Professor Jeffrey Fear

Professor of International Business History (Economic & Social History)

telephone: 0141-330-5553
email: Jeffrey.Fear@glasgow.ac.uk

Lilybank House, Bute Gardens, Glasgow, G12 8qq

Research interests

Research Interests

20^th century German business and economic history
competitiveness and internationalization of family/small and midsize businesses
history of multinational business and international cartels
comparative corporate governance and organization
immigrant entrepreneurship

My research ranges across a variety of disciplines although topics tend to center on the nature and development of German business or German and American varieties of capitalism. At present I am researching and organizing collaborative projects on family or small and midsize businesses that are global champions in their market niche and, surprisingly often, multinational companies. The main research question is how such companies evolved in developed countries from their small business roots since the 1970s in the teeth of deindustrialization to become world market leaders and why Central Europe (Germany) appears to have a particular strength in this area. These firms are emerging multinationals from wealthier countries rather than emerging market multinationals or established transnationals. This topic bridges history, family business, entrepreneurship, and strategic management studies.

The second ongoing project is an ongoing website regarding German-American immigrant entrepreneurship between the Two World Wars. Based on individual biographies and with a rich documentary basis on-line, this project presents a mosaic of individual immigrants from Germany who helped make modern America “America” or Hollywood “Hollywood” such as Carl Laemmle (Universal Studios) or Albert Lasker (Lord & Thomas), a major advertising executive who created such famous brands as Sunkist oranges, Wrigley’s Gum, or Lucky Strike cigarettes. Such immigrants did not just assimilate but transformed America.

Research Contribution / Collaborations

Editorial Board, Business History Review from 2005 to the present
Editorial Board, Essays in Economic and Business History from 2012 to the present
Editor, Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, German Historical Institute from 2010 to the present

Kroos Dissertation Prize Committee 2013-2015, Business History Conference
Presidential Nominating Committee 2011-2014, Business History Conference
Trustee 2006-2009, Business History Conference

Co-organizer with University of Southern California, “Los Angeles as a Site of German-American Crossings: A Symposium,” February 2014
Visiting Professor, University of Southern California Max Kade Institute for Austrian-German-Swiss Studies 2013
Visiting DAAD Professor, University of Marburg, 2012 with symposium on “Business, Business Associations, and the State after 1945,” July 2012

Books

(available as e-book and hard copy)

With Christina Lubinski and Paloma Fernández Pérez (eds.), Family Multinationals: Entrepreneurship, Governance and Pathways to Internationalization (Routledge International Studies in Business History) (London: Routledge, 2013)

Organizing Control: August Thyssen and the Construction of German Corporate Management (Harvard University Press 2005)

Publications

Selected publications

Fear, J.R. (2012) Straight outta Oberberg: Transforming mid-sized family firms into global champions 1970–2010. Jahrbuch für Wirtschaftsgeschichte, 53(1), pp. 125-169. (doi: 10.1524/jbwg.2012.0007)

Fear, J. (2015) War of the factories. In: Geyer, M. and Tooze, A. (eds.) Cambridge History of the Second World War, Vol. 3. Total War: Economy, Society and Culture. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, pp. 94-121. ISBN 9781107039957

Lubinski, C., Fear, J.R. and Fernández Pérez, P. (Eds.) (2013) Family Multinationals: Entrepreneurship, Governance, and Pathways to Internationalization. Series: Routledge international studies in business history. Routledge: London, UK. ISBN 9780415836715

Fear, J., Venohr, B. and Witt, A. (2015) Best of German Mittelstand — The world market leaders. In: Langenscheidt, F. and Venohr, B. (eds.) The Best of German Mittelstand: The World Market Leaders. Deutsche Standards: Cologne, pp. 10-27. ISBN 9783942597487

All publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2021 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2006 | 2005 | 2003 | 2001 | 1997 | 1993 | 1987

Number of items: 40.

