BizAims

Introduction

In this module you will learn about the history of corporations. Antecedants of the modern corporation can be found in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and in the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain and the United States. Corporations have evolved into their present form as the synthesis of discrete solutions to specific historical problems that have arisen in the practice of business. This module has been designed for courses in (1) business, society, and government, (2) business ethics, (3) corporate governance, and (4) corporate social responsibility.

What you need to know …

The History of the Corporation

This historical process has produced five functions that characterize the modern corporation. Corporations have emerged as...

1. "Passive devices" that hold property

2. Structures designed to exert monopoly control over and regulate a domain of specialized knowledge and skill

Milford was settled in 1639 by a group of English Puritans under the leadership of the Rev. Peter Prudden. The site was chosen because the Wepawaug River widened at its mouth to form a fine natural harbor, the stream was large enough to provide abundant water for livestock, and the necessary power for turning mill wheels. Milford's first business, indeed, was a gristmill, the first in the New Haven Colony, operated by William Fowler. It is believed that this is how Milford got its name.

In addition, a carpenter, a cooper, a tailor, a blacksmith, a tanner, and a weaver were among the early settlers.

Agriculture was a primary activity and remained important up until about 1950. In the early years, everyone farmed, even those who had other occupations. It was necessary to grow most of one's own food, cut timber, build one's own house and barn, and make many of one's own tools, equipment and household goods.

Hu Ping, president of the Chinese Business History Committee:

Once in feudal China there was a splendid period for business, though on the whole business was not very well developed in China. This period was critical for economic and cultural development in ancient China. Shanxi merchants, taking up the dominant position in the business sector, could be regarded as the leader of this period.

Fang Xing, a researcher of the Chinese Academy of Social Science's Economy Institute:

The merchants' diverse commodities, investment amount, and staff size were all at the top among all the business groups at that time.

Zhang Limin, a researcher with theTianjinAcademy of Social Science's History Institute:

Shanxi  merchants controlled several industries, such as all of the financial industry and part of the pigment industry. At that time their status was quite high as merchants.

Chao Xiao'ou, associate professor of Xiamen University's History Department:

1935: Founded in Bangor

Webber Oil Company was founded by Alburney E. Webber. Operations were based at 700 Main Street in Bangor, and consisted of 4 employees and two fuel delivery trucks.

1936: New Ideas: Automatic Delivery & 24-Hour Service

Webber introduced the first automatic delivery service for fuel customers and instituted 24-hour service, which was a brand new concept well into the 40s.

1937: BYOG (Build Your Own Gas Stations)

Webber began building its own gasoline stations

1939 - 1945: 250 Oil Customers!

During World War II, the government controlled distribution of petroleum products. Opportunity for growth was limited until the war was over. Webber had 14 employees by 1940, serving 20 gasoline customers and 250 fuel oil customers.

2009: Walter Industries announces rebranding and name change to Walter Energy, Inc.

2009: Walter Industries spins off Walter Investment Management Corp. (NYSE Amex: WAC) as an independent, publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trust

2009: Walter Industries closes Jim Walter Homes

2008: Walter Industries, Inc. restructures Jim Walter Homes, closing 36 branches.

2007: Acquired Tuscaloosa Resources, Inc. for $21.7 million

2007: Walter Mortgage Company Named to S&P's Select Servicer List; Financial Services business Receives RPS3 Servicer Rating

2006: Mike Tokarz named non-executive Chairman of the Board

THE 125 YEAR HISTORY OF VICTORINOX IS CHARACTERIZED BY PERSEVERANCE AND CONTINUAL GROWTH. TYPICAL SWISS CHARACTERISTIC SET THE TONE FOR THE CORPORATION'S DEVELOPMENT.

In 1884, the cutler and businessman Karl Elsener opened a knife manufacturing company in Ibach-Schwyz, in the heart of Switzerland. Over the next 125 years, this evolved into a globally oriented company.

Victorinox was founded at a time when Switzerland was counted among the poorest countries in Europe. Many Swiss were without work in 1880 and saw emigration as the only possible solution. Despite the difficult economic times, the cutler Karl Elsener took the initiative and, by opening a cutlery workshop, laid the foundation stone for a thriving company.

A pioneering spirit and the honesty of the company founder, as well as his attachment to his native country, have accompanied the history of the Victorinox Company during the last 125 years, and live on in his philosophy and his products. The organization is also characterized by continuity: Victorinox has remained a family enterprise since its founding in 1884, and has maintained its independence until today.

In 1978, Verity's first product line included sensors and controls to measure moisture content in cotton fibers and control the drying of the fibers in the ginning process for the agricultural industry.

In 1980, Verity's product emphasis shifted to the semiconductor industry with the introduction of the Fingerprinter, a portable spectrograph for the analysis of plasma emissions. Following the Fingerprinter was the Endpointer, a monochromator and radiometer system for detecting optical endpoints.

In 1987, Verity introduced its first OEM monochromator for plasma etch endpoint detection. For the first time, the semiconductor industry could obtain a high resolution monochromator complete with electronics and detector in a package small enough to integrate into a single wafer system. To address the vacuum/optical interface,

Unilever's corporate mission – to add vitality to life – shows how clearly the business understands 21st century-consumers and their lives. But the spirit of this mission forms a thread that runs throughout our history.

