A History of British Tramp Shipping, 1870-1914 (Volume 1): Entry, Enterprise Formation, and Early Firm Growth

Tramp ships were essential in creating the modern global economy, but their histories are not well understood. This book uses personal correspondence and surviving company records to chart the development of the entire industry during a period of transformational technical change, revealing how executives learned 'the art of managing tramps and developed strategic networking skills. It resonates with many of today's high-growth industries and places information, knowledge, learning, culture, and communication at the centre of the analysis.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 05 April 2024
Publisher: Liverpool University Press

Winner of the Canadian Nautical Research Society's Keith Matthews Award for Best Book, 2024 Celebrated in the novels of Joseph Conrad and vintage films, tramp ships - the precursor of bulk carriers - are not well understood today. Yet, these vessels transported in bulk essential minerals and ores, grains, timber, and other commodities and played a vital role in creating the modern global economy. While the histories of some individual tramp firms have been written, this book uses personal correspondence and surviving company records to chart the development of the entire industry - the largest in the world - during a period of transformational technical change. Who were the bold, risk-takers who founded tramp firms? How did they mobilize the resources needed to enter this dynamic sector, build immense companies, and accumulate vast fortunes? Why did others fail? This study reveals how executives learned 'the art of managing tramps and developed strategic networking skills. Tramp shipping resonates with many of today's high-growth industries: it was an information-intensive, high-stress operation that required rapid - sometimes instinctive - decision-making within a turbulent market. Building business networks was supported by a distinctive culture that streamlined communication. This innovative study places information, knowledge, learning, culture, and communication at the centre of the analysis in order to transport readers into the minds of those fascinating entrepreneurs who helped build the modern world.

Dimension: 239 x 163 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781802074666