bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Small manufacturing enterprises and exporting in South Africa: a preliminary assessment of key export success factors
Authors: Gumede Vusi , Rasmussen VKamilla
Published: July 2002

This study, applying different statistical techniques on survey data, depicts variables that increase the probability to export of a small enterprise. Our analysis shows that business linkages such as networks, joint ventures and subsidiaries play an important role in increasing the probability to export of small enterprises. In addition to that, access to information, access to capital and the level of education increase the probability of a small enterprise to be an exporter. Consequently, we suggest that a national small business strategy should incorporate an element of networking amongst small enterprises and that small enterprise programs should encourage intermediaries to assist not only with networks but also with international market intelligence.
HRD and microenterprise: socio‐economic capacity building in LDCs
Authors: Geroy Gary D. , Jankovich Jackie , Hyden Thomas J. , Wright Phillip C.
Published: July 2002

Microenterprise can be defined as development from the bottom‐up. Many current economic intervention practices stem from the failed economic policies of developed nations, which rely primarily on structural adjustment as the dominant aspect of international (money lending‐based) support for development. This approach is still popular, even while the number of people in the world who fall below the poverty level is increasing. HRD microenterprise processes concentrate on empowering individuals to take ownership of their means of subsistence and development, while working towards an end, because they care about the goals and own the processes to achieve these goals. HRD microenterprise processes facilitate participation by ensuring that all stakeholders will be heard in the decision‐making processes, thus decreasing dependency. The microenterprise phenomenon, however, does not consist of unfamiliar activities; much of what is described in this paper is integral to well‐established Human Resource Development processes, ethics and values, utilized in developed countries.
Theoretical considerations of employee empowerment within computer integrated manufacturing production
Authors: McEwan Anne Marie , Sackett Peter
Published: July 2002

Global business pressures have forced manufacturers to restructure design and production processes, adopting radically different management practices to gain competitive advantage. Employee empowerment continues to receive attention as a means of effectively appropriating and deploying human skills and knowledge. Employees are seen as critical components of the innovation‐led model of manufacturing which is evolving in response to unstable markets. This paper explores the concept of empowerment and conditions for its effective realisation in Computer Integrated Manufacturing production. Existing theory which underpins the authors’ view of empowerment is considered as a framework to facilitate further investigation of empowerment in Computer Integrated Manufacturing.
Down with diversity (at least some of it): a case for cultural identity
Authors: Denton Keith D.
Published: July 2002

Analyses the power of cultural identity and its role in society. Considers the issue of diversity and its role in the building of unified communities, both within organizations and society at large.
Creating new futures in turbulent times
Authors: Alexander Cheryl
Published: July 2002

Argues from the point of view of the executive search professional that in this era of the global economy, individuals in the workplace should think proactively about their skills sets and experiences. Suggests that an awareness of the changing world of work and a proactive approach will enable individuals to be more flexible in meeting demands from the marketplace. Argues that in order to survive and flourish in the face of rapid organizational change, individuals will need to demonstrate an entrepreneurial attitude and a willingness to take risks. Proposes a number of ways in which individuals may begin to adopt this entrepreneurial attitude and take increasing responsibility for their own work lives.
Constitutive meaning and aspects of work environment affecting creativity in Lebanon
Authors: Mikdashi Tarik
Published: July 2002

This paper seeks to investigate the constitutive meaning of creativity as a construct through the relation between creativity and other constructs and to assess the possible effects of organizational climate on managers’ creativity in Lebanon. The present study examines the construct validity of the KEYS instrument in order to gain further insights into the factors stimulating or hindering creativity in Lebanon and to create an environment infrastructure that encourages and reinforces creativity in developing countries.
Benchmarking the best practices of non‐corporate R&D organizations
Authors: Nath Pradosh , Mrinalini N.
Published: July 2002

