A history of small business in America / Mansel G. Blackford.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Blackford, Mansel G., 1944-

Series:

Luther Hartwell Hodges series on business, society, and the state.

The Luther Hartwell Hodges series on business, society, and the state

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Small business--United States--History.

Small business.

Small business--Government policy--United States--History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (230 p.)

Edition:

2nd ed.

Place of Publication:

Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, c2003.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

From the colonial era to the present day, small businesses have been an integral part of American life. First published in 1991 and now thoroughly revised and updated, A History of Small Business in America explores the central but ever-changing role played by small enterprises in the nation's economic, political, and cultural development. Examining small businesses in manufacturing, sales, services, and farming, Mansel Blackford argues that while small firms have always been important to the nation's development, their significance has varied considerably in different time periods and in different segments of our economy. Throughout, he relates small business development to changes in America's overall business and economic systems and offers comparisons between the growth of small business in the United States to its development in other countries. He places special emphasis on the importance of small business development for women and minorities. Unique in its breadth, this book provides the only comprehensive overview of these significant topics.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Tables

Preface

Introduction

What Is Small?

The Importance of Small Business in America

Scholarship Dealing with Small Business

The Scope of this Study

Additional Reading

1. Small Business before 1880

Economic Growth and Limitations on Business Development

Enterprise in Trade and Commerce

The Business of Farming

Artisans and Early-Day Manufacturing

Service Businesses

Women in Business

African Americans in Business

Toward a Business Ideology

Small Business by the Time of the American Civil War

2. Small Business in the Age of Giant Enterprise, 1880-1920

Industrialization and the Rise of Big Business

Public Attitudes and Government Policies

Small Business in Manufacturing

Industrial Districts

Agriculture: The Continuing Family Farm

Small Business in Distribution and Services

America's Businesses in a Dual Economy

Women and Minorities in Small Business

Blurring and Cooperation between Big and Small Business

Small Business Thought

American Small Business at the Time of World War I

3. Industrial Districts and Stand-Alone Companies

Large and Small Firms in Steel Districts

Stand-Alone Companies in Steel and Other Metals

Successful Small Metal Manufacturers

4. Small Business in Boom and Bust, 1921-1945

American Attitudes toward Small Business

Government Policies during the Interwar Years

Small Business and Government during World War II

Small and Large Business in Manufacturing

Small Business in Japanese Manufacturing

Small Business in Retailing

Small Business in Farming

Small Business at Mid-Century

5. Specialty Products and Niche Markets

The Formation of the Company

Work and Life in Alaska.

A Successful Small Business

Expansion and Merger

Wakefield Seafoods and American Small Business

6. Small Business in an Expanding Economy, 1946-1971

Public Attitudes toward Business

Postwar Government Policies for Small Business

The Small Business Administration

The Impact of Federal Government Programs

Sales and Services

Farming and Small Business

The Small Business Person

Small Business by the 1970s

7. Small Firms in the Silicon Valley

The Origins of Silicon Valley

Efforts to Replicate Silicon Valley

High Technology Efforts in the Hawaiian Islands

Success and Failure in High Technology Businesses

8. Small Business in Modern America, 1972-2000

Small Business and Big Business in Modern America

Small Business in Sales and Services

Agribusiness and the Family Farm

International Comparisons of Small Business

Innovation and Job Creation

Small Business in a NewMillennium

9. Independent Bookstores in a Time of Consolidation

Consolidation and Competition in Bookselling

Responses of Independent Bookstores

K&amp

M Books of Cleveland, Ohio

Success in Bookselling

Conclusion

The Evolution of Small Business in America

Research Needs

Index

A-B

C

D

E-G

H-I

J-K

L-M

N-O

P-R

S

T-W

Y-Z.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9798890876645

9780807862339

0807862339

OCLC:

53929196