Programme

PGP

Term

V

Academic Year

2021-22

Course title

Hitchhiker's Guide to Business and Economies Across Five Centuries

Area

Economics

Credits

1.00

Instructor(s)

Prof. Chinmay Tumbe

Course Description & Objectives

Introduction: The past five centuries have been momentous in the world of business and commerce. In 1500, the centre of gravity of world business was firmly located between the Indian Ocean World and the Mediterranean Basin. Over the next five hundred years, the locus shifted to Western Europe and North America. Why and how did this happen? Who were the key actors behind these changes? What type of firms and business practices emerged across the world? This course addresses these questions and enables one to understand the evolution of firms, industries and economies over the long run. Understanding seismic shifts of the past broadens the horizon of the management professional and provides skills to better understand the future. The course is divided in four parts. Part 1 provides overviews of three global revolutions- scientific, imperial and industrial – that gave birth to the modern world and its interconnections with business and economic history. Part 2 reviews key actors in global business history. Part 3 highlights the origins of business practices by considering the histories of specific firms and sectors. Against the backdrop of the global revolutions, key actors and business practices, Part 4 traces the business and economic histories of regions across the world in comparative perspective. Objectives: To understand the evolution of modern business and economies in global perspective To comprehend the global revolutions, actors, business practices and regional business and economic histories across five centuries

Pedagogy

The course will be taught through interactive sessions with class room discussions, group exercises and presentations. Cases, scholarly articles, background reading notes and adapted card games will be used in the course.