ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some general trends in business history research and the writing of company histories over the 1990s. It focuses on Europe, but also considers developments in the United States and Japan. The 1990s represent something of a paradox in business history’s evolution as an academic subject. The Japan Business History Society continues to dominate the field with over 800 members, in addition, the US Business History Conference has 475 members and the European Business History Association, only founded in 1994, has 300. A number of publications in the mid-1990s in both the United States and Britain suggest a renewed attempt to put ‘culture’ onto the mainstream business history research agenda, despite the complex methodological problems faced by historians relying on archival materials to research ‘culture’. The 1990s has continued to see numerous company histories produced, ranging from commemorative pamphlets to heavily footnoted scholarly studies by leading academics.
