The Big End of Town
Big Business and Corporate Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia

This 2004 book is a comprehensive study of Australian corporate life over the past 150 years.

Grant Fleming (Author), David Merrett (Author), Simon Ville (Author)

9780521689908, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 1 May 2006

320 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.47 kg

'… a very readable account of the development of big business in Australia … the subject is engaging and topical. … The writing is clear with an acceptable mix of theory to set the scene combined with case examples to show the success or otherwise of its application. … The book provides interesting case study material for business students, but it may also be useful background for public scholars or strategists … useful and scholarly …'. Public Administration Today

Never before had a book been published which provides such a comprehensive study of Australian corporate leadership over the past 100 years. Written by a team of economic historians The Big End of Town, first published in 2004, is a proper business history of twentieth-century Australia. This book traces the evolution of large business enterprises in Australia, from the giants of the nineteenth century - such as Dalgety's, CSR and BHP - to the contemporary leaders in Newscorp and Qantas. It delves into why the market leaders became the major players, examines what was crucial to their success, and their roles in leading the Australian economy. By investigating their evolution this book provides a useful evaluation of the factors that have led to their competitive success and provides an essential guide for all businesses in Australia and beyond.

1. Introduction
2. The development of large scale enterprise
3. Identifying the corporate leaders
4. Directions of corporate expansion
5. Methods of corporate expansion
6. Financing corporate strategies
7. Corporate governance and organizational design
8. Big business and corporate leadership in the Australian economy.

Subject Areas: Business & management [KJ], Economic history [KCZ], Economics [KC]