Business History: Complexities and Comparisons

This major new textbook on business history brings together the expertise of two internationally renowned authors to provide a thorough overview of the developments in business – from just before the industrial revolution right up to the present day.

Business History is global in scope and looks at the major players – Europe, the US and Japan – as well as emerging economies, such as China and India. Focusing mainly on ‘big business‘, Amatori and Colli critically analyze ‘the firm‘ and its interaction with the evolution of economic, technological and political systems at the micro and macro levels.

This up-to-date textbook is an exceptional resource for students on economic and business history courses, as well as for practitioners interested in broadening their understanding of business.

Franco Amatori is Professor of Economic History and is also head of the Institute of Economic History, at Bocconi University, Italy. He specialized in business history during his time at Harvard Business School, USA and has written extensively on Italian and international business history.

Andrea Colli is Associate Professor in Economic History at Bocconi University, Italy. He has published several books in fields such as: the structure and evolution of SMEs, as well as the role of family firms in modern economic growth. In 2008 he was awarded the Harold Williamson prize for the most promising mid-career business historian by the Business History Conference.