Drafts by Sabine Pitteloud
Harvard Business School Working Paper, 2022
This working paper brings together a diverse group of scholars to discuss the historiography of c... more This working paper brings together a diverse group of scholars to discuss the historiography of capitalism, business history and global governance and lay the foundations for further research in this area. Grace Ballor and Sabine Pitteloud open the discussion with a historiographical survey of the ways capitalism and its actors – in particular entrepreneurs and managers, firms and business associations – have interacted with international organizations and global governance frameworks. This literature review lays the foundation for contributions from four leading scholars and their perspectives on the past, present, and future of research in this area. Patricia Clavin discusses capitalism and governance through the dynamics of international relations, while Nicolás Perrone brings a lawyer’s perspective to the public-private creation of international rules; Neil Rollings thinks about firms, governments, and global governance through both continuities and change, and Quinn Slobodian applies the analytical framework of international political economy to the evolving relationships between states and markets on a global scale. Our collective examination of business and international order aims to offer critical scholarly insight on the 20th and 21st centuries and outline future research agendas for what promises to be an increasingly rich field of study.
Harvard Business School General Management Unit Working Paper No. 22-075,, 2022
This working paper investigates unintended consequences of U.S. FDI in Switzerland in the 1950s-1... more This working paper investigates unintended consequences of U.S. FDI in Switzerland in the 1950s-1960s: the increased competition that U.S. firms generated within the national labor market and the challenge their hiring practices constituted for the institutional settings in which labor relations were embedded. It therefore contributes to two bodies of literature: one that deals with the arrival of U.S. firms in Europe after 1945 and another that tackles the contribution of business history to the variety of capitalism (VOC) scholarship.
Working Papers of the Paul Bairoch Institute of Economic History, 2020
During the last decade, we have witnessed increased public concern about vehicle emissions and gr... more During the last decade, we have witnessed increased public concern about vehicle emissions and growing frustration with political inaction and businesses' preference for the status quo. This paper offers a historical perspective on this debate by shedding light on the political struggle that occurred around the implementation of new regulations reducing air pollution caused by motor vehicles in Switzerland in the 1970s. Relying on archival material from the Swiss Federation of Commerce and Industry and the Federal Archives, the paper analyzes the processes of dilution and delay that characterized these regulations, and the complex interplay of various influences both in Switzerland and at the European level that contributed to this political outcome.
Business History, 2020
This article focusses on the closure of the Firestone’s Swiss subsidiary in 1978. It contributes ... more This article focusses on the closure of the Firestone’s Swiss subsidiary in 1978. It contributes to the existing literature dealing with the ‘nationality’ of multinational companies and the impact of US management style on local capitalist systems. Drawing on a narrative perspective and relying on rich sources from government, labour and trade associations’ archives, the article demonstrates how the ‘nationality’ was subjected to actors’ perceptions and constructed through their discourses. It studies how labour representatives and politicians used the ‘nationality of the company’ as a rhetorical tool to legitimise political actions and institutional change. The analysis also shows Swiss trade associations’ efforts to counteract such narratives and their ability to largely limit state interventionism thanks to their traditionally dominant position.
Presentations by Sabine Pitteloud
The paper focuses on the role of Industrie-Holding, the Federation of Swiss Industrial Multinatio... more The paper focuses on the role of Industrie-Holding, the Federation of Swiss Industrial Multinational companies, in the formation of the double taxation agreement between Switzerland and Italy in the 1970s. It shows how a small group of Swiss multinationals became an institutional entrepreneur by organizing as one, and how the shaping of taxation frameworks were included in their corporate strategy. Indeed, the analysis demonstrates that the role of multinationals went far beyond the notion of entrepreneurship in the classical Schumpeterian sense and, in fact, formed an entirely new institution in order to favor their own business activities.
