The Free-Standing Company in the World Economy, 1830-1996

by Mira Wilkins, Harm Schrïter

Overview

Distinct from the classic multinationals, free-standing companies were those companies established in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to organize and manage operations for a European parent company. Leading international scholars here provide evidence and analysis of the operations of free-standing companies, draw comparisons with the "American model" multinational enterprise, and make a valuable contribution to the understanding of modern economic history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198290322
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/28/1999
Pages:	504
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)
Lexile:	1620L (what's this?)

About the Author

Florida International University

University of Konstanz

Table of Contents

Part I: Introduction: Background, Theory, and Controversies1. The Free-Standing Company Revisited, Mira Wilkins2. Transaction-Cost Theory and the Free-Standing Firm, Jean-François Hennart3. An Economic Theory of the Free-Standing Company, Mark Casson4. The Free-Standing Company, in Theory and Practice, T. A. B. CorleyPart II: Countries and Regions that were Host to Free-Standing Companies5. Free-Standing Companies in Italy, 1883-1912, Peter Hertner6. British Free-Standing Companies in Tsarist Russia, Natalia Gurushina7. British Free-Standing Companies and Investment Groups in India and the Far East, Stanley Chapman8. British Free-Standing Companies on the West Coast of South America, Rory Miller9. British Free-Standing Companies in Mexico, 1884-1911, Reinhard Liehr and Mariano E. Torres Bautista10. A French Free-Standing Company in Brazil's Sugar Industry: A Case Study of the Société de Sucreries Bresiliennes, 1907-1922, Tomás SzmrecsányiPart III: Countries that were Homes to Free-Standing Companies: General and by Sector11. Dutch Free-Standing Companies, 1870-1940, Ben P. A. Gales and Keetie E. Sluyterman12. Continental European Free-Standing Companies: The Case of Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland, Harm Schröter13. British Overseas Banks as Free-Standing Companies, 1830-1996, Geoffrey Owens14. US Foreign Direct Investment in Electric Utilities in the 1920s, William J. Hausman and John L. Neufeld15. The Montreal Engineering Company and International Power: Overcoming the Limitation of the Free-Standing Utility, Gregory P. MarchildonPart IV: Conclusion16. The Significance of the Concept and a Future Agenda, Mira Wilkins

Editorial Reviews

"..a very lively volume that reflects the divergent opinions and viewpoints of eighteen leading scholars in the field of multinational business. It really is a hard volume to put down once one picks it up. [...] ...a masterful introduction to the subject and the issues by Wilkins. [...] The range of concerns raised by the concept attests to its value and must attract a wide readership to this volume. Those interested in institutional economics will find the theoretical chapters and the case studies particularly stimulating. The book will be useful to scholars of multinational enterprises of all types, international business, and of course, business and economic history. The volume will also serve as a teaching tool for showing advanced students how leading authorities develop questions and refine their methods of inquiry while they grapple with the implications of a new concept."—EH.NET

"A gem....This is economic history at its best."—Enterprise & Society

From the Publisher