Consolidation vs. Enlargement — the issue for the European community

The EC Council of Ministers seems to have made up its mind to admit Greece to the Community. If so, the accession of the other South European countries willing to join — Spain, Portugal and Turkey — is merely a question of time. What are the implications of such an enlargement of the EC for the Community of the Nine and for the four new members?     

The role of peripheral centres in Europe

The European Regional Conference and the Council of the European Communities are both pursuing a regional policy concept which, on the one hand, focuses on the promotion of economic activity in areas of scanty development and, on the other, aims at curbing rather than promoting the development of central urban areas. In the following paper — read to the First Conference of Local Authorities in European Border Regions at Galway, Ireland, on October 15 to 17 — Dr Spilker is dealing with the question whether this concept lends itself to successful application in the peripheral regions of Europe.     

BOOK REVIEWED ANDRECEIVED

Book reviews in this article: Microwave—the Cooking Revolution. By Jenny M. Webb. The Consumer's Guide to Local Government. Ed. by Martin Minogue for the National Consumer Council. Junior Home Economics. By A.Moloney. Sex Roles. By S. Weitz.     

Book Notes

The Anglo-American Council on Productivity is the best-known body created as part of the Attlee Government's productivity drive. The (unavoidably impessionistic) evidence suggests that the impact of this body was rather limited. This article is concerned with the reasons for this failure. The effects of the AACP depended crucially on the role of the FBI, the main employer body represented on the Council. The FBI's attitude to the AACP was partly shaped by the rather uncongenial message of many of the Council reports which followed the visits of productivity teams to the USA—a message which emphasised that management, not workers, were commonly a fault in Britain's poor productivity performance. More broadly the FBI's attitude to the AACP was defensive, embracing it as a way of keeping government 'off their backs' rather than a positive enthusiasm for increased productivity. Generally British employers were enjoying high profits from a sellers' market, and saw little need to respond to a government which in any event found it difficult to find a clear focus for its productivity campaign.     

The IMF and the countries of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance

In November 1981 Hungary and, one week later, Poland applied for membership of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank). These applications have highlighted a subject which had been neglected for quite some time. This analysis deals with the problems and consequences which arise from the membership of countries of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon)—the economies of which largely conform to principles of central economic planning—in IMF, an institution organized according to market principles.     

The Witches' Brew

Satellite broadcasting has been front-page news in the UK recently; thus this article is timely. Regrettably, the British Government's proposals could not be included; however, the main purpose here is to look at satellite broadcasting from the viewpoint of possible pan-European controls. As such, if this article puts the new British proposals into the context of a European framework it will have served its purpose well. To set the scene an attempt is made to outline the issues and problems which must be considered, and a summary of the main proposals for launching and operating satellites is given. The main thesis considers the powers and possible activities of the European institutions—the European Community and Council of Europe—with regard to controls of advertising on satellite broadcasting in Europe.     

Ethics and the Sports Business

Action needs to be taken on the ethical issues raised by the commercialising of sport if its integrity is to be maintained and its ethical base is not to be eroded further. The author has worked as an independent consultant in the leisure sector for a number of years and has recently joined the Research Unit of Britain's Sports Council. The views expressed by her in this article are not necessarily those held by the Sports Council.     

The supply of services: an analysis of the British Gas Servicing Contract

This paper is based on a research project carried out for the National Gas Consumer Council, and is an independent assessment of the standard terms contained in the British Gas Servicing Contract — in particular the comprehensive parts and labour contract offered for a complete central heating system. The paper analyses certain clauses that have given rise to particular comment, for example, Clause 1 Period of Agreement, Clause 3 Annual Service, Clause 4 Breakdown in Service (spare parts). The conclusion drawn is that these clauses are notable for their one-sidedness, and that legislation giving rights to the consumer to challenge ‘unfair terms’ is insufficient to protect the consumer against large corporations. Additional safeguards suggested include a set of guidelines, an arbitration provision and better publicity.     

Bevölkerungsstimmung als Indikator für das Wirtschaftswachstum

Established economic forecasts are generally based on complex econometric models which include a wide array of input variables. The Allensbach Institute, one of Germany's leading opinion poll institutes, poses a question at the end of each year asking Germans about their expectations for the coming year. Remarkably, the findings obtained in response to this so-called “New Year’s question” or the forecasts derived from the results bear a strong resemblance to the actual economic trends in Germany — and in part correlate even more closely with the actual economic growth rate than the forecasts published by the German Council of Economic Experts and the Joint Economic Forecasts issued by the leading German economic research institutes.     

