Frank Jacob is Professor of Global History at Nord Universitet, Norway. He studied History and Japanese Studies at the universities of Würzburg, Germany and Ōsaka Japan. He worked at several German universities, before he moved to New York City in 2014. Since 2018 he is tenured Full Professor at Nord Universitet. His research focuses on global and transnational history, nationalism and revolutions.
In September 2021, Frank Jacob defended his Executive Doctorate in Business Administration (executive DBA) on the topic of ‘Religious Intercultural Management and the Value of Human Capital and a Global Mindset: A Historical Case Study of the Jesuit Missions in Japan and Peru in the 16th and 17th Centuries’, under the supervision of Professor Thomas Gergen, Business Science Institute.
Thesis Direction
Pr Thomas Gergen
Thesis Title
Religious Intercultural Management and the Value of Human Capital and a Global Mindset: A Historical Case Study of the Jesuit Missions in Japan and Peru in the 16th and 17th Centuries
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of the present thesis is to examine what role human capital (language skills) and a global mindset (intercultural experience and a certain dogmatic flexibility) played in the successful intercultural management of the Jesuit missionaries in Japan and Peru during the 16th and early 17th centuries.
Design/methodology/approach – The thesis presents a longitudinal comparative analysis of two historical cases, i.e. the Jesuit Order’s missionary work in Japan and Peru. More than 200 historical data sets have been analyzed and evaluated according to the existence of human capital and a global mindset. The specific cases have also been analyzed in accordance with external impact factors, e.g. the political situation at the time that the specific Jesuits were working in the respective geographical contexts.
Findings – The existence of human capital and a global mindset was important for the missionary success of the Jesuits, especially during the consolidation periods. While the latter could cause problems with local authorities or direct competitors during the entrance period, neither the existence of human capital nor a global mindest could prevent the decline and fall of the Jesuit Order’s presence in Japan and Peru during the period of decline, which is why external factors have to be included in intercultural strategies for a company’s or organization’s global expansion as well.
Research limitations/implications – The thesis is based on two culturally different geographical contexts, but the data collection process could be expanded to other cases, i.e. Mexico and China, in the future to further extend the data set and probably provide more detailed insights into factors that could guarantee more successful intercultural management for present-day companies.
Originality/value – The Jesuit Order is considered to have acted like a modern-day SME in that it intended to expand to hitherto unknown and culturally different markets. The longitudinal comparative historical case study consequently offers good insights into how important interculturality might be for a successful market entry strategy and what value the language skills and global mind-set of managers have for a firm’s general success and business efficiency in a culturally different context as well.