 auf die bäuerlichen Rechtsverhältnisse im Rheinland 155

Zur Rezension in der Geschäftsstelle eingegangene Bücher 161

Mitteilung (information)
Preis für Unternehmensgeschichte 165