Paul L. Govekar and Michele A. Govekar
To compare and contrast the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and the 1991 Hamlet, North Carolina, chicken processing plant fire to determine what lessons were learned and…
Abstract
Purpose
To compare and contrast the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and the 1991 Hamlet, North Carolina, chicken processing plant fire to determine what lessons were learned and what lessons remain to be learned from the worst and second‐worst industrial accidents in the US.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses contemporaneous and modern sources to explore the parallels between the two fires and find some lessons for management in these two tragic events.
Findings
A number of parallels were found between the two incidents. Lessons for practicing managers, domestic and international, are presented along with avenues for possible future research.
Originality/value
This paper develops parallels between two tragic industrial accidents separated by 80 years in time and hundreds of miles in distance. Lessons learned from these accidents as well as lessons still to be learned are suggested.
Details
Keywords
This paper introduces the Journal of Management History, relaunched as a stand‐alone journal and explores its raison d'être.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper introduces the Journal of Management History, relaunched as a stand‐alone journal and explores its raison d'être.
Design/methodology/approach
The articles that constitute this first issue of the relaunched journal form the launching pad for this discussion, with these ideas and those from previous research used to comment on the theme of “the worthy endeavour of the scribe”.
Findings
In The Life of Reason, Santayana said “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. Managers looking for the “next big thing”, without being able to effectively incorporate it into their experience, and the experience of those who are long gone, are condemned to repeat not just only the past but also the mistakes of the past. Accordingly, it is also critical for management scholars to both recognise and take advantage of earlier thinking and empirical work to inform their contemporary musings and research if they are to provide meaningful frameworks for practitioners.
Originality/value
Drawing on the themes presented in the articles of this issue, the paper demonstrates the value of knowing accurately the history of management thought to scholars and practitioners alike.