European and Asian resistance to the use of the American case method in management training: possible cultural and systemic incongruencies

In this contribution to the use of the Harvard-style case-style method in the training of managers, a transfer problem is identified. This is manifested in the difficulties presented for many non-American students in the use of traditional case-studies. As a result, an example of a revised case method is proposed which offers more educational flexibility and better acceptability.     

The French commitment to European monetary integration: A review of the two EMS crises (1981–83, 1992–93)

This paper focuses on the process of exchange rate management during the two European Monetary System(EMS) crises, in 1981–83 and 1992–93, and examines the factors which led the French governments to adhere to the EMS. France's strong franc (franc fort) policy is a useful test case for maintaining national commitment to European monetary integration. The origin of the franc fort policy can be traced back to the exchange rate crisis of 1981–83. By actively supporting European institutions and emphasizing the emergence of a strong and united European common currency, France discovered the way to bolster confidence in her economic policy. Beyond this focal point, political justification and economic rationality became mutually reinforcing, configuring French national preference in European monetary integration. The response of the French government to the EMS crisis of 1992–93 was more consistent compared to the response to the 1981–83 crisis, and reflected the accumulation of loyalty to European monetary integration. This loyalty, however, was made neither from purely economic calculation nor out of normative commitment French European monetary policy reflected the interaction between domestic politics and European monetary integration. The French commitment to the franc fort also was based on domestic political bases such as the existence of a core policy group, a centralized policy‐making structure, and an issue linkage between the franc fort and European integration.     

New Cultures,New Strategies,New Formats and New Relationships in European Retailing

Abstract

During the last fifteen years there has been a substantial restructuring of retailing in Europe. The implications of this reach beyond Europe. The restructuring involves not only competitive relationships amongst retailers but also involves new forms of relationships with suppliers. A new perspective of the role of retailing is emerging that places retailing in a global framework of international store operations, international sourcing of products, international flows of management and managerial know-how, and international awareness by consumers of the retailers who are becoming international brands. The aim of this paper is to place the restructuring in context, to consider the nature of it and to explore how the new global framework will begin to have effects for distribution industries in Asia.     

The Empirical Research on Logistics Industry to Accelerate Economlc：Facts in Central China

物流业的发展能有效降低整个社会的商品流通成本,通过提高经济效率来加速经济发展。利用1995～2009年的省级面板数据,研究了东部地区物流业发展对经济发展的加速效应。研究得出,物流业发展对东部地区经济的发展具有一定的加速效应,而主要的路径是促进产业结构的升级、优化吸引外资的环境和提升制造企业的竞争力等。     

BOOK REVIEW

Abstract

THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF POST-SOVIET RUSSIA, Vladimir Tikhomirov, New York: St. Martin's Press; London: Macmillan Press, 2000. xii + 360 pp., ISBN 0-312-23086-9, JEL: P2, P3. reviewed by Bruno S. Sergi     

Teaching Media and Methods in Marketing: European and North American Universities

This article aims to examine the most widely used teaching media and methods in university education. To achieve this objective, international research has been carried out among 135 marketing teachers from North American and European universities. The study shows that North American teachers use more traditional media and participatory methods than European teachers.