Objets particuliers sur andouillers de cerf provenant d’habitats néolithiques lacustres suisses

Des objets très particuliers aménagés sur andouillers de cervidés (moins d’une dizaine de pièces connues), pourtant mentionnés dès le XIXe siècle, n’avaient jusqu’à présent jamais été publiés de manière détaillée. Nous proposons dans cet article quelques hypothèses d’utilisation de ces artefacts, utilisés aux IVe et IIIe millénaires en contexte d’habitat, dans une zone géographique bien définie : la région des Trois Lacs en Suisse occidentale. Des parallèles avec un instrument en os provenant de la fouille de Paris-Bercy et avec une série de poignées de portage inuit, utilisées jusqu’au milieu du XXe siècle, complétées par une première approche tracéologique, donnent des pistes de recherches pour définir la fonction de ce type d’objets à l’époque néolithique.Very specific objects made from cervid antler tines (less than a dozen known pieces), mentioned as early as the 19th century, have until now never been published in detail. In this article, we propose a few hypotheses for the function of these artifacts, used in the 4th and 3rd millennia in settlement contexts in a well-defined geographic zone : the Three-Lakes region in western Switzerland. Parallels with a bone artifact from the site of Paris-Bercy, and with a set of Inuit carrying handles used until the middle of the 20th century, complemented by a preliminary use wear analysis, provide research directions to identify the function of this type of object during the Neolithic period.Sehr eigenartige Artefakte aus Hirschgeweih (es sind weniger als 10 solcher Artefakte bekannt) waren, obwohl bereits im 19. Jh. erwähnt, bis heute nie im Detail veröffentlicht worden. Im vorliegenden Artikel schlagen wir einige Hypothesen zur Verwendung dieser Artefakte vor, die im 4. und 3. Jahrtausend in den Siedlungskontexten einer geographisch klar definierten Zone, dem Drei-Seen-Land in der Westschweiz, benutzt wurden. Für diese Hirschgeweihartefakte sind folgende Parallelen bekannt: ein Fund aus der Grabung von Paris-Bercy und eine Reihe von Traggriffen der Inuit, die bis Mitte des 20. Jh. benutzt wurden. Eine Gebrauchsspurenanalyse wurde durchgeführt, um die Funktion dieses Typs von Artefakt in neolithischer Zeit zu definieren

Corporate governance and national institutions: A review and emerging research agenda

We present a critique of corporate governance research grounded in agency theory and propose that cross-national comparison of corporate governance should consider how the nature and extent of agency relationships differ across different institutional contexts. Building on prior governance studies grounded in sociology and organizational theory we argue that performance outcomes of boards of directors, ownership concentration, and executive incentives may differ depending on the legal system and institutional characteristics in a specific country. Institutions may also affect the extent of complimentarity/substitution among different firm-level governance practices producing patterned variations in firm-level governance mechanisms. Our discussion suggests that researchers need to develop more holistic, institutionally embedded governance framework to analyze organizational outcomes of various governance practices

Nothing New in the (North) East? Interpreting the Rhetoric and Reality of Japanese Corporate Governance

Japan finally seems to be pulling itself out of its lost decade (and a half) of economic stagnation. Some grudgingly or triumphantly attribute this to micro-economic reforms, freeing up arthritic markets, although there is also evidence that macro-economic policy failures have been a major cause of poor performance since the 1990s. Many point to overlapping transformations in corporate governance, broadly defined to cover relationships among managers and employees as well as between firms and outside shareholders, creditors, and other stakeholders. These relationships are in flux, with moves arguably favouring shareholders and more market-driven control mechanisms. It has certainly been a found decade for law reform in Japan, particularly in corporate law, with a plethora of legislative amendments commencing around 1993 and culminating in the enactment of a consolidated Company Law in 2005. This modernisation project, particularly since 2001, is reportedly aimed at (i) securing better corporate governance, (ii) bringing the law into line with a highly-developed information society, (iii) liberalising fundraising measures, (iv) bringing corporate law into line with the internationalization of corporate activity, and (v) modernizing terms and consolidating corporate law. Because the suite of revisions has moved away from strict mandatory rules set out originally in Japan\u27s Commercial Code of 1899, modeled primarily on German law, another growing perception is that Japanese corporate law and practice is or will soon be converging significantly on US models. However, assessments remain divided as to whether these moves in corporate governance and capitalism more generally in Japan amount to a new paradigm or regime shift . Focusing primarily on quite influential commentary in English, Part I of this paper outlines two pairs of views. It concludes that the most plausible assessment is of significant but gradual transformation towards a more market-driven approach, evident also in other advanced political economies. Drawing more generally from these often virulently divided views, Part II sets out five ways forward through the proliferating literature and source material on corporate governance in Japan. Particular care must be taken in: (i) selecting the temporal timeframe, (ii) selecting countries to compare, (iii) balancing black-letter law and broader socio-economic context, (iv) reflecting on and disclosing normative preferences, and (v) giving weight to processes as well as outcomes, when assessing change in Japan - and any other country\u27s governance system. Part III ends with a call for further research particularly on law- and policy-producing processes, rather than mainly outcomes. It also outlines the usefulness of this analytical framework for analysing the broader field of Corporate Social Responsibility, now emerging as the next major area of debate and transformation in Japan - as elsewhere

Temperature evolution inside a pot during experimental surface (bonfire) firing

Time–temperature evolutions of different parts inside a pot were recorded during three experimental surface (bonfire) firings. The experimental vessels were shaped from a calcareous clay, tempered with 30% vol. of oolithic limestone. The temperature–time recording showed: (1) Tmax. was reached after 12–22 min and differed between the firings as well as inside individual vessels; (2) the range of the thermal variation within one single firing was found to be as high as 390 °C, and up to 220 °C on a specific cross-section; (3) the lowest temperature was not systematically recorded in the core of the object, as is generally expected. Under the polarizing microscope, no textural and mineralogical changes were observed in the ceramic bodies. This is sustained by powder X-ray diffraction analyses evidencing no dolomite or calcite breakdown. The presence or absence of specific illite and chlorite peaks can be generally related to Tmax. and soaking time, but equivalent firing temperature estimations do not match the measured temperatures

La dendrochronologie et l'interprétation des structures d'habitat néolitiques. L'exemple de Montilier/Platzbünden (Lac de Morat, Suisse)

Ramseyer Denis. La dendrochronologie et l'interprétation des structures d'habitat néolitiques. L'exemple de Montilier/Platzbünden (Lac de Morat, Suisse). In: Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, tome 82, n°1, 1985. pp. 20-32

Les harpons néolithiques d'Europe occidentale

Ramseyer Denis. Les harpons néolithiques d'Europe occidentale. In: Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, tome 85, n°4, 1988. pp. 115-122