Specialization of production — A factor of integration

The statute of the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) assigns to the institutions of the council the task to promote the process of specialization and cooperation in the production sector of the national economies. The development of the relations between the member countries indicates that especially in recent years this production specialization became a more and more important factor of integration.     

Internationalizing Business Education in Latin America: Issues and Challenges

This article examines the extent of internationalization of business education in Latin America and identifies the key challenges facing the Latin American business schools. Based on a survey of the business schools that are members of CLADEA (Consejo Latinoamericano de Escuelas de Administracion—Latin American Council of Management Schools), and also from available information from various public sources and the literature, this study finds that most Latin American universities recognize the importance of internationalization of curricula and have undertaken measures to provide a business education that creates a global awareness among students and sensitizes them to differences across countries. The study also identifies the areas that need further attention and resources for widening the extent of internationalization of business education in Latin America and recommends ways to address these challenges.     

Specialization of production — A factor of integration

The statute of the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) assigns to the institutions of the council the task to promote the process of specialization and cooperation in the production sector of the national economies. The development of the relations between the member countries indicates that especially in recent years this production specialization became a more and more important factor of integration.

     

Hostile Takeovers—An Analysis Through Just War Theory

Multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) are increasingly used as a default mechanism to address human rights challenges in a variety of industries. MSI is a designation that covers a broad range of initiatives from best-practice sharing learning platforms (e.g., the UN Global Compact) to certification bodies (e.g., the Forest Stewardship Council) and those targeted at addressing governance gaps (e.g., the Fair Labor Association). Critics contest the legitimacy of the private governance model offered by MSIs. The objective of this paper is (1) to theoretically develop a typology of MSIs, and (2) to empirically analyze the legitimacy of one specific type of MSI, namely industry-specific MSIs. We argue that industry-specific MSIs that set out to govern corporate behavior have great potential to develop legitimacy. We analyze two industry-specific MSIs—the Fair Labor Association and the Global Network Initiative—to get a better understanding of how these MSIs formed, how they define and enforce standards, and how they seek to ensure accountability. Based on these empirical illustrations, we discuss the value of this specific MSI model and draw implications for the democratic legitimacy of private governance mechanisms.     

China-ASEAN,More Potential to Explore

China-ASEAN bilateral trade maintained rapid growth for many years. Trade volume between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations （ASEAN） hit US$202.6 billion in 2007, up 25.9 percent year-on-year, according to the statistics from the China-ASEAN Business Council.     

Governance of the Euro Area: Fiscal Union,Debt Union,Fiscal Freedom

Over the past three years, as the euro area has struggled with high levels of sovereign debt, it has been gradually developing into a debt union. However, this is not a sustainable arrangement. This article proposes two alternatives to a debt union — a fiscal union and a monetary union with fiscal freedom — and evaluates the pros and cons of each approach.     

THE CONSUMERS' COUNCIL 1918–1921

A Consumers' Council was established in the closing months of the Great War. Its work seems to have been overlooked, but it was an important body with achievements to its credit and a notable membership. The Council deserves a new look in the decade when a new National Consumer Council has been created.     

Regulations on Foreign Exchange Svstem of the People's Republic of China

Issued in the Decree No.193 of the State Council on January 29,1996,amended in accordance with the Decision of the State Council to Revise the Regulations on Foreign Exchange System of the People's Republic of China on January 14,1997,and revised and passed in the 20th executive meeting of the State Council on August 1,2008.     

The service industry in China—Problems and prospects

For nearly thirty years China viewed the service sector as a nonproductive remnant of capitalism. But times have changed. Case studies of three selected service industries—supermarkets, hotels, and banks—pinpoint the problems and prospects for firms that want to play a role in revolutionizing the service sector in China.     

More Dialogue and Further Development

In January 2008 Slovenia took over the six-month rotating Presidency of the EU Council and this is the first time since the wide EU expansion in 2004 that a new member state bears this responsibility. China is Slovenia＇s most important trading partner in Asia and in the past few years the turnover between China and Slovenia has been increasing steadily. Since 1992, China and Slovenia have maintained high-level contacts and regular dialogue. In November 2007, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa paid a visit on the state level, which was very successful and provided a new push for further strengthening of bilateral ties. This year marks the 16th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Slovenia. China＇s Foreign Trade appreciated the opportunity to interview His Excellency Dr. Marjan Cencen, ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the People＇s Republic of China, and discuss bilateral relations of the two countries, the new business exchange, while also taking a look at relations between China and EU.