Routledge as a global publisher: A case study, 1980-2010

Abstract

A case study of the commercial history of the academic publishing company, Routledge, between 1980 and 2010, with a focus on its global activities and structures. During this period, Routledge experienced changes in ownership, branding and location as well as in its subject disciplines and publishing formats. The company was also an early and continuing innovator in digital publishing. The study presents findings drawn from interviews with past and current managers, and supporting content analysis of documents and web pages. It concludes by identifying the continuities that underlay the many changes in academic publishing over the period, and by suggesting possible future research, including to test the explanatory value of Ohmae’s theories of globalization