The United States has been near the forefront of global consumption trends since the 1700s, and for the past century and more, Americans have been the world's foremost consuming people. Informed and inspired by the literature from consumer culture theory, as well as drawing from numerous studies in social and cultural history, A History of American Consumption tells the story of the American consumer experience from the colonial era to the present, in three cultural threads. These threads recount the assignment of meaning to possessions and consumption, the gendered ideology and allocation of consumption roles, and resistance through anti-consumption thought and action. Brief but scholarly, this book provides a thought provoking, introduction to the topic of American consumption history informed by research in consumer culture theory. By examining and explaining the core phenomenon of product consumption and its meaning in the changing lives of Americans over time, it provides a valuable contribution to the literature on the subjects of consumption and its causes and consequences. Readable and insightful, it will be of interest to scholars and advanced students in consumer behaviour, advertising, and marketing and business history.

This shortform book presents key peer-reviewed research selected by expert series editors and contextualised by new analysis from each author on how the specific field addressed has evolved. The book features contributions on the history of government-business relations, regional and local business relationships, the development and formation of Silicon Valley, and the rise and fall of the US machine tool industry after the Second World. Of interest to business and economic historians, this shortform book also provides analysis that will be valuable reading across the social sciences.

THE ILLUSTRATED STORY OF SUN RECORDS AND THE 70 RECORDINGS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD Sun Records: the company that launched Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins. This is where Rock 'n Roll was born. Written by two of the most acclaimed music writers of our time, The Birth of Rock n' Roll: 70 Years of Sun Records looks at this history of this legendary label through the lens of 70 of its most iconic recordings. Accompanying the recordings is the label's origin story and a look at the mission of the label today, as well as fascinating dives into subjects such as the legendary Million Dollar Quartet, and how the song "Harper Valley, PTA" funded the purchase of the label. Featuring hundreds of rare images from the Sun archives as well as a foreword by music legend Jerry Lee Lewis, this is a one-of-a-kind book for anyone who wants to know where it all started.

A fascinating look at the history of Sun Records, the label that started Rock n' Roll, told through 70 of its iconic recordings. In Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1950s, there was hard-edged blues playing on Beale Street, and hillbilly boogie on the outskirts of town. But at Sam Phillips' Sun Records studio on Union Avenue, there was something different going on - a whole lotta shakin', rockin', and rollin'. This is where rock 'n' roll was born. Sun Records: the company that launched Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins. The label that brought the world, "Blue Suede Shoes," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," "Breathless," "I Walk the Line," "Mystery Train," "Good Rockin' Tonight." The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll: 70 Years of Sun Records is the official history of this legendary label, and looks at its story in a unique way: through the lens of 70 of its most iconic recordings. From the early days with primal blues artists like Howlin' Wolf and B.B. King to long nights in the studio with Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, you will see how the label was shaped and how it redefined American music. Accompanying the recordings is the label's origin story and a look at the mission of the label today, as well as "Sun Spot" sidebars--a fascinating dive into subjects such as how the iconic logo was created, the legendary Million Dollar Quartet sessions, and how the song "Harper Valley, PTA" funded the purchase of the label. Written by two of the most acclaimed music writers of our time, Peter Guralnick and Colin Escott, and featuring hundreds of rare images from the Sun archives as well as a foreword by music legend Jerry Lee Lewis, this is a one-of-a-kind book for anyone who wants to know where it all started.

