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The Corporation That Changed the World: How the East India Company Shaped the Modern Multinational

The Corporation That Changed the World: How the East India Company Shaped the Modern Multinational

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  • Create Date：2022-10-22 05:52:57
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Nick Robins
  • ISBN：0745331955
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Summary

The English East India Company was the mother of the modern multinational。 Its trading empire encircled the globe， importing Asian luxuries such as spices， textiles and teas。 But it also conquered much of India with its private army and broke open China's markets with opium。 The Company’s practices shocked its contemporaries and still reverberate today。

The Corporation That Changed the World is the first book to reveal the Company’s enduring legacy as a corporation。 This expanded edition explores how the four forces of scale， technology， finance and regulation drove its spectacular rise and fall。 For decades， the Company was simply too big to fail， and stock market bubbles， famines， drug-running and even duels between rival executives are to be found in this new account。

For Robins， the Company’s story provides vital lessons on both the role of corporations in world history and the steps required to make global business accountable today。

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Reviews

Johanna ，

I don't understand why this book is laid out as is。 Sometimes tells stuff chronologically， sometimes jumps years or centuries without clarifying that it has - makes it very hard to follow。 Assumes a lot of knowledge - I supplemented with a lot of side reading to keep track。 Very info-dense so if you miss a bit （because you're bored/confused） it can be hard to pick up what's going on again。 Not enough analysis， particularly about The Company's end。Didn't build to a conclusion even though it promi I don't understand why this book is laid out as is。 Sometimes tells stuff chronologically， sometimes jumps years or centuries without clarifying that it has - makes it very hard to follow。 Assumes a lot of knowledge - I supplemented with a lot of side reading to keep track。 Very info-dense so if you miss a bit （because you're bored/confused） it can be hard to pick up what's going on again。 Not enough analysis， particularly about The Company's end。Didn't build to a conclusion even though it promised it would。 But the stuff on Plassay was fascinating and really put stuff into context; it's a shame that didn't extend to the later stuff e。g。 around the opium wars and the Boston Tea Party。 I learned a lot through reading it， but felt I could have learned more had it been structured better。 。。。more

Douglas Brouwer ，

I wanted to like this book， and I was fascinated for the first several pages。 But my reading of it was a frustrating experience， and I'm not exactly sure why。 The book is well researched and sourced。 It's crammed with names， dates， financial calculations， and unvarnished opinions about the East India Company。 （Spoiler alert: It was the worst corporation in history， according to the author。） With all that， though， I found the reading of it to be a slog。 I suppose that's because it's not terribly I wanted to like this book， and I was fascinated for the first several pages。 But my reading of it was a frustrating experience， and I'm not exactly sure why。 The book is well researched and sourced。 It's crammed with names， dates， financial calculations， and unvarnished opinions about the East India Company。 （Spoiler alert: It was the worst corporation in history， according to the author。） With all that， though， I found the reading of it to be a slog。 I suppose that's because it's not terribly well written。 The narrative isn't compelling。 It jumps around， even though the basic story line follows an historical timeline。 I suppose I wanted it to be better than it was。 Did I learned anything？ Oh my， yes。 And I'm grateful to my men's book discussion group for choosing it， because I would not otherwise have read it。 。。。more

Amr Ahlawy ，

كتاب مهم، يدفعك لإعادة النظر في الطريقة التي يدار بها العالم، وغالباً ستدرك أن المحرك الرئيسي للدول ليس السياسة أو الاقتصاد بمفهومه العام، وإنما المصالح الاقتصادية الخاصة بملاك الشركات الكبرى أو المساهمين الكبار فيها。

Mohamed Nasr ，

احنا ازاي مش عارفين حاجه كده عن التاريخ ده。。。وازاي الشركه تجبر بلد بالكامل علي زراعه الافيون

David Haig ，

"Corporation that Changed the World"， is about the English East India Company， who got up to every dirty trick in the book including getting millions of Chinese hooked on opium and then starting a war when the Chinese government tried to stop them。 At times I was positively furious with what the "Honarale East India Company" had got up to， all in the name of profit。 It shows what happens when you have uncontrolled capitalism & the only goal is profit。 This company is partly the source of current "Corporation that Changed the World"， is about the English East India Company， who got up to every dirty trick in the book including getting millions of Chinese hooked on opium and then starting a war when the Chinese government tried to stop them。 At times I was positively furious with what the "Honarale East India Company" had got up to， all in the name of profit。 It shows what happens when you have uncontrolled capitalism & the only goal is profit。 This company is partly the source of current discussions about the massive size and influence of mega-corporations like Google， Facebook， Apple & especially Amazon which already has a bad reputation for workers' rights。 。。。more

