Learning to trade ethically: Knowledgeable capitalism, retailers and contested commodity chains

This paper explores what happens when corporations engage explicitly in practices of organisational learning not only to become better capitalists by generating ever more innovative ways of maintaining profitability, improving competitiveness and maximising shareholder value, but also to become more responsible corporate citizens in their business practices. In particular, I evaluate the ways in which UK food and clothing retailers are learning to develop their ethical trading programmes in response to political calls for more responsible trading. Thrift’s [Thrift, N., 2005. Knowing Capitalism. Sage, London] notion of ‘knowledgeable, or soft, capitalism’ is adopted to understand the creative and experimental ways in which retailers and their mentors (ethical consultancies, social auditors and multi-stakeholder organisations) are learning to trade ethically. Two specific examples of formal learning spaces experienced by UK food and clothing retailers are examined: (i) training courses on social auditing and (ii) corporate awareness-raising courses on ethical trade. These courses are shown to encompass various participative and affective practices of learning. And while particular limits to the success of these courses are argued to exist, ethical learning practices discussed in this paper are nonetheless suggested to play a role in the making of new, albeit moderate, forms of responsible capitalism.     

Competitive Adjustment and Advancement in Global Commodity Chains II: The Case of the Singapore Garment Industry

This is the second part of a contribution to the debate on the possibilities of leveraging economic globalisation — through incorporation in international production networks and global commodity chains (GCCs) — as a strategy for developing countries to industrialise and advance their position in the world economy. In the first part, we analysed the experience of the East Asian apparel industry and addressed the issues of sustaining positions, upgrading to more rewarding roles, and advancing to less dependent positions within production networks and GCCs. We developed an analytical framework at both the firm and industry levels, and subsequently identified alternative firm- and industry-level strategies and trajectories. The present paper deals with these issues in the context of the Singapore apparel industry. Based on extensive empirical research, we demonstrate that although the East Asian experience of upgrading and repositioning within the GCC is to some extent emulated in the case of the Singapore apparel industry, the outcomes have been less favourable in terms of the depth, extent and strength of these trajectories. The differing outcomes can be explained in terms of different (systemic) conditions in the Singapore business environment, including the agency of local players, the geography of sourcing networks, and the role of the state and prevailing business attitudes. Our conclusions merit continued attention in both research and policy circles on the development of capabilities at the firm level, and the role of local business and institutional environments in local industry development processes under globalisation.     

Crisis, coincidences and strategic market behaviour: the internationalization of Indonesian clothing brand-owners

Despite the fact that most Indonesian brand-owners continue to emphasize their marketing activities in the domestic market, several brand-owners have started to export clothing under their own label. This has been particularly the result of the economic crisis in the late 1990s, which affected companies serving the domestic market. Companies were trying to compensate for the loss of sales on the domestic market by redirecting their marketing activities to foreign countries. This export strategy has been driven largely by the sole aim to survive. However, in addition to these export activities, some companies have rather sophisticated, long-standing business relations to their distributors in overseas markets. This paper explores these export activities in the context of the global commodity chain framework.     

经济地理学视角下的旅游发展理论演进

经济地理学是一门非常活跃和发展演化很快的学科.近30年来,经济地理学的发展演化带动了旅游发展理论的演变.回顾旅游发展理论研究的进展,依次有依附理论、生命周期理论、社区研究方法、福特主义、弹性专业化和全球商品链理论,这些理论在旅游方面的应用和研究,从时间和数量上都明显滞后于生产实践活动,说明旅游研究还处于经济地理学科"边缘化"的地位.在今天经济全球化的背景下,旅游产业在迅猛发展之时,旅游发展理论的建设更应与经济地理学紧密结合,由"边缘"走向"核心".     

Made in Japan: The Japanese market and herring roe production and management in Canada's southern Gulf of St. Lawrence

The herring roe fishery in Canada's southern Gulf of St. Lawrence is a productive fishery that lies outside the confines of privatized arrangements. Yet, this fishery is compromised by its dependence on the Japanese seafood market. Consideration of the efficiency of this fishery needs to account for the role assumed by this market in setting fishing practices. A more ecologically and economically efficient use of the herring resource requires greater attention to supply chain integration by local harvesters, processors and buyers prior to engaging with distant markets. This is necessary regardless of the property rights regime that is in place.     

关于非齐次马氏链的强极限定理

主要研究了非齐次马氏链的强极限定理.首先应用鞅差序列收敛定理给出了关于非齐次马氏链的任意k元函数一类平均值的极限定理.最后得到一系列相关状态序偶出现频率的推论.     

河南区域经济增长俱乐部趋同研究

1990~2004年,河南区域经济增长形成了高收入、中高收入、中低收入和低收入 4个趋同俱乐部。高收入和低收入趋同俱乐部的稳定性最大且连片扩张,区域经济增长水平和空间结构的两极分化日趋增强。总体上,一个区域的"邻居区域环境"对其经济增长及其向何种趋同俱乐部转移有规律性的影响。低收入区域的经济增长及其向中低收入趋同俱乐部转移的概率与其邻居区域的经济增长水平正相关。中低收入区域更倾向于向低收入趋同俱乐部转移。对于中高收入区域,与经济增长水平越高的区域为邻,其向高收入趋同俱乐部转移的概率越大;反之,与经济增长水平越低的区域为邻,其向中低收入趋同俱乐部转移概率也越大。高收入区域的经济增长及稳定性受邻居区域的影响比较小。     

一种快速鉴定商品性钨矿石的方法

本文介绍了商品性钨矿样品的溶矿、染色试验方法和理论原理。该方法简便、快速,能准确地取得钨矿体积的百分数,较精确地计算WO_3的百分含量,满足钨矿商品性指标的要求。经检验证实,方法具有实用性,可以把住钨矿收购的质量关,并已收到了显著的经济效益。     

试论综合钻探技术

对综合钻探技术的内涵、原则、实质、特点、软硬件，目的及其发展途径，进行了探讨。     

上海城市功能的转型:从全球生产系统角度的透视

本文首先回顾了价值链与全球生产系统的研究进展，结合跨国公司最新发展趋势对全球生产系统特征进行了总结；其次以改革开放以来上海对外贸易结构的改变，描述了90年代以来上海在全球生产系统分工中的变化，认为出口产品结构的转型并没有真正改变上海在国际劳动分工中处于低端环节的地位；最后就上海建设世界城市的差距与优势进行了总结，提出全球化发展的外部力量和地方化响应的内部力量将是上海发展世界城市的两个重要驱动力。