2021

Fear, J. and Kobrak, C. (2021) Making capitalism respectable: the language of German and American corporate governance after the financial crisis of 1873. In: Cassis, Y. and Schenk, C. (eds.) Remembering and Learning from Financial Crises. Oxford University Press, pp. 131-164. ISBN 9780191913495 (doi: 10.1093/oso/9780198870906.003.0007)

Fear, J. and Stanca-Mustea, C. (2021) “Carl Laemmle Presents”: A story of political and cultural risk in Germany, 1917–1934. Business History Review, 95(3), pp. 375-421. (doi: 10.1017/S0007680520000902)

2018

(2018) [Editor] Immigrant Entrepreneurship: The German-American Business Biography, 1720 to the Present (Volume 4: The Age of the World Wars, 1918-1945, Introduction: “Hiding in Plain Sight: German Immigrant Entrepreneurship and the Shaping of Mainstream America”). [Website]

2017

Fear, J. (2017) Gerald D. Feldman: an appreciation. In: Hofmann, C. and Müller, M. L. (eds.) History of Financial Institutions: Essays on the history of European finance 1800-1950. Series: Banking, money and international finance (6). Routledge (Taylor and Francis): London, pp. 1-12. ISBN 978113866651

2016

Fear, J. and Lerner, P. (2016) Behind the Screens: Émigrés, Exiles and Refugees in Mid Twentieth-Century Los Angeles [Guest editors]. Jewish Culture and History, 17(1-2),

Fear, J. and Lerner, P. (2016) Behind the screens: immigrants, émigrés and exiles in mid twentieth-century Los Angeles [Introduction]. Jewish Culture and History, 17(1-2), pp. 1-21. (doi: 10.1080/1462169X.2016.1190496)

2015

2014

Fear, J. (2014) Mining the past: historicizing organizational learning and change. In: Bucheli, M. and Wadhwani, R. D. (eds.) Organizations in Time: History, Theory, Methods. Oxford University Press: Oxford, pp. 169-191. ISBN 9780199646890 (doi: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199646890.003.0007)

2013

Fear, J.R. (2013) Globalization from a 17mm diameter cylinder perspective: Mittelstand multinationals. In: Lubinski, C., Fear, J.R. and Fernández Pérez, P. (eds.) Family Multinationals: Entrepreneurship, Governance, and Pathways to Internationalization. Series: Routledge international studies in business history (23). Routledge: London, UK. ISBN 9780415836715

Fear, J.R. and Wadhwani, R.D. (2013) Populism and political entrepreneurship: The universalization of German savings banks and the decline of American savings banks, 1907-1934. In: Berghoff, H., Kocka, J. and Ziegler, D. (eds.) Business in the Age of Extremes: Essays in Modern German and Austrian Economic History. Series: Publications of the German Historical Institute. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK, pp. 94-118.

2012

Fear, J. (2012) Hiding in plain sight: German immigrant entrepreneurship and the shaping of mainstream America. Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 4,

Fear, J.R. (2012) Heinrich Dinkelbach: Eine Managerkarriere mit Lehre und katholischer Prägung. In: Wessel, H.A. (ed.) Mülheimer Unternehmer und Pioniere im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert: Flexibel - Kreativ - Innovativ. Klartext Verlag: Essen, Germany, pp. 265-290. ISBN 9783837507355

2011

Deighton, J., Avery, J. and Fear, J. (2011) Porsche: the Cayenne launch. Harvard Business School Cases, pp. 9-511.

2010

Fear, J. and Kobrak, C. (2010) Banks on board: German and American corporate governance, 1870–1914. Business History Review, 84(4), pp. 703-736. (doi: 10.1017/S0007680500001999)

2009

Fear, J.R. (2009) Die Zukumft der Vergangenheit: Deutscher Kapitalismus aus der Sicht von Rhein und Ruhr. In: Anna, S. (ed.) Uberschreitungen: das Wechselspiel von Wirtschaft und Kunst im 19. Jahrhundert. Series: Schriftenreihe Stadtmuseum. Droste Verlag: Düsseldorf, Germany, pp. 25-46. ISBN 9783770013463

2008

Fear, J.R. (2008) Cartels. In: Jones, G. and Zeitlin, J. (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Business History. Series: Oxford handbooks in business and management. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, pp. 268-292. ISBN 9780199263684 (doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199263684.003.0012)

