Securing continuity through transformatio development of the Bramsche basedfamily sanders from proto-industrial trade to IND Mitt. [Kontinuitätssicherung durch Transformation. Die Entwicklung des Bramscher Familienunternehmens Sanders vom protoindustriellen Leinenhandel zur industriellen Weberei]

Abstract

This essay deals with the Bramsche (North West Germany) based textile firm Sanders which started as a linen trade in the 17th century and, after several transformations, still exists today, albeit in only one of its three former branches. The article examines the functioning The of the proto-industrial linen trade and mits potential for organizational transformation rial in response to changing circumstances. It uses a set of theoretical approaches from Contingency Theories, New Institutional Economics, and Evolutionary Economics in an attempt to explain the «hidden logic» behind the historical sources and to provide an analytical framework for future studies of similar cases. © Zeitschrift für Unternehmensgeschichte 2004.