Karel Williams – författare

Considering the recent impact of the capital market on corporate strategy, this text analyzes, through argument and supportive case studies, how pressures from the capital bull market of the 1990s and bear market of the early 2000s, have reshaped management action and calculation in large, publicly quoted US and UK corporations.

Beginning with the dissatisfaction with classical strategy and its limited engagement with the processes of financialization, the book moves on to cover three detailed company case studies (General Electric, Ford and GlaxoSmithKline) which use long run financial data and analysis of company and industry narratives to illustrate and explore key themes. The book emphasizes the importance of company and industry narrative, while also analyzing long term financial results, and helps to explain the limits of management action and the burden of expectations placed on corporate governance.

Presenting financial and market information on trajectory in an accessible way, this book provides a distinctive, critical social science account of management in large UK and US corporations, and it is a valuable resource for students, scholars and researchers of business, management, political economy and non-mainstream economics.

short listed for the 2007 IPEG Book Prize

Considering the recent impact of the capital market on corporate strategy, this text analyzes, through argument and supportive case studies, how pressures from the capital bull market of the 1990s and bear market of the early 2000s, have reshaped management action and calculation in large, publicly quoted US and UK corporations.

Beginning with the dissatisfaction with classical strategy and its limited engagement with the processes of financialization, the book moves on to cover three detailed company case studies (General Electric, Ford and GlaxoSmithKline) which use long run financial data and analysis of company and industry narratives to illustrate and explore key themes. The book emphasizes the importance of company and industry narrative, while also analyzing long term financial results, and helps to explain the limits of management action and the burden of expectations placed on corporate governance.

Presenting financial and market information on trajectory in an accessible way, this book provides a distinctive, critical social science account of management in large UK and US corporations, and it is a valuable resource for students, scholars and researchers of business, management, political economy and non-mainstream economics.

short listed for the 2007 IPEG Book Prize

First published in 1981, From Pauperism to Poverty consists of seven essays, three of which focus on the English poor law between 1800 and 1914 and four of which examine texts of social investigation by Mayhew, Engels, Booth and Rowntree. Rather than making a specialist contribution to the history of social thought and policy, the essays raise general questions about current ways of writing history and alternative analyses of specific texts or institutions are developed. In doing so, the previous histories of the relief of pauperism and the discovery of poverty are revised at many points. Most notably, it is demonstrated for the first time that relief to unemployed men was virtually abolished after 1850.

This book will be of interest to those studying the history of social welfare and poverty.

First published in 1981, From Pauperism to Poverty consists of seven essays, three of which focus on the English poor law between 1800 and 1914 and four of which examine texts of social investigation by Mayhew, Engels, Booth and Rowntree. Rather than making a specialist contribution to the history of social thought and policy, the essays raise general questions about current ways of writing history and alternative analyses of specific texts or institutions are developed. In doing so, the previous histories of the relief of pauperism and the discovery of poverty are revised at many points. Most notably, it is demonstrated for the first time that relief to unemployed men was virtually abolished after 1850.

This book will be of interest to those studying the history of social welfare and poverty.

The editors have chosen substantial extracts to illustrate the major themes and ideas in Beveridge’s writing over a period of more than four decades, ranging from his book Unemployment, published in 1909, to the Beveridge Report of 1942 and beyond. Sections cover his social philosophy; the crucial role he attributed to social insurance as a technique of welfare; his relation to economics; and the stress he placed on voluntary action in a free society. Each theme is introduced by a full editorial commentary which explains its place in Beveridge’s thought, as well as outlining his position and offering critical guidance to the reader.

The return of mass unemployment and continuing debate on the role of the welfare state has revived interest in Beveridge’s work and this reader brings his ideas.

The editors have chosen substantial extracts to illustrate the major themes and ideas in Beveridge’s writing over a period of more than four decades, ranging from his book Unemployment, published in 1909, to the Beveridge Report of 1942 and beyond. Sections cover his social philosophy; the crucial role he attributed to social insurance as a technique of welfare; his relation to economics; and the stress he placed on voluntary action in a free society. Each theme is introduced by a full editorial commentary which explains its place in Beveridge’s thought, as well as outlining his position and offering critical guidance to the reader.

The return of mass unemployment and continuing debate on the role of the welfare state has revived interest in Beveridge’s work and this reader brings his ideas.

This book, first published in 1983, offers a new explanation for the poor performance of British manufacturing since 1950. Rather than invoke orthodox economic theory or general social factors, the book analyses four national conditions – enterprise control over the labour process; market structure and the composition of demand; the relation of manufacturing enterprise to financial institutions like banks and stock exchanges; and the relation of manufacturing enterprise to government.

This book, first published in 1983, offers a new explanation for the poor performance of British manufacturing since 1950. Rather than invoke orthodox economic theory or general social factors, the book analyses four national conditions – enterprise control over the labour process; market structure and the composition of demand; the relation of manufacturing enterprise to financial institutions like banks and stock exchanges; and the relation of manufacturing enterprise to government.