Business history in a long-term perspective
Giovanni Favero - Ca' Foscari University
Tue & Thurs 10:00 - 12:30, Classroom: SAN SEBASTIANO 20
course description
The course aims to provide a picture of the structural evolution of firm typologies from pre-modern age to present times in the international context, bearing particular attention to continuities and break-ups in the long period.
Lessons will develop along a four-period scheme, starting from pre-industrial age, through the First and Second Industrial Revolution, up to the contemporary debate. Two lines of inquiry are privileged: a first one focuses on "exogenous" factors, such as geography, demography and technology, shifting from the urban/rural pattern of production to the link between resource allocation and technology in use, up to the use of information; a second one focuses on institutions and organization, from first merchant companies to the evolution of business form from entrepreneurial to managerial to network coordination.
prerequisites
Economics S-10ab or equivalent; Math S-1a or equivalent. Students must have a basic background in economics and in general history.
required readings
Course Pack: Business History in a Long-term Perspective.
recommended readings
- A.V. Chayanov, The Theory of Peasant Economy (Manchester University Press 1986);
- Toynbee, Lectures on The Industrial Revolution in England, Whitefish, MO, Kessinger Publishing, 2004 (1st edition 1884)
- Marshall, The Principles of Economics, London, Macmillan, 1920 (8th edition), book 4, ch. 10.
grading
| Participation | 20% | Students are expected to play an active role in seminars and prepare the required readings in advance |
| Intermediate test | 40% | Written exam on the contents of the first half of the course. |
| Final paper | 40% | Students must present a paper of 20.000 characters on the contents of the second half of the course. |
policies and procedures
The contents of proposed readings will be presented in a broad context, and some specific themes will be proposed for discussion. Students' questions and observations are encouraged and will be considered in the evaluation of their participation.office location and contact information
My office is located at San Giobbe, DSE, room 20, on the first floor. (tel. 041.234.9165)
SEMINARS
no. 1 Tues. 26th June | Pre-industrial peasant family and putting-out system
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no. 2 Thurs. 28th June | Craft guilds and innovation
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no. 3 Tues. 3rd July | The Industrial Revolution and the household economy
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no. 4 Thurs. 5th July | The theory of transaction and organization costs
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no. 5 Tues. 10th July | The development of accounting and managerial techniques
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no. 6 Thurs. 12th July | Entrepreneurship in Nineteenth-century Britain
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no. 7 Tues. 17th July | The juridical form of the corporation
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no. 8 Thurs. 19th July | Technological change: history of science and economic history
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no. 9 Tues. 24th July | Managerial capitalism
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no. 10 Thurs. 26th July | Contemporary developments: network organization
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Final Exam | Description and date to be defined |
