Ambassadors of commerce: images and self-images of the sales representative in Britain, 1900-1960

French, M. and Popp, A. (2005) Ambassadors of commerce: images and self-images of the sales representative in Britain, 1900-1960. In: European Business History Association Conference, Frankfurt, 1-3 September 2005,

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Publisher's URL: http://www.unternehmensgeschichte.de/ebha2005/

Abstract

This paper presents a reading of British literary representations of commercial travelers between 1800 and 1939. Three forms of representation are used: nonfiction representations by others, travelers' self-representations, and fictional representations. We find remarkable continuity in representations of commercial travelers across this long time period, particularly in terms of a sustained tension between the image of the disreputable "drummer" and the more respectable "model" salesman. These readings and findings are used to address two debates: one concerned with the timing of any transition to "modern" selling and salesmanship in Britain; and the second having to do with the processes whereby British society accommodated itself to modernity, commercialization, and the birth of a consumer society.

Item Type:Conference Proceedings
Additional Information:Abstract of paper also published in Business History Review, Vol. 82, issue 4, Winter 2008.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:French, Professor Michael
Authors: French, M., and Popp, A.
Subjects:H Social Sciences > HF Commerce
D History General and Old World > D History (General)
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Economic and Social History
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