The Enthusiast’s Eye: The Value of Unsanctioned Knowledge in Design Historical Scholarship

If design history research relies solely on institutionalized documentation and academic scholarship – that is, sanctioned knowledge – not only will its purview be limited to a very narrow segment of design culture, it will also lose out on a vast array of sources to valuable knowledge about our material environment produced by amateurs, collectors, and enthusiasts – what we in this article define as “unsanctioned knowledge.” Because of its dissociation with professional institutions and academic protocols and their – albeit admittedly utopian, but nonetheless upheld – ideals of objectivity, this type of knowledge is typically considered fundamentally subjective in nature and therefore of little or no relevance and value to academic scholarship. In this article, we argue that, to the contrary, design historical scholarship has much to gain from engaging more seriously with the unsanctioned knowledge represented by the enthusiast's eye

Diastereo- and Enantioselective Pd(II)-Catalyzed Additions of 2-Alkylazaarenes to N-Boc Imines and Nitroalkenes

A chiral Pd(II)–bis(oxazoline) complex was found to be highly effective in promoting the first direct diastereo- and enantioselective addition of alkylazaarenes to N-Boc aldimines and nitroalkenes under mild conditions. Deprotection of Boc-protected products proceeded readily to provide amines in high yields

Ethics, Social Responsibility and Tax Aggressiveness. Can a Code of Ethics Absolve a Company?

The aim of the paper is to contribute to the debate on the relationship between ethics, socially responsible behaviour and tax aggressiveness through the analysis and discussion of a case study.The case presented in this paper concerns a famous Italian fashion house, well known all over the world, which in recent times was tried in court for a tax inversion operation. D&G Group was involved in a long legal trial, whose outcome has given rise to many discussions. The story definitely ended, and after the final trial the Group was judged innocent. However, this case raised a fervent debate that is still ongoing, and it gives the opportunity to discuss some important issues: What is the boundary between legality and ethics in tax behaviour? Can a company claim to adhere to ethical principles if it adopts aggressive tax practices? Can aggressive tax behaviours be acceptable from an ethical point of view?The case also opens questions related to the boundaries between the responsibilities of directors/managers and institutional responsibilities, at both national and supranational level