Postcolonial Transition and Global Business History

Stephanie Decker is Professor of Strategy at the University of Birmingham Business School, UK, and visiting professor in African Business History at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She is co-editor-in-chief of Business History, on the editorial board of Organization Studies and Accounting History, and Co-Vice Chair for Research and Publications at the British Academy of Management.

• 1. Introduction 2. Organizational Legitimacy and the Development Discourse PART I - Managing Postcolonial Transitions Externally 3. Corporate Political Activities before and after Independence 4. Indigenization Programmes and Organizational Legitimacy PART II - Managing Postcolonial Transitions Internally 5. Africanization in Companies and in the Civil Service 6. African Managers in British Businesses 7. Conclusions Appendices Index

"Decker is a rare scholar, combining the empirical fastidiousness of a business historian with the conceptual and theoretical skills of an organization theorist, producing a book that should contribute to a more global and historivcal appreciation of the role of multinationals." – Stewart Clegg, Distinguished Professor, University of Technology Sydney Business School"Decker provides a valuable historical perspective and important conceptual explanations for organizational researchers interested in studying changes in the nature of global enterprise today." - R. Daniel Wadhwani, University of Southern California, USA"Organisational legitimacy has evolved into a vibrant area of study in business history. It also matters to international business and strategy scholar, who continuously engage with the concept but cannot match the long-term perspective of this book. In previous articles, Decker has herself related some of the themes of her analysis to these adjacent communities. The book deepens this dialogue by offering a thoughtful and conceptually well-developed narrative of British business in postcolonial transitions. Stephanie Decker delivers rigorous historical research that frames and contextualises present-day problems and builds bridges to adjacent scholarly communities." - Christina Lubinski, Copenhagen Business School