Patrimonial evolution and profitability of an agricultural enterprise: the case of Pereda (1888-1945)

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of a great Argentine “estanciero”: Celedonio Pereda and the Pereda S.R.L.. In the late Argentine agro exporter period, Pereda's fortune was among the ten largest in Argentina. The family business became Commercial Society in 1928. The objective of this work is to analyze the evolution of business and corporate strategies of Pereda enterprises, between 1888 and 1945. This involves observing in context patterns of investment, finance, and strategic decisions. The evolution of equity and profitability over this extended period, can understand the logic of accumulation and the link between the Argentina economy and these businesses in the long run. The sources are the unpublished memoirs of Celedonio Pereda (until 1928) and reports and balance sheets of the company Pereda S.L. (1928-1945), together with the evolution of markets and businesses, as well as macroeconomic conditions in Argentina. These sources allow an accounting, patrimonial, economic and financial analysis. This is intended to provide a new case study on the economic agents, in two important periods of Argentina's economic history: the period of agricultural exports and the crisis of the 1930s.