“Managing Communist Enterprise: Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, 1945-1970”

Rutgers-Camden will be hosting a Business History Conference symposium on Friday, April 21, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. in the Armitage Hall Faculty Lounge. 

The symposium is on the business history of communist eastern and central Europe, which has not yet received the attention that it deserves. This symposium is organized around a significant new paper by Professor Philip Scranton (Rutgers-Camden Department of History, emeritus), entitled “Managing Communist Enterprise: Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, 1945-1970,” that itself emerges from a major project being undertaken by Professor Scranton and Professor Patrick Fridenson to examine the evolution of global business practices in the second half of the twentieth-century.  Based in extensive research in previously unused archives and sources, the paper uncovers the fascinating and often surprising story of management in three key European economies, essentially opening up a hitherto neglected field of study in business history.

Professor Scranton will make a brief presentation about his paper, followed by three invited commentaries, from Pal Germuska (EUI), Natalya Vinokurova (Wharton), and Lee Vinsel (Stevens Institute of Technology). Following a response from Professor Scranton, the final hour of the event will be reserved for audience discussion. The lead paper and all three commentaries will subsequently be published in Enterprise and Society: The International Journal of Business History. 

Attendees are strongly encouraged to read the paper in advance.  It can be downloaded by clicking here.

The Armitage Hall Faculty Lounge is located on the second floor of Armitage Hall, 311 North Fifth Street, Camden, NJ 08102.  Armitage is a classroom and office building just north of the Robeson Library in the campus’s main quadrangle, with huge red letters spelling RUTGERS on its facade. On Fridays, ample metered street parking is available nearby.  A map of the campus can be viewed here.

All are welcome. The event is free and registration is not required, though it would be appreciated if notices of intent to attend could be sent to Andrew Popp at andrew.popp@liverpool.ac.uk. All enquiries should be addressed to the same address.