Format development and retail change: supermarket retailing and the London Co-operative Society

This article argues that students of retail history need to give more attention to the idea of the retail format. Employing a conceptualisation of the format recently presented in contemporary retail studies, it reveals the importance of so-called 'offering' and 'know-how' components to a fuller understanding of the development of the supermarket format in post-war Britain. Supermarket development is shown to be affected by, and itself impact on, a complex interplay of factors. Arguments presented in the article are supported by a detailed examination of supermarket development at the London Co-operative Society between 1960 and 1965. The paper thus also contributes to our knowledge of the history of co-operative retailing in the post-war period.supermarket, self-service retailing, retail format, co-operative societies, retail change,

From mathematics and education, to mathematics education

This chapter takes a historical view of the development of mathematics education, from its initial status as a business mostly managed by mathematicians to the birth of mathematics education as a scientific field of research. The role of mathematical communication is analyzed through the growth of journals and research conferences. Actions of internationalization and cooperation in facing instructional and educational problems are illustrated with reference to the journal L\u2019Enseignement Math\ue9matique and to ICMI. Curricular and methodological reforms in the 20th century which generated changes in school mathematics are considered. Starting from the acknowledgement that research in mathematics education demands more than the traditional focus on discussing curricular options at distinct grade levels, we identified several specialized clusters, debating specific issues related to mathematics education at an international level. We grouped the clusters into three main areas: relationships with psychology, the study of social, cultural and political dimensions, and the relevance of a theory for mathematics education