Fear, J.R. (2008) Erich Potthoff: Gedanken über die Mitbestimmung mit warmen Herzen und klarem Verstand [English: Erich Potthoff: Thinking about codetermination with a sympathetic heart and sharp reasoning]. In: Feldenkirchen, W., Hilger, S. and Rennert, K. (eds.) Geschichte - Unternehmen - Archive. Klartext Verlag: Essen, Germany, pp. 397-423. ISBN 9783837500073

Fear, J.R. (2008) Mit Umsicht und Eifer: Der Führungsstil August Thyssens. In: Wegener, S. (ed.) August und Joseph Thyssen: Die Familie und ihre Unternehmen. Klartext Verlag: Essen, Germany, pp. 173-212. ISBN 9783898613125

2006

Fear, J. (2006) Banking on Germany? [Teaching Note]. Harvard Business School Cases, 5-706-050.

Fear, J. (2006) Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche (A): true to brand? and (B): made in Germany [Teaching Note]. Harvard Business School Cases, 5-706-056.

Fear, J. and Ketels, C.H.M. (2006) Cluster mobilization in Mitteldeutschland [Teaching Note]. Harvard Business School Cases, 5-707-005.

Fear, J. (2006) BMW (A): ultimately driving away? [Teaching Note]. Harvard Business School Cases, 5-706-056.

Fear, J., Knoop, C.-I. and Linsenmeier, C. (2006) BMW (A): ultimately driving away? Harvard Business School Cases, 9-705-029.

Fear, J. and Linsenmeier, C. (2006) BMW (B): not driving away. Harvard Business School Cases, 9-706-063.

Fear, J.R. (2006) Die vernachlässigte Macht der altmodischen face-to-face Kommunikation in Unternehmen und Betrieb: BMW im Gespräch. Ferrum – Nachrichten aus der Eisenbibliothek, 78, pp. 100-111.

Fear, J. and Ketels, C.H.M. (2006) Cluster mobilization in Mitteldeutschland. Harvard Business School Cases, 9-707-004.

Fear, J. and Kobrak, C. (2006) Diverging paths: Accounting for corporate governance in America and Germany. Business History Review, 80(1), pp. 1-48. (doi: 10.1017/S0007680500080971)

Fear, J. and Knoop, C.-I. (2006) Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (A): true to brand? Harvard Business School Cases, 9-706-018.

Fear, J. and Knoop, C.-I. (2006) Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (B): made in Germany. Harvard Business School Cases, 9-706-019.

2005

Fear, J.R. (2005) Organizing Control: August Thyssen and the Construction of German Corporate Management. Series: Harvard studies in business history, 45. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA, USA. ISBN 9780674014923

2003

Fear, J. (2003) Banking on Germany? Harvard Business School Cases, 9-703-028.

2001

Fear, J.R. (2001) Thinking historically about organizational learning. In: Dierkes, M., Berthoin Antal, A., Child, J. and Nonaka, I. (eds.) Handbook of Organizational Learning and Knowledge. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, pp. 162-191. ISBN 9780198295839

1997

Fear, J.R. (1997) August Thyssen and German steel. In: McCraw, T.K. (ed.) Creating Modern Capitalism: How Entrepreneurs, Companies, and Countries Triumphed in Three Industrial Revolutions. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA, USA, pp. 185-226. ISBN 9780674175556

Fear, J.R. (1997) Constructing big business: The cultural concept of the firm. In: Chandler, A.D., Amatori, F. and Hikino, T. (eds.) Big Business and the Wealth of Nations. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK, pp. 546-574. ISBN 9780521481236

Fear, J.R. (1997) German capitalism. In: McCraw, T.K. (ed.) Creating Modern Capitalism: How Entrepreneurs, Companies, and Countries Triumphed in Three Industrial Revolutions. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA, USA, pp. 135-182. ISBN 9780674175556

1993

Fear, J.R. (1993) Thyssen & Co., Mülheim a.d Ruhr: Blaupause für die Vereinigte Stahlwerke. In: 900 Jahre Mülheim an der Ruhr, 1093-1993. Series: Zeitschrift des Geschichtsvereins Mülheim a.d. Ruhr, 1 (66). Geschichtsverein: Mülheim, Germany, pp. 405-431.