John Patrick Diggins. Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and Making of History

More words have been written about Ronald Reagan than most otherpresidents combined, but few of these volumes are serious historicaltreatments—the history has been too fresh and the archivalmaterial too difficult to access. As a result, while the literatureon Reagan is vast, the scholarship has been scanty. But, overthe past few years several books on Reagan have appeared (includingRichard Reeves' President Reagan and Gil Troy's Morning     

British Business History: A Review of the Periodical Literature for 1998

Japanese economic success has been built upon the establishment and development of key manufacturing sectors, and the perspectives of business history can especially reveal that complex interaction of companies, markets, business networks, and state which has over time created a globally competitive industrial system. Long-term economic growth was capped in the 1950s and 1960s by growth rates that were unprecedented in their scale and duration. Similarly, the process of industrial transformation accelerated in the years between 1918 and 1950, important developments finally coalescing during the post-war period into the so-termed ‘Japanese industrial system’. Debates over the timing of economic development in Japan are intertwined with debates on the contribution of a pre-industrial national culture to business success. The historical record suggests that the acquisition of organisational capabilities within Japanese manufacturers has been shaped by the timing of the country's industrialisation and by its consequent development needs. The nature of Japanese management and Japan's industrial system, although influenced by cultural attributes, was shaped by organisational and economic objectives attuned to the circumstances of the country's industrialisation, and competitive advantage followed from the unavoidably nationally specific process by which potential was ultimately matched by capability.     

A comparative study of British,U.S. and Japanese marketing strategies in the British market

This empirical study compares the marketing strategies and organisations of a matched sample of American, Japanese and local competitors in the British market. Japanese subsidiaries in Britain are shown to be much more marketing oriented, more single minded in their pursuit of market share and more alert to strategic opportunities than their U.S. and British counterparts. American subsidiaries appear less committed to the UK, home country oriented and, like their British competitors, excessively concerned with short term profit performance.     

Frederick H. Smith. Caribbean Rum: A Social and Economic History

Frederick Smith's early evocation (p. 2) of Sidney Mintz's 1985master-work Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in ModernHistory is most unfortunate because Smith is no Mintz—exceptthat they are both anthropologists. This sad little book suffersby comparison on most every page. In contrast to Mintz, it isnot good social history, it is not good economic history, andit is not good anthropology. More particularly for readers ofEnterprise Society, Caribbean Rum is not good     

Kathleen M. Barry. Femininity in Flight: A History of Flight Attendants

One of the pleasures of Kathleen Barry's book, Femininity inFlight, is the many photographs that illustrate her argumentsabout how stewardesses worked to project a particular type offemininity, which she calls glamour. On page 183, for example,she includes a photograph of a youthful brunette stewardessfor the fledgling airline, Southwest. The date is 1972 and thestewardess is clad in "hot pants" and high-heeled lace-up boots,leaning playfully on the seat in front     

The Development of Management Information Systems in the British Coal Industry,c.1880–1947 1

The objective of this study is to discuss whether the management of public enterprises in Sweden can be considered as a special type of managerial capitalism. Empirical evidence is offered from the development of railroads and electrification. The construction of railroads and electrification was of great concern to the Swedish government. The Public Railroads (SJ) and the State Water Power Board did not have a monopoly but played a leading role each on its specific market. They did not develop into independent companies because the central government always made the strategic decisions. Consequently managerial capitalism by Chandler's definition was not at hand.     

TIANJIN: A City of History and Culture

Getting in and out of the city is convenient because of the well-planned transportation system. If you want to come by water, there are a series of international and domestic sea routes in the port of Tianjin, which is the biggest man-made port in China. If you plan to arrive by air, Tianjin Binhai International Airport offers excellent service. Planes have routes that reach most of the major cities in China and also cities in Europe and America. Of course, arriving in Tianjin by land is another option, while trains or long- distance buses are yet another alternative.     

