Islamic Economics in the Late Ottoman Empire: Menâpirzâde Nuri Bey's Mebâhis-i İlm-i Servet

The existing literature on Islamic economics suggests that Islamic economics is a twentieth-century phenomenon with its roots in medieval Islamic intellectual and theological history, thereby leaving a centuries-long gap in the history of Islamic economic thinking. This study aims at taking a first step towards filling this gap by examining a nineteenth-century example of Islamic economics in late Ottoman economic literature. Suggesting a broader definition of Islamic economics, this article investigates a prominent Ottoman intellectual's efforts to define, reveal, and revive a tradition of Islamic economics in historical and intellectual context.     

Inequality and living standards under early communism: Anthropometric evidence from Czechoslovakia, 1946–1966

A sample of adolescent heights and weights from the Czechoslovak city of Liberec is analyzed to shed light on the changes in biological standard of living between 1946 and 1966, the early years of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia. The long-term trend in average height was upwards for all social groups but differences in stature between social groups were about as large as in Communist Czechoslovakia as in market economies, such as the UK. Sons of blue-collar fathers and of parents employed in agriculture were generally shorter than sons of clerks and professional employees (teachers, doctors, lawyers). The anthropometric record also suggests that in the immediately post-war years inequality was greater than in the late 1950s and early 1960s.     

Managing business performance: The contrasting cases of two multiple retailers 1920 to 1939

Abstract

Business performance measurement and management (PMM) systems are often viewed as relatively recent phenomena, responding to the failure of historical practices which prioritised financial measures. But despite the considerable focus on these systems over the last 25 years, they have not lived up to their early promise. This article looks backwards to understand how practitioners managed their performance in the past. It focuses on two British multiple retailers between 1920 and 1939 and highlights not only the formal processes they adopted but also the role of the informal processes which shaped how they achieved their objectives.     

Advancing marketing strategy in the marketing discipline and beyond: from promise,to neglect,to prominence,to fragment (to promise?)

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to advance the field of strategic marketing within the marketing discipline, which will in turn, the author argues, contribute to enhancing the discipline’s impact beyond the narrow confines of its own journals. Towards this goal, certain aspects of the history of marketing strategy need to be reviewed. However, though this article draws extensively on historical sources, it is not a history of marketing strategy. Rather, this article uses historical materials and arguments concerning the four ‘Eras’ of marketing thought to advance five major claims: the area of strategic marketing (1) had significant promise when the marketing academic discipline was founded in Era I (1900–1920), (2) was neglected in Era II (1920–1950), (3) rose to prominence in Era III (1950–1980), (4) has become a ‘fragment’ in Era IV (1980–present) and (5) has prospects that are both promising and problematic in the future ‘Era V’. Finally, a tentative prognosis for strategic marketing and the marketing discipline is suggested.     

Avoiding academic irrelevance in the marketing discipline: the promise of the history of marketing thought

ABSTRACT

This paper offers a commentary on Hunt’s ‘Advancing marketing strategy in the marketing discipline and beyond: From promise, to neglect, to prominence, to fragment, (to promise?)’. We focus on three issues: (1) the historical origins of marketing strategy, (2) resource-advantage theory as a general theory of competition and/or a general theory of marketing and (3) the current state and future promise of doctoral training in the history of marketing thought.     

从“潘晓讨论”看当代中国大陆虚无主义的历史与观念成因

本文以相当的篇幅聚焦发生于1980年的“潘晓讨论”（人生意义讨论）,尤特别详尽解读、分析了引爆此场搅动了一代人的大讨论的署名“潘晓”的来信,不仅仅是因为过去有关此讨论的分析、叙述遗漏了此讨论中许多对历史理解有帮助的内涵,更因为过去这些把握,叙述无法清楚呈现出此讨论对解理当代中国大陆精神史所具有的重要意义,对准确理解今天极困扰中国大陆的虚无主义问题所具有的重要意义。而30年后本文对此讨论强光聚焦,一方面当然在试图揭示此讨论所蕴有的多方面历史认知内涵,另一方面则试图通过重新细腻解析、把握此讨论的方式,有力揭示此讨论对理解当代中国大陆精神史、对准确理解此精神史中的虚无主义问题所具有的关键意义,从而希望因此能为我们思考当今中国大陆和身心感受、精神状态、价值感觉、心理意识方式有关的问题,提供必要的理解帮助线索。     

在中国的历史脉动中求真——沟口雄三的学术世界

与通常的使用理论表述结构设想并完成体系性论述的方式不同,沟口是用具体的经验研究推进他的结构性思考的。但与一般经验研究局限于一点或者泛泛而论地随自然时间叙述不同,沟口在长时段的历史时间中挑选了若干个关键时刻作为着眼点,并对这些点上的问题进行深入开掘,这些点之间的内在联系构成了他所思考的中国思想史结构,它们相互缠绕、纠结,沟口把这种关系称之为中国历史的“基体”,却基本上不把重点放在对于“基体”的正面论述上。他最下功夫的是深入展开他所开掘的若干问题群,这些问题群透射着中国思想史的关节点,而这些关节点均处在历史剧烈变动的时期,因此可以说,沟口的中国思想史是在研究这些问题群高度变动的脉络及其内在动力。     

China,More than Self-Sufficient

At the moment,the whole world faces the most severe inflation in food prices in history,as grain and soybean prices climb to all-time highs.Although some observers blame the weather for the decrease in crop yields and that the growing demand for cereals used for bio-fuel production has conspired toward continuous price rises on world grain ma ket;others regard it simply as a matter of demand outpacing supply.In seven of the last eight years,world grain production has fallen behind rates of consumption.     

What''''s New for the Canton Fair?

The Canton Fair,one of the top trade fairs in China,has a long history that goes back over 50 years.New concerns lie ahead, however,as the senior management of the Canton Fair and the general public look for ways to innovate and improve the fair atmosphere. Though it has remained the top trade fair in the country throughout its history, the Canton Fair has never made any ad- justments or reform to its product mix and exhibition layout,or any other attempts to modernize.But some major reforms in recent years have helped push the Canton Fair to the next level.The long history and influence of the Canton Fair has on     

China''''s Auto Industry Steps Forward

Last year,the volume of China's auto trade reached US$66.878 bil- lion,of which imports accounted for US$25.982 billion,a year-on- year increase of 24.45 percent;while ex- ports totaled US$40.896 billion,growing by 45.31 percent.The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers(CAAM) predicts that the number of autos sold in 2008 will break the 1 million barrier for the first time in history,representing an increase of about 20 percent.