Lotte Founder Shin Kyuk-ho's 'Boundless Advantage' Philosophy Featured at 2026 World Congress of Business History
Key Takeaways
- •Professor Baek In-soo of Osaka University of Economics presented a study on Lotte founder Shin Kyuk-ho's entrepreneurial philosophy at the 2026 World Congress of Business History in Toronto.
- •The research introduced the framework of "boundless advantage," which describes the capacity to convert cross-boundary knowledge and resources into new sources of growth and competitive strength.
- •Shin established Lotte in Tokyo in 1948 as a chewing gum manufacturer and grew it into one of South Korea's largest conglomerates with businesses across food, retail, chemicals, hotels, and financial services.
- •The study analyzed four stages of Shin's life and concluded that his ability to navigate boundaries in business, politics, and management laid the foundation for Lotte's sustained long-term growth.
- •Congress participants discussed applying Shin's philosophy to contemporary business and a University of Graz professor recommended expanding the work into an international comparative study of cross-border entrepreneurship.
Lotte Group announced Monday that a research paper examining the entrepreneurial philosophy of its founder, Shin Kyuk-ho, was presented at the 2026 World Congress of Business History, held last Thursday in Toronto.
Shin, who founded Lotte in Tokyo in 1948 as a chewing gum maker before expanding into one of South Korea's largest conglomerates, built a business empire spanning food, retail, chemicals, hotels, and financial services across both Japan and Korea. The group's unusual dual-headquarters structure in Seoul and Tokyo has long made it a case study in cross-border management.
The study was delivered by Baek In-soo, a professor at Osaka University of Economics, who introduced the concept of "boundless advantage" as a framework for understanding Shin's expansion across national, industrial, and organizational boundaries throughout his career.
According to the research, "boundless advantage" refers to the capacity to transform knowledge and resources gained by crossing various boundaries into new drivers of growth and competitive strength.
Baek structured his analysis around four distinct stages of Shin's life, examining how the founder navigated obstacles at each phase. The study concluded that Shin's skill in traversing boundaries across business, politics, industry, and organizational management established the groundwork for Lotte Group's sustained long-term growth.
The presentation also drew out broader lessons for contemporary business leaders. Baek urged executives to expand their knowledge beyond their core areas of expertise, develop future leaders with a long-term outlook, and delegate authority while still retaining accountability for critical decisions.
Congress participants engaged in a discussion on how Shin's management philosophy could be applied to modern business practice. A professor from the University of Graz suggested broadening the research into an international comparative study of cross-border entrepreneurship.
"Shin Kyuk-ho's entrepreneurial philosophy continues to offer valuable lessons for sustainable growth," Baek said. "Entrepreneurs in the AI era should constantly seek new opportunities, nurture talent and contribute to society and future generations."
The study was presented at the 2026 World Congress of Business History in Toronto. The original article is available at Korea Herald.