Suchergebnisse

Multinationals experienced a great growth after the European postwar boom. Factors in the 1970s included increasing competition from the United States, the emerging European market, as well as ongoing economic crises and changes in the international economy. The articles analyzes three case studies of Western European chemical companies—Hoechst, Akzo, and Rhône-Poulenc—to show the consequences of structural changes on management and the workforce. This article argues that (1) domestic export-oriented supplement investments lost importance, and the domestic workforce had a harder time meeting qualification requirements; (2) organizational changes incorporated divisional competitive elements into a company's organization of work; and (3) managers had to learn to respect national path dependencies and specific skills of the local workforce. Furthermore, it illustrates the developments of the workforce in Europe and abroad and stresses the importance of nationality within the management of multinationals.

Abstract
Due to the decline of the Western European textile industry in the 1960s and international economic turbulences in the 1970s, the chemical fibre industry in Western Europe ran into trouble. The ten largest manufacturers of polyester fibres therefore applied for a structural crisis cartel in 1972. Even though the European Commission rejected the request, the question of a cartel agreement remained a topic of discussion at the European level for more than ten years. In June 1978, eleven European manufacturers of chemical fibres signed a cartel agreement in Brussels, but it was not compatible with the Treaty of the European Economic Community. It was not until 1980 that the companies submitted a new contract to the European Commission which was in accordance with antitrust law and renewed in 1982. The article analyses the course of negotiations as well as the driving forces and different aims of political and industrial players on the national and the European level.

Während die Jahrzehnte des Booms nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg durch eine weitgehend stabile Ordnung geprägt waren, setzte mit dem Sinken wirtschaftlicher Wachstumsraten, dem Zerfall des internationalen Währungssystems und den beiden Ölpreiskrisen im letzten Drittel des 20. Jahrhunderts eine Zeit zunehmender Komplexität unternehmerischer Entscheidungen ein. Statt der bis dahin dominierenden Orientierung an der Produktion wurde der Markt zum wichtigsten Bezugspunkt und die Kapitalrendite zum maßgeblichen Indikator. Am Beispiel des Chemiefaserproduzenten Enka Glanzstoff bzw. dessen Mutterkonzern Akzo wird gezeigt, auf welche Weise der Markt durch die Öffnung der Vorstandsetagen für externe Berater (in diesem Fall von McKinsey) an Bedeutung gewann. Seit den 1970er-Jahren wurden zahlreiche Unternehmen nach kompetitiv gedachten Organisationsprinzipien umstrukturiert. Trotz der Gegenwehr von Gewerkschaften und Betriebsräten schritt damit auch die interne Vermarktlichung von Unternehmen voran. Während die Unternehmen zudem stärker multinational agierten, gelang dies den Arbeitnehmervertretungen nicht in gleichem Maße. ; The decades of the post-war boom were characterized by a stable political and economic order. Later, with the decline of economic growth rates, the collapse of the international monetary system and the two oil crises, corporate decisions became increasingly complex. Production was no longer the primary consideration, with the market and the return on capital instead becoming the key reference points in the final third of the twentieth century. With particular reference to the West European man-made fibre producer Enka Glanzstoff and its parent company Akzo, the article shows how the market gained in importance with the opening of the boardrooms to external consultants (in this case from McKinsey). From the 1970s onwards, many companies were restructured according to competitive organizational principles. Despite the opposition from trade unions and works councils, the internal marketization of enterprises continued. While a lot of companies operated more multinationally during this period, employee representatives were not as successful as the management in organizing their interests across borders.

Während die Jahrzehnte des Booms nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg durch eine weitgehend stabile Ordnung geprägt waren, setzte mit dem Sinken wirtschaftlicher Wachstumsraten, dem Zerfall des internationalen Währungssystems und den beiden Ölpreiskrisen im letzten Drittel des 20. Jahrhunderts eine Zeit zunehmender Komplexität unternehmerischer Entscheidungen ein. Statt der bis dahin dominierenden Orientierung an der Produktion wurde der Markt zum wichtigsten Bezugspunkt und die Kapitalrendite zum maßgeblichen Indikator. Am Beispiel des Chemiefaserproduzenten Enka Glanzstoff bzw. dessen Mutterkonzern Akzo wird gezeigt, auf welche Weise der Markt durch die Öffnung der Vorstandsetagen für externe Berater (in diesem Fall von McKinsey) an Bedeutung gewann. Seit den 1970er-Jahren wurden zahlreiche Unternehmen nach kompetitiv gedachten Organisationsprinzipien umstrukturiert. Trotz der Gegenwehr von Gewerkschaften und Betriebsräten schritt damit auch die interne Vermarktlichung von Unternehmen voran. Während die Unternehmen zudem stärker multinational agierten, gelang dies den Arbeitnehmervertretungen nicht in gleichem Maße.

By the end of the economic boom in the 1960s, the oil crisis caused an enormous rise in energy prices. Chemical companies, especially, faced a huge challenge due to their dependency on oil as an energy resource and raw material. This paper explores the reaction of West German chemical corporations to the energy crises of the 1970s and their attempts to anticipate future energy crises. First, the companies tried to implement their own industrial nuclear power stations to cut costs and to become more independent from oil. Second, and with the help of the social-liberal government, they attempted to revive coal conversion technology.

By the end of the economic boom in the 1960s, the oil crisis caused an enormous rise in energy prices. Chemical companies, especially, faced a huge challenge due to their dependency on oil as an energy resource and raw material. This paper explores the reaction of West German chemical corporations to the energy crises of the 1970s and their attempts to anticipate future energy crises. First, the companies tried to implement their own industrial nuclear power stations to cut costs and to become more independent from oil. Second, and with the help of the social-liberal government, they attempted to revive coal conversion technology.

Rhenish capitalism is an ideal-typical model of capitalism which is characterised by a bank-centered financing system, close economic ties between banks and companies, a balance of power between shareholders and management, and a social partnership between unions and employers. The West German economy of the 1950s to the 1980s is the prime example of that model of capitalism which contrasts with the liberal Anglo-Saxon forms of capitalism. In accordance with recent debates about Varieties of Capitalism, the authors argue that research on capitalism should pay more attention to change over time. The book also claims to put the firm into the centre of analysis. The empirical contributions uncover the differences between French and German corporate governance practices comparing two European automobile producers (VW and Renault), analyse legal debates and practices of corporate control in post-war Germany, show the tension between national corporate governance and increasing internationalisation by reference to four major West German producers of chemicals, pharmaceuticals and fibres; and explore the opportunities encountered by German big banks vis-à-vis their customers from big industry. Furthermore, they show that coordinating culture in the supply relationship of the German automobile industry came under pressure at the end of the boom and stress the importance of communication processes as a basis for interest coordination in Rhenish capitalism.

Die Mitgliedschaft in der NSDAP ist ein Indikator, der es erlaubt, die Nähe oder Distanz einer Person zum NS-Regime einzuschätzen. Auf Basis einer repräsentativen Stichprobe quantifiziert dieses Buch erstmals die NSDAP-Mitgliedschaft der Wirtschaftselite und vergleicht sie mit anderen sozialen Gruppen. Der Anteil der Unternehmer und Manager, die in die NSDAP eingetreten sind, war mehr als dreimal so hoch verglichen mit dem Durchschnitt der Bevölkerung, aber deutlich niedriger als der Anteil von NSDAP-Mitgliedern bei Medizinern und höheren Beamten. Mit ihrem Eintritt in die NSDAP gaben die Manager eine Loyalitätserklärung gegenüber dem NS-Regime ab und trugen damit zu seiner Stabilisierung bei.