Universidad Pública de Navarra - Nafarroako Univertsitate Publikoa

Contents

Today’s economic affairs are better understood if we take a historical perspective. The course covers the main features of the World Economic History since 1750 until today. It tackles several issues such as the development of international economy and the phases of modern economic growth. Within the macro context, this course also aims to provide students with adequate knowledge about the evolution of businesses, the function of companies and, entrepreneurs from the industrial revolution to the present globalization. It puts the focus on the contribution of business to economic growth and to economic changes in the economy as a whole. Especially, we will study the factors that determined the pace of economic growth in the long run. We look at the relative position of different countries in the process of economic modernization. We also analyse the challenges of convergence and globalization. Furthermore, it inserts in the historical contexts the changes in the in management and strategic direction of their production systems regarding labour, investment, financing, marketing and innovation. The course provides students with the basic knowledge of the operation of the market within the temporal context that surrounded it  (cycles of expansion and crisis, technological change and institutional change).

The course has both lectures and workshops. In the former the professor makes most of (but not all) the talking.  In the latter, the students have to do the work: calculate, read, write, ask and answer questions, provoke, discuss, present, etc.

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Descriptors

History, Business, Industry, Economic Growth, Globalization.

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General proficiencies

(*this couse is taken jointly by students of Ecoomics and Business Administration. For the later the subject  is called "Business History")

Generic skills of the Degree of Business Administration whose acquisition contribute to this subject are:

Instrumental:
CG01. Capacity for analysis and synthesis
CG02. Organization and planning capacity
CG03. Oral and written communication
CG06. Ability to analyze and seek information from various sources
CG07. Ability to problem solving

Personal:
CG09. Teamwork
CG15. Ethical commitment in the workplace
Cg16. Working under pressure

Systemic:
CG17. Independent learning ability
CG19. creativity
GC23. Sensitivity to environmental and social subjects

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Specific proficiencies

The specific skills that a student should acquire in this course are:

CE01. Understanding economic institutions as a result and application of theoretical or formal representations about how the economy works
CE02. Identify sources of relevant economic information
CE03. Derive relevant information from the data, beyond recognition by non-professionals
CE04. Solve problems applying professional standards and the use of technical tools

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Methodology

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Evaluation

60% Class participation, individual work, and workshops/seminars (only 20% recoverable  on extraordinary evaluation)
40% Final exam (fully recoverable on second extraordinary evaluation)

The extraordinary evaluation will only be available for those who have attempted, but failed, to pass the course in the first place.

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Agenda

INTRODUCTION : THE HISTORIC NATURE OF THE COMPANY

Subject 1. – WORLD AND BUSINESS ECONOMIC HISTORY: A VISION FOR LONG TERM. -
          1.1. Business, history and economic theory.
          1.2. An overview of the long-term world economy.

UNIT 1: FROM THE ORGANIC ECONOMY TO INDUSTRIALISATION

Subject 2. - THE COMPANY DURING THE FORMATION OF CAPITALISM. -
         2.1. Organic economy and barriers to growth. –
         2.2. The world economy and the foundations of European hegemony
         2.3. Companies in the preindustrial world: guilds, protoindustry and chartered companies
Subject 3. - INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: WORK AND BUSINESS. -
         3.1. Institutional change and transaction costs: the 'bourgeois revolutions.' –
         3.2. The Industrial Revolution in Britain. –
         3.3. The spread of industrialization. –
         3.4. The organization of work and business. –

UNIT 2: THE INTEGRATION OF MARKETS, 1760-1914
Subject 4. - WORLD MARKET INTEGRATION: THE FIRST GLOBALISATION. -
        4.1. Transport revolution and factors movement. –
        4.2. Trade policies:  protectionism and free trade –
        4.3. The International Monetary System: The Gold Standard. –
        4.4. Imperialism. –
Subject 5. – THE 2nd INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND THE 1st INDUSTRIAL DIVIDE.
        5.1. Technological change and new industrial leadership. –
        5.2. The birth of the big modern business: integration, diversification and marketing. –
        5.3. Manegement and changes in work organization: Taylorism and Fordism. –
        5.4. The social question: class, company and state. -

UNIT 3: DISTURBANCES AND EXPANSION OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE,1914-1973
Subject 6. – THE WORLD ECONOMY IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD. –
        6.1. World War I and its consequences. –
        6.2. The instability of the 1920s and the Great Depression. –
        6.3. Recovery policies. –
        6.4. The Second World War. –
Subject 7. - THE GOLDEN AGE OF DEVELOPMENT
       7.1. The institutional framework of reconstruction and development. –
       7.2. Growth in the "Golden Age." –
       7.3. The model of centralized planning. –
       7.4. El Keynesian paradigm and the mixed economy
       7.5. El import substitution model: Latin America. -
Subject 8. -  THE AMERICANISATION, MULTINATIONALS AND SOEs
       8.1. FDI and the large multinational company: the'Americanization.' –
       8.2. The state as entrepeneur: the state owned company (SOEs).-
       8.3. Alternative models: Toyota JIT and the Human Relations School

UNIT 4: THE FORMATION OF THE GLOBAL MARKET, 1973-2010
Subject 9. – FROM THE OIL CRISIS  THE SECOND GLOBALISATION-
        9.1. Oil shocks and external debt (1973-1984). –
        9.2. Western economic policy responses to the crisis. –
        9.3. The collapse of socialism and the transition processes in Europe and Asia. –
        9.4. The outputs of the ISI: Latin America and East Asia. –
        9.5. Growth and  dynamics OF globalization
Subject 10. - THE IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION. –
       10.1 The new economy
       10.2. Financial deregulation,global enterprise and privatization. –
       10.3. New technologies, flexible specialization and business organization
       10.4. Threats and challenges in global growth and convergence

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Bibliography

Access the bibliography that your professor has requested from the Library.

Basic:
VALDALISO, J.Mª y LÓPEZ, S. (2008): Historia económica de la empresa, Barcelona, Crítica.
AMATORI, F. y COLLI, A. (2011): Business history: complexities and comparisons. London & New York, Routledge.
AMATORI,F. y JONES,G. (2003): Business history around the world. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Other references
ALDCROFT, D.H. (2003): Historia de la economía europea, 1914-2000. Barcelona, Crítica, 4ªed.
COMÍN,F., HERNÁNDEZ, M., y LLOPIS, E., Eds. (2010): Historia económica mundial, siglos X-XX, Barcelona, Crítica.
FELIÚ, G. y SUDRIÁ, C. (2007): Introducción a la historia económica mundial, Valencia, PUV.

Data and statistics:
MADDISON, A. (2002), La economía mundial. Una perspectiva milenaria, Madrid, Mundi- Prensa.
MITCHELL, B.R. (1998): International Historical Statistics. Europe, 1750-1993, New York, Stockton Press.
MITCHELL, B.R. (1998): International Historical Statistics. The Americas, 1750-1993, New York, Grove’s Dictionaries

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Languages

The course will be taught in English even if some materials might be in Spanish.

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