NO LOGO was an international bestseller and "a movement bible" ("The New York Times"). Naomi Klein's second book, "The Shock Doctrine," was hailed as a "master narrative of our time," and has over a million copies in print worldwide. In the last decade, "No Logo "has become an international phenomenon and a cultural manifesto for the critics of unfettered capitalism worldwide. As America faces a second economic depression, Klein's analysis of our corporate and branded world is as timely and powerful as ever. Equal parts cultural analysis, political manifesto, mall-rat memoir, and journalistic expose, "No Logo" is the first book to put the new resistance into pop-historical and clear economic perspective. Naomi Klein tells a story of rebellion and self-determination in the face of our new branded world. Naomi Klein, born in Montreal in 1970, is an award-winning journalist. She writes a weekly column in "The Globe and Mail, "Canada's national newspaper, and is also a frequent columnist for the British "Guardian." For the past five years, Klein has traveled throughout North America, Asia, and Europe, tracking the rise of anti-corporate activism. She often serves as a media commentator and has guest-lectured at Harvard, Yale, and New York University. She lives in Toronto. For more information, please visit her website at www.nologo.org.
"No Logo "employs journalistic savvy and personal testament to detail the insidious practices and far-reaching effects of corporate marketing--and the powerful potential of a growing activist sect that is already changing the course of the 21st century. First published before the World Trade Organization protests in Seattle, this is an infuriating, inspiring, and altogether pioneering work of cultural criticism that investigates money, marketing, and the anti-corporate movement.
As global corporations compete for the hearts and wallets of consumers who not only buy their products but willingly advertise them from head to toe--witness today's schoolbooks, superstores, sporting arenas, and brand-name synergy--a new generation has begun to battle consumerism with its own best weapons. In this provocative, well-written study, a front-line report on that battle, we learn how the Nike swoosh has changed from an athletic status-symbol to a metaphor for sweatshop labor, how teenaged McDonald's workers are risking their jobs to join the Teamsters, and how "culture jammers" utilize spray paint, computer-hacking acumen, and anti-propagandist wordplay to undercut the slogans and meanings of billboard ads (as in "Joe Chemo" for "Joe Camel").
As Klein notes in her Introduction: "This book is not another account of the power of the select group of corporate Goliaths that have gathered to form our de facto global government. Rather, it is an attempt to analyze and document the forces opposing corporate rule, and to lay out the particular set of cultural and economic conditions that made the emergence of that opposition inevitable." Thus "No Logo "will challenge and enlighten students of sociology, economics, popular culture, international affairs, and marketing.
"This book is not another account of the power of the select group of corporate Goliaths that have gathered to form our de facto global government. Rather, it is an attempt to analyze and document the forces opposing corporate rule, and to lay out the particular set of cultural and economic conditions that made the emergence of that opposition inevitable."--Naomi Klein, from her Introduction
""No Logo "has been a pedagogical godsend. I used it to illustrate contemporary applications of complex cultural theories in an introductory social science sequence. It worked so beautifully, word about the book spread across campus, and other students were begging to read it in their sections of the course."--Bruce Novak, Division of Social Sciences, The University of Chicago
"A complete, user-friendly handbook on the negative effects that '90s uberbrand marketing has had on culture, work, and consumer choice . . . An encyclopedic compilation of the decade's fringe and mainstream anti-corporate actions and mind-sets."--"The Village Voice"
"Energetic and optimistic, Ms. Klein incarnates [her] generation's invention of the North American left."--"The New York Times"
"The "Das Kapital" of the growing anti-corporate movement . . . A riveting, conscientious piece of journalism and a strident call to arms. Packed with enlightening statistics and extraordinary anecdotal evidence, "No Logo "is fluent, undogmatically alive to its contradictions and omission and positively seethes with intelligent anger."--"The Observer" (London)
""No Logo "should be read by anyone who thinks that the Seattle demonstrations were an aberration."--"The Economist"
"A brilliant account of how Nike, Starbucks, McDonalds etc. branded the industralised world, and how the most exciting strand of radical politics is now bound up with resisting their kulturkampf . . . Fantastic and inspiring."--"The Times Literary Supplement"
"Klein is a sharp cultural critic and a flawless storyteller. Her analysis is thorough and thoroughly engaging."--Newsweek.com
""No Logo" is an attractive sprawl of a book describing a vast confederacy of activist groups with a common interest in reining in the power of lawyering, marketing, and advertising to manipulate our desires."--"The Boston Globe "
"Klein is a gifted writer; her paragraphs can be as seductive as the ad campaigns she dissects."--"The New York Times Book Review"
"Just when you thought multi-nationals and crazed consumerism were too big to fight, along comes Naomi Klein with facts, spirit, and news of successful fighters already out there. "No Logo" is an invigorating call to arms for everybody who wants to save money, justice, or the universe."--Gloria Steinem
"Naomi Klein's trenchant book is the perfect introduction to and explanation of those stunning events [in Seattle] . . . This book is the very essence of cool."--"The Toronto Globe and Mail "
"To understand how branding drives the global market, you couldn't ask for a better guide than Naomi Klein."--"Toronto Star"
"A dense, fact-filled publication that makes plain the jargon spouted by all who put profit before basic human needs . . . [A work of] far-reaching vision and clear presentation. A well-conceived primer on the machinations of the modern consumer world, "No Logo" is required reading for anyone who thinks people should not be treated like machines."--"Eye Weekly"
""No Logo" finally puts in perspective what the newest generation of fed-up consumers and anti-corporate activists have been trying to verbalize for the past 10 years."--"Ottawa Express"
"Athletic, expansive, and an antidote to sloppy thinking . . . It's impossible not to notice the prescience of her argument."--"Sunday Herald" (U.K.)
"Generation-X intellectual Naomi Klein could become the next Douglas Coupland with her "No Logo. "She anticipates a revolt against corporate power by younger people seeking brand-free space. Even if the revolt is not in the works yet, her tart writing might inspire one."--"Report on Business"
""No Logo" has been a word-of-mouth sensation, giving voice to a

