EC2212 is a half-unit course for second-year economics undergraduates offered in the Fall Term only. It covers the theories of the firm, the role of transaction costs, and issues surrounding investment, organization, governance and expansion of corporations. These theories are then applied to the modern business and industrial histories of UK, US, Japan and East Asia. The historical and international perspective will help students acquire a better grasp of the theoretical framework, as well as give them an appreciation of current economic realities that have evolved from history. As such, this course emphasizes theory and applications equally.