 Charles Eugene Bedaux (1886-1944): 'cost killer' or Utopian Socialist?Yves Levant and Marc Nikitin () Accounting History Review, 2009, vol. 19, issue 2, 167-187 Abstract: Charles Eugene Bedaux is best known by social scientists for his labour organisation method. This method was a great success with companies during the interwar years, thus enabling its author to set up a multinational business consultancy. The Bedaux method was, however, violently contested by employees and their unions, who organised many strikes to protest against it. Some of those who knew Bedaux, however, claimed that his method was in reality merely one part of a larger system, a simple component working towards a broader and more generous vision of society (known in French as equivalisme). His project was inspired by the Utopian Socialists of the last century, intended to provide a solution to the widespread disorder experienced by industrial societies during the interwar period. This paper explores the credibility of this project from two perspectives: a critical examination of his biographies and investigations conducted in the places where experiments in 'equivalism' were supposedly undertaken. Keywords: consulting; business history; France; twentieth century; Bedaux (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:acbsfi:v:19:y:2009:i:2:p:167-187 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from DOI: 10.1080/09585200902969278 Access Statistics for this article Accounting History Review is currently edited by Stephen Walker More articles in Accounting History Review from Taylor & Francis Journals |
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