The service sector occupies a dominant position in the Japanese economy, yet few studies have looked at the way the industry developed. This book, first published in 1992, focuses on the growth and development of a major world security and communications corporation, SECOM. The success of the company has been rooted in the management strategies of Makoto Iida, who has shaped the company from a small localized business to an international industry at the forefront of innovation. The book first looks at the background of Makoto Iida, offering an insight into the nature of an entrepreneur and the issues this raises within the context of Japanese management styles. It then follows the company development stage by stage, assessing the importance of individual creativity in adapting and implementing traditional management techniques. It shows how strategies for human resources, service quality, new technology, globalization and corporate restructuring evolve within the context of a growing organization, and includes an analysis of the innovative marketing techniques and product development processes needed to sell security services to one of the world's safest countries.

Sweating Together: How Peloton Built a Billion Dollar Venture and Created Community in a Digital World by David J. Miller, PhD (#ChicagoBorn) The ultimate front row look at the meteoric rise of Peloton, one of the hottest consumer and fitness brands in the world. In Sweating Together Miller brings readers directly into the center of the sweat soaked, adrenaline fueled, NYC phenomena that is Peloton and provides a first-hand account of the rise of one of the most important ventures of tomorrow's economy. In 2012 John Foley and a group of co-founders launched Peloton, an interactive fitness and media company. In less than 10 years the company would be worth billions, disrupt the fitness industry and create a rabid, life changing community of members using sweat to span the digital and physical worlds. Join Peloton fanatic and George Mason University entrepreneurship professor David J. Miller (#ChicagoBorn on the Peloton platform) as he dives deep into the people, business models and stories behind the ascent of Peloton. From well-being, social media and gamification to the role of physical space in a digital world, talent retention and community building, there is no better venture for understanding our ever-expanding innovation fueled, well-being economy than Peloton. Miller unwittingly became a Peloton addict and spent thousands of hours sweating and growing relationships with Peloton members; he interviewed founders John Foley and Tom Cortese as well as other senior Peloton leaders, and Peloton celebrity instructors Robin Arzon, Matt Wilpers, Jenn Sherman and Jess King. Join Miller and race into the future with Peloton

