ABSTRACT
Inspired by Chandler’s Scale and Scope, the authors ranked the top 100 Dutch industrial companies based on total assets in the year 1930. Investigation of these 100 companies showed that Dutch industrial capitalism resembled the British personal capitalism more than the German co-operative managerial capitalism. A personal management culture, however, was not synonymous with failure and lack of competitiveness, even in the sectors associated with the ‘Second Industrial Revolution’. The fact that Dutch companies were competitive internationally in the chemicals, petroleum and electrical machinery sectors argues in favour of personal managerial structures.
