History Of Company Research Articles

Italy's ageing workforce

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the reasons for low labour force participation rates among older workers in Italy and discuss how changing human resource management practices can improve the situation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyzes Italian population trends and age‐specific workforce participation rates, considering variations by industry, gender and management level. It looks at common age stereotypes and the effects of implementing human resource management policies designed for a younger workforce. It outlines initiatives undertaken by leading companies such as ENI, IBM and BMW to manage an ageing workforce.FindingsSince 1950, the proportion of the Italian population over retirement age has more than doubled. Birth rates are low and life expectancy is going up. Unless participation rates increase, Italy's labour force is likely to be 40 per cent smaller in 2050 than it was in 1995. With more people retiring and fewer potentially active workforce entrants, Italy can anticipate chronic labour shortages and a widening skills gap. How can the country increase the number of active workers available to support an older population? And how can new human resource management approaches help companies to better manage an ageing workforce?Practical implicationsThe paper provides examples describing the human resource management approaches that can help to prevent skill shortages and loss of knowledge as older workers retire.Social implicationsThe paper draws attention to social and cultural factors contributing to age discrimination and the effects of negative stereotypes on older workers' motivation and on their access to training and development opportunities.Originality/valueThis paper highlights the importance of training as a way to overcome negative age stereotypes, using older workers as a valuable resource able to pass on knowledge, skills and company history to those just starting out on their careers.

Polish Company Law: A Few Remarks on Legal History and Foreign Inspirations

This paper presents an “in a nutshell” version of the Polish company law history and its development from the beginning of the 20th century till the year 2009. The emphasis is added not only on the country specificity but also on the EU-law conformity analysis supported by few international background remarks. Some statistical data has also been provided to make the overall picture of the Polish companies’ condition more complete.

H&M – documenting the story of one of the world's largest fashion retailers

The interest of fashion companies in documenting their history has been almost non-existent in Sweden until recently. For the Centre for Business History in Stockholm, the commission to secure the history of Sweden's largest fashion company and one of the world's largest fashion retailers, H&M, therefore offers new challenges. This study analyses the methods being used in this project. Apart from collecting, saving and digitising all existing documents from the company's 60 year-history, the documentation will be based on a considerable number of interviews with past and current employees. These oral history interviews will deal with a number of questions important to scholars doing contemporary business history.

A business analysis of XL Airways: What lessons can be learned from the failure?

This paper investigates the non-financial features of an insolvent UK charter airline operator, XL Airways. The airline case study is analysed using a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) framework covering two contrasting time periods of business performance; a prosperous period in the company's history and a period just prior to insolvency. The assessment is based on semi-structured interviews with former management personnel at XL Airways. Some fundamental internal differences at the airline between the two time periods are demonstrated, including organisational inefficiencies and a lack of business focus, suggesting their external threats, although important, may have not been solely to blame for the failure.

The dual opening to brand heritage in family businesses

Purpose: We seek to uncover why and how the combination of family and company history in family businesses implies idiosyncratic opportunities in the process to uncover, activate, and nurture herit ...

Home, Militarism and Nostalgia in Japanese Popular Song from 1937 to 1945

Abstract The article focuses on the representation of wartime Japan as a home (and home country) by analysing contemporary popular songs. Within this frame I show examples of how the Japanese state managed to influence the Japanese people through propaganda songs in order to gain the people’s moral support for the war effort. My essay aims further at drawing a picture of Japan’s musical world from the latter half of the 1930s to the end of World War II, as a detailed consideration of popular music and its surroundings always allows us to interpret much more than expected at first view. In addition, I consider the mass media as a supporter of Japan’s ideological aims. The history of radio and record companies is firmly interwoven with the efforts of the Japanese state to manipulate people during the war years. The contribution from artists must also be considered an important part of this mosaic.

Leading an entrepreneurial workforce: development or decline?

