Multi-National, Multi-Archival: The Business Records of the HSBC Group

Abstract

This essay explores the issues affecting the archives of modern multi-national enterprises. Examples are taken from the recent experience of the HSBC Group, whose member companies include HongkongBank, Midland Bank, the British Bank of the Middle East, and other long-established providers of financial services. The paper reviews the following issues:• What are the advantages and disadvantages of centralization of the archives of a multi-national enterprise? • How important is the location of the archives?• What are the practical and technical implications of relocating the archives of constituent companies of a multi-national enterprise? • What factors should motivate the collecting policy of a multi-national enterprise?• What factors influence the relationship between a multi-national archive and other custodians of its records?The essay concludes by considering how a multi-national business archives might reach and respond to a multi-national readership.