The paper highlights not only the importance of forming a homogeneous group in order to define a clear strategy and prompt coordinated action, but also asserts that these firms had to find allies within other economic sectors, as well as within the political sphere. Their task was not an easy one, since Italy had no interest in such a deal, due to the substantial capital flight that was already occurring in the direction of the Swiss tax havens. In order to be successful, the companies used direct bargaining tools, such as potential new investments in southern Italy, in addition to indirect ones through lobbying activities. Indeed, Industrie-Holding had to urge the Swiss authorities to add other bilateral issues to the negotiations, such as immigration policies and social legislations regarding Italian immigrants. The paper therefore shows the importance of the coordinated politically-oriented inter-firms organization for the purpose of serving a multinational's profitability and contributes to existing literature on the role of entrepreneurs and their organizations in building new institutions.
Thesis Chapters by Sabine Pitteloud
![Research paper thumbnail of «Les invisibles deviennent visibles»: le rôle politique des multinationales et les débats sur l’internationalisation en Suisse [1942-1993]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/65079509/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Cette thèse porte sur le rôle politique des multinationales helvétiques depuis 1942 et sur les dé... more Cette thèse porte sur le rôle politique des multinationales helvétiques depuis 1942 et sur les débats que le processus d’internationalisation a provoqués en Suisse. La première partie analyse la genèse et l’évolution d’Industrie-Holding, une association créée durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale par plusieurs multinationales industrielles suisses afin de défendre leurs intérêts auprès des autorités fédérales. La deuxième partie étudie comment d’autres groupes d’intérêts ont perçu le phénomène d’internationalisation des entreprises après 1945. Elle analyse également le rôle particulier d’Industrie-Holding au sein de la coordination patronale suisse, notamment à l'occasion de la création de la garantie contre les risques à l’investissement ou encore de la conclusion d’un accord de double imposition avec l’Italie. La troisième partie étudie les réactions et les stratégies des multinationales suisses lorsque le processus d’internationalisation est remis en cause dans les années 1970, en Suisse, mais aussi à l’international, dans le cadre de l’élaboration de codes de bonne conduite.
Available online: https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:121457
Papers by Sabine Pitteloud
Business History Review
This paper proposes a modulated model predictive control (MMPC) of a highly efficient and reliabl... more This paper proposes a modulated model predictive control (MMPC) of a highly efficient and reliable inverter concept (HERIC) active front end (AFE) converter equipped with an LCL filter. The proposed method is based on the model predictive control (MPC) concept and obtains the optimized duty cycle by using three-level switching states which can be implemented in the HERIC converter. By doing so, the AFE converter achieves fast and precise current control. In addition, the obtained duty cycle is not limited to the polarity of the grid voltage, so it is possible to track the current reference more accurately near the zero-crossing points. The first-order approximation model of the LCL filter is derived to simplify the controller design process with the proposed MMPC. After that, the MMPC algorithm is adopted based on this simplified model in the single-phase system. The switching pattern of the HERIC topology is also proposed considering the MMPC under changing polarity of the duty cycle. To verify the performance of the proposed scheme, a 3 kW HERIC AFE converter was built and tested. Both simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme not only improves total harmonic distortion, but also achieves a fast-tracking performance. Keywords Modulated model predictive control • Highly efficient and reliable inverter concept • LCL filter • Active front end converter * Younghoon Cho
Business History, 2020
AbstractThis article focusses on the closure of the Firestone’s Swiss subsidiary in 1978. It cont... more AbstractThis article focusses on the closure of the Firestone’s Swiss subsidiary in 1978. It contributes to the existing literature dealing with the ‘nationality’ of multinational companies and the...
Business & Politics, 2022
Recent decades have witnessed increased public concern about vehicle emissions and growing frustr... more Recent decades have witnessed increased public concern about vehicle emissions and growing frustration with political inaction and business preferences for the status quo. This article provides historical perspective on such regulatory dynamics by analyzing the Swiss and the Swedish cases of vehicle emission governance in the1970s-1980s. Relying on archival documents detailing the policy process in both countries as well as on international regulatory arenas, the analysis focuses on political solutions for reducing the toxicity of vehicle emissions. It uncovers the influence of national as well as international business groups and the existence of the tension between various national ministries, arising from conflicting environmental and trade-related goals. Is also highlights the importance of different institutional settings in creating the expertise to explain the political outcomes. While the Swiss corporatist system gave a great deal of power to a variety of interest groups at each stage of the political process, the Swedish government invested significant resources in the creation of independent expertise and enjoyed a relative autonomy, despite the importance of the Swedish car industry. The analysis also assesses the importance of the Swiss-Swedish collaboration in overcoming certain obstacles and their contribution to the implementation of stricter regulations in Europe that ultimately occurred at the margins of the European Economic Community.
