Die Überlebenschancen der Großen

Abstract

This essay examines the fate of the 100 largest industrial firms in the world in the year 1912 over the period to 1995. Disappearance and decline were the most common outcomes, but a few firms succeeded in growing considerably. There are no significant differences between the performance of giant German, British and American firms. No simple formula enables us to discriminate ex ante between long-run corporate success and failure.