Countering Political Risk in Colonial India: German Multinationals and the Challenge of Internment (1914-1947)

Christina Lubinski, Valeria Giacomin, Klara Schnitzer

    Research output: Working paperResearchpeer-review

    Abstract

    Internment in so-called “enemy countries” was a frequent occurrence in the twentieth century and created significant obstacles for multinational enterprises (MNEs). This article focuses on German MNEs in India and shows how they addressed the formidable challenge of the internment of their employees in British camps during both WWI and WWII. We find that internment impacted business relationships in India well beyond its endpoint and that the WWI internment shaped the subsequent perception of and strategic response to the WWII experience. We show that internment aggravated existing staffing challenges, impacted the perception of racial lines of distinctions and re-casted the category “European business.” While internment was perceived and managed as a political risk, the case also shows that it created unexpected networking opportunities, generating a tight community of German businesspeople in India.
    Original languageEnglish
    Place of PublicationBoston, USA
    PublisherHarvard Business School
    Number of pages47
    Publication statusPublished - 2018
    SeriesHarvard Business School Working Paper
    Volume18-090

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