This study, originally published in 1986, is directed to the period before the establishment of scientific management as a recognised movement, in an attempt to answer two basic questions: was there a body of management literature immediately preceding the emergence of scientific management? Did this literature, if it existed, have a central concept or approach which could be recognised? This title will be of interest to students of business studies and management.

A superb historical analysis of the philosophical and technological forces that led to the development of communication genres and processes in the modern American corporation.

Angels of Efficiency traces the invention of film and the parallel rise of management consulting, telling the story of how these together brought about new forms of information visualization and visual management. The period from 1880 to 1930, author Florian Hoof argues, saw the genesis of a form of visual knowledge that provided a novel means to intervene in management processes. Visual management largely superseded oral and written forms of communication and decision-making, instituting a strategy for overcoming the mid-nineteenth-century crisis of control and resulting in a media-based form of rationality. Focusing largely on early corporate consulting in America by tracing the careers of Frank Gilbreth and his wife and business partner, Lillian Gilbreth, Hoof examines the rise and lasting effects of corporate consulting as a visual form. Framing consulting as a cultural technique that is characterized by media processes in which the boundaries of economic logic and legitimacy emerge, Angels of Efficiency forges a new approach to the history of consulting. In addition to pioneering a new field of film and media studies, Hoof contributes original research to American cultural and economic history, such as archival findings concerning Gilbreth's consulting efforts for the German Army during WWI. With this distinct and innovative interdisciplinary approach, Hoof has marshalled cinema and media studies, business history, and science and technology studies to make sense of the rise of consulting practices and their remarkable stability to this day.

There has been much discussion about the origin of marketing and marketing thought, and whether it was truly American in origin. Nevertheless, it is true that US marketing management thought was very influential throughout the world in the latter half of the twentieth century, becoming dominant after the Second World War. In order to recognize why and how this kind of thought developed in the USA, it is necessary to explore the historical contexts in which the marketing management thought was produced and developed at this time, as well as the contents of the thought. This work argues that while doubts about the US origin of marketing are acceptable, marketing management thought, which especially appeals to mass producers such as the USA, developed according to their particular needs. This book looks at the relationship between theories of marketing and the historical context in which they were developed, rescuing them from later generalizations that failed to take into account contemporary social and economic factors.

Through careful analysis of contemporary records in the engineering profession, the author shows how management invented itself and carved its own domain in the face of hostility and resistance from both manufacturers and workers. The book demonstrates how the new language and rhetoric of management emerged, and how it confronted and replaced the language of traditional capitalism: "system" instead of "individuals"; "jobs" instead of "natural rights"; "planning" instead of "free initiatives".

Monograph on the role of bureaucracy and technology in the historical development of industrial management in the USA from 1860 to 1920 - comprises a Marxism analysis of social class struggle involving capitalist vs. Workers control of production targets, work organization, and other factors related to the means of production.

The field of management and organizational history has reached a level of maturity that means an overview is long overdue. Written by a team of globally renowned scholars, this comprehensive companion analyses management and organizational history, reflecting on the most influential periods and highlighting gaps for future research. From the impact of the Cold War to Global Warming, it examines the field from a wide array of perspectives from humanities to the social sciences. Covering the entire spectrum of the field, this volume provides an essential resource for researchers of business and management.

Management has always been part of human organization, but it is only in the last two centuries or so that it has been the central driver of economic activity, as companies have moved from family firms to hugely complex, multinational corporations with many layers of management.The term management is commonly used in three ways: as a process or activity; as a structure in any organization; and as a group or class of people carrying out certain roles in an organization. This book is the first detailed account of the evolution of management in all three senses. The focus is mainly on the UK, but throughout the broader question of why corporate management structures developed so impressively in the USA, Germany and Japan is borne in mind, while arguably little progresswas made in this regards in the UK.Equally the authors consider why, given that management is now so widely studied, so little careful research has been undertaken into the evolution of the practice and the profession of management.The book is divided into four sections. Part One provides An Introduction to Management History; Part Two, Management and Organization, explores the historical development through the 19th and 20th centuries; Part Three, Managers in Context, looks at the social and cultural context of management and managers; and Part Four considers three key functional areas, labour, marketing, and accounting and finance.This rich, detailed, and path-breaking book will be essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the evolution of management as we now understand it, whether academics, students or managers themselves.

Introduction -- Discipline -- Efficiency -- Hierarchy -- Fellowship -- Conclusion.

Lyndall Urwick was the dominant figure in British management between the late 1920s and early 1960s. This thoroughly-researched biography traces how his ideas and writings exercised a huge influence on management at the time; and ultimately management as we know it today.