ABSTRACT
Professor Daniel Nelson's article presents an overview of the evolution of business history in the United States. He demonstrates the commonalities of market economies characterized by diverse economic activities. His paper provides an excellent analysis of the state of business history in the United States, and his insights should serve to enhance and enlighten the scholarship of Chinese business historians. Nelson's analysis of Chandler's contributions and influence are absolutely on target. The international impact of Chandler's theories may be seen in the constant references to him and his theories in the other articles presented in this volume. Again and again, the Chandler model has been applied to various aspects of Chinese business history. Nelson's criticisms of Chandler's analysis are also fruitful. The organizational theories of Chandler as laid out in Strategy and Structure, The Visible Hand, and Scale and Scope are the basis for business history in this country and in Western Europe.
