The Groth of Big Business in the United States and Western Europe, 18501939 [Paperback]

This book provides the first introductory, comparative account of the rise of giant business corporations in America and Europe in the century before the Second World War.This book provides the first available introductory, comparative account of the rise of giant business corporations in America and Europe in the century before the Second World War. It discusses the evolution of firms such as Ford, Exxon, Unilever and Siemens.This book provides the first available introductory, comparative account of the rise of giant business corporations in America and Europe in the century before the Second World War. It discusses the evolution of firms such as Ford, Exxon, Unilever and Siemens.This book provides the first available introductory, comparative account of the rise of giant business corporations in America and Europe in the century before the Second World War. It discusses the evolution of firms such as Ford, Exxon, Unilever and Siemens, as well as introducing the reader to the major explanations that have been advanced by historians and economists in order to account for these developments in the global economic order.Acknowledgements and Note; Editor's preface; 1. Introduction; 2. The nature and origins of big business; 3. Variations in the rise and spread of big business; 4. Institutional and technological factors; 5. Markets, hierarchies and the managerial revolution; 6. The impact of big business; 7. Conclusions: history and theory; Notes and references; Select bibliography; Index. [This book] will deservedly become the basic introductory reading for any modern business history course. Business History