PurposeThis paper analyses entrepreneurial activity within existing organisations. Research tends to limit entrepreneurial behaviour to owner‐managers, corporate senior and middle managers and frequently presents intrapreneurship as a positive phenomenon. This paper seeks to broaden the focus of studies of intrapreneurship and corporate entrepreneurship across all employees in established organisations. In particular it seeks to focus on identifying the entrepreneurial propensity of employees at all levels of the organisation and to consider the positive and negative potential of this propensity on the organisation.Design/methodology/approachA single case study approach was used involving the analysis of focus groups, employee surveys, company history and financial data to identify the entrepreneurial propensity of employees in the context of an established organisation.FindingsIt is identified that employees within the sales function of the business had a greater entrepreneurial propensity in comparison to employees in other departments of the business. It is argued that this was due to a less formal structure in this part of the business and a greater focus on successfully achieving goals. It is further argued that organisational structures, opportunity and needs have to meet individual skills, experience and desire in order to create development opportunities for entrepreneurial organisations.Research limitations/implicationsIt is suggested that in considering intrapreneurship, researchers should broaden their focus to include all employees within an organisation.Practical implicationsIt is suggested that senior managers should consider the role of entrepreneurial propensity amongst employees and the potential for this to either harm or help develop the business.Originality/valueThis paper adds value to the debate on corporate entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship by considering the role of employees at all organisational levels. Furthermore it acknowledges the positive and negative effects which entrepreneurial propensity may have on the organisation.

The paradox of tie strength in customer relationships for innovation: a longitudinal case study in the sports industry

Current literature argues that firms should have strong ties to customers to benefit from increased customer retention and loyalty. Strong ties, however, have also shown to prevent innovation, suggesting that firms should also develop weak ties to other customer groups. This paper focuses on the potential for strong ties to facilitate, rather than prohibit, innovation. It is based in a 7‐year longitudinal research project with Adidas, a global sporting goods company. From the case, we find that the paradox of tie strength results from an overly simplified view of the nature of company–customer relationships. Contrary to the established literature, we find that strong ties in the Adidas case supported significant innovation. In fact, the involvement resulted in the development of a new product with a radically different product architecture and led to one of the most successful product launches in the company's history. To explain these findings, we introduce the nature of customer participation in a firm's value creation processes as a new dimension of the constitution of firm–customer ties and discuss how such a kind of relationship can develop.

The Managerial Transformation of Italian Co-Operative Enterprises 1946-2010

The Italian co-operative enterprises have prospered in the last thirty years in various sectors. In this essay we analyze the role played by managerilization in allowing Italian co-ops to compete nationally and internationally with capitalist enterprises. On the basis of a substantial set of company histories and managers interviews, we have built a three generations model of co-ops managers, which shows the changes that have allowed co-ops to become fully equipped with managerial skills. The strong leadership of umbrella organizations, the inner careers of most managers and legislation have been instrumental in avoiding demutualization, the killer of co-ops in many other countries.

Tests of Capital Structure 'Static Trade-Off' and 'Pecking Order' Theories in Iran

The objective of this research is to determine the factors affecting the capital structure of companies in Iran and also to determine which type of theories are being followed by companies for their capital structure; “Static Trade-Off” or “Pecking Order”. To test the hypotheses, the multivariate regression was applied. Findings indicate that a negative significant relationship exists between changes in company size and market to book value of liabilities; and between company profitability and book value of liabilities and objectivity and the market to book value of liabilities. On the other hand a positive significant relationship exists between the market to book value ratio of assets and the ratio of book value of liabilities; this is accordance with the “Pecking Order” theory. A positive significant relationship exists between company profitability and market liability ratio; company history and ratio of market to book value of liabilities, industry conditions and ratio of market value of liabilities; and a negative significant relationship between the ratio of market to book value of assets and market ratio of liabilities, company risk and market ratio of liabilities which is in accordance with “Static Trade-Off” theory. The relationship between tax savings other than debts and the market to book value of liabilities has been evaluated as positive which is contrary to the “Static Trade-off” theory. The negative relationship between company risk and book ratio of liabilities, income risk and dividends paid with market to book ratio of liabilities cannot be deemed significant; therefore it does not confirm to either the “static trade-off” or “pecking order” theories.

A história do ensino em administração: contribuições teórico-metodológicas e uma proposta de agenda de pesquisa

O debate sobre a importância do campo da história na área de administração ficou restrito, principalmente, aos estudos ligados à história dos negócios ou empresariais, à história da gestão e à história organizacional (Costa, Barros e Martins, 2009). No sentido de ampliá-lo, este artigo apresenta a historiografia do ensino e propõe quatro níveis de pesquisa sobre a história do ensino de administração: a) a vida dos mestres (professores) que construíram campos temáticos, formas de ensinar e instituições; b) os legados de ensino dos programas; c) a história das disciplinas escolares; e, d) a história das instituições de ensino. Além disso, revela as possibilidades teóricometodológicas da historiografia da educação para, desta forma, propor uma agenda de ações no sentido de institucionalizar o subcampo de história do ensino de administração no campo da história da administração. Finalmente, conclui-se com a proposta de se ensinar a história do ensino de administração no Brasil, disciplina que é praticamente inexistente nos currículos da área, mais particularmente, esse tema pode ser um componente curricular de disciplinas ou atividades que se propõem a formar mestres e doutores.

