Business History

The course aims to provide a knowledge of the methods and contents of business history, with a focus on the interaction between organizational knowledge and practice in a long-term perspective.

Students are expected to learn how the historical method works, why it is different from the methods of social sciences, and how it may supplement the latter.

General knowledge of methods in social sciences.
Basic knowledge of general history.

Lessons will develop along a three-parted scheme, focusing on
· What is historical research? A methodological introduction.
· History and management studies.
· Historical practice.
A peculiar attention will be paid for the debate on the utility of an historical approach for students’ research projects.

Mon 7/5 h12.15 Lesson 1 – Introduction to the Course.
Presentation of the readings.
Discussion of students’ interests and specializations.
Assignment of class presentations.
Introduction to the critical use of sources: assignment of short exercises.

History

Wed 9/5 h8.45 Lesson 2 – What history is not
Clark P. & Rowlinson M.. 2004, The Treatment of History in Organisation Studies: Towards an ‘Historic Turn’?, Business History, 46(3): 331-52. (GIOVANNI)

History and management studies

Fri 11/5 h12.15 Lesson 3 – What is history then?
Rowlinson M., Hassard J. & Decker S. 2014, Research Strategies for Organizational History: A Dialogue between Historical Theory and Organization Theory, Academy of Management Review, 39(3): 250-274. (GIOVANNI)

Management and organization theory in historical perspective

Mon 14/5 h12.15 Lesson 4 – History and theory
M. Bucheli, & R. D. Wadhwani, Organizations in Time:History, Theory, Methods, Oxford: Oxford University Press, chapters 1-3 TBA

Wed 16/5 h8.45 Lesson 5 – History and theory
M. Bucheli, & R. D. Wadhwani, Organizations in Time:History, Theory, Methods, Oxford: Oxford University Press, chapters 4-6 TBA

Fri 18/5 h12.15 Lesson 6 – Historicizing management
M. Bucheli, & R. D. Wadhwani, Organizations in Time:History, Theory, Methods, Oxford: Oxford University Press, chapters 7-10 TBA

Historical methods

Mon 21/5 h12.15 Lesson 7 – Historical methods for management studies
M. Bucheli, & R. D. Wadhwani, Organizations in Time:History, Theory, Methods, Oxford: Oxford University Press, chapters 11-13 TBA

Wed 23/5 h8.45 Lesson 8 – What is an archive?
Decker S., 2013, The Silence of the Archives: Postcolonialism and Business History, Management and Organisational History 8(2): 155-173. TBA

Mon 28/5 h12.15 Lesson 9 – Lost in the archive
Fellman S. & Popp A., 2013, Lost in the archive: the business historian in distress, in B. Czarniawska and O. Löfgren (eds.), Coping with excess. How organizations, communities and individuals manage overflows, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar: 216-243. TBA

Wed 30/5 h8.45 Lesson 10 – Microhistory and institutional work
Decker S., 2015, Mothership reconnection: Microhistory and institutional work compared, in The Routledge Companion to Management and Organizational History, London: Routledge: 222-238. TBA

Fri 1/6 h8.45 Lesson 11 – Microhistory: Theory, method and evidence
S. Fellman & M. Rahikainen (eds.), Historical Knowledge: In Quest of Theory, Method and Evidence: Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, chapters 1-3. TBA

Fri 1/6 10.30 Lesson 12 – Historical knowledge
S. Fellman & M. Rahikainen (eds.), Historical Knowledge: In Quest of Theory, Method and Evidence: Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, chapters 4-7. TBA

Mon 4/6 h8.45 Lesson 13 – The exceptional normal
G. Favero, The exceptional normal at work: Absence and presence, silence and voice. Paper presented at the workshop Applied microhistory on March 15, 2016, EHESS Paris. (GIOVANNI)

Wed 6/6 h8.45 Lesson 14 – Discussing an historical research proposal
TBA

Fri 8/6 h12.15 Lesson 15 – Results of the research exercise
(open discussion)

M. Bucheli, & R. D. Wadhwani, Organizations in Time:History, Theory, Methods, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
P. Clark & M. Rowlinson, 2004, The Treatment of History in Organisation Studies: Towards an ‘Historic Turn’?, Business History, 46(3): 331-52.
S. Decker, 2013, The Silence of the Archives: Postcolonialism and Business History, Management and Organisational History 8(2): 155-173.
S. Decker, 2015, Mothership reconnection: Microhistory and institutional work compared, in The Routledge Companion to Management and Organizational History, London: Routledge: 222-238.
G. Favero, The exceptional normal at work: Absence and presence, silence and voice. Paper presented at the workshop Applied microhistory on March 15, 2016, EHESS Paris.
S. Fellman & A. Popp, 2013, Lost in the archive: the business historian in distress, in B. Czarniawska and O. Löfgren (eds.), Coping with excess. How organizations, communities and individuals manage overflows, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar: 216-243.
S. Fellman & M. Rahikainen (eds.), Historical Knowledge: In Quest of Theory, Method and Evidence: Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
M. Rowlinson, J. Hassard & S. Decker, 2014, Research Strategies for Organizational History: A Dialogue between Historical Theory and Organization Theory, Academy of Management Review, 39(3): 250-274.

Evaluation will be based on student participation (20%), class presentations (30%), research exercise (10%), and on a final research project (1500-3000 words) discussing the possibility of an historical approach to the managerial research interests of the student, to be previously agreed with the teacher (40%).
The grade will be assigned on the basis of a pass-or-fail judgement, but a more precise assessment will be given as a feedback to each student.

written and oral

Students are required to
1) actively discuss assigned readings that will be presented by the teacher;
2) present assigned articles, books and chapters (the syllabus will be adjusted depending on the number of attending students);
3) perform an exercise in critical historical research, and present its results.
Students are also required to prepare and discuss a project with an historical research approach to their specialization in management (final paper).

Ca’ Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding support services and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). If you have a disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development