Ethan Kronsnoble | London School of Economics and Political Science (original) (raw)

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Papers by Ethan Kronsnoble

Research paper thumbnail of Fashion Conglomeration and Italian Absence: A Cross-National Study of the French and Italian Fashion Industries

The London School of Economics , 2024

Beginning in the 1980s, conglomeration through formation of multi-brand holding-companies arose i... more Beginning in the 1980s, conglomeration through formation of multi-brand holding-companies arose in France, however this firm organizational process was not replicated in Italy among top-tier billion-euro brands in its comparable in-size fashion industry. The traditional family-owned ‘fashion house’ was previously thought to be incompatible with scale economy networks, however this was disproved by the rise of Inditex in Spain, LVMH and Kering in France and Richemont in Switzerland. These conglomerates have continued to expand through M&A activity, turning into highly profitable luxury goods empires of great vitality to their respective economies, and turning their chairmen into some of the wealthiest individuals in the world. This study will take a multidisciplinary approach in analyzing a vast array of industry, banking, financial and nuanced cultural differences between Italy and France, and how this hindered conglomeration in Italy, while enabling it early-on with great success in France. Unlike most studies attributing the above fact solely to institutional factors within the fashion industry (e.g. spatial proximity, licensing traditions, divisional branches), this study asserts the most direct difference between the two was in M&A advisory and the financial markets; these two ‘outside’ variables facilitated the rise of LVMH and Kering. Nevertheless the institutional factor played a large role in this story, as did other industry factors such as those in textiles (large groups versus SMEs). This dissertation will seek to answer an important chapter in recent business history that has both piqued public curiosity while remaining underexplored in academia.

Research paper thumbnail of The Turkic, Georgian and Armenian reception of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh

University of St Andrews, 2020

Ferdowsi's Shahnameh ("book of kings"; c. 1010) was not only popular and of consequence in Iran, ... more Ferdowsi's Shahnameh ("book of kings"; c. 1010) was not only popular and of consequence in Iran, where it helped preserve the Persian-language and millennia of Iranian folkloric tales in-writing; Shahnameh gained traction amongst Iran's foreign neighbors through the incorporation of Iranian-style story-telling, legends and heroes from the national epic. Captivating and entertaining tales, often accompanied by themed social gatherings and evening recitation sessions, inspired mythical story-telling among Turks, Armenians and Georgians alike. This paper discusses how that came to be, what each group lacked and which traditions they sought to emulate through the value of story-telling in the middle ages.

Research paper thumbnail of The Rise of Bolshevism in South Ossetia: an Overlooked Episode of the Civil War

University of St Andrews, 2022

This dissertation offers a close examination of the background and significance of the three Bols... more This dissertation offers a close examination of the background and significance of the three Bolshevik-inspired rebellions in South Ossetia that gripped Menshevik Georgia from the years 1918-1920. The origins and place of the rebellions within the context of the larger Russian Civil War (1917-1921) will be explored. Particular focus is placed on the Ossetian reception of Bolshevism and North-South Divide, and the influence of the latter on political developments in South Ossetia, since this feature has been commonly overlooked in the cited scholarly work. Lastly, a close analysis is offered of the complexities of identity in the late Russian Empire among linguistically Russified minorities, such as Ossetians, and the evolution of peripheral Bolshevism. Above all, this dissertation aims to challenge misconceptions and regional historiography, and offer a critical assessment in its place.

Research paper thumbnail of Fashion Conglomeration and Italian Absence: A Cross-National Study of the French and Italian Fashion Industries

The London School of Economics , 2024

Beginning in the 1980s, conglomeration through formation of multi-brand holding-companies arose i... more Beginning in the 1980s, conglomeration through formation of multi-brand holding-companies arose in France, however this firm organizational process was not replicated in Italy among top-tier billion-euro brands in its comparable in-size fashion industry. The traditional family-owned ‘fashion house’ was previously thought to be incompatible with scale economy networks, however this was disproved by the rise of Inditex in Spain, LVMH and Kering in France and Richemont in Switzerland. These conglomerates have continued to expand through M&A activity, turning into highly profitable luxury goods empires of great vitality to their respective economies, and turning their chairmen into some of the wealthiest individuals in the world. This study will take a multidisciplinary approach in analyzing a vast array of industry, banking, financial and nuanced cultural differences between Italy and France, and how this hindered conglomeration in Italy, while enabling it early-on with great success in France. Unlike most studies attributing the above fact solely to institutional factors within the fashion industry (e.g. spatial proximity, licensing traditions, divisional branches), this study asserts the most direct difference between the two was in M&A advisory and the financial markets; these two ‘outside’ variables facilitated the rise of LVMH and Kering. Nevertheless the institutional factor played a large role in this story, as did other industry factors such as those in textiles (large groups versus SMEs). This dissertation will seek to answer an important chapter in recent business history that has both piqued public curiosity while remaining underexplored in academia.

Research paper thumbnail of The Turkic, Georgian and Armenian reception of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh

University of St Andrews, 2020

Ferdowsi's Shahnameh ("book of kings"; c. 1010) was not only popular and of consequence in Iran, ... more Ferdowsi's Shahnameh ("book of kings"; c. 1010) was not only popular and of consequence in Iran, where it helped preserve the Persian-language and millennia of Iranian folkloric tales in-writing; Shahnameh gained traction amongst Iran's foreign neighbors through the incorporation of Iranian-style story-telling, legends and heroes from the national epic. Captivating and entertaining tales, often accompanied by themed social gatherings and evening recitation sessions, inspired mythical story-telling among Turks, Armenians and Georgians alike. This paper discusses how that came to be, what each group lacked and which traditions they sought to emulate through the value of story-telling in the middle ages.

Research paper thumbnail of The Rise of Bolshevism in South Ossetia: an Overlooked Episode of the Civil War

University of St Andrews, 2022

This dissertation offers a close examination of the background and significance of the three Bols... more This dissertation offers a close examination of the background and significance of the three Bolshevik-inspired rebellions in South Ossetia that gripped Menshevik Georgia from the years 1918-1920. The origins and place of the rebellions within the context of the larger Russian Civil War (1917-1921) will be explored. Particular focus is placed on the Ossetian reception of Bolshevism and North-South Divide, and the influence of the latter on political developments in South Ossetia, since this feature has been commonly overlooked in the cited scholarly work. Lastly, a close analysis is offered of the complexities of identity in the late Russian Empire among linguistically Russified minorities, such as Ossetians, and the evolution of peripheral Bolshevism. Above all, this dissertation aims to challenge misconceptions and regional historiography, and offer a critical assessment in its place.