'Just read it.' Elon Musk The dramatic inside story of the first four historic flights that launched SpaceX-and Elon Musk-from a shaky startup into the world's leading edge rocket company. SpaceX has enjoyed a miraculous decade. Less than 20 years after its founding, it boasts the largest constellation of commercial satellites in orbit, has pioneered reusable rockets, and in 2020 became the first private company to launch human beings into orbit. Half a century after the space race SpaceX is pushing forward into the cosmos, laying the foundation for our exploration of other worlds. But before it became one of the most powerful players in the aerospace industry, SpaceX was a fledgling startup, scrambling to develop a single workable rocket before the money ran dry. The engineering challenge was immense; numerous other private companies had failed similar attempts. And even if SpaceX succeeded, they would then have to compete for government contracts with titans such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing, who had tens of thousands of employees and tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue. SpaceX had fewer than 200 employees and the relative pittance of $100 million in the bank. In Liftoff, Eric Berger takes readers inside the wild early days that made SpaceX. Focusing on the company's first four launches of the Falcon 1 rocket, he charts the bumpy journey from scrappy underdog to aerospace pioneer. drawing upon exclusive interviews with dozens of former and current engineers, designers, mechanics, and executives, including Elon Musk. The enigmatic Musk, who founded the company with the dream of one day settling Mars, is the fuel that propels the book, with his daring vision for the future of space.

This title was first published in 2000: This volume tells the fascinating story of the origins, development, growth and survival of a small country brewery in Hampshire. Employing and analyzing a wealth of original documentation, it examines the local environment both before establishment of the brewery and during the 150 years of its existence. While the performance of Gales Brewery is examined in the context of the British brewing industry as a whole, the thread of family involvement is woven throughout the volume. The contribution of contrasting individual entrepreneurs is examined in absorbing detail, from the half century of domination by George Alexander Gale to the subsequent century of contribution by the Bowyer family. Gales is exceptional in being one of the very few family breweries to survive the mania of mergers and takeovers in the brewing industry. This very readable book will be of considerable interest to business, economic, family and local historians.

This is the definitive history of Monsanto, a St. Louis chemical firm that became the world's largest genetically engineered seed enterprise. Monsanto merged with German pharma-biotech giant Bayer in 2018 but its Roundup Ready seeds, introduced twenty-five years ago, are still reshaping the farms that feed us. Incorporating global fieldwork, interviews with company employees, and untapped corporate and government records, award-winning historian Bartow J. Elmore traces Monsanto's astounding evolution from a scrappy chemical startup to a global agrobusiness powerhouse. Capitalising on deals with customers like Coca-Cola, General Electric and especially the US government, Monsanto used seed money derived from toxic products-including PCBs and Agent Orange-to build an agricultural empire, promising endless bounty through its genetically engineered technology. As new data emerges about its blockbuster Roundup system, and as Bayer faces a tide of lawsuits over Monsanto products past and present, Elmore's urgent history takes a penetrating look at the company's past.

This book reveals a great untold story of enterprise and innovation based on the relationship between the Victoria and Albert Museum, and Elkington & Co., the renowned industrial art and design manufacturer of the 19th-century. The Birmingham-based company pioneered and patented the industrial art of electro-metallurgy to create original artworks, perfect replicas, and mass-reproduced luxury consumer goods that used electricity to 'grow' metal into shape at a molecular level. This technological revolution created a profound legacy, which continues to influence the way modern material culture looks and operates today. Elkington's syntheses of science and art into industrial manufacturing processes revolutionized the design and production, replication and reproduction of precious metalwork, metal sculpture, and ornamental art metalwork. Elkington & Co. gained huge public acclaim at the Great Exhibition of 1851. They subsequently produced artworks and luxury goods, including world-renowned sports trophies like the Wimbledon Singles Trophies, as well as luxury dining services for great steamships and railways, including tableware that sank with the Titanic. Elkington played a crucial role in shaping and building the V&A's permanent collection from its foundation in 1852 (following the Great Exhibition) until the First World War. The V&A's collections in turn had a profound influence on Elkington's output. The great success of their relationship cemented both the museum's status as a leading cultural institution, and the E&Co 'makers-mark' as one of the world's first truly multinational designer brands. Elkington's electrical alchemy helped spark the electrical revolution that founded the modern world.

