How do business enterprises control their subunits? In what ways do
existing paths of communication within a firm affect its ability to
absorb new technology and techniques? How do American banks affect how
companies operate? Do theoretical constructs correspond to actual
behavior?
Because business enterprises are complex institutions, these questions
can prove difficult to address. All too often, firms are treated as the
atoms of economics, the irreducible unit of analysis. This accessible
volume, suitable for course use, looks more closely at the American
firm--into its internal workings and its genesis in the Gilded Age.
Focusing on the crucial role of imperfect and asymmetric information in
the operation of enterprises, Inside the Business Enterprise forges an
innovative link between modern economic theory and recent business
history.