Managing managers: an early twentieth century service industry information system

Mutch, A. ORCID: 0000-0002-8054-6649, 2002. Managing managers: an early twentieth century service industry information system. Management Decision, 40 (3), pp. 288-296. ISSN 0025-1747

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Abstract

This article examines the construction and operation of a service industry information system in the early years of the twentieth century. It sets the operations of the Birmingham, UK, company of Mitchells and Butlers in the context of the brewing industry and the operation of public houses. The surviving records are used to construct a picture of a complex and sophisticated information system which not only used accounting records to control managers, but also used the same managers as sources of information about the broader context. The apparent success of this system is set against the reluctance of other brewers to adopt it. This is seen in part to relate to the very complexity of the information system created, but also to the broader perceptions of brewers about the nature and status of their trade.

Item Type: Journal article
Publication Title: Management Decision
Creators: Mutch, A.
Publisher: Emerald
Place of Publication: Bradford
Date: 2002
Volume: 40
Number: 3
ISSN: 0025-1747
Identifiers:
NumberType
10.1108/00251740210420246DOI
Rights: © MCB UP Ltd
Divisions: Schools > Nottingham Business School
Record created by: EPrints Services
Date Added: 09 Oct 2015 10:49
Last Modified: 09 Jun 2017 13:41
URI: https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/18775

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