Communism in plural: legacies for cities in the era of postmodernism

Guest Editoria

Insertion de la réserve huronne dans l’espace urbain de la ville de Québec : Influences de la proximité de Québec sur Wendake

Cet article analyse certains aspects liés à la situation urbaine de Wendake dans la périphérie de la ville de Québec, aspects qui sont à la base des particularités du développement socio-économique de la communauté huronne. La proximité de la capitale provinciale joue un important rôle positif dans le développement économique de Wendake et lui assure une position de centre politique pour les nations autochtones du Québec. L’urbanisation de la région de Québec a progressivement entraîné Wendake dans ce processus un métissage tangible. La morphologie du cadre bâti de la réserve a aussi subi une évolution particulière, reflétant aujourd’hui l’amalgame des cultures amérindienne et européenne. Réserve située au carrefour des cultures, de la modernité et de la tradition, Wendake est aujourd’hui le lieu de vie d’une communauté jeune et dynamique.This article analyzes certain aspects of the urban situation of Wendake as it relates to the socio-economic development of this Huron community, located in the periphery of Quebec City. The proximity of the provincial capital plays a positive role in the economic development of Wendake and ensures it a central political position vis-à-vis the Indigenous Nations of Quebec. The urbanization of the area surrounding Quebec City gradually enveloped Wendake in this process of mixing cultures. The character of the Reserve’s development also reflects a particular evolution and an amalgam of the Amerindian and European cultures. As a reserve at the cross-roads of cultures and of modernity and tradition, Wendake today is a young and dynamic community

Success and failure factors of the mergers and acquisitions performance : evidence from Bulgaria

This paper presents a study on the success and failure factors that influence the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) performance. In the initial part major theoretical studies, developed in the field of strategic management, corporate finance, organisational studies, and human resources are analysed. These works are used to outline ten main elements that can be considered essential for the success of the transactions. The discussed examines are founded on a number of leading theories – Agency theory, Resourced-based theory, Diversification theory, Learning theory, etc. Therefore, the empirical application of these theories is tested in the local context of the Bulgarian M&A deals. By the means of factor and regression analysis, three specific factors of successful M&A performance are empirically drawn. The conclusions are that leadership qualities of the managers, synergy of resources, and fast post-merger integration appear to be crucial for the successful performance of these strategic combinations.peer-reviewe

Multi-Level Bargaining Cartels in Periods of Transitions: On the Example of Bulgaria

This paper examines the levels of social dialogues and the specific links among them that have emerged during the post-communist transformations of central and eastern Europe. Using evidence from Bulgaria, the author adds to the debate over the type of worldwide change in bargaining structures, with the argument that currently the post-communist region is experiencing neither decentralization nor centralization of bargaining structures. Instead, surviving state socialist structures designed to resolve conflicts on a hierarchical basis and the new, transformation-driven centralization of power have combined with decentralizing and democratizing efforts to create specific multi-level bargaining cartels. In such cartels, the scope of bargaining is both more extensive and intensive. It involves the interplay of participants and issues from different levels that contributes importantly for the advancement of economic restructuring and political democratization

"Business-Government Relations in EU-Acceding Countries: Towards a Model of Institutional Change"

[From the introduction]. Using an institutionalist approach grounded in the comparative Europeanization literature, this study explores institutional change in the business-government relationship in the EU acceding countries from the post-communist region. Similar to the neo-pluralist (societal) approach (see Nowell, 1996), the institutionalist approach emphasizes the importance of business-state alliances in determining political and policy outcomes and the fulfillment of business strategic objectives. Unlike the neo-pluralist approach, however, which emphasizes primarily the desire of business to control the state (Gibbs, 1991; Cox, 1994; Ferguson, 1983, 1984, 1995; Ferguson and Rogers, 1986; Frieden, 1988; Abraham, 1986), the institutionalist approach counts for the goals of business, but regards these goals as significantly constrained – defined and shaped – by institutions.3 Institutions have always played a vital role in the EU integrative processes, including EU accession; the European Union is a polity heavily grounded in institutions (Katzenstein, 1997). What matters most in the case of European integration are the European common law, the acquis communautaire, and the EU common policy content and procedures. As Christopher Preston observes, the requirements that EU candidate countries take on board the entire acquis communautaire with no permanent derogations allowed; and that the accession negotiations concentrate exclusively on the practical aspects of the adoption of the acquis by the applicants, stand on top of the list of principles applied in all EU enlargement rounds (Preston, 1997). These requirements consequently define EU integration and more specifically the EU enlargement process as a highly institutionalized one

A comparison of social media marketing between B2B, B2C and mixed business models

This paper explores the implicit assumption in the growing body of literature that social media usage is fundamentally different in business-to-business (B2B) companies than in the extant business-to-consumer (B2C) literature. Sashi’s (2012) customer engagement cycle is utilized to compare B2B, B2C, Mixed B2B/B2C and B2B2C business model organizational practices in relation to social media usage, importance, and its perceived effectiveness as a communication channel. Utilizing 449 responses to an exploratory panel based survey instrument, we clearly identify differences in social media marketing usage and its perceived importance as a communications channel. In particular we identify distinct differences in the relationship between social media importance and the perceived effectiveness of social media marketing across business models. Our results indicate that B2B social media usage is distinct from B2C, Mixed and B2B2C business model approaches. Specifically B2B organizational members perceive social media to have a lower overall effectiveness as a channel and identify it as less important for relationship oriented usage than other business models