Samuel Atta-Amponsah ，

This book by Nick Robins could have been a classic。 However， the author lets slip of the opportunity。 The timing was also a crucial factor as the book released just before the crisis in 2006。 If the book was written around the crisis time。 am sure the author would have got a much better perspective and publicity。 After all， the recent crisis has shown us the evil side of many a corporation， which the book also discusses on East India Company。This book offers a fascinating account of the forerunn This book by Nick Robins could have been a classic。 However， the author lets slip of the opportunity。 The timing was also a crucial factor as the book released just before the crisis in 2006。 If the book was written around the crisis time。 am sure the author would have got a much better perspective and publicity。 After all， the recent crisis has shown us the evil side of many a corporation， which the book also discusses on East India Company。This book offers a fascinating account of the forerunner of the modern multinational: the British East India Company （1600-1874）。 Nick Robins shows how the East India Company pioneered the model of the corporation that we see today。 Its innovations included the shareholder model of ownership， and the administrative framework of the modern firm。 Global in reach， it achieved market dominance in Asia， trailblazing the British Empire in the East。 In the process， the company shocked its age with the scale of its executive malpractice， stock market excess， and human rights abuse。Offering a popular history of one of the world’s most famous companies， Nick Robins shows what it teaches us about corporations today。 Ultimately， the East India Company succumbed to popular protest and outright rebellion， first in the Boston Tea Party and then in the Indian Mutiny。 For Robins， the Company’s legacy shows how essential it is to break-up today’s over-mighty corporations， introduce new legal duties on corporate executives and establish effective mechanisms to hold companies to account wherever they operateEast India Company remains a topic for continued interest for most people， especially in India。 India lost much of its glorious past due to this privately held company。 There are many books that have gone onto document how the company marshaled by a few highly ambitious people turned a trading company into an imperialist superpower。 The book has a really interesting account of how EIC went about its business and the way it manipulated politics on its rise to the top。 The players which shaped EIC to the top and the critics who tried to pull it down。This book takes a backseat and says EIC was just like a modern multinational of today’s times。 EIC was very clear in its objective – make money for the shareholders （we give undue credit to Milton Friedman for this）。 This is the same passion shared by most multinationals as well。 In this grand pursuit of profits， EIC committed some equally grand crimes as well。There was huge criticism regarding EIC’s actions and by none other than Adam Smith。 The author says this aspect of Adam Smith is skipped by most experts。 Large corporations are considered as part and parcel of the Invisible hand and free markets world。 Smith clearly disagreed and was shocked to see the conduct of EIC。 He is a later edition of his Wealth of Nations tome wrote a critique of large corporations keeping EIC in mind。Where the book misses out is to draw comparisons with modern multinationals in a more detailed manner。 There is some discussion in the beginning but misses it in the middle and the end。 A more nuanced discussion could have made the book a must-read classic。Nevertheless， an interesting account。 And it is a short one too （just about 190 pages）。 。。。more

Dave Taylor ，

Robins has taken a really interesting chapter of English history and made it a dry and mostly unreadable analysis of shareholder value， comparative stock prices and worse。 I have an MBA and still found it boring as watching paint dry and did not finish the book。 Disappointing。

Denny ，

not a good narrative。 periodically switches to a how companies could be good if there was just a few more nonbinding ethical regulations

