Merchants to Multinationals: British Trading Companies in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

Merchants to Multinationals provides a study of the evolution of British-owned international trading companies worldwide from the 18th century through to the present day. It analyses the complex multinational business groups which emerged, and considers the ways in which the trading companies were forced to 're-invent' themselves.
This book examines the evolution of multinational trading companies from the eighteenth century to the present day. During the Industrial Revolution, British merchants established overseas branches which became major trade intermediaries and subsequently engaged in foreign direct investment. Complex multinational business groups emerged controlling large investments in natural resources, processing, and services in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.