Presents an illustrative example of a benchmarking exercise for non‐corporate R&D organizations. Drawing from a global study of 60 R&D organizations from around the world, the benchmarking practice for identification of processes, practices and best practices is examined. Focuses primarily on R&D‐industry linkage – a nagging problem, particularly relevant for non‐corporate R&D organizations. Processes like project selection, human resource development and knowledge delivery systems are functionally related to R&D‐industry linkage and therefore constitute the main body of the benchmarking exercise. It has been argued that the basic organizational principle behind successful R&D is partnership between R&D organizations and users of the research results. Practices under each of the selected processes, therefore, have to be examined in the light of this basic organizational principle. Argues that, to achieve this, actionable accuracy is more important than quantitative indicators for identification of best practices.
The theory and practice of benchmarking: then and now
Authors: Yasin Mahmoud M.
Published: July 2002

The literature related to benchmarking practices and theory was reviewed from 1986 to 2000. The earlier stages of benchmarking developments stressed a process and/or activity orientation. Recently, however, the scope of benchmarking appears to have expanded to include strategies and systems. Despite recent advancements, the field of benchmarking still suffers from the lack of theoretical developments which are badly needed to guide its multi‐faceted applications.
Benchmarking manufacturing planning and control (MPC) systems
Authors: Chan Joseph W.K. , Burns N.D.
Published: July 2002

Examines the manufacturing planning and control (MPC) systems in three supply chain environments in Hong Kong, based on a questionnaire survey. Studies five MPC modules: master production scheduling; capacity requirements planning; material planning; purchasing; and inventory control. Studies the performance of each MPC module. The supply chain environments that are taken into consideration include agile, leagile, and lean. Based on a weighted organizational performance index, the sample organizations are segregated into three groups: high, average, and low performers. For each of the performance groups, benchmarks the performance ratings of the MPC system and its five modules, subject to different supply chain environments. Concludes that: MPC system performance really has a positive effect upon organization performance; four of the proposed benchmarking modules of the MPC systems can be used to assess an organization’s strengths and weaknesses with regard to their use in planning and control of manufacture; and supply chain strategy may associate with the MPC system performance.
Benchmarking at TNT Express
Authors: Zairi Mohamed
Published: July 2002

Focuses on TNT Express (UK), part of the worldwide transportation group. Notes that TNT was joint winner of the inaugural 1994 UK Quality Award. Considers the role of quality at TNT and how it is achieved. Features the role of elements such as benchmarking surveys and performance league tables. Concludes that the momentum for continuous improvement within the company is ongoing and stems from enthusiasm and teamwork.
Benchmarking – best practices: an integrated approach
Authors: Bhutta Khurrum S. , Huq Faizul
Published: July 2002

The essence of benchmarking is the process of identifying the highest standards of excellence for products, services, or processes, and then making the improvements necessary to reach those standards – commonly called “best practices”. Various companies have adopted benchmarking and customized the methodology to suit their needs. A five‐step benchmarking model is suggested in this paper as a model to be used when undertaking a benchmarking study. Two case studies are enumerated and a comparison presented.
Competitive benchmarking in the air cargo industry: Part III
Authors: Lobo Ingrid , Zairi Mohamed
Published: July 2002

This is the last of a series of three papers discussing a benchmarking project related to the air cargo freight industry. This paper builds on the analysis covered in the second part, by discussing the gaps between various competitors and highlighting the practices that give respective competitors a key advantage in each of the specific areas scrutinised. Considers the areas of leadership, strategic quality planning, human resources management and development, process management, quality results and customer satisfaction. Notes that most organizations studied have put service at the forefront of their competitive approaches.
Disaggregating the travel components in shopping centre choice
Authors: Faishal Ibrahim Muhammad
Published: July 2002

Transport mode attributes have often been neglected in the retailing and transportation literature in retail outlets choice studies. Most of the retailing and transportation literature has only adopted the traditional measures of deterrence, namely, travel time, distance and/or travel cost. Similar phenomena exist in real estate research, particularly in real estate market analysis and valuation. However, a few studies have shown that other attributes of the travel component, such as comfort, reliability of transport mode, etc., are significant in affecting shopping centres’ patronage. With the heightening of issues such as sustainable development and environmental pollution, many governments are gearing to provide greater choices and better quality public transport modes to shopping centres. Therefore, with more transport options, shoppers are likely to consider the characteristics of each transport option in greater detail in their choice of shopping centres. Therefore, in view of this widespread phenomenon, it is timely to provide greater understanding of the travel components in shopping trips. In the light of the above development, this paper aims to disaggregate the travel components in shopping centre choice. By way of principal component analysis, it presents the salient dimensions of transport attributes and shopping centre characteristics in shopping centre choice. Using the weighted factor rating, it found that, in addition to the shopping centre attributes, as well as the conventional measures of travel components, shoppers consider other travel factors in their choice of shopping centres. This in turn has implications on valuation practices.
Lease Incentives and Effective Rents: A Decapitalization Model
Authors: Jefferies Rodney L.
Published: July 2002

