An analysis of the role of historical knowledge in understanding business and business processes within society.

1. The Importance of Historical Knowledge in Business Dr. Peter Cullen English Language and Culture For Business

3. What is Business? Collins Dictionary: a commercial or industrial establishment for: production of goods and services sales purchasing assistance finance ... and more!

13. Observed environments change according to Braudel’s construct: i.e. global warming: long term patterns (40,000 year glacial cycles) conjunctural patterns – last 150 years = +.5°C event patterns – last 3 years – polar ice melting Agricultural societies changes dramatically with environmental cycles at all three rates. What about industrial societies? What about service sector societies?

18. For example: Naomi Klein claims that branding is not only marketing – its production. This reflects Bourdieu: interaction between belief, learning, production This interaction requires time (interpretation, memory, application) Understanding this interaction requires analysis of contextual change over time

23. Today, differences in regional economic performance are considered in relation to the “path to industrialisation” taken by any state or region. This is called “path dependence”. Path dependence theory introduces “dynamic” analysis” of society. As a theory, it began as a way of explaining different “paths” to industrialisation. The problem is: relatively static institutions are self-renewing, creating an “institutional culture” that puts itself at the centre of socialisation and behaviour.

26. The logic of historical inquiry is the only intellectual means in western culture of approaching the problems created by path dependency and institutional learning lag. WHY? Because any historical inquiry demands an analysis of context and contextual change over time. True, this may be very limited – but it involves multi-variate temporal analysis. Historical understanding combines an understanding of time, place, language, behaviour, institutions and change.

27. Historical knowledge is the best approach we have for understanding differences between communities and societies – essential in globalised business contexts. Oh yeah, why are you here?