One of the world's largest sellers of footwear, the Bata Company of Zlin, Moravia has a remarkable history that touches on crucial aspects of what made the world modern. In the twilight of the Habsburg Empire, the company Americanized its production model while also trying to Americanize its workforce. It promised a technocratic form of governance in the chaos of postwar Czechoslovakia, and during the Roaring Twenties, it became synonymous with rationalization across Europe and thus a flashpoint for a continent-wide debate. While other companies contracted in response to the Great Depression, Bata did the opposite, becoming the first shoe company to unlock the potential of globalization. As Bata expanded worldwide, it became an example of corporate national indifference, where company personnel were trained to be able to slip into and out of national identifications with ease. Such indifference, however, was seriously challenged by the geopolitical crisis of the 1930s, and by the cusp of the Second World War, Bata management had turned nationalist, even fascist. In the Kingdom of Shoes unravels the way the Bata project swept away tradition and enmeshed the lives of thousands of people around the world in the industrial production of shoes. Using a rich array of archival materials from two continents, the book answers how Bata's rise to the world's largest producer of shoes challenged the nation-state, democracy, and Americanization.

Originally published in 1917 in the midst of World War I, Carpenter argues that industry in pre-war Britain was simply exploitation of labour for private gain and attempts to look toward a future with more socialist values. The papers in this study explore the negative aspects of industrial life and suggest a new outlook with which the United Kingdom can move forward in industry. This title will be of interest to students of sociology.

Though still a journey filled with resistance, a struggle for space and the recognition of rights, the Brazilian LGTBQIA+ population has achieved some legal and social progress. Yet transphobia in Brazilian society is one of the biggest problems for trans people; this social exclusion generates a multitude of difficulties when entering the formal labor market. Even companies that are considered LGBTQ+ friendly often focus more on "LGB" than "TQ+". An ANTi-History about Transgender Inclusion in the Brazilian Labor Market answers repeated calls to correct the neglect of voices from the global south and the scarcity of work on gender and transgender peoples in organizational history. Luna and Barros investigate socio-political relations of actors-networks, highlighting the main mobilizations and demobilizations in the trajectory of transgender people inclusion in organizations in Brazil. (Re)assembling a version of history about transgender people's labor inclusion and introducing a network rhizome, the authors rescue memories in the transgender-society-labor market relationship, revealing the silences and broader context surrounding recent employability initiatives. Speaking to management academics and reaching beyond to inform actions, policies, and initiatives for the inclusion of trans people in the job market, An ANTi-History about Transgender Inclusion in the Brazilian Labor Market is a novel and extremely important addition to the field of Organizational Studies.

When Alexander Noble established his boatyard in 1898, he probably didn't realise he was also establishing a new Noble tradition. Alexander's yard would soon be handed over to his eldest son Wilson, who would set up Wilson Noble & Co. to build fishing boats - although he would branch out into minesweepers when needed in the Second World War. Meanwhile, second-youngest son James would break out on his own, thinking that the future of boatbuilding lay in yachts. Altogether, these companies built almost 400 boats, some of which are still working today, and would be a fixture on the Fraserburgh shoreline for nearly a century. Packed with images, interviews and recollections from the crew, The Noble Boatbuilders of Fraserburgh is a thoroughly researched tribute to these men and their boats, and is a fascinating look into an industry that once peppered our island's shorelines.

Chosen as one of the Daily Mail's Memoirs of the Year Tim Waterstone is one of Britain's most successful businessmen, having built the Waterstone's empire that started with one small bookshop in 1982. In this charming and evocative memoir, he recalls the childhood experiences that led him to become an entrepreneur and outlines the business philosophy that allowed Waterstone's to dominate the bookselling business throughout the country. Tim explores his formative years in a small town in rural England at the end of the Second World War, and the troubled relationship he had with his father, before moving on to the epiphany he had while studying at Cambridge, which set him on the road to Waterstone's and gave birth to the creative strategy that made him a high street name.

