Following are some of the possible, but not exclusive directions for these papers:

1. Ask big questions about changes at economic, societal, and industry levels in different geographies, where business and businesspeople have played a crucial part and answer them by drawing on the historical and comparative investigation of firms and industries.

2. Investigate the evolution of big business and of entire industries from the 19th to the 21st centuries, examining (i) stability as well as change in organizational forms, (ii) the increasing scale and power of business and business models, and (iii) sectors beyond manufacturing.

3. Engage in cross-disciplinary debates about the possible contributions of business historical research to generalization and theory-building, with a particular focus on the selection and use of case studies and the appropriate methodologies for analyzing them.

Submission process and schedule:

All those interested in publishing a paper in the special issue should email a 500-word abstract to ChandlerRedux@econ.kyoto-u.ac.jp by 1st May 2024.

Authors of selected abstracts will be asked to present at one of the following three workshops. In your submission, please indicate which of these you prefer to attend:

1. June 28-29, 2024: Kyoto University, Japan [before the AIB conference; organizers will cover accommodation in Kyoto for 3 nights & meals during the workshop].
2. July 11, 2024: Nova School of Business & Economics, Lisbon, Portugal [before the EBHA Conference]
3. Online [date to be determined]