Supra-National Money and the Euro Crisis: Lessons from Karl Polanyi

The paper seeks to examine some of the key features of Karl Polanyi’s ideas explaining the collapse of the pre-Great Depression unregulated market system by using his broad framework of analysis, as developed in The Great Transformation and published over 70 years ago, to explain the present Eurozone crisis. Emphasis is placed on the two key institutions of the pre-Depression era, namely haute finance and the gold standard, as well as his heterodox views on the nature and origin of money to shed light on the evolving crisis within the Eurozone. On the basis of Polanyi’s insights, the paper concludes that the cause of the latter crisis is similar and it lies primarily in the adoption of stateless or supra-national money that is even more restrictive on the behaviour of national authorities than the conditions imposed under the gold standard. The current situation of quasi-permanent austerity in the Eurozone is the inevitable consequence of its monetary architecture, and it will remain a long-term feature of Europe, unless significant institutional changes are put in place to bridge the gap between money and the state.     

论中国元素在高级时装中的应用

随着奥运会和世博会的成功举办,中国元素在设计界又再度成为热点。本文将适用于高级时装的中国元素归纳分类为质(指的是中国概念的材质、材料)、形(指的是具有代表性的从形式上表达中国概念的外观元素,形状、图形)、色(指的是具有代表性的中国色)、艺(指的是中国的传统手工技艺)四大类,对其设计手法逐一研究分析,并总结其应用规律。     

The emergence of Italy as a fashion country: Nation branding and collective meaning creation at Florence’s fashion shows (1951–1965)

Abstract

We analyse the emergence of Italy as a fashion country with a reconstruction of the history and impact of the collective fashion shows that Giovanni Battista Giorgini organised in Florence in 1951–1965. Our cultural analysis highlights the role events play in the mobilisation of local actors and the creation of nation brands, which we conceive as ongoing narrations built on a country’s material and symbolic resources that differentiate its image in valuable ways for export markets. Despite their decline, the Florentine shows created an intangible asset that facilitated the ascent of Milan as Italy’s fashion capital in the 1970s.     

沃斯对现代服装业的启示

沃斯(Charles Frederick Worth)作为高级女装的创始人,把高级女装理想化、制度化,使其更适合男性的审美观、艺术观、价值观。沃斯的成功不仅仅是因为他在设计上的天分,更重要的是他清楚地认识并顺应了他生活的那个年代。沃斯对时装业的影响不仅在于开创了高级时装,更可贵的是他伟大的想象力和独特的设计理念,这些都为后世产生了深远影响。他的创新精神在今天仍有其借鉴意义。     

Virtually Perfect Corporation*

This case provides an example of a high technology company that is expanding and is facing cash flow constraints. It details financial reporting issues relating to the company’s most recent set of financial statements. It requires students to assume the role of a newly appointed auditor, to prepare a report analyzing the key issues and to provide advice to the owners of the Company. Students are faced with a set of integrated financial accounting and reporting issues. The case incorporates some overview audit issues, but it is most suitable as a capstone case in intermediate financial accounting, for use in either undergraduate or MBA courses.     

International couture: The opportunities and challenges of expansion, 1880–1920

This paper explores the topic of the expansion of the haute couture businesses in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries across international frontiers. Concentrating on the period before and during World War I and on the couture houses of Worth, Paquin, Drecoll, Redfern, Boué Soeurs and Lucile, it argues that international expansion was accompanied by the rapid development of innovative marketing and promotional practices, but hampered by obstacles that were ultimately impossible to overcome.     

Madeleine Vionnet and Galeries Lafayette: The unlikely marriage of a Parisian couture house and a French department store, 1922–40

In the past, fashion history has traditionally produced monographs on talented designers emphasising the creativity of the luxury couture business and the tastes of its elite clientele. This case study, based on the unpublished records of Galeries Lafayette, offers a balanced and decompartmentalised interpretation of relationships among the players in the fashion system. Fashion designer Madeleine Vionnet never considered herself an artist and was well aware of the commercial aspects of the business, while the owner of Galeries Lafayette, Théophile Bader, tried to generate corporate synergy between the couture house and the department store. The examination of the partnership between Vionnet and Bader raises important questions, not only about counterfeiting but also about the transfer of creativity from designers to manufacturers.     

Paper and Hill: An In‐Class Corporate Governance Case

Corporate governance is a set of rules and processes that help ensure that firms are effectively run for the benefit of their stakeholders. Good corporate governance is predicated on having directors fulfill their fiduciary duties while acting as stewards of the corporation. The fact that good corporate governance is essential to a well‐functioning and prosperous society is reflected in CPA Canada's Strategy and Governance competency. Unfortunately, there are few in‐class Canadian corporate governance cases that instructors can use to help accounting students improve their understanding of these three fundamental governance concepts: director duty of care, director duty of loyalty, and the business judgment rule. This Canadian corporate governance case is based on the actual events regarding the approval of Steven Hill's employment contract as the Chair of Paper Enterprises Inc. The case is presented using PowerPoint slides, rather than in a traditional narrative format, as it intended to be used as an in‐class case that does not require advance student preparation.     

Abandonment issues: A hazard analysis of high-performance work practices

This study examines usage of high-performance work practices (HPWPs) over time using a unique longitudinal survey of Canadian organizations. Human resource management (HRM) studies tell us HPWPs require long-term commitment but rarely measure it. Using event history analysis this study finds high rates of HPWP abandonment. The study also examines organizational supports for high-performance work system (HPWS). A Cox regression analysis finds rates of abandonment are reduced when HPWPs are accompanied by aligned business strategies and HR professional support. The results inform process research on HRM strategies and raise troubling questions for findings in studies that fail to measure duration. For managers, the findings highlight the importance of ensuring strategic alignment with and organizational support for HPWPs if they are to endure.     

城市文化多元融合与民族文化保护

文化是城市的灵魂.我国城市文化历史悠久,独具特色.但是随着全球化时代的到来,城市文化正呈现与外来文化融合的趋势,一方面它体现了城市文化发展的新方向,另一方面也对传统城市文化构成威胁.本文论述了我国城市在吸纳外来文化的同时,如何保护和弘扬传统文化这一重要现实问题.