‘Playgrounds which would never happen now, because they'd be far too dangerous’: risk, childhood development and radical sites of theatre practice

This article revisits radical playgrounds of the past to offer a productive dialogue with recent debates on how child environments can foster citizenship and community. Joan Littlewood's playground projects are familiar examples of theatre techniques being applied to develop children's sense of belonging in a city. This essay considers the less familiar history of the Natural Theatre Company's Adventure Playground in Bath, an ambivalent site of chaotic transgression and community formation. Referencing the theories of Henri Lefebvre and Guy Debord, the essay explores how theatre techniques of subversive role playing, carnivalesque abandon and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) (de)construction can refigure notions of citizenship and community. With this article, I hope to trouble contemporary notions of safety by highlighting the restrictions placed on today's playgrounds and questioning whether forms of childhood development once valued can exist within the limitations of our modern ‘risk society’.

A arte na formação de professores de crianças de todas as idades: o teatro é um conto vivo

Este artigo aborda a formação teatral de professores e professoras de crianças. A partir de experiências da companhia de teatro La Baracca para a Secretaria de Educação da Prefeitura de Bolonha, o texto apresenta as oportunidades que o teatro pode oferecer, para que adultos e crianças, mesmo aquelas muito pequenas, possam se encontrar. Trata ainda de aspectos da história do La Baracca, mostrando alguns dos desafios e procedimentos para pesquisar e formar docentes de educação infantil em creches e pré-escolas italianas. A atuação e as instigantes relações entre docentes e crianças tão pequenas têm se mostrado um espaço em fecunda discussão.

Consumer perspectives of cultural branding: The case of Burberry in Taiwan

Luxury brands are cultural phenomena forged by marketing efforts and country image. Yet although many Western luxury brands have iconic status among Asian consumers, the intertwining relationship between these two factors requires further clarification because the influence of local context is often lacking from considerations of such products. The study entailed 31 in-depth interviews with Taiwanese respondents during a 6-month data-gathering period in premium shopping centres in Taipei and Kaohsiung. An interpretive approach to their discourse was adopted for transcript analysis. The findings differentiated two sources of Burberry's brand meaning. One is based on the company's history, designs and marketing campaigns, whereas the other draws on Britain's cultural attractiveness. The research revealed that although this latter approach to branding can be a key appeal for consumers, it inevitably leads to a certain loss of control of the brand image. Most critically, consumers of luxury brands identified that a cultural brand, although consisting of country image and marketing efforts, is incomplete without acknowledging the consumer's ability to negotiate the meaning of luxury brands. Lesson learned from this research can enrich current branding literature and practice, especially for international luxury brands.

Patrick Caux and Bernard Gilbert. Trans. Neil Kroetsch. Ex Machina: Creating for the Stage

"Patrick Caux and Bernard Gilbert. Trans. Neil Kroetsch. Ex Machina: Creating for the Stage." Theatre Research in Canada, 32(2), pp. 259–260

THE SERIES LLC: SUGGESTIONS FOR SURVIVING SOME SERIOUS UNCERTAINTIES

* Juris Doctor, May 2011, University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Many thanks go to Robert T. Harper and Stephanie Winer Schreiber for their invaluable advice and encouragement throughout this and many other endeavors. 1. See Carol R. Goforth, The Series LLC, and a Series of Difficult Questions, 60 ARK. L. REV. 385, 385 (2007). Professor Goforth acknowledges the existence of other options for specialized business, such as real estate investment trusts, but notes that “the vast majority of American businesses” were organized as one of the four main statutory options. Id. 2. See id. at 385–86. 3. See M. Shaun McGaughey, Limited Liability Partnerships: Need Only Professionals Apply?, 30 CREIGHTON L. REV. 105 (1996) (discussing the limited liability partnership); Dem A. Hopkins, LLLPs—A New Limited Liability Option, CCH LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY GUIDE: LLC ADVISOR, Nov. 16, 2000, at 4 (discussing the limited liability limited partnership). 4. For a good overview of the history of the limited liability company, see Thomas Earl Geu, Understanding the Limited Liability Company: A Basic Comparative Primer (Part One), 37 S.D. L. REV. 44, 44–96 (1992). 5. Compare this to the limited partnership, in which only limited partners enjoy limited liability, and only if they refrain from the management or control of the enterprise. E.g., Freedman v. Tax Review Bd. Philadelphia, 243 A.2d 130, 134 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1968), aff’d, 258 A.2d 323 (Pa. 1969). 6. See Howard M. Freidman, The Silent LLC Revolution—The Social Cost of Academic Neglect, 38 CREIGHTON L. REV. 35, 36 (2004).