Helping people get more out of life

In the 1890s, William Hesketh Lever, founder of Lever Bros, wrote down his ideas for Sunlight Soap – his revolutionary new product that helped popularise cleanliness and hygiene in Victorian England. It was 'to make cleanliness commonplace; to lessen work for women; to foster health and contribute to personal attractiveness, that life may be more enjoyable and rewarding for the people who use our products'.

This was long before the phrase 'Corporate Mission' had been invented, but these ideas have stayed at the heart of our business. Even if their language - and the notion of only women doing housework – has become outdated.

In a history that now crosses three centuries, Unilever's success has been influenced by the major events of the day – economic boom, depression, world wars, changing consumer lifestyles and advances in technology.

Early History

China Unicom was established as an independent corporation by China's Ministry of Information Industry (the body now known as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology). It was meant to develop mobile technology with a focus on mobile pagers and GSM phone systems. The Chinese government's majority ownership of China Unicom, along with the similarly appointed China Telecom, was an investment in the rapid construction of a modern telecommunications infrastructure. By the mid 1990s, both of these government-owned corporations had experienced large growth and were among the world leaders in number of customers and the introduction of innovative technology. In 1999, the Chinese government licensed Unicom to serve as the nation's primary Internet service provider.

Looking back towards the future

“Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.” – Demosthenes  

The roots of Transnet  can be traced back to humble beginnings in  the late 1850s, when railway transport was proposed for the harbours in the Cape and Natal.

The real catalyst for the country’s railway and harbour expansion however, can be attributed to the discovery of diamonds in Kimberly in 1867.

South Africa’s state railway system began when the two pioneer railway systems situated in the Cape and Natal became government property in 1872 and 1877 respectively, thus completing the relatively primitive harbours in Durban and Cape Town. Scarcely nine years after the founding of the government railways, both which were rapidly pushed to Kimberly, rumours of massive gold deposits in the Transvaal Republic were confirmed. Almost overnight, economic power had shifted from the colonial south to the republican north.

The California Wine Company Limited (CA Wine) was established on 1 August 1996 with registered capital of 1,000,000 Baht, by a group of California wine enthusiasts in Thailand and California, at 1624 Krung Kasem Road, Bangkok 10100, Thailand. CA Wine imported quality wines from California  and sold to wine shops, hotels, and restaurants.

On 14 November 1996, CA Wine set up its sister company, Wine, Etc. Company Limited at 498-504 Sukhumvit 22 Road, Bangkok 10110, Thailand, with registered capital of 1,000,000 Baht, to handle retail business in Sukhumvit area.

On 8 June 1997, CA Wine increased its registered capital to 5,000,000 Baht and started importing value wines. Thanks to the value wine line, CA Wine was not affected by 1997 Thailand Economic Crisis.

Acura is an upscale automaker known for offering cars with impressive levels of luxury, features and performance. Generally, Acura cars are not considered as glitzy or as glamorous as the premium European makes. Depending on your viewpoint, this can be a positive or a negative trait, but either way there's no denying the quality of Acura's vehicles, nor their compelling prices and overall value. The company also continually scores well in J.D. Power quality and satisfaction surveys.

The history of Acura is relatively short. Parent company Honda introduced the Acura brand to the U.S. market in 1986 in an effort to create a separate luxury division for its products. At first, it was just a two-car show: the Legend sedan, which was the first true Japanese luxury car sold in America, and the Integra sport coupe and sedan. Though essentially a marketing creation for the North American market (there are still no "Acuras" sold in Europe or Japan, only Hondas), the Acura brand was immediately successful.

TeliaSonera is a public limited company incorporated under the laws of Sweden. The share is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm and NASDAQ OMX Helsinki stock exchanges.

TeliaSonera is a result of the merger of Telia and Sonera. The merger took place in December 2002 and brought together two of the leading telecommunications companies in the Nordic region and formed a leading telecommunications Group in the Nordic and Baltic regions with strong market positions even in Eurasia, Russia and Turkey.

Telia

Telia - the telecommunications leader in Sweden- was earlier operated by the Swedish State as a public service corporation, Televerket.

William Sobey, a member of Britain’s Royal Engineers is stationed in Halifax where he meets and marries Janet MacIntosh of Pictou County  in 1862.

After returning to England, the Sobeys come back to Nova Scotia to stay – along with their seven year old son, John William (J.W.).

After moving to Stellarton, Nova Scotia, J.W. starts a meat delivery business. With a horse-drawn cart, he purchases and collects livestock from local farmers for resale.

A 16 year-old Frank Sobey persuades his father (J.W.) to expand the family business from meat and a few local vegetables to a full line of groceries.

After 15 years, the Sobeys’ chain of stores has begun. There were now six stores in Pictou County  and the surrounding counties.

SkyTel, the premier source for wireless data and messaging services, provides wireless email, interactive two-way messaging, wireless telemetry services, and traditional text and numeric paging to customers throughout the U.S. With our strong commitment to supporting business needs, SkyTel is the overwhelming choice of the Fortune® 1000 for wireless data and messaging.

Founded in 1988, SkyTel is headquartered in Clinton, MS. SkyTel focuses on providing sophisticated wireless messaging services and support to our customers, who are primarily in the business and government sectors.

Leading the industry

SkyTel has a proud history of wireless industry leadership. For example, we were the first company to offer nationwide numeric and text paging and the first with 2Way messaging and guaranteed message delivery.