This course explores the historical development of American business institutions from the colonial era to the present. Thematic units organize the material focusing in turn on the most significant developments in the American business environment. The goal is a cumulative understanding of the development of the system. A great deal of our discussion and reading centers on the interaction of market operations and social values and how these interactions influenced the business environment at different times. It is the study of business in the context of past times that makes this course different from a course in business methods or institutions. Through the study of the past students develop their critical thinking and writing skills.