Research Agenda for Corporations

Christopher May, Emeritus Professor of Political Economy, Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion, Lancaster University, UK

'May persuasively makes the case for scholars to take a more holistic approach to research on corporations. He rightly argues that too many scholars take a narrow disciplinary view, while others downplay or ignore corporations in their analysis. One theme throughout is how corporate leaders govern-within the organization itself and throughout global supply chains with significant consequences for society. This short yet comprehensive book covers the key issues and questions that scholars need to address to explain our current era.'--Virginia Haufler, University of Maryland, College Park, US'Firms and corporations have been out of fashion in recent decades. Christopher May's deeply researched and carefully constructed historical-social analysis of the corporation reminds us just why this is shortsighted. It is cross disciplinary in the best sense - reaching across an impressive mix of, often contradictory, source materials to make sense of how the corporation operates from the local to the global and ultimately challenging us: what should be done to reform one of the key actors in world politics?'--Stuart Shields, University of Manchester, UK

• Contents: 1. Introduction 2. The history of corporations and incorporation 3. Managing the corporation 4. Understanding the global corporate supply chain 5. The corporation’s political agency 6. Can the corporation be reformed? Should it be? References Index