This paper provides a detailed analysis of the evolving relationship between the British trading company John Swire and Sons and its Chinese partners involved in the distribution of its products, notably sugar. From the nineteenth century, Swire had utilised the Chinese system of the Comprador....

This article provides a critical examination of the way in which Britain's trading firms coped with radical changes in local business conditions. Recent work by Jones has shown that a small number of such companies successfully 'reinvented' themselves in the post-war period. Using evidence drawn...