Founded in 1987 by a former engineer in China's People's Liberation Army (Ren Zhengfei), Huawei Technologies is the world's largest telecoms equipment manufacturer and second only to Apple in smartphones. Its emergence into a multinational with over 175,000 employees all around the world is nothing short of extraordinary. This book explores the spirit of Huawei. Through a series of personal stories told by Huawei employees, we gain a unique perspective on the extraordinary dedication and perserverance of the individuals that form the culture and spirit of the company, and which is the very foundation of Huawei's immense success as one of today's leading technology companies. As Ren Zhengfei remarked, "Huawei will move the world forward and set new standards", and the company's spirit is very much the driving force behind that.

Originally published in 1917 in the midst of World War I, Carpenter argues that industry in pre-war Britain was simply exploitation of labour for private gain and attempts to look toward a future with more socialist values. The papers in this study explore the negative aspects of industrial life and suggest a new outlook with which the United Kingdom can move forward in industry. This title will be of interest to students of sociology.

White Star Line was originally founded in Liverpool in 1845 for travel to Australia but was eventually purchased by Thomas Ismay and transformed into the successful Oceanic Steam Navigation Co. Cleverly merging with Harland & Wolff, the line focussed on luxury over speed, developing many of the world's favourite vessels. Finally merging with its great rival Cunard in the 1930s depression, the companies continued to operate separately while flying one another's flags. This evocative book explores the colourful history of White Star Line, from personal postcards with messages from passengers, crew and troops, to the careers of her vessels in peacetime and at war, all from Patrick Mylon's impressive collection. It includes ships with alternative identities, unusual stories like the planned escape of Dr Crippen, and showcases a wide variety of interior views, adverts and 'proof', silk and Company Issue cards, conveying the glamour, drama and history of this world-renowned line.

Drawing upon an impressive range of international sources, this book explores the late-nineteenth century partnership between Bradford worsted manufacturers the Briggs brothers and the German merchant Ernst Posselt, and their subsequent foreign direct investment in a modern factory and workers' community at Marki, near Warsaw in Poland. Protectionism and increasing foreign competition are discussed, among many complex economic pressures on British industry, as likely catalysts for this enterprise and the general historiography of the Polish lands is explored to reveal a climate of extraordinary opportunity for well-capitalised foreign industrialists in this period. British, Polish and German press and archival documents, as well as Russian police and factory inspectors' reports reveal the everyday experience of Polish factory workers and British consular correspondence provides fascinating insight into the machinations of the entrepreneurs and Warsaw's cosmopolitan business community. Through the development and domination of market and raw materials sources, this venture is shown to have monopolised worsted manufacture in the Russian Empire, using state of the art technology to create, and modern marketing techniques to promote, its product range and evolving image. Marki was described in 1886 as 'a second edition of Saltaire' and latterly as 'the Polish Bournville or Port Sunlight', thus aspects of British and Polish social history are compared to assess the efficacy of introducing the model-community concept, in combination with a radical employment policy, to less industrially-developed Poland. The experiences of an expatriate community of skilled Yorkshire foremen and their instrumentality in diffusing British industrial technology throughout the Russian Empire are described. Against a backdrop of political instability and social upheaval, which dramatically impacted on business behaviour after 1905 and particularly during the interwar period of

Hollywood movie monsters are enduring pop culture standards. Kids and adults around the world recognize Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolf Man, and the Mummy. Although monsters are Aurora's most famous products, the company created model kits of all varieties, including historic sailing ships, sports cars, moon rockets, military and commercial aircraft, TV stars, comic book heroes, wildlife scenes, knights, and much more. Over 500 color photographs enhance this comprehensive history and guide to Aurora models, now updated to include new companies continuing the Aurora tradition. Aurora executives, sculptors, artists, and engineers who created the models tell the story in their own words. Every model Aurora made is described in detail. Today, Polar Lights, Moebius, Atlantis, and Monarch continue the Aurora tradition. Executives from these companies explain how they have added to the list of revived Aurora models, with information on reissues and current collectors' market values.