A Study of the Development of Business Management Integration in a Non-Group-Oriented Community of China

This study adopted Baxian-dang'an (巴県档案) as a historical document to analyze business management during the Qing period in China. We converted management-related documents into electronic data, and used it in search of words in question including biographical information. We also read the documents closely and analyzed aspects of management observed in them. Our analysis revealed the following points :(a)Groups of the same trade were organized in an almost similar way to general local administrations under a prefectural office. Group cohesiveness was weak and groups relied heavily on the interference of prefectural authority to keep it.(b)Considering the business size, the amount of capital both in commerce and transportation was small, compared with that in Japan in the same period. The ratio of fixed capital was low and management seriously lacked durability. The relationship among investors, between labor and management and even between a master and an apprentice was a temporary one.(c)The scale of management was considerably large. Groups of the same trade were characterized in part as independent management that was established by each labor section. These groups existed in a loosely-integrated fashion.(d)Each element of management was conveniently divided and ceded, making the structure of management even more complicated.

This study adopted Baxian-dang'an (巴県档案) as a historical document to analyze business management during the Qing period in China. We converted management-related documents into electronic data, and used it in search of words in question including biographical information. We also read the documents closely and analyzed aspects of management observed in them. Our analysis revealed the following points :(a)Groups of the same trade were organized in an almost similar way to general local administrations under a prefectural office. Group cohesiveness was weak and groups relied heavily on the interference of prefectural authority to keep it.(b)Considering the business size, the amount of capital both in commerce and transportation was small, compared with that in Japan in the same period. The ratio of fixed capital was low and management seriously lacked durability. The relationship among investors, between labor and management and even between a master and an apprentice was a temporary one.(c)The scale of management was considerably large. Groups of the same trade were characterized in part as independent management that was established by each labor section. These groups existed in a loosely-integrated fashion.(d)Each element of management was conveniently divided and ceded, making the structure of management even more complicated.