Search

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhg.2006.04.021 Byline: Mark Brayshay (a), Mark Cleary (a), John Selwood (b) Abstract: This paper explores the character, density and likely importance of connections between directors of a sample of 12 early-twentieth century British multinational companies. Drawing on the notion of 'gentlemanly capitalism', a reconstruction of multiple and interlocking directorships for 1899-1900 and 1929-1930 indicates that a complex network existed that comprised links, respectively, to 255 and 497 companies. We explore the social, cultural and political characteristics of the directors of our sample and argue that the ways in which members of this group interacted with each other would have influenced business attitudes, facilitated transfers of knowledge and promoted interdependencies, thereby shaping commercial behaviour. We argue that the directors of early multinationals formed the kind of definable 'power geometries' within the wider corporate elite that have been identified amongst today's business elites. Our results indicate that a distinct and increasingly dynamic multinational corporate community existed in the early 1900s, which was in many respects like its modern counterparts. A key finding is that the complexity of dyadic connections between directors and their personal networks of contacts increased markedly between 1899-1900 and 1929-1930. Author Affiliation: (a) School of Geography, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA, UK (b) Department of Geography, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9, Canada

Group Settlements characterised settlement in the Shire of Denmark, Western Australia, in the 1920's, although much land was abandoned before 1940 and further development did not recommence until the 1960's with in-migration. A study of 217 blocks measuring an average of 150 acres shows the occurrence of land alienation since 1900. Each block shows a widely differing rate of family persistence. Remaining families generally moved short distances to abandoned or newly acquired holdings to create a gradual settlement pattern in the region which was previously characterized by dense forest.

Created in 1997, the Nike Project40/Generation Adidas program encourages soccer players to leave college early to sign professional contracts with Major League Soccer teams, guaranteeing them a 3-year salary with two one-year options. In theory, if the best players are being chosen to this program each year, they should be outperforming those who are drafted to MLS teams but are not a part of the program. By comparing the top draft picks within and outside the program, researchers hoped to determine whether Nike/Adidas players were having a different impact on the league than their counterparts. Results showed that, of 15 statistical categories analyzed, only three resulted in a statistically significant difference between groups. Though Nike/Adidas players were outperforming players who were not a part of the program, they were not doing so at a rate to justify the claim that they have a greater impact on the league. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]