The Sphere of Influence

This is a study of network representation: The data represent a set of interlocked directorates—specifically, the network in which the boards of major banks are interlocked with the boards of major industrials. The problem is to represent this network so as to organize it and describe its major outlines. Using an unfolding variant of smallest space analysis, the problem is solved by a spherical map: the “Sphere of Influence.” The sectors of the sphere represent similarly-linked corporations, and the relations among the sectors represent the relations among bank-industrial communities.