Appreciating the complexity of organizational processes

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the evolution of a company in Argentina with the support of the viable system model (VSM) and the Viplan method. This company had had a cybernetic intervention in the 1980s and in 2002 went out of business. The authors' purpose was revisiting the company with the lenses of current organizational cybernetics to find new insights from its history.Design/methodology/approachThe history was constructed by one of the authors, who was a key player in the company. He also obtained the views of other people who had worked in the company. These data were assessed interactively by the two authors using the VSM and the Viplan method.FindingsThough a functional application of the VSM may be helpful to highlight communication and information requirements, it yields limited insights about viability. It is the assessment of relationships within the organization and with environmental agents that offers more valuable results.Research limitations/implicationsOften retrospective studies have limited value; it is easy to construct history to fit particular interests. However, the authors had very different backgrounds, one highly involved with the company's history, the other interested in clarifying the use of the VSM. The first wanted to provide an accurate history and the second insights to improve the application of the VSM.Originality/valueThe approach of the paper is focused on a particular and unique situation. Also the paper goes beyond the more traditional functional applications of the VSM. It is an application focused on people's relations and performance.

A History of Chinese Companies Listing in Hong Kong and Its Implications for the Future

This article presents a history of Chinese companies listing on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. The historical perspective reveals a number of important facts. First, the birth of H-share companies is a political result rather than a private initiative. Secondly, the “bonding” strategy is an important reason that explains why Chinese companies list in Hong Kong, but it is far from the whole story. Thirdly, listing in Hong Kong serves different purposes at different historical periods incidental to the Chinese government's policy towards the construction of the domestic capital market. Most importantly, by examining the history of H-share companies, the article proposes that the current policy to expand the scope of the domestic capital market would seriously affect the number of H-share companies in the foreseeable future. Overall, government policy dictates the pattern of Chinese companies listing in Hong Kong.

Breve historia de la publicidad industrial en México. La provincia industrial de Puebla entre el antiguo régimen y la revolución: 1880-1920 (rescate de patrimonio industrial intangible)

This paper aims to show with archaeological field work in different landscapes of Mexico and documentation of the municipal archives of the city of Puebla, the architectural and historical evidence that gave identity to the Mexican industrial past throughout the 19th and first half of 20th century. Also shows the importance of the public documentation that many family firms produced in their correspondence to the municipal authority, demanding all kinds of grants or concessions in the city ofPuebla between 1880-1920. This iconographic industrial advertising and its evolution alongside this kind of correspondence is not only very important for the history of industrial brands and advertising, but it is also a keynote to the history of companies in the emblematic town of Puebla, that is not only distinguished by being a textile town, between 1880-1940, but a major industrial and commercial corridor.

Settling for second best?

PurposeThe paper seeks evaluate to the comparative progress of Asda in the UK since its surprise takeover by Wal‐Mart in 1999. Wal‐Mart expected to become the number 1 retailer in the UK and many commentators saw massive problems ahead for local retailers. These expectations were not met; this paper investigates why.Design/methodology/approachAsda's progress is considered through a brief discussion of the company's history to 1999, an investigation of the changes Wal‐Mart subsequently made to Asda's operations, the comparative impact of these changes and then a consideration of the restrictions on impact deriving from organisational, competitive and environmental factors.FindingsDespite the strong rhetoric on entry, the commercial reality has seen only moderate success for Asda and a widening gap to the market leader, Tesco. Explanation for this includes competitive strategy and reactions, market restrictions particularly in land‐use planning and unwillingness by Asda (Wal‐Mart) to alter their focused store format strategy in line with competitor actions and market directions.Research limitations/implicationsThe analysis is at a macro corporate and national level, drawing mainly on published data. Research implications include the rebalancing of considerations of organisational competence and market environment factors on international success. A focus on political and non‐market activities is suggested, though an unwillingness of companies to reconsider strategic directions is also indicted as a key factor.Practical implicationsImplications for national and international strategic decision making at the corporate and governmental levels are identified. Businesses can use the findings to re‐consider their positioning and actions. Reflections on hyperbolic reactions to takeovers might also be provoked.Originality/valueNo other paper has considered the market level changes in connection with Asda since its take‐over by Wal‐Mart and sought explanations for the relative (lack of) performance. The conclusion, that Asda has not been as successful as reported in the literature and the media, is original.