Management and Business in Britain and France: The Age of the Corporate EconomyYoussef Cassis, François Crouzet, Terence Richard Gourvish For generations, the uneasy relationship between Britain and France has captured the popular and scholarly imagination. Comparative studies between the two countries abound, from political systems to eating habits: so far they have not extended to business history. There is now growing interest in comparative business systems, practices, and performance. In these areas comparison with America, Germany, or Japan have taken precedence. This volume, with contributions from leading British and French experts, explores comparative developments and trends in the two countries which for so long were the guiding lights of Europe and the world. In particular it looks at three main dimensions - the family firm; education and training; and mergers and company structure. With a mixture of case-studies, sectoral analysis, and wider-ranging comparison, the book will be a useful addition to an understanding of the evolution of business organization, competitiveness, and performance. |
Contents
Divergence and Convergence in British and French | 1 |
British | 31 |
A Last Chance for the Family | 52 |
A Family Firm | 75 |
Standard Motors 194555 and the Postwar Malaise | 88 |
French Influences on Technical and Managerial | 111 |
The École des hautes | 128 |
Training Electrical Engineers in France 18801939 | 147 |
Common terms and phrases
activities Alsthom banks Banque beer big business Bouilhet Britain Britain and France British Brewing Industry British industry Business History Cadbury Cambridge capital Casino cent Chandler Charles Christofle Christofle Christofle's commercial competitive concentration corporate countries Crédit Crédit lyonnais d'électricité École des hautes École normale supérieure École polytechnique École supérieure d'électricité économique électriques élite enterprise European example factory family firm française France's French French industry générale Germany grandes écoles growth hautes études commerciales HEC graduates Imperial Tobacco increased institutions inter-war investment Kuhlmann Labour large companies largest London major managing director manufacturing merger motor nineteenth century organization organizational Paribas Paris particular Polytechnique production Promodès recruited Redoute retailing Rhône-Poulenc role Rowntree Saint-Gobain Scale and Scope Second World Second World War sector shareholders Société strategy structure subsidiaries success supérieure supermarket technical education technical schools trade turnover twentieth century Unilever Watney Mann work-force