Reviews recent New Zealand legal cases involving CBD office building
leasing incentives, the efficacy of confidentiality agreements and
current practical valuation problems arising when analysing office
rentals. Takes a controversial stand in postulating that customary
methods of decapitalizing incentives in use by the valuation profession
lead to errors in calculating effective rentals. Suggests a new
break‐even method to analyse lease incentives. Presents a
“user‐friendly” step‐by‐step spread‐sheet goal‐seeking model to undertake
the complex calculations required. The model shows graphically the
explicit rental forecasts required and the resulting effective analysis
alongside the results of applying customary methods. Aims to bring some
balance to this area of current valuation controversy and to provide a
powerful new tool to analyse accurately incentive‐induced office, retail
or industrial rentals.
Discounted Asset Rent (DAR) – A New Methodology for Cost Appraisals
Authors: Connellan Owen
Published: July 2002

When valuing “no market” properties using the cost approach, one of the
fundamental problems is the reflection of “age‐related” depreciation in
the appraisal process. The uncritical use of straight‐line depreciation
produces illogical results and a new methodology “discounted assets
rent” (DAR) is introduced to overcome these difficulties: site values
based on existing use should not be depreciated per se in the process. A
new software program (DAR) has incorporated these facilities as a
“user‐friendly” valuation tool.
Reviewing retail rent reviews by audit
Authors: Teale Mark
Published: July 2002

Rising occupational costs, unit shop oversupply and falling retail
sector profits have generated demands for changes to the current
valuation and leasing procedures. Tests the accuracy of rental value
estimation at review by identifying the actual residual value of
occupation to existing tenants, and quantifies demand volume
requirements at different levels of rental increase so that the
interpretation of transactional evidence can be set in an actual demand
volume context by selecting two shopping centres – Brent Cross and
MetroCentre – for audit. Concludes that the long‐running dispute
between landlords and tenants over rent review valuations is a market
information problem that can be resolved only by the release of local
sales data.
The application of citational and co‐citational analysis to the
property discipline
Authors: Mitchell Ian
Published: July 2002

The property industry has undergone significant change since the
early 1980s. These changes include growing demands for
professionalization and the recognition of the utility of property as an
alternative form of investment. Examines the use of citational and
co‐citational analysis to investigate the development of the property
discipline and to detect these types of changes within the literature.
Both citational and co‐citational analysis examine the way in which
authors reference publications to build a greater understanding of the
body of knowledge which underwrites a discipline. Identifies seminal
works and eminent authors, and four areas of specialization within the
property discipline. These are income valuation methods, leasehold
valuation, property investment and the use of expert systems in
residential valuation. Concludes that citational and co‐citational
analysis provide useful techniques to explore and document the
development of the property literature. Provides a preliminary
investigation and a base for future research.
Singapore residential market
Authors: Eng Ong Seow , Ian Chew Teck
Published: July 2002

Property investment requires accurate market forecasts. The use of judgemental forecasting to predict property market performance is well established and widely practised. However, the need to deal with a large number of variables and to assess the impact of structural, exogenous and policy changes makes forecasting an inextricably difficult task, given the limitations of holistic forecasting. Proposes the incorporation of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to translate expert judgement into accurate and meaningful market forecasts. Such an approach facilitates communication of expert judgement and at the same time provides feedback for the expert. Provides a 12‐month forecast of the Singapore residential property market to illustrate the expert judgemental‐AHP approach.
The Australian Institute of Valuers and Land Economists discounted cash flow practice standard
Authors: Boydell Spike , Gronow Stuart
Published: July 2002