Business History, 2021
This article focuses on the establishment in the 1970s of a new international private governance ... more This article focuses on the establishment in the 1970s of a new international private governance forum, the so-called ‘Interlaken Conferences’, which gathered together the leading figures of the In...
Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Geschichte
This article focuses on the genesis and evolution of Industrie-Holding, a federation ofSwiss mult... more This article focuses on the genesis and evolution of Industrie-Holding, a federation ofSwiss multinationals, from 1942 onwards. Thanks to recent donations from the Alusuisseand Hero archives, historians now have access to the minutes of the Industrie-Holdingexecutive committee and general assembly meetings, as well as to some of its internalcorrespondence. Using this material, this article examines the emergence of the managingdirectors’awareness of the importance of the multinational character of their companiesand of the need to defend the specific interests resulting from this status. It analyses howthe context of World War II prompted a small group of Swiss multinationals to organisethemselves into a business interest association (BIA) and why the founding membersimplemented rather restrictive admissions criteria. The analysis also highlights the evolu-tion of Industrie-Holding’s membership and the division of labour with respect to otherSwiss BIAs. Finally, the article examines Industrie-Holding’s operations and provides asense of the diversity of its lobbying activities over time.
Business and politics, 2020
During the last decade, we have seen an increased opposition to globalization. Within this wave o... more During the last decade, we have seen an increased opposition to globalization. Within this wave of criticism, firms and more specifically multinational corporations have been major targets, accused of multiple wrongdoings, such as social dumping, fiscal evasion, job cuts, trade deficits, abuses of power, and environmental damages. In many respects, this debate echoes the one that took place during the 1970s with respect to oil shocks, de-industrialization, and imperialism. At that time, several international organizations, such as the OECD, ECOSOC, ILO, and the European Community started to address the issue of multinationals and international investments, and advocated for the creation of guidelines to regulate their activities. The following paper explores the reactions of Swiss multinationals to these attempts, as well as their strategies for protecting their latitude in conducting business. Relying on archival material of the Swiss Union of Commerce and Industry and of the Federal Archives, this paper shows how the biggest companies in the pharmaceutical, machine, and food processing industries—all of them still being global players —decided to create a task force to deal with these emerging regulations at the international level.
Revue suisse d'Histoire SZG RSH, 2019
This article focuses on the genesis and evolution of Industrie-Holding, a federation ofSwiss mult... more This article focuses on the genesis and evolution of Industrie-Holding, a federation ofSwiss multinationals, from 1942 onwards. Thanks to recent donations from the Alusuisseand Hero archives, historians now have access to the minutes of the Industrie-Holdingexecutive committee and general assembly meetings, as well as to some of its internalcorrespondence. Using this material, this article examines the emergence of the managingdirectors’awareness of the importance of the multinational character of their companiesand of the need to defend the specific interests resulting from this status. It analyses howthe context of World War II prompted a small group of Swiss multinationals to organisethemselves into a business interest association (BIA) and why the founding membersimplemented rather restrictive admissions criteria. The analysis also highlights the evolu-tion of Industrie-Holding’s membership and the division of labour with respect to otherSwiss BIAs. Finally, the article examines Industrie-Holding’s operations and provides asense of the diversity of its lobbying activities over time.
