Published in 1971: At first glance it might seem that the three subjects dealt with in the essays written over the last twenty years and now collected in this volume could hardly be more diverse, beginning with the growth of the firm and moving from the international petroleum industry to the Middle East generally. Oddly enough, however, these subjects are connected by the same type of historical logic that characterizes the diversification of an industrial firm: the logic in the simple principle that one thing leads to another.
Published in 1971: At first glance it might seem that the three subjects dealt with in the essays written over the last twenty years and now collected in this volume could hardly be more diverse, beginning with the growth of the firm and moving from the international petroleum industry to the Middle East generally. Oddly enough, however, these subjects are connected by the same type of historical logic that characterizes the diversification of an industrial firm: the logic in the simple principle that one thing leads to another.
The sudden, huge price hikes in Middle Eastern oil in late 1973 yielded, almost overnight, an enormous flow of resources to states and societies that could not have anticipated such instant affluence. With this came unprecedented political power because of the control the oil states were able to maintain over oil production and prices until the second half of 1982. Thus, though covering barely nine years, the period may appropriately be dubbed the "Oil Decade". In this study of fundamental aspects of the oil decade, Gad G. Gilbar first examines the influence the production, export and revenues of oil exerted on domestic, regional and international relations. This is followed by an in-depth analysis of the expansion of higher education, no doubt the single most significant social change the oil decade engendered. Throughout the Arab world many new universities began opening their doors to an ever-increasing number of students, especially in the sciences and civil engineering. Significant also was the proportion of women students enrolling. Finally, the author traces how, as of the early 1970s, the official Arab boycott on goods manufactured in Israel was increasingly being circumvented, and a wide range of agricultural and industrial products were beginning to find their way to customers in Arab states.
Edith Penrose's contribution to the theory of the firm reinvented the classical tradition in economics. This volume builds on an issue of "Contributions to Political Economy" that celebrated 40 years since Penrose's publication, "The Theory of the Growth of the Firm".
Concurrent with the increasing complexity of the field of management, the need to re-examine the foundations from which its theories have advanced has become ever more important and useful. The Oxford Handbook of Management Theorists examines and evaluates the contributions that seminal figures, past and present, have made to the theory of management by providing in-depth, up-to-date, and detailed scholarly analysis of their ideas and influence. Chapters by leading management and management history scholars explore the origins of each thinker or school of thought and their ideas, and discuss the significance and influence in a broader framework. The Handbook contextualises each theorist and their theories, analysing their actions, interactions, and re-actions to contemporary events and to each other. It is arranged in three parts: pioneers of management thinking from Frederick Taylor to Chester Barnard; post-war theorists, such as the Tavistock Institute and Edith Penrose; and the later phase of Business School theorists, including Alfred Chandler, Michael Porter, and Ikujiro Nonaka. This book will be essential reading for anyone interested in how and why management ideas have emerged, and the ways in which they are currently developing and will evolve in the future.
The Middle East is an area of great importance globally, yet misperceptions abound. Events have made it a region of special interest to the West and so the search for understanding gains momentum. This publication is intended to clarify the region’s complex history and issues. In developing this project, the contributors’ set out to explore seven significant themes that are usually not found in other sources. While many books focus on political history and conflicts, this two-volume work deals specifically with culture, religion, women, economics, governance, and media, as well as the role that the region’s modern history has played in shaping its society and worldview.
Edith Penrose's tightly argued classic laid the foundations for the resource based view of the firm, now the dominant framework in business strategy She analyses managerial activities and decisions, organizational routines, and also the factors that inevitably limit a firm's growth prospects. --from publisher's description.
There are not many books that are genuine classics, and only a handful in business and management whose insights and ideas last for 50 years and more. This book is one of the very few 'must reads' for anybody seriously interested in the role of management within the firm. Originally published in 1959, The Theory of the Growth of the Firm has illuminated and inspired thinking in strategy, entrepreneurship, knowledge creation, and innovation. Edith Penrose's tightly-argued classic laid the foundations for the resource based view of the firm, now the dominant framework in business strategy. She analyses managerial activities and decisions, organizational routines, and also the factors that inevitably limit a firm's growth prospects. For this new anniversary edition, Christos Pitelis has written a new introduction which both tells the story of Penrose's extraordinary life, and provides a balanced assessment of her key ideas and their continuing relevance and freshness.
