From Canadian Corporate Elite to Transnational Capitalist Class: Transitions in the Organization of Corporate Power*

Cet article se penche sur un programme de recherche qui a consigné les transitions qui ont été effectuées dans l'élite de l'entreprise canadienne et qui a enquêté dernièrement sur la formation d'une classe capitaliste transnationale. Le programme s'est concentré sur l'organisation sociale du pouvoir des grandes sociétés sous ses aspects à la fois cumulatifs et hégémoniques, telle qu'elle a été retrouvée par le réeseau des conseils d'administration interdépendants dans les plus grandes entreprises. Des événements récents au Canada illustrent les transitions qui semblent indispensables a la forme financière de l'accumulation et aux « politiques axées sur le marché» caractérisant le capitalisme néolibéral Dans l'ensemble, l'analyse du réseau démontre que la classe capitaliste transnationale ne se trouve qu'à l'état naissant malgré l'organisation sociale fournie par les réseaux internationaux et les groupes de planification de politiques mondiaux. This article reflects on a research program that has mapped transitions in the Canadian corporate elite and has more recently investigated the formation of a transnational capitalist class. The program has focussed on the social organization of corporate power in both its accumulative and hegemonic aspects, as traced by the network of interlwkmg directorates among the largest fms. Recent developments in Canada exempw transitions that seem integral to the fmancialized form of accumulation and the “market‐driven politics” that characterize neo‐liberal capitalism. Globally, network analysis shows the transnational capitalist class to be only nascent, despite the social organization provided by transnational interlocks and global policy‐planning groups.     

The Online Poker Sub-Culture: Dialogues, Interactions and Networks

This paper examines the distinct world of online poker. It outlines the online poker eco-system, and the players which inhabit it, their distinctive attitudes and behaviors towards the game and gambling. These unique patterns of behavior have been created and sustained by the interaction of players within online poker forums. Therefore online poker forums were identified as primary mechanism within which a poker sub-culture may exist. The study conducted an extensive netnography of online poker forums. The study found that within the online poker eco-system there are forums which are elevated to sacred status amongst this online poker sub-culture. The members of these forums enact sub-cultural characteristics such as ethos of collaboration/cooperation, and a competitive hierarchy of status. In particular this paper identifies the importance of identity generation, and communities within the online poker eco-system.     

Testing in semiparametric models with interaction, with applications to gene–environment interactions

Summary.  Motivated from the problem of testing for genetic effects on complex traits in the presence of gene–environment interaction, we develop score tests in general semiparametric regression problems that involves Tukey style 1 degree-of-freedom form of interaction between parametrically and non-parametrically modelled covariates. We find that the score test in this type of model, as recently developed by Chatterjee and co-workers in the fully parametric setting, is biased and requires undersmoothing to be valid in the presence of non-parametric components. Moreover, in the presence of repeated outcomes, the asymptotic distribution of the score test depends on the estimation of functions which are defined as solutions of integral equations, making implementation difficult and computationally taxing. We develop profiled score statistics which are unbiased and asymptotically efficient and can be performed by using standard bandwidth selection methods. In addition, to overcome the difficulty of solving functional equations, we give easy interpretations of the target functions, which in turn allow us to develop estimation procedures that can be easily implemented by using standard computational methods. We present simulation studies to evaluate type I error and power of the method proposed compared with a naive test that does not consider interaction. Finally, we illustrate our methodology by analysing data from a case–control study of colorectal adenoma that was designed to investigate the association between colorectal adenoma and the candidate gene NAT2 in relation to smoking history.     

The Business Case for Corporate Social Responsibility: A Review of Concepts, Research and Practice

In this review, the primary subject is the 'business case' for corporate social responsibility (CSR). The business case refers to the underlying arguments or rationales supporting or documenting why the business community should accept and advance the CSR 'cause'. The business case is concerned with the primary question: What do the business community and organizations get out of CSR? That is, how do they benefit tangibly from engaging in CSR policies, activities and practices? The business case refers to the bottom-line financial and other reasons for businesses pursuing CSR strategies and policies. In developing this business case, the paper first provides some historical background and perspective. In addition, it provides a brief discussion of the evolving understandings of CSR and some of the long-established, traditional arguments that have been made both for and against the idea of business assuming any responsibility to society beyond profit-seeking and maximizing its own financial well-being. Finally, the paper addresses the business case in more detail. The goal is to describe and summarize what the business case means and to review some of the concepts, research and practice that have come to characterize this developing idea.     

Evaluation of therapeutic play: a challenge for research

There is increased pressure on practitioners offering therapy to troubled children to provide evidence of efficacy of their interventions. However, current research has not yet provided the necessary evidence. There are considerable difficulties creating a quantitative research design which excludes all relevant variables and produces unequivocal data. Quantitative research, which mainly takes the form of narrative case studies, provides ample anecdotal evidence, but there is, as yet, no comprehensive review of these data nor clear conclusions drawn. It is also necessary to consider the purpose of a narrative case study: few claim to be objective or provide a comparative analysis of a given intervention. None of the research currently available includes the opinions of experiences of children.     

Safety culture as an ongoing process: Culture surveys as opportunities for enquiry and change

In their efforts to enhance performance and use resources efficiently the nuclear power industry, along with many other industries, has turned to the improvement of 'culture'. This paper presents an example of one department at a nuclear power plant that faced an apparent problem with its safety culture. This department responded in a creative way that opened up possibilities for self-assessment and learning. In particular, although members of the department used a safety culture survey as a key part of self-assessment, the survey was understood to be an entry point into group interviews and collective discussions with change implications. The safety culture project revealed some surprises about the safety culture and work culture of the plant. In an atmosphere of mostly positive improvements following an earlier crisis, there were some issues that needed management attention. The safety culture survey and group interviews found that safety was not understood consistently and comprehensively, communications up and down the hierarchy were not always effective, and supervisors were being placed in weak positions without the resources to carry out their expanding roles. Management took steps to address these issues and continues to rely on a variety of feedback and communication mechanisms. It tends to hold these survey and enquiry techniques in reserve, as a reactive response when issues arise, although they could also be used as a periodic opportunity for dialogue.