The East India Company: The first modern multinational?

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The East India Company can lay claim to being the world's first company whose operations involved systematic organization of multiple countries. It was a pioneer and innovator: It was one of the first companies to offer limited liability to its shareholders; it laid the foundations of the British empire; it spawned Company Man; it developed its own 'university'. It was a trader, merchant, mercenary, military force and civil administrator; a pioneer bureaucracy as well as being a lean operation. Using an analytic lens drawn from contemporary discussion on MNCs the article reviews the role of the East India Company over its life and draws parallels with contemporary MNCs.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCorporations and organization theory
Subtitle of host publicationPost Millennium perspectives
EditorsChristoph Dörrenbächer, Mike Geppert
PublisherEmerald Group Publishing Limited
Pages43-67
Number of pages25
Volume49
ISBN (Print)9781786353856
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2017

Publication series

NameResearch in the Sociology of Organizations
ISSN (Print)0733-558X

Keywords

  • East India Company
  • history
  • multinationals
  • politics
  • power

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The East India Company: The first modern multinational?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this