The foundations of management teaching in France

Pierre Tabatoni founded the Institut d'Administration des Entreprises in Aix-en-Provence, the first establishment of its kind in France. Afterwards, he was responsible for the ministerial mission which set up the Université de Paris-Dauphine. Here he gives his invaluable account of the foundations of management teaching in France. He explains how a doctrine was gradually devised which led to the endorsement of management as a discipline in its own right, and the creation at universities of a body of specialised teachers, trained in research. This account illustrates the importance of the role of individuals such as Gaston Berger and also the constant influence of the American university system. Finally, Pierre Tabatoni shows how, by sheer determination, these pioneers succeeded in maintaining Europe's uniqueness in terms of management teaching.