Research trends in the area of business history: a bibliometric approach

Business is considered a very important topic in the world today due to the uncertainty and multiple actors that make up the business environment and different markets. Although researchers’ interest in business history has grown in recent years, research trends in this field are still unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the research trends and developments in the field of business history through a bibliometric analysis of the scientific production indexed in Scopus between 1934 and 2022. The methodology included an analysis of bibliometric indicators (quality and quantity) and a study of the evolution and research trends in the field. For the selection of the documents, the guidelines of the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology were followed. According to the results, there was a correlation between the quantity and quality (impact) indicators. For instance, the journals Business History, Business History Review, Management and Organizational History, Business History around the World, Enterprise and Society, and The Oxford Handbook of Business History; the countries United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Canada, Australia, France, and Spain; and the authors Jones G., Casson M., Colli A., and Toms S. were found to be the most representative and influential actors in the field of business history. Also, the most popular and current topics in the field were methodology and economic history, and organizational longevity, research methods, business groups, corporate history, narratives, entrepreneurship, and environmental history were among the currently emerging themes. Finally, based on the findings, a research agenda is proposed for this field of knowledge.