In this textbook, expert authors Amatori and Colli present businesses as the key driver of economic change and development. In analyzing how business interacts with the evolution of economic, technological and political systems over the long term, the book provides a unique method to understand this increasingly vital topic. Updated to incorporate more detail on management theories, the new edition also brings the story up to date to the era of global crisis and financialization. With a chronological approach and led by globally-recognized experts on business history, this is essential reading for all business students and scholars looking at the past and towards the future.