浅析两淮盐商文化的旅游价值与开发问题

两淮是我国历史上主要的食盐集散地,两淮盐商盐商文化博大精深。特别是扬州盐商文化具有突出的旅游开发价值。从旅游景观意义上看,盐商文化遗址主要有六大类型,应从多方面挖掘其旅游开发的亮点,进一步提升扬州历史名城的旅游魅力。     

Women, Management and Globalization in the Middle East

This paper provides new theoretical insights into the interconnections and relationships between women, management and globalization in the Middle East (ME). The discussion is positioned within broader globalization debates about women’s social status in ME economies. Based on case study evidence and the UN datasets, the article critiques social, cultural and economic reasons for women’s limited advancement in the public sphere. These include the prevalence of the patriarchal work contract within public and private institutions, as well as cultural and ethical values which create strongly defined gender roles. The discussion examines the complexities of conceptualizing women’s equality and empowerment in Islamic states. The paper reveals that there have been significant achievements in advancing women in leadership and political roles, but that there are still institutional and cultural barriers embedded in business systems. Linking feminist, development and management theoretical strands a development framework is proposed which is sensitive to the Islamic Shar’ia encompassing government, organization and individual level strategies. It is suggested that scholars should integrate literatures from gender and management, development and Middle East studies, and in particular that critical scholars of gender and organization should consider the interrelations of the national and transnational in critiques of contemporary global capitalism to understand the complexity of women and social change in the ME.     

From merchant to merchant-ruler: A structure–conduct–performance perspective of the East India Company's history, 1600–1765

Many nineteenth-century historians claimed that the English East India Company's trade and commercial activities, right from inception, were never really a financially profitable enterprise. This argument is incorporated within an altered structure–conduct–performance (SCP) paradigm to rearticulate the Company's history between 1600 and 1765. Rather than characterising the Company as simply a chartered monopoly, the article instead argues that the market structure in which it operated was competitive or contestable but, at the same time, wrought with high sunk costs and free-riders. This framework allows us to understand why the Company desperately pursued market conduct strategies to gain monopoly and monopsony power in England and India respectively, which simultaneously contributed to its transformation from merchant to merchant-ruler. In this process the Company redefined not merely industry boundaries but also those between industry and state.     

Succeeding in the Big Middle through technology

Big Middle retailers serve the mass market composed of mainstream consumers and face competition from both other Big Middle retailers and specialized (niche) retailers that want a share of the Big Middle consumer market. How can Big Middle retailers leverage technology to strengthen their competitive position? The authors explore this question by offering a framework for characterizing the Big Middle and a consumer-based taxonomy for classifying technology strategies in the retailing arena. In particular, the authors emphasize the following key points: (1) most technological advancements in retailing in the twenty-first century will relate to information technology; (2) many technologies have the potential to both cut the cost of retailer operations and enhance service to customers; (3) the adoption of these technologies requires significant upfront investments; (4) successful retailers in the Big Middle are in the best position to adopt these technologies because of their deep pockets and because they can pass on part of the costs to their vendors; (5) Big Middle retailers must take a longer term view with respect to returns on their technology investments; and (6) Big Middle retailers should consider consumers’ reactions to these technologies and be cautious about “overengineering.” In this regard, this editorial points to several directions for further research in the realm of technology investments by retailers.     

Volunteer farmer-trainer motivations in East Africa: practical implications for enhancing farmer-to-farmer extension

Farmer-to-farmer extension (FFE) has received considerable interest in developing countries due to a decline in government extension services. There are, however, questions as to how FFE can be improved to enhance effectiveness and sustainability of the approach. One area that may hold the key is to understand volunteer farmer-trainer (VFT) motivations. Informal and formal interviews were held with VFTs in a smallholder dairy development project in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Data were collected on the reasons why VFTs became trainers and why they continue to train. Findings of the study showed that VFTs were motivated by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. These factors are not static; they change over time. Gaining knowledge and skills as well as altruism were found to be the most important motivating factors for becoming trainers in the three countries. However, a few years after becoming trainers, income earned from selling inputs and specialized services associated with training was an important motivating factor to VFTs in Kenya. In Uganda gaining knowledge and skills remained the most important whereas in Rwanda, a new motivation, increased demand for training, was the most important reason for continuing to train. These findings point to the fact that the general reasons that motivate VFTs irrespective of context are similar; however, the importance attached to motivations is context specific. These motivations can provide insights into which incentives can be enhanced to improve effectiveness and sustainability of FFE.     

Institutional factors affecting wild edible plant (WEP) harvest and consumption in semi-arid Kenya

Pervasive food insecurity and poverty in much of the world drives vulnerable populations to harvest natural resources as a means of generating income and meeting other household needs. Wild edible plants (WEPs) are a particularly common and effective coping strategy used to increase socio-ecological resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa where agricultural systems are often sensitive to environmental perturbations and instability. WEPs are collected across the landscape, from agricultural areas to government-managed hilltops with varying degrees of success and legality. This multiple case study research, conducted in Eastern Province, Kenya, investigates the formal forest regulations and land tenure rights, as well as local enforcement and understanding of those rules, in order to understand their impact on the ability of vulnerable populations to use WEPs as a coping strategy. The results suggest that widespread confusion, trust issues and a strong focus on the commercialization of wild foods are limiting the possible contribution of WEPs to food security and increased socio-ecological resilience. We identify a number of policy changes and extension programs that could better support local communities relying on WEPs for subsistence purposes to improve their adaptive capacity.     

浅析东亚多层次合作现状及趋向

东亚地区的经贸合作存在多层次性,但从长期来看,这些多层次合作将归于东亚自由贸易区。这不仅由世界经济一体化的趋势决定,更是东亚各国经济发展的需要。在朝向自由贸易区的进程中,东亚各国要目标一致,在借鉴其他区域组织成功经验的同时,设计适合自身的合作框架。     

光谷文化对东湖高新区创新发展的推动机制研究

东湖高新区创新的基础与动力源于光谷文化,光谷文化不是孤立的个体行为的简单组合,而是以追求变革、崇尚创新为价值取向的多种独特文化形态的总和。光谷文化对东湖高新区创新的推动力,包括各参与主体在交互的创新文化推动分力下,与管委会倡导的园区整体文化形成合力,体现为以创新为导向的价值理念培育、文化实践、制度安排和社会评价系统等。在今后的创新推力中,光谷文化宜在“创新型国家主导”的文化范式下寻找进一步的路径突破。