Andreas Speer

Andrea Colli

Francesca Bonini

The present volume provides the first collection of studies devoted to the so-called Lectura Thomasina, a commentary on Peter Lombard?s Sentences written by William of Peter of Godin at the beginning of the 14th century. The conspicuous number of verbatim quotations from Thomas Aquinas? writings makes the text very interesting: Godin does not aim at producing a mere collection of Aquinas? dicta, but rather a sort of ?Thomistic? teaching handbook. A popular text, the Lectura Thomasina was fundamental to the spread of ?Thomistic? thought in the years leading up to his canonization.00The first section of the volume is devoted to a textual analysis of the Lectura Thomasina and its sources. The second section examines certain themes in Godin?s theology and philosophy. The last section focuses on his influence on the Dominican tradition.0.

Philosophical and Theological Issues

The Lectura Thomasina in Its Context

Franco Amatori

"This new major 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 up to the globalization of businesses today. Focusing mainly on "big business," the authors critically analyze "the firm" and its interaction with the evolution of economic, technological, and political systems at the micro and macro levels"--Back cover

Complexities and Comparisons

Business History

Professor Andrea Colli

In this new textbook, Andrea Colli gives a historical and comparative perspective on family business, examining through time the different relationships within family businesses and among family enterprises, inside different political and institutional contexts. He compares the performance of family businesses with that of other economic organizations, and looks at how these enterprises have contributed to the evolution of contemporary industrial capitalism. Central to his discussion are the reasons for both the decline and persistence of family business, how it evolved historically, the different forms it has taken over time, and how it has contributed to the growth of single economies. The book summarises previous research into family business, and situates many aspects of family business - such as their strategies, contribution, failure and decline - in an economic, social, political and institutional context. It will be of key interest to students of economic history and business studies.

The History of Family Business, 1850-2000

The Dynamics of International Business offers a comparative, chronological overview of the strategic and structural evolution of international firms. Organized around eras of global economic development, the text synthesizes research on the internationalization of firms, highlighting crucial turning points in the evolution of the international economy. A particular emphasis is placed on the relationship between historical evidence and the theoretical frameworks available for its interpretation. Each period is illustrated by a selection of short case studies from a variety of industry sectors, including the Levant Company, Nestlé, Singer, Saint Gobain and NEC. An essential textbook for courses in business and economic history, this book will also be a valuable resource for scholars and students of international business more generally.

Comparative Perspectives of Firms, Markets and Entrepreneurship

Dynamics of International Business

This new major 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 up to the globalization of businesses today. Focusing mainly on "big business," the authors critically analyze "the firm" and its interaction with the evolution of economic, technological, and political systems at the micro and macro levels. -- from Back Cover.

Knut Sogner

Corporate governance is not just about models of best practice organisation or prescriptions following laws or social conventions. Corporate governance is also about persons of power seeking performance, and they do so in ways that transcend structures and pre-conceived notions of the structural set-up of the business. This book emphasises the decision-making dimensions of corporate governance, placing it right in the messy middle of the ever-changing world of capitalism, focussing on the interplay between professional managers and shareholders. This book aims to bring together several fresh perspectives on the development of capitalism seen through the lens of corporate governance. It illustrates the role of intentionality and persons, both as a method with which to understand processes of change, but also as a principle with which to seek a deeper understanding of the corporate governance choices made. It will be of interest to researchers, academics and students in the fields of corporate governance and entrepreneurship, as well as practitioners and other audience interested in the evolution of capitalism and corporate culture.

People, Power and Performance

The Emergence of Corporate Governance

Martin Jes Iversen

Abe De Jong

This book addresses the evolution of the strategies, structures, ownership patterns and performances of large European corporations since the early 1960s. The authors study large and small countries, in order to understand how the process of economic integration has affected the patterns of growth and the structural characteristics of the largest firms. Drawing both on extensive databases and on case studies, the contributions in this volume address the peculiar specificities of large firms in different national contexts, adopting a longitudinal, long term perspective. This volume delivers the first results of an international, collective research effort undertaken by several national teams. The 'Mapping Corporate Europe' project aims to provide a detailed account of the structural traits of the European Corporation in a framework which includes (i) a chronological analysis over 50 years, starting with the Rome treaty in 1957; (ii) geographical extension beyond previous analyses for France, Germany and the UK, by including smaller countries; (iii) firms from other industries in addition to manufacturing companies; and (iv) attention to internationalisation of European firms. These analyses form the basis of a rich description of the developments of large European corporations over the past five decades, using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. This book was originally published as a special issue of Business History.

Strategy, Structure, Ownership and Performance

Mapping European Corporations

Michelangelo Vasta

This book provides a wide-ranging analysis of change in size and nature of Italian firms, and thus a unique and fascinating perspective on the evolution of one of the major industrial economies of the 20th century. An example of business history as it ought to be done. Giovanni Federico, European University Institute, Italy This book is necessary reading for a real understanding of the evolution of Italian capitalism during the last century. It moves away from a simplified view of the Italian industrial structure as just composed by small enterprises and successfully sheds light on the variety of different forms of enterprises the compose Italian system. The lively picture that emerges from this book is the one of richer types of enterprises, which have evolved over time and have contributed in different ways to Italian economic growth. Franco Malerba, Bocconi University, Italy Taking an historical perspective, this unique book highlights the evolution of the many diverse forms of business enterprise, and discusses the contribution of these different types of firm to the economic growth of Italy. One important issue that has recently captured the attention and the research efforts of both economists and economic historians has been the debate on varieties of capitalism in the modern world. In this context, the expert contributors analyze the various stages of Italian development that have been characterized by diverse dominating forms of enterprise which, in turn, have adapted to the nature of technological and market opportunities at the institutional, national and international level. This book proposes a new interpretation of the Italian case that utilizes both the structural and macroeconomic perspective of comparative history, as well as the microeconomic perspectives focusing on the strategies of different economic agents. Based on solid quantitative evidence, this original work will prove to be a valuable resource for academics and students of strategy and organization, economic historians and applied economists.

Andrea Colli

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