This article focuses on the evolution of the rhetoric and practice of corporate offshoring in Swi... more This article focuses on the evolution of the rhetoric and practice of corporate offshoring in Switzerland from the post-war economic boom to the industrial crisis in the mid-seventies. The virtue of a historical perspective on the issue of offshoring is to show how recent controversies have their roots in previous decades, suggesting the need to reassess recent debates about structural change in light of earlier experiences. Relying on the cultural and narrative perspective in business history, the article shows the emergence of an unexpected consensus about the legitimacy of corporate offshoring between employers, Swiss authorities and even Swiss labour unions after 1945. The explanation for that counter-intuitive alliance is found in the actors’ representations and discourse about what they considered to be excessive economic circumstances. Indeed, during this golden age of considerable economic expansion, demand exceeded supply and the Swiss firms constantly complained of labour shortages. Offshoring was therefore seen as a cure for the lack of workers within Switzerland and allowed multinational companies to focus on the most lucrative production activities. Swiss workers and unions shared this view, preferring some low-skill activities to be done outside the country rather than seeing the arrival of more foreign workers, who tended to be less unionised and who were accused of aggravating the housing shortage. In response, the Swiss authorities supported the offshoring process by providing some tariff favours to allow textile firms in particular to relocate their production abroad and to reimport it to Switzerland without paying taxes. Finally, the article shows how the consensus broke down after the economic downturn of the mid-70 s and how changing historical circumstances induced new diverging narratives about the social desirability of the offshoring phenomenon.
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Drafts by Sabine Pitteloud
Presentations by Sabine Pitteloud
The paper highlights not only the importance of forming a homogeneous group in order to define a clear strategy and prompt coordinated action, but also asserts that these firms had to find allies within other economic sectors, as well as within the political sphere. Their task was not an easy one, since Italy had no interest in such a deal, due to the substantial capital flight that was already occurring in the direction of the Swiss tax havens. In order to be successful, the companies used direct bargaining tools, such as potential new investments in southern Italy, in addition to indirect ones through lobbying activities. Indeed, Industrie-Holding had to urge the Swiss authorities to add other bilateral issues to the negotiations, such as immigration policies and social legislations regarding Italian immigrants. The paper therefore shows the importance of the coordinated politically-oriented inter-firms organization for the purpose of serving a multinational's profitability and contributes to existing literature on the role of entrepreneurs and their organizations in building new institutions.
Thesis Chapters by Sabine Pitteloud
Available online: https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:121457
Papers by Sabine Pitteloud
The paper highlights not only the importance of forming a homogeneous group in order to define a clear strategy and prompt coordinated action, but also asserts that these firms had to find allies within other economic sectors, as well as within the political sphere. Their task was not an easy one, since Italy had no interest in such a deal, due to the substantial capital flight that was already occurring in the direction of the Swiss tax havens. In order to be successful, the companies used direct bargaining tools, such as potential new investments in southern Italy, in addition to indirect ones through lobbying activities. Indeed, Industrie-Holding had to urge the Swiss authorities to add other bilateral issues to the negotiations, such as immigration policies and social legislations regarding Italian immigrants. The paper therefore shows the importance of the coordinated politically-oriented inter-firms organization for the purpose of serving a multinational's profitability and contributes to existing literature on the role of entrepreneurs and their organizations in building new institutions.
Available online: https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:121457
multinationales responsables ». Cet épisode récent a rappelé que la régulation de l’activité des sociétés multinationales fait l’objet de luttes politiques, auxquelles participent les dirigeants d’entreprises et les associations patronales qui les représentent. Il était pertinent d’offrir un éclairage historique sur ces dynamiques en analysant la manière dont plusieurs grandes multinationales suisses et leur association d’intérêt, « Industrie-Holding », se sont engagées dans des activités politiques depuis la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. L’ouvrage met en lumière les processus par lesquels les représentants de ces entreprises ont contribué à l’élaboration d’institutions et de règlements qui favorisent leurs affaires : accords de double imposition, garantie contre les risques à l’investissement, accords de protection des investissements, etc. Il étudie également la perception qu’ont eue d’autres groupes d’intérêt, notamment les syndicats et d’autres fractions du patronat, du phénomène d’internationalisation selon différents contextes économiques. Enfin, Sabine Pitteloud dévoile les stratégies des multinationales suisses lorsque le processus d’internationalisation est remis en cause dans les
années 1970 et discute la résilience du capitalisme helvétique.