Exploring Salesians' management practices and accounting systems : a historical analysis through archival research

The main purposes of this study are: -to frame, from a historical point of view, the Salesian Congregation starting from the year of its constitution (1859), by first identifying aspects of the provincial government and then focusing on the common administrative practices followed by the Community's organization; -to analyse the main documents of the Congregation, because 'all the archives, mainly the provincial ones and also those of the Houses, are important and must be guarded and expanded following the archival rules and the most modern techniques' (Brocardo, 1966); -to understand, in light of the evidence that emerged, how the organizational, managerial and, mode of all informational tools were implemented inside the Congregation, allowing it to pursue its institutional purpose with adequate control of resources and a growing improvement of operations. [Publisher's text].