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Book Author
- Nick Robins
Abstract:
In “The Corporation That Changed The World,” Nick Robins
provides an in-depth analysis of the rise and fall of the
East India Company (1600-1874), the first true multinational
corporation. It exposes the appalling social record of the
company and puts forth the case for keeping the power of
modern corporations in check and ensuring corporate
accountability.
About the Author:
Nick Robins is the head of socially responsible investment
research at Henderson Global Investors in the City of
London. He is a historian by training and has nearly 20
years of experience in corporate social responsibility
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In “The Corporation That Changed The World,” Nick Robins provides an
in-depth analysis of the rise and fall of the East India Company
(1600-1874). The author argues that the East India Company was undoubtedly
the first true multinational corporation, a predecessor to the modern
corporations, and that the world has much to learn from its meteoric rise,
its dramatic fall from grace, and its eventual pathetic demise. The book
goes beyond just chronicling the events of history and draws parallels
between the East India Company and modern corporations.
With a shareholder model of ownership and a sound corporate governance and
management framework in place, the East India Company was far ahead of its
time. The author describes how it started as a trader in spices from Asia,
and went on to become the mightiest corporation in the world. In the
process, its impact on the global economy was significant. It not only
achieved market dominance in Asia, but also went on to become the ruler of
India on behalf of the British Crown, paving the way for the creation
British Empire in the East. In its 274 years of existence, it effectively
engineered a reversal of the flow of wealth from the West to the East. Yet,
after it ceased to exist, it was relegated to a mere footnote in history.
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