American Business, 1920-2000: How It Worked (The American History Series) (Paperback)

~ (Author), John H. Franklin (Editor), A. S. Eisenstadt (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Unique for its breadth of coverage and depth of analysis this uncommonly readable book is certain to become a classic. Five of the book's ten chapters provide in-depth analyses of representative companies and the remarkable people who led them. These firms include McDonald's, Procter & Gamble, Boeing, General Motors, and Ford-all of which began as entrepreneurial startups and grew to become big businesses. Their success stories are counterbalanced by a detailed dissection of the monumental failure of RCA, long the world leader in consumer electronics but today all but extinct.

Interspersed with the company-centered chapters are five brief "overview" chapters: one each on women and African Americans in business, and three on vital sectors of American business: first finance, then chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and, most recently, computers, Silicon Valley, and the Internet.

With 35 photographs and a comprehensive bibliographic essay, this compact, enjoyable work will be highly appreciated by anyone interested in how American business powered the twentieth century.

About the Author

Thomas McCraw

Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Harlan Davidson; 1 edition (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882959859
• ISBN-13: 978-0882959856
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #628,640 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference for academic use or personal enjoyment, December 27, 2000

By	DrewFromNY "drewfromny" (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews

I read this book for business school and enjoyed it thoroughly enough to recommend it to friends and family who are interested in the recent history of business. This book documents the major events and themes in American Business during the past 80 years. The writing gives enough detail without being boring. In addition, I found it interesting to see how certain themes persist through time proving that history does repeat itself. The book is a very quick read and provides the reader with enough information on each era. After that, the reader can use the suggested reading list to learn more about the subjects, eras and people that might interest him/her. Overall, a great read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A post-Chandlerian account of American history, June 15, 2009

By	Rambam HaTalmid (Sydney Australia) - See all my reviews

A post-Chandlerian account of American history.
Very informative. Much of the oral history and anecdotes that I have come across over the years are systematised by McCraw.