James Sullivan. Jeans: A Cultural History of an American Icon

How is it that jeans evolved from durable work clothes intoa global symbol of America? James Sullivan's new work surveysthe history of denim wear, showing how "... a pair of blue jeansembodies two centuries     

Price V. Fishback et al. Government and the American Economy: A New History

In Government and the American Economy: A New History, a distinguishedpanel of economic historians chronicles and evaluates how governmenthas shaped U.S. economic development and growth from the colonialperiod to the present. The volume is dedicated to Robert Higgs,whose seminal thesis on the growth of government—thatit is a crisis-induced and persistent process—is one ofthe volume's underlying themes (and the subject of Higgs’chapter titled, "The World Wars"). The other is that government     

Richard T. Stillson. Spreading the Word: A History of Information in the California Gold Rush

To paraphrase Senator Howard Baker in 1973, "What did the prospectivegold miners know, when did they know it, how did they assessits credibility, when did they realize it was wrong, what didthey do to compensate, and how did they determine what informantsand information to trust?" That is the basic plot of this fascinatingtale. Stillson has provided both an impressive concept of informationflows over time and geography and a new way of looking     

Sterling D. Sessions and Gene A. Sessions. A History of Utah International: From Construction to Mining. Salt Lake City: The University of Utah Press, 2005. xx + 243 pp. ISBN 0-87480-836-7, $29.95.

Sterling D. Sessions and Gene A. Sessions explore the rise andtransformation of Utah International, one of the most importantcorporations in the history of the American West. Their storybegins with Edmund and William Wattis, two ambitious brotherswho set out to make their fortune in Utah in the late nineteenthcentury. In 1900, they founded the Utah Construction Company,which focused on railroad projects, from cutting tunnels throughthe High Sierras to laying track in the humid backcountry     

Richard A. Rajala. Up-Coast: Forests and Industry on British Columbia's North Coast, 1870-2005

Richard Rajala has written an excellent, useful, and singularhistory of the development of industrial forestry along BC'sNorth Coast, beginning roughly at the time of Canadian confederationand ending with the present day. The book's excellence is largelymeasured by the author's obvious care and an attention to details,featuring meticulous research and careful narration. Its usefulnessoriginates in this being an integrated work that explores socialand ecological aspects of "doing" industrial forestry. And,its singular character originates in the     

Warren Belasco. Meals to Come: A History of the Future of Food

Warren Belasco does not know what the future of food is goingto be, but he does know a great deal about the history of thefuture of food. In his book, Meals to Come: A History of theFuture of Food, Belasco examines predictions, discussions, fears,and controversies that have surrounded our food supply overthe previous two centuries. As he notes in his introduction,making predictions is a risky business, but, risk aside, therehave been no shortage     

Sustainable Consumption Governance: A History of Promises and Failures

What are the implications of the current international political, and economic settings for consumer policy, and, in particular, those regarding sustainable consumption? In terms of improvements in the efficiency of consumption, the settings have induced efforts to this effect and show potential for further progress. In terms of necessary changes in consumption levels and patterns, however, little progress has been made since the Rio Summit nor is there likely to be any in the near future. These two dimensions of sustainable consumption need to be differentiated, as there is a substantial amount of controversy regarding our ability to achieve sustainable consumption on the basis of improvements in efficiency alone. The paper traces these differences with respect to the work of the major international governmental organizations (IGOs) engaged in developing sustainable consumption governance. It argues that the lack of commitment to strong sustainable consumption among IGOs can be explained by their “weakness” as actors in global governance and the existence of strong opposing interests among consumers and business actors.     

John E. Murray. Origins of American Health Insurance: A History of Industrial Sickness Funds

John E. Murray's Origins of American Health Insurance concernsa little-known precursor to commercial health insurance, the"industrial sickness funds" of the book's subtitle. This well-researchedbook makes a compelling case for the importance of these fundsin shaping the American health insurance system as we know it.Murray argues that the success of sickness funds during theearly twentieth century helps to explain why European-styleuniversal health insurance does not exist in the United States. In 1915, industrial sickness funds