This article deploys the concept of multiple monarchy as a means of reassessing the constitutional relationship between Scotland and England from the union of the crowns in 1603 to the union of parliaments in 1707. It argues that the Scots' belief in their kingdom's historic independence, symbolised by the Stuart dynasty itself, led them to conceive of the union with England as one of equals, but that such parity of status and esteem was rendered unsustainable by inequalities of population and resources that became more marked as the century progressed. Reviewing the implications of a century of religious and constitutional upheaval, it argues that the Revolution of 1689-90 created an unworkable constitutional settlement founded on the sovereignty of the crown in two parliaments rather than one and that this was resolved in 1707 by the creation of a unitary British state, built on the illusion of equality and partnership, but enshrining English dominance.
One of the most enduring concepts in the history of marketing thought relates to the classification of consumer goods. The product classification theory first proposed by Melvyn T. Copeland in 1923 has, with little modification, survived to the present day, and continues to be endorsed by both the American Marketing Association and the UK Chartered Institute of Marketing some 80 years after it was first published. In truth, Copeland's classification is now outdated and bears little, if any, relevance to modern product advertising, retailing and consumption. In particular, it can not accommodate the fact that, in modern societies, consumer preoccupations with style, personal identity and status have meant that the social characteristics of goods, heavily promoted by brand managers who understand their markets, are key determinants of consumer choice and buyer behaviour. This article explores the reasons why product classification theory has been unresponsive to changes in market conditions over so many years and argues that its failure to embrace the many social influences on consumption and on consumer behaviour is now its most serious weakness.
This paper considers the adoption of an entrepreneurial orientation as a paradigm for companies operating in a complex and turbulent environment, viewing the environment as a complex and turbulent system in terms of chaos theory. Approaches suggested by chaos theory are compared with the entrepreneurial orientation to identify if such an orientation matches these suggested approaches. Literature on chaos theory and entrepreneurship is compared, and a short case is presented, providing an illustration of how a company operating successfully in a complex and turbulent environment has used the principles of an entrepreneurial orientation. The paper identifies considerable similarity between the management approaches suggested by chaos theory and the principles of the entrepreneurial orientation, indicating that chaos theory may provide the theoretical underpinning of the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and turbulent environments. The case also shows how an entrepreneurial orientation has been successfully used in a complex and turbulent environment. The conclusion is that companies operating in a complex and turbulent environment could benefit from adopting an entrepreneurial orientation.
Although observers from around the world have suggested that the 'Kosovo problem', particularly if it resulted in independence, had the potential to unsettle world politics, this is simply not likely. We argue that the Kosovo case is so unique that it is not an exemplar for international affairs. In other words, due to factors such as the scale of international investment, security commitments, and great power tutelage and recognition, Kosovo just 'doesn't matter' as a model for other separatist movements. That being said, we conclude with at least one feature of the long-running Kosovo intervention that has become an important pattern in US diplomacy -- the liberation of average Muslim citizens from tyranny. Adapted from the source document.
This article examines the potential of space science technology for water infrastructure (WI) management. It defines space technology in detail, and when South Africa (SA) started using it as a tool. To explain the context, the different types of orbits, altitudes, and functions of satellites are given, as well as the challenges that satellites encounter in orbit, including the quantity and sizes of orbital debris also known as space junk. The article articulates the international and local challenges to WI and further introduces space technology as a tool that can assist to overcome the challenges. Legislation governing the application of space technology in SA is discussed and the different satellites owned by the various space agencies of Africa are outlined. A discussion on how space technology has boosted the economies and employment in Africa and South Africa is provided. How the various applications of the technology, such as remote sensing (RS), Earth observation (Eo), Geo-Information sciences, navigation, communication, safety, and security can assist WI management are discussed. Details about the involvement of various African and SA universities and colleges in space science programmes that benefit the communities are explained. Also outlined are some experiments performed on the International Space Station (ISS) that benefit the Earth and that could be useful to WI management.
Partial or non-recognition of the influence of interpersonal relationships at work could impair the growth, diffusion and success of retail business. For instance, South African retailers have been taking advantage of the retail revolution in Africa to reach the rest of the continent with products and services. Therefore, to examine the interpersonal relationships among supervisors and subordinates in this sector for its contribution to individual and organizational outcomes is important. This paper examines the influence of individual interpersonal relationships on employee performance at work. A mixed method approach was adopted and self-reporting questionnaires were administered to 167 supervisors and 144 subordinate workers of four retail companies that participated in the study. The survey instrument contained both closed-ended and open-ended questions to enable a concurrent collection of data. The quantitative data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 22, while qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. It was found that the relationship between interpersonal relationships and employee performance for the supervisors was weak, while a less significant relationship was observed among the variables for the subordinate workers. The qualitative analysis offered explanations for the weakness and dissociation among interpersonal relationships and employee performance