Sustainable tourism practices of accommodation establishments in Bulgaria

The goal of current paper is to identify whether property’s category, location and size influence the degree of application of various sustainable practices by Bulgarian accommodation establishments. Results from the Kruskal-Wallis χ2 tests show that all three factors (category, location and size) cause statistically significant differences among the accommodation establishments in Bulgaria regarding the degree of application of the sustainable tourism practices. The paper concludes that Bulgarian accommodation establishments are still in the beginning of sustainable practices adoption. Managerial implications, limitations and directions for future research are also discussed

Determinants of Sovereign Investment Protectionism: the Case of Bulgaria’s Nuclear Energy Sector

Foreign direct investment (FDI) by entities controlled by foreign governments (especially state-owned enterprises) is a new global phenomenon that is most often linked to the rise of emerging markets such as China and Russia. Host governments have struggled to properly react to this type of investment activity especially in key strategic sectors and critical infrastructure that ultimately raise questions of national security. Academic research on sovereign investment as a factor contributing to the new global protectionist trend is very limited, and predominantly focused on sovereign investors from China. This study explores the specifics of Russian sovereign investment in the former Soviet Bloc countries, now members of the European Union, especially in strategic sectors such as energy. We use the case of Bulgaria’s nuclear energy sector and the involvement of Russia’s state-owned company Rosatom in the halted Belene nuclear power plant project to analyze the dynamics of policy and politics, political-economic ideologies and historical legacies in the formation of national stances towards Russia as a sovereign investor. Our research contributes to the emerging literature on FDI protectionism and sovereign investment by emphasizing the significance of political-ideological divides and the heritage of the past as determinants of sovereign investment protectionism

Le tourisme autochtone en milieu urbain : le cas de Wendake, une communauté amérindienne au Québec

Cette thèse traite du développement du tourisme urbain dans la communauté huronne de Wendake, située en périphérie de la ville de Québec. Le thème du tourisme autochtone urbain est abordé à partir d'une approche interdisciplinaire et en utilisant les méthodes de la recherche qualitative. Dans ce travail, nous cherchons à identifier la place de Wendake en tant que destination touristique dans l'espace touristique de la ville de Québec et à décrire l'état actuel du développement touristique chez les Autochtones de la province de Québec en général. De plus, nous voulons comprendre le rôle de la ville dans la formation de Wendake en tant que pôle touristique et enfin saisir l'impact de l'industrie touristique sur le développement de la communauté huronne. Comme résultat de notre recherche, nous proposons un panorama des destinations touristiques autochtones et une analyse spatiale des types d'activités touristiques en milieu autochtone, des entraves à son développement et de ses perspectives d'avenir. D'un autre côté, nous analysons la ville en tant que terre d'accueil de l'industrie touristique et la genèse des pôles touristiques en milieu urbain. Enfin, nous observons l'évolution de Wendake dans un contexte urbain et les incidences de celui-ci sur le développement touristique dans la communauté. En conclusion, on peut affirmer que Wendake représente une des plus fortes destinations touristiques autochtones au Québec grâce à ses traditions d'accueil et à l'influence bénéfique que la ville joue pour son développement. La réserve apparaît en tant que pôle ethnique, secondaire et non concurrentiel au pôle principal dans l'espace touristique de la ville de Québec. C'est un pôle composite de type culture/nature/d'affaires avec une prédominance culturelle. Sur une échelle locale, en périphérie urbaine, il s'avère un pôle principal pour son environnement immédiat autour duquel sont en train de s'ordonner d'autres aires touristiques. Dans la morphologie de la réserve, il existe deux pôles majeurs, l'un de type évolutif et l'autre de type conceptuel. Ils sont concurrentiels mais cohabitent d'une manière non conflictuelle. Quant à la question du développement et des impacts du tourisme sur les communautés réceptrices, on découvre que le tourisme, pour la communauté huronne, est tout à la fois un moyen de stabilisation économique et d'affirmation identitaire. La majorité des activités touristiques ainsi que les travaux d'aménagement sont inspirés de la culture traditionnelle huronne. Le réaménagement du coeur historique a pour but d'embellir et de façonner le paysage « à l'autochtone », de le singulariser pour mettre en valeur la culture huronne. Cela est fait dans le but de se démarquer de l'espace banlieusard de la ville de Québec tout en se distinguant des autres cultures autochtones. De cette façon, en se particularisant, la communauté, qui a une position centrale, entend s'imposer comme capitale administrative et culturelle pour l'ensemble des Autochtones de la province. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Tourisme, Ville, Autochtones, Tourisme autochtone, Tourisme urbain, Pôle touristique, Identité, Ethnicité, Développement économique, Aménagement, Tourisme culturel, City, Urban tourism, Aboriginal tourism, Identity, Ethnicity

Insertion as an alternative to workfare: active labour-market schemes in the Parisian suburbs

Many governments have tightened the link between welfare and work by attaching conditionality to out-of-work benefits, extending these requirements to new client groups, and imposing market competition and greater managerial control in service delivery – principles typically characterised as ‘workfare’. Based on field research in Seine-Saint-Denis, we examine French ‘insertion’ schemes aimed at disadvantaged but potentially job-ready clients, characterized by weak conditionality, low marketization, strong professional autonomy, and local network control. We show that insertion systems have resisted policy attempts to expand workfare-derived principles, reflecting street-level actors’ belief in the key advantages of the former over the latter. In contrast with arguments stressing institutional and cultural stickiness, our explanation for this resistance thus highlights the decentralized network governance of front-line services and the limits to central government power