资料：Some companies are more creative in their use of history than others. HSBC’s History Wall, a striking art installation at the bank’s London headquarters, is made up of 3,743 images drawn from the bank’s archives and arranged in chronological order.

Even this is dwarfed by Coca Cola, the American classics. In May, Coca Cola opened a new corporate museum in Atlanta, which is expected to pull in more than 1 million visitors annually, Attractions include the first Coke cans to go into space, a functioning botting line and a tasting lounge.

The benefits of knowing your corporate history can be very practical. Companies often use their history as inspiration for new products. Disney constantly mines its archives of old films. Carmakers have overhauled old designs for the modern era: Volkswagen’s New Beetle is an obvious example.

But the bigger payoff tends to be less tangible — that of forging stronger bonds with customers and employees. Age can by itself confer a sense of trustworthiness, brewers and banks are fond of flaunting(炫耀) their deep roots. Jim Gilmore, co-author of “Authenticity”, argues that history is also vital in giving companies a genuine sense of personality. Ritz-Carlton’s use of cobalt-blue glasses in its hotel dining rooms can be traced back to Boston in the 1920s, for example, where window glass that had been imported from Europe and turned blue in the New England air was a symbol of wealth. Rather than commissioning dusty biographies to mark anniversaries, Mr. Gilmore believes that firms should search the archives for inspiring stories of this kind.

Younger companies can use history, too. Before giving up their old jobs, the founders of Innocent, a British drinks firm formed in 1998,sold an initial batch of smoothies from a market stall in London. They asked customers to put their empty bottles into one of two labeled bins to indicate whether they should focus on their new venture or stick to their day jobs. The rest, as they say, is history. The firm now uses the story to illustrate its folksy image.

Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?