| Description | The aim of this course is to examine long run changes in the organisation and management of business enterprises. Against a background of an introduction of business history, the major themes to be covered include business strategy, marketing, employment relations, financing, governance and technology. While there is no precise chronological period, the main concentration will be on the growth of large-scale corporations from the nineteenth century to the present day. A major preoccupation of the course is to explore the factors that make an innovative firm. Some of these factors include the nature of the market, the regulatory environment, new technology and business leadership. The course will employ historical case studies and a comparative methodology and will also evaluate the way in which firms are classified as innovative by business and corporate historians. |