Commerce and Culture
Commerce and Culture

Author: Robert Lee

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-05-23

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 1317163907

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Considerable attention has recently been focused on the importance of social networks and business culture in reducing transaction costs, both in the pre-industrial period and during the nineteenth century. This book brings together twelve original contributions by scholars in the United Kingdom, continental Europe, and North America which represent important and innovative research on this topic. They cover two broad themes. First, the role of business culture in determining commercial success, in particular the importance of familial, religious, ethnic and associational connections in the working lives of merchants and the impact of business practices on family life. Second, the wider institutional and political framework for business operations, in particular the relationship between the political economy of trade and the cultural world of merchants in an era of transition from personal to corporate structures. These key themes are developed in three separate sections, each with four contributions. They focus, in turn, on the role of culture in building and preserving businesses; the interplay between institutions, networks and power in determining commercial success or failure; and the significance of faith and the family in influencing business strategies and the direction of merchant enterprise. The wider historiographical context of the individual contributions is discussed in an extended introductory chapter which sets out the overall agenda of the book and provides a broader comparative framework for analysing the specific issues covered in each of the three sections. Taken together the collection offers an important addition to the available literature in this field and will attract a wide readership amongst business, cultural, maritime, economic, social and urban historians, as well as historical anthropologists, sociologists and other social scientists whose research embraces a longer-term perspective.

Europe moves East
Europe moves East

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Trade and Industry Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2007-10-18

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 9780215036513

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In May 2004, the fifth enlargement of the European Union saw the accession of eight Central and Eastern European states (the 'A8' countries of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia), with Cyprus and Malta joining at the same time. This was the largest expansion in the EU's history, adding ten member states and 75 million people. In January 2007, the accession of Bulgaria and Romania (the 'A2' countries) added a further 30 million people. The Committee's report examines the impact on UK business of the accession of the 'A8' and 'A2' countries, following on from two previous inquiries ("Industrial and Trade Relations with Central Europe", HCP 893, session 1997-98, (ISBN 9780105550785); and "Industrial and Trade Relations with the Baltic States", HCP 835, session 1999-2000 (ISBN 9780102524000)). The Committee's report concludes that the EU accession of these countries has been beneficial to the UK economy and business, chiefly through the plugging of gaps in the UK labour market as well as through increased opportunities for exports and investment. However, these benefits could be greater if businesses were better informed about the resulting opportunities, and the Government should consider what it can do to reduce the 'fear factor' of investing outside UK businesses' comfort zones, particularly in the new member states which are accessible to small and medium-sized companies. The Committee also highlights the importance of improving the skills base of the domestic workforce if UK business wishes to remain globally competitive.