أسدالدين أحمد ，

مقدمات الحكايات هي معرفة النهايات بشكل ما، ولعل هذا الكتاب يحكي المقدمة، المقدمة التي نعيشها كل لحظة، لذلك لم يكن للكتاب عنوان واحد، فكل العناوين التي وضعت لهذا الكتاب تلخص مصطلحا واحدا: وهي بداية سيطرة الرأسمالية البشعة على العالم。。。 لقد نشئت الشركة في الوقت الذي انطلقت فيه النظريتين الحاكمتين للاقتصاد العالمي ومع ذلك هاجمها أصحاب النظريتين، فأدم سميث صاحب اليد الخفية التي ستضبط السوق من حالة سيولته وجد في الشركة الوجه السيء لنظرية السوق الحر والليبرالية السوقية، وكارل ماركس في مجلده الأول رأس مقدمات الحكايات هي معرفة النهايات بشكل ما، ولعل هذا الكتاب يحكي المقدمة، المقدمة التي نعيشها كل لحظة، لذلك لم يكن للكتاب عنوان واحد، فكل العناوين التي وضعت لهذا الكتاب تلخص مصطلحا واحدا: وهي بداية سيطرة الرأسمالية البشعة على العالم。。。 لقد نشئت الشركة في الوقت الذي انطلقت فيه النظريتين الحاكمتين للاقتصاد العالمي ومع ذلك هاجمها أصحاب النظريتين، فأدم سميث صاحب اليد الخفية التي ستضبط السوق من حالة سيولته وجد في الشركة الوجه السيء لنظرية السوق الحر والليبرالية السوقية، وكارل ماركس في مجلده الأول رأس المال اعتمد على التحليل الطبقي الذي أصبغ كل شيء قائلا: كان النبلاء يريدون غزو الهند، والأثرياء نهبها، وأصحاب المصانع بيعها بسعر بخس！ والحقيقة أن موقع الكتاب أنه يوضح حلقة في سلسلة كيف حطم الغرب العالم، وكيف سيطر على مقدرات الشعوب ونهب ثرواتها لكي يصنع ماديته الحمقاء التي يسير بها على أجساد البشرية الضعيفة 。。 كل فصل في هذا الكتاب هو دليل على أن جذور تلك الرأسمالية لم تكن وليدة اليوم، فقط الصورة تجملت، فالبنغال التي جاعت حتى الموت من أجل تكديس الثروات في البنوك الانجليزية لا يوجد فرق بينها وبين سوريا المنكوبة من أجل الحفاظ على سوق بيع السلاح والصراع الجيوبوليتيك بين العروش المهتزة。。。 الغريب أن لا أحد يدفع الثمن وأن أحد رؤساء هذه الشركة مازال تمثاله متربعا في ليندهول في لندن ولم يدفع أحد الثمن قط ！ لقد كنت أدرس الكتاب بغرض معرفة حالة اللاوعي التي أدت إلى زيادة قابلية الاستعمار في الشرق الإسلامي لكي اكتشف أن الأمر أكبر، الأمر أن هذا الاستعمار كل مافعله هو التحول لصور آخرى بصورة بورتيريهات مختلفة تماما كالعاهرة التي تتجمل كل مرة من أجل سرقة أموال الزبائن ！ 。。。more

Yalçın ，

İngiltere tarihine hakim olamayınca kitap biraz karışık gelse de sömürünün boyutunun devasallığı， şirketler için esas olan hep kâr olduğu görülmektedir

Rachel ，

Interesting but lacks focus。

أحمد فتحى سليمان ，

كتاب قيم كثيف المعلومات ولكن اسلوبه صعب بعض الشىء

Lewis Younie ，

Each section is in itself informative， wonderfully written and engaging。 However， as others have notes， it suffers from an extremely confused structure， and a lack of focus。It tries to be both a history of the East India Company and a manifesto of radical change in corporate practice。 It succeeds to a limited extent in both these matters， and is useful， but not mandatory， reading for anyone interested in these subjects。

Seong Byun ，

This was a very thorough history of the British East India Company （EIC） and its influences around the world。 It did feel a little bit disorganized in some parts of the book because things are not always presented in a chronological order， or in some easy to follow narrative， but I think part of the reason is due to the complexities of EIC’s history and the vastness of the research that the author has done on this topic。 The book does a phenomenal job in giving you a sense of the injustices and This was a very thorough history of the British East India Company （EIC） and its influences around the world。 It did feel a little bit disorganized in some parts of the book because things are not always presented in a chronological order， or in some easy to follow narrative， but I think part of the reason is due to the complexities of EIC’s history and the vastness of the research that the author has done on this topic。 The book does a phenomenal job in giving you a sense of the injustices and the atrocities that were done at the hands of the company in India and China。 I also enjoyed the tidbits of narrative that the author throws in every now and then about how things in the present day resembles something that was done during EIC’s time。 However， these are few and far between。 So you may be disappointed if you read the title and expected more of how the EIC shaped the modern corporations。 While the book is definitely not the one I would recommend for a leisurely summer reading list， it is definitely a must read for anyone who is interested in general history or who is interested in learning about how the fate of modern western and eastern societies were shaped through commerce in the 17th and 18th century。 。。。more

Vioo ，

。。。。لا تجارة بدون حرب ولا حرب بدون تجارة 。。。。 هذه فكرة لأي زمان ومكانما لم أستصغه في الكتاب عدم ترتيب الأفكار مما أدى إلى المثير من التكرار الممل

Katie Rogers ，

Very interesting topic and read。 Whether you are looking to understand the modern multinational in why and how exists。 Or just history of the East India Company or history of British Empire。 This book definitely delivers。 It is wonderfully written， well researched。It even， for me is local history。 Living where the the East India Docks once stood for over a decade， and have worked for years at the tower Hamlets local history library and archive。 The imprint of The Company is indeed felt to this d Very interesting topic and read。 Whether you are looking to understand the modern multinational in why and how exists。 Or just history of the East India Company or history of British Empire。 This book definitely delivers。 It is wonderfully written， well researched。It even， for me is local history。 Living where the the East India Docks once stood for over a decade， and have worked for years at the tower Hamlets local history library and archive。 The imprint of The Company is indeed felt to this day in the docklands。It also highlights very well how little the way the corporation has changed the way it operates。 So， just in that， this is such an important book。 Highly recommend。 。。。more

سامح دعبس ，

شركة استمرت لقرابة الثلاثة قرون، بدأت كمؤسسة تجارية لجلب خيرات آسيا إلى بريطانيا بالتجارة، ثم تحولت لقوة استعمارية لها جيش وتغزو البلاد، واستغلت قوتها هذه في امتصاص ثورات الهند، خاصة البنغال، وإفقار الناس، وإجبارهم على زراعة الأفيون الذي كانت تتاجر به في الصين، وفرض هذه التجارة على الصين بالقوة العسكرية، التي دعمها فيها التاج البريطاني。 ثم اختلف اللصوص على الغنيمة، فتسلمها التاج من الشركة واستمر الحكم الاستعماري الغاشم。تعتبر الشركة، وغيرها من الشركات العابرة للقارات في وقتها، مثل شركة الهند الشر شركة استمرت لقرابة الثلاثة قرون، بدأت كمؤسسة تجارية لجلب خيرات آسيا إلى بريطانيا بالتجارة، ثم تحولت لقوة استعمارية لها جيش وتغزو البلاد، واستغلت قوتها هذه في امتصاص ثورات الهند، خاصة البنغال، وإفقار الناس، وإجبارهم على زراعة الأفيون الذي كانت تتاجر به في الصين، وفرض هذه التجارة على الصين بالقوة العسكرية، التي دعمها فيها التاج البريطاني。 ثم اختلف اللصوص على الغنيمة، فتسلمها التاج من الشركة واستمر الحكم الاستعماري الغاشم。تعتبر الشركة، وغيرها من الشركات العابرة للقارات في وقتها، مثل شركة الهند الشرقية الهولندية، نويات الشركات العالمية الحديثة، ويظهر لنا الكتاب ماذا يمكن أن يفعل تغول الشركات وسياساتها الاحتكارية في إفقار الناس وتغيير حيواتهم إلى الأسوأ。 。。。more

صالح ，

شئ من تاريخ الإبادة الغربية لشعوب شرق آسيا وكيف يستحكم الجشع المالي。 على الإنسان مقابل إبادة شعوب بأكملها

Stephen Hoag ，

WOW！ What an interesting read。 After reading this I was lead to read Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations。 Three hundred years of commercial and political corruption; social repression; piracy; financial misdeeds; war; murder; the list goes on。 But it gives tremendous insight into how the world has organized itself around wealth acquisition。 WOW！ What an interesting read。 After reading this I was lead to read Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations。 Three hundred years of commercial and political corruption; social repression; piracy; financial misdeeds; war; murder; the list goes on。 But it gives tremendous insight into how the world has organized itself around wealth acquisition。 。。。more

Jaan Liitmäe ，

Author quite clearly positioned himself as opponent for their actions and in some instances tirades against malpractices were a bit too much。。。 But well done all in all！

Kyle Magin ，

This was a good book in that it gives a solid overview on the history and governance of the British East India Company。 It sets the company in its place in history and explains how it impacted India （incalculably negatively）， Hong Kong （and China）， and the U。S。 You'll walk away with a strong， academic understanding of why the company flourished and why it eventually failed。The book， though， doesn't *really* address matters on the ground。 You don't get a sense for how an Indian or British person' This was a good book in that it gives a solid overview on the history and governance of the British East India Company。 It sets the company in its place in history and explains how it impacted India （incalculably negatively）， Hong Kong （and China）， and the U。S。 You'll walk away with a strong， academic understanding of why the company flourished and why it eventually failed。The book， though， doesn't *really* address matters on the ground。 You don't get a sense for how an Indian or British person's day-to-day life was impacted by the company because it really only paints in the broadest macroeconomic strokes。 That lack of personal context keeps the book pretty dry。 。。。more

mohab samir ，

ان تاريخ شركة الهند الشرقية الانجليزية والذى لا يتجزأ عن تاريخ انجلترا هو تاريخ من الغزو باسم التجارة - كما كانت الحروب الصليبية تغزو باسم المسيح - تاريخ من السلب والنهب والقتل والحصار والتجويع والاستعباد 。 الشركة التى تأسست مع بداية القرن السابع عشر الذى شهد بداية جولات السفن الأوروبية الاستكشافية فى مياه العالم باحثة عن الطرق التجارية المختصرة ، الأراضى الجديدة الغير مستكشفة او الغير مأهولة ، مصادر الثروات الطبيعية و عن الأسواق التجارية ومناطق جلب العبيد 。العديد من مثل هذه الشركات الاوروبية نش ان تاريخ شركة الهند الشرقية الانجليزية والذى لا يتجزأ عن تاريخ انجلترا هو تاريخ من الغزو باسم التجارة - كما كانت الحروب الصليبية تغزو باسم المسيح - تاريخ من السلب والنهب والقتل والحصار والتجويع والاستعباد 。 الشركة التى تأسست مع بداية القرن السابع عشر الذى شهد بداية جولات السفن الأوروبية الاستكشافية فى مياه العالم باحثة عن الطرق التجارية المختصرة ، الأراضى الجديدة الغير مستكشفة او الغير مأهولة ، مصادر الثروات الطبيعية و عن الأسواق التجارية ومناطق جلب العبيد 。العديد من مثل هذه الشركات الاوروبية نشأت فى ذات الوقت بحثا عن الثروة الا ان اغلبها لم يستطع الصمود امام تقلب الاسواق التجارية او الحالات الجوية فى قلب البحار والتى ادت لغرق السفن التجارية الاولى لهذه الشركات 。 اما الاغلبية فقد انسحبت او افلست بسبب هجمات سفن شركة الهند الشرقية الانجليزية والتى كانت نوعا من السفن التجارية الحربية والتى عززتها المملكة فيما بعد بالاساطيل فى بعض حالات غزو الاسواق كحرب الافيون فى الصين 。 وكان الأساس الإقتصادى الذى اعتمدت عليه الدولة هو سياسة الاحتكارات التجارية فى أسواقها وهو ما سعت اليه فى الهند مبكراً فى عملها الى ان اعماها الجشع لتقوم بالغزو والتحريض على الثورات والرشوة لتصبح الشركة هى اكبر سلطة فى اراضى البلدان التى تقوم فيها بالتجارة وهو الامر الذى بدأ فى إقليم البنغال فى الهند حتى اصبح للشركة الحق فى جباية الضرائب مقابل جزية باسم الامبراطور الهندى فى دلهى ثم قاموا بمحاربته والامتناع عن تقديم الجزية 。 كما قاموا بالاستيلاء على منتجات الهنود وبيعها فى اسواق الشركة فى مختلف بقاع العالم بأعلى الاسعار وتم تحويل اثمن المنتجات واموال الضرائب من ذهب الهند وفضته الى انجلترا 。 كما كانوا يجبرون المزارعين على زراعة الافيون لتبيعه الشركة لحسابها وكان الافيون من أعلى مصادر الربح للشركة 。 ورغم مصادر ثروات الشركة المتعددة فى الاقليم الواحد نجدها تتعثر كثيرا وتغرق فى الديون وتتعرض بعنف لتقلبات سوق الاوراق المالية （ بورصة لندن ） فهذا كان مؤشرا كبيرا على فساد مديرين الشركة الذين اصبحوا من الثراء لدرجة تنافس الملوك والامراء 。 الا ان عثرات الشركة هذه كانت تقيلها الحكومة الانجليزية بتقديم القروض الضخمة طويلة الامد او غيرها من القروض فالشركة أغرقت الحكومة وحتى الملك - جورج الثانى والثالث على الاخص - فى بحور مكاسبها وفسادها فأصبح استمرار اسم الشركة فى الاسواق هو استمرار لثراء هؤلاء الفاسدين。 واما المساهمين الانجليز فلم يكن يهمهم الا قرارات اعضاء البرلمان بزيادة حصتهم فى الربح والتى وصلت احيانا الى ٢٠ ٪ من القيمة الاسمية للأسهم 。 الا ان باستمرار هذه الازمات المالية وعدم قدرة الشركة على الوفاء بديونها نتيجة لتعاظم حجم الفساد داخلها ونتيجة لسوء الادارة والسياسة التجارية فى الخارج والداخل وتحول الشركة التدريجى من المهام التجارية الى المهام العسكرية وغزوات السلب الونهب والتجارة الغير مشروعة نتيجة لهذه الأمور اوقفت المملكة تجديد عقد تأسيس الشركة - والتى كانت تجدده الشركة مع المملكة كل عشرين عاما تقريبا مقابل دفعة من المال وحصة من الارباح - وتسلمت المملكة ادارة الشركة بشكل نهائى عام ١٨٧٤ تزامناً مع سطوع نجم الامبراطورية البريطانية وانتشار التنافس فى مجال السياسة الاستعمارية فى أوروبا 。 لتصبح الهند بذلك لا سوقاً تجارياً للإنجليز بل جوهرة ثمينة فى تاج إمبراطوريتهم 。 。。。more

Jared ，

‘no civilised government ever existed on the face of this earth which was more corrupt， more perfidious， and more rapacious’ - George Cornewall Lewis MP speaking about the East India CompanyWHAT IS THE GOAL OF THIS BOOK？- This book is an attempt to。。。examine the meaning of the Company’s legacy for the global economy of the twenty-first century。WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY？- The Company pioneered the shareholder model of corporate ownership and built the foundations for mode ‘no civilised government ever existed on the face of this earth which was more corrupt， more perfidious， and more rapacious’ - George Cornewall Lewis MP speaking about the East India CompanyWHAT IS THE GOAL OF THIS BOOK？- This book is an attempt to。。。examine the meaning of the Company’s legacy for the global economy of the twenty-first century。WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY？- The Company pioneered the shareholder model of corporate ownership and built the foundations for modern business administration。CAUSED A GREAT DEAL OF SUFFERING- The East India Company deserves to be looked at as it was –a profit-making company that generated great wealth， but one that also contributed to immense suffering。ONE OF MANY COMPANIES- The East India Company was one of a number of companies granted a royal charter by the British state to take advantage of the opportunities opened up by the age of European expansion and exploration。 Some of these directed their attentions eastwards， such as the Muscovy （1555） and Levant （1581） Companies。 A succession of companies –including the Company of Royal Adventurers （1663） and the Royal African Company （1672） –were also founded to exploit the slave trade。 Others focused on settlement and commerce in the New World， notably the Virginia （1606） and Hudson Bay （1670） Companies。WHAT MADE IT SPECIAL IN NATURE？- Unlike the pioneers of the Asia trade， the Portuguese， who adopted a wholly state-led strategy， or the Dutch， who introduced a mixed public–private model， the English pushed forward a private sector strategy for tapping the wealth of the East。 What makes the English East India Company special is the way it bridged the medieval concept of the corporation as an essentially public body with the industrial model of an enterprise acting primarily in the interests of its shareholders。- Where the East India Company differed was in its fusion of the institutional structure of the public corporation with the financial mechanism of joint stock ownership。A COMPANY WITH UNUSUAL RIGHTS， CAPABILITIES- As part of its charter， the Company gained a whole series of special rights， including the right to mint coin in its overseas subsidiaries， to exercise justice in its settlements and， crucially， the right to wage war。- Violence was intrinsic to the Company’s success， with its superiority at sea matched by an increasingly acquisitive army。MONOPOLY- The most valuable privilege of all， however， was the monopoly awarded to this London-based corporation of all trade between England and the lands beyond the Cape of Good Hope。- The Company jealously guarded its exclusive rights over imports from Asia， lobbying and bribing the authorities to retain the barriers to entry that defined its charter。 It also wanted to eliminate competition in Asia so that it could force down the costs of supply。NOT MUCH COMPETITION IN OUR CURRENT SETTING EITHER- Over 60 per cent of international commerce now takes place within corporations rather than in the open marketplace， making it idle to talk of free markets。MADE QUITE THE PROFIT FOR THE BRITISH CROWN- The Company was a corporate colossus， alone accounting for between 13 and 15 per cent of all Britain’s imports between 1699 and 1774。STARTED WITH A NEED FOR PEPPER。。。- had a strikingly simple mission –‘let us be sole masters of the pepper trade’，INDIA WAS NOT ORIGINALLY PART OF THE PLAN- Their focus was the spice islands that now form modern Indonesia –pepper from Java， cloves from the Moluccas， as well as mace and nutmeg from the Banda Islands; India played no part in its early commercial strategy。INDIA WAS QUITE INDUSTRIOUS - The Indian subcontinent was then the workshop of the world， accounting for almost a quarter of global manufacturing output in 1750，NOT SO MUCH TRADE WITH INDIA， MORE LIKE THEFT- ‘Your trade from hence may be considered more as a channel for conveying your revenues to Britain， than as only a mercantile system。’INDIA 'GOT SCREWED'- Burke described this model of exchange as ‘Intercourse –for it is not Commerce’， with India suffering ‘what is tantamount to an Annual Plunder of its Manufactures and its Produce to the Value of Twelve hundred thousand Pounds’。 In effect， India was being screwed。ENGLISH BRUTALITY IN INDIA， FAMINE- More brutally， if merchants were found to have short-changed peasants during famines， an equivalent weight in human flesh would be taken from them in exchange。- eye-witness accounts of the living feeding off the dead，- Not only did the Company continue to collect its land revenues throughout the famine –instead of introducing some form of relief in the Mughal fashion –but it actually increased the rate。- In 1772， Warren Hastings estimated that 10 million Bengalis had starved to death， equating to perhaps a third of the population。 Hastings also concluded that the famine was caused by an artificial shortage of food supplies caused by market manipulation。GETTING CHINA HOOKED ON OPIUM- the Company endured a persistent balance of payments deficit with China。 But after repeated efforts to liberalise the trade and expand the flow of British manufactured goods， the Company fell back on the one product that the Chinese would pay for: opium。- In 1799， the Qing issued a definitive prohibition on opium， complaining of the spread of this ‘destructive and ensnaring vice’。 But down in Canton， local officials were receiving a fixed fee per chest to look the other way。TRADE WITH CHINA HIGHLY REGULATED- A highly restrictive set of trading terms was then put in place to govern the Company’s trade in Canton，- This arrangement was not the result of careful two-way negotiation， but simply the expression of the Qing Empire’s unilateral will。TEA WAS HIGHLY LUCRATIVE- The reason why the Company put up with all these indignities was simple: China was the world’s only source of tea。USE THE NAVY TO ENABLE OPIUM TRADE- In the Atlantic， the Royal Navy was proudly suppressing the slave trade; in the China seas， it would be deployed to enforce the rights of British traders to deal in opium。STEAL FROM THE DEFEATED CHINESE- Queen Victoria was amongst those who welcomed the victorious troops on their return to Britain in December 1860， and was delighted with her own trophy of the Summer Palace， a Pekinese dog， promptly nicknamed ‘Looty’，EAST INDIA COMPANY BECOMES A FACADE FOR THE CROWN- the 1784 India Act had introduced a two-tier system –a ‘double government’ –with the Company maintaining a façade of authority， behind which the state pulled the strings through the Board of Control。LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM THE EAST INDIA COMPANY- If there is one clear lesson that the Company’s history can bring to the twenty-first century， it is that the corporate form is not fixed， but eternally mutable。- From this continual metamorphosis， four facets emerge most clearly for our times: the Company as entrepreneur， its role as a revolutionary force in world affairs， its tendency to imperial dominion and the struggle to make it accountable for its actions。- a trinity of design flaws unite the Company with contemporary global corporations: the speculative temptations of executives and investors， the drive for monopoly control， and the absence of automatic remedy for corporate abuse。KARMA: EAST INDIA COMPANY BOUGHT BY AN INDIAN- In 2010， the right to use the East India Company trademarks was bought by Sanjiv Mehta， an Indian entrepreneur。- For Mehta， ‘as an Indian， I had this huge feeling of redemption –this indescribable feeling of owning a company that once owned us’。***FACTOIDS- By the end of the eighteenth century， the average length of the voyage from India or China back to London was 114 days。- ‘it is significant that one of the Hindustani words which has become part of the English language is “loot”’。- Feringhis （foreigners）- Indian names for cloth also entered the English language， not least bandana， calico and chintz， dungaree， gingham， seersucker and taffeta。- perquisites （or perks）- From Italy came the invention of the compagnia， a name deriving from the Latin phrase for the act of sharing bread， cum panis。 This was essentially a family firm， where fathers， brothers， sons and other relatives would pool their labour and capital。- One of the few surviving examples of this model of the chartered corporation is the British Broadcasting Corporation （BBC）， whose charter was renewed in 2007。- Known today for his desert island story of Robinson Crusoe， Daniel Defoe was also a leading economic analyst of his age，BONUS- Brief animated history of how British conquered India: https://youtu。be/DzDwz18ng7w- NPR Innovation Hub podcast （3 May 2019） ‘The Company That Sparked Our Corporate World’: http://blogs。wgbh。org/innovation-hub/。。。- Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast （30 Mar 2009） ‘How did the East India Company change the world？’ : https://www。missedinhistory。com/podca。。。- East India Company walks: https://platformlondon。org/2012/12/21。。。- ‘Relaunch’ of East India Company in 2010 as luxury food store in London: https://www。bbc。com/news/world-south-。。。- Union Carbide toxic gas release in Bhopal， India （1984）， 22，000 killed: https://youtu。be/FHJs3TwgsUQ- Plassey / Clive: https://youtu。be/f1T36J92bf0- 'Tipu's Tiger' （an organ in the shape of a tiger eating a European）: https://www。futilitycloset。com/2015/0。。。- National Maritime Museum exhibit on East India Company: https://www。rmg。co。uk/see-do/we-recom。。。 。。。more

Terry ，

It’s a great topic， but the book is a little bit dry， a little bit disappointing。 There are too much unnecessary details， but not enough analysis and implication for today’s world。 I was hoping the author could talk more about East India Company’s descendants and their impact on today’s world。 For example， Jardine Matheson is apparently still a listed company today and owns many important assets across ASEAN countries。 East India Company has been one of the most powerful corporations in human hi It’s a great topic， but the book is a little bit dry， a little bit disappointing。 There are too much unnecessary details， but not enough analysis and implication for today’s world。 I was hoping the author could talk more about East India Company’s descendants and their impact on today’s world。 For example， Jardine Matheson is apparently still a listed company today and owns many important assets across ASEAN countries。 East India Company has been one of the most powerful corporations in human history。 It has a monopoly for trade between UK and India and then China for hundreds of years。 It has its own private army and political power to ensure the monopoly carries on。 It also leads the opium trades to China。 Very interesting topic， but I wish the book is better written。 。。。more

Marks54 ，

This is a history of the British East India Company， a corporate biography if you will。 The author is a Professor of Practice at the London School of Economics and a prolific naval and maritime historian。 I do not know the detailed history of the firm but the book reads as a careful study of the firm by a knowledgeable author and a superb writer。The history of the East India Company is tied together with the heart of the British Imperial experience in India。 While the firm dates from the early 1 This is a history of the British East India Company， a corporate biography if you will。 The author is a Professor of Practice at the London School of Economics and a prolific naval and maritime historian。 I do not know the detailed history of the firm but the book reads as a careful study of the firm by a knowledgeable author and a superb writer。The history of the East India Company is tied together with the heart of the British Imperial experience in India。 While the firm dates from the early 17th century， it becomes most distinctive after 1757 when it becomes the ruler of India exercising primary governmental authority on behalf of the British Crown， including the exercise of military force， up through the commencement of direct British rules under the Raj following the Sepoy Mutiny/Indian Rebellion of 1857-58。 So it is a corporation that exercised governmental authority of a huge land area and large population。 Think about that - the rule of India outsourced to a profit making firm。 This was the direction that the British Empire took after the loss of the American colonies and the rule of India was arguably the central foundation of the global reach of the British Empire under Victoria and into the 20th century。 That is some company - there may be a few similar cases， such as De Beers， but not many。This book is filled with interesting story lines and profiles。 The firm was central to the rise of trade in tea， opium， and textiles for Britain。 These were developments that shaped the history of India and China through various wars and campaigns of conquest as well as the British industrial revolution and subsequent dominance in global trade。 The characters involved in the firm are the major actors in British politics and intellectual life at the time。The history of the firm is tied up with triumphs and catastrophes。 Recent histories of imperialism have not been kind to the British， with a few exceptions， and that comes across in Mr。 Robins book。 Fortunes were made， but this was hardly free market dynamics rather than the workings of a monopoly that plundered the colonies。 The section on the 1770 Bengal famine is especially stark， although that was not the only Indian famine under British rule。Perhaps the strongest part of the book is its treatment of corruption and “agency problems” in the management of the firm。 These are huge problems in policy making towards corporations today and they were present from the start with the East India Company。 On the one hand， shareholders and managers wanted a return on their investment and efforts。 On the other hand， the lack of accountability to corporate standards coupled with the vast opportunities for self-dealing by agents of the firm made corruption certain。 The parts of India that were under the rule of the firm for the longest time suffered the greatest economic impact and remain economically impaired to this day。It is hard to read this history and not take note of the real deficiencies of corporate governance， the hundreds of millions of people who were affected by it， and the lasting consequences it has had in international politics and economics。 No wonder there is such opposition to globalization today。Robins also argues that the history of the East India Company has implications for corporate governance problems among contemporary corporations and he provides a nice discussion with lots of references for those wishing to read more。This is not just of history of corporate excess but it is there and must be noted。 For anyone wishing to learn more about the ways in which political economy has developed in India， Pakistan， and China， this book is highly informative， well-written， and should be required reading。 。。。more

Sascha Kozole ，

If you like history - and the East India Company in particular - this is a must read。Regarded as the leading book on the EIC it goes into depth on how it came to be， developments and eventually its fall。Packed with a lot of impressive facts around John Company it almost reads like fiction rather than a history book。

Teo Mechea ，

Better than Game of Thrones。

Asim Qureshi ，

Excellent - but wouldn’t recommend for the uninitiated on the East India Company and the history of the period。

Bugra ，

This was a mess of a book。 Contains valuable information and solid research but terribly organized and written。

Mohammed Abbas ，

كتاب رائع عن واحدة من أشهر الشركات في العالم وأسوأها وهي شركة الهند الشرقية، والتي قامت بانشائها المملكة المتحدة في أوج مدها الاستعماري لتتولي الكثير من العمليات الاقتصادية في المستعمرات البريطانية المختلفة

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Corporation That Changed the World: How the East India Company Shaped the Modern Multinational

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Corporation That Changed the World: How the East India Company Shaped the Modern Multinational&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Corporation That Changed the World: How the East India Company Shaped the Modern Multinational&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0