ABSTRACT
The corporate "spiderweb" of the Volkart company thus represented an important link in the global commodity chains of diverse raw materials. The general view in the literature is that an initial wave of economic globalization was followed by a phase of deglobalization in which global trade stagnated. Every large and small circle, every agency and branch office, can be viewed as a social hub that was connected with the rest of the company and the firm's surroundings in a myriad of ways. The economic exchange between European and non-European merchants can be interpreted as a social interaction that was able to take place because both parties had internalized specific mercantile cultures that were sufficiently similar to serve as the basis for a business relationship. Such a corporate culture operated in harmony with commercial activities, as was the case with Volkart and various other European trading firms. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