The Australian Institute of Valuers and Land Economists Incorporated introduced a mandatory discounted cash flow practice standard on 1 September 1996. Reviews the new standard, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses. Offers early constructive commentary for the refinement of the standard at its 12‐month review. As no such mandatory “practice standard” has yet emerged from the US Appraisal Institute or the UK Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, it is reasonable to assume that these bodies as well as their membership will view the Australian initiative with interest.
Real estate investments in developing countries: reputation, managerialism and monitoring
Authors: Ong Seow‐Eng
Published: July 2002

Proposes a reputation‐based model to examine the managerial investment and liquidation decisions regarding real estate projects in developing countries. Unlike investments in domestic projects, foreign investments are subject to noisy monitoring, resulting in a liquidation inefficiency where managers preserve their reputational capital by not liquidating projects likely to fail as long as negative signals are not revealed to the public. The manager’s decision to invest in foreign countries is influenced not only by the difference between foreign and domestic project returns, but also by the change in reputational capital. Shows that reputation‐based utility maximization can lead to an under‐investment in profitable foreign projects. Government support to invest in foreign countries can reduce the under‐investment problem, but it can also increase the liquidation inefficiency.
Irish commercial property as a portfolio asset: its contribution to risk reduction
Authors: Stevenson Simon A.W.
Published: July 2002

Examines the role of commercial property as a diversification tool in the context of the Irish market. Adjustments are made to the data in order to account for the presence of autocorrelation in the return series, in accordance with the model proposed by Geltner in 1993. The asset allocation tests are run under a number of scenarios, with cash included as an additional low risk asset and constraints imposed on the asset classes examined. Results show that property does improve portfolio performance and lead to a reduction in the risk of the optimal portfolios. Exceptions do however occur when cash is included in the optimal set and when the adjusted property series are used. When constraints are imposed, the minimum allocations required in equities and bonds lead to an increased role in the optimal portfolios for property, with the asset retaining a presence to a higher risk‐return level.
Heuristic use, credit constraints and real estate lending
Authors: Hardin William G.
Published: July 2002

Presents an investigation into the existence of information processing heuristics in two commercial bank lender types that provide investment and construction loans secured by real estate. Expert real estate banking lenders and expert private banking lenders evidenced different, systematic group specific heuristic usage. Heuristics constrained information cue relevancy and affected the lending decision. Expert private banking lenders mitigated real estate risk by using non‐collateral specific information cues. Real estate lending experts did not mitigate real estate market risk and required favourable collateral specific information cues in order to approve a loan. Concludes that access to credit for real estate investment may be limited by lender expertise because the development of expertise mandates restrictive task interpretation and cue relevance.
A review of the factors that affect the value of licensed premises
Authors: Gillham B.J.
Published: July 2002

The licensed property marked has never been busier. However, it is not one market but several. There is a drive by operators of the big theme pubs to acquire more units in retail trading areas where they compete head‐on with retailers and caterers. Valuations reflect not only the huge profits to be made from these units but also stock market valuations of the companies themselves and the alternative use values of key A1/A3 sites. The traditional tenanted pubs, the town and village “local”, is also in keen demand from expanding specialist companies who need size to be ever more efficient. These companies are in competition with those who wish to provide securitised packages of assets. This paper discusses these trends and the effect that they have on the value and valuation of licensed premises.
Managing spectrum efficiently: a review for the UK government
Authors: Samarajiva Rohan
Published: July 2002

Recognizes significant constraints that the UK’s international obligations as a member of the International Telecommunications Union and the European Conference of Post and Telecommunications Administrations impose. States there is also a trade‐off between internationally mandated allocations, which give certainty to equipment manufacturers and states spectrum is an important input into the production of a wide range of services – from mobile telephony to national defence.
Process model for client requirements processing in construction
Authors: Kamara J.M. , Anumba C.J. , Evbuomwan N.F.O.
Published: July 2002

Describes a process model for processing client requirements, which was developed in response to the need for an appropriate framework for client requirements processing in construction. The model, which is represented using the IDEF‐0 modelling method, draws from requirements processing techniques in manufacturing and requirements engineering, and its development was based on an iterative process involving practitioners from the construction industry. Uses an example of a family house project to demonstrate how the model facilitates the precise definition, analysis and translation of client requirements into solution‐neutral design specifications. Concludes that the model is of potential benefit to the construction industry in providing a first step towards client satisfaction.
Efficient change strategies
Authors: Kallio Jukka , Saarinen Timo , Tinnