Reviewed by Horace R. Givens University of Maine at Orono
This slim volume contains papers presented at the First Annual Sewanee Economics Symposium sponsored by The University of the South in April, 1980. The purpose of this symposium was “to provide a forum through which to learn the views on a single topic of a group of people with varied backgrounds and perspectives.” The single topic was the evolution, in recent years, of the economic and business climate of the South, and how the South has changed, from a region generally believed to be behind the rest of the United States, into the “last bastion of traditional American values of en-trepreneurship, economic drive and business acumen.
The papers are combined in roughly chronological groupings. The first section, “Introduction,” consists of two papers which outline the possibilities and opportunities for research into Southern economic and business history.
The second section, headed “The Early Problems,” contains materials on traditional Southern agriculture, antebellum industrialization, and the familiar problems of black and white labor and the difficulties attendant upon the transformation of a slave society.
Under the heading, “The Modern Success,” are papers discussing business development in the South in the post-World War II period, the results of a survey on the characteristics of Southern business leaders in the 1950s and an interesting, although very brief, historical study of the Life Insurance Company of Georgia.
The next section contains several short statements gathered under the heading, “The Future.” (It is interesting to note that, while the historical studies in the earlier sections were almost all contributed by academicians, the prognostications are all provided by business executives. Perhaps the future requires more “real world” analysis than the past!)
The foregoing materials are of interest, especially to those concerned with Southern economic history. However, accounting historians will find the final substantive section more fruitful. This section is headed “Preserving the Record of Southern Business.” The discussion is applicable to business records retention and corporate archives in general.
Philip Mooney, Manager of Archives Services for the Coca Cola Company emphasizes the fact that archives are a benefit to the firm, not just to scholars. For example, such archives have assisted in litigation involving trademarks and copyrights. Mooney points out that executives should be made aware of the value of archives to their work, and he also indicates that archives must be tailored in some measure to the needs of these executives.
Professor Herman Freudenberger of Tulane University contributed a paper entitled “Continuity in Administration: The Historical Uses of Business Records,” in which he presents cogent arguments supporting the establishment of business archives. He also makes the interesting point that the retention of business records, while more and more a business necessity, has become a social respon-sibility. The documentation of business firm activities is as worthy of saving as are the records of political activities.
Finally, Edie Hedlin of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission spoke on “Maintaining Historical Records: The Current Situation.” Hedlin’s paper describes the relatively small amount of business archival materials available and notes some of the problems accompanying record retention such as space limita-tions and the selection of materials to preserve. She then recommends several steps to be taken to improve the situation.
First, Hedlin suggests a determination be made as to what business records are most often requested by scholars. Based on the results of this determination, the next step would be to develop and promulgate criteria for the retention of business records.
A national data base should be established containing information on the extent, content, location and availability of business collections throughout the United States.
Finally, she suggests the establishment of a service to business to aid firms in the development of in-house archival programs and in related work such as the preparation of company histories.
While not directed specifically at accounting history, this collection of papers will be of interest to those scholars concerned with the business history of the South. The final section, as described, can be read with profit by anyone concerned with matters of business records retention and archives.
