ABSTRACT
Founded in 1855, the Compagnie parisienne de l’éclairage et du chauffage par le gaz, or the Paris Gas Company (PGC), was a marvel of its time. A limited liability company and one of France’s largest industrial enterprises, it pioneered the development of new, impersonal forms of management and finance. The PGC’s success rested on these managerial innovations. A high-technology company for its time, its operations required a tight coordination of work across separate departments and strict quality control in handling highly volatile and toxic materials. To maintain this coordination and control, the PGC used salaried managers to oversee a workforce of over 4,000 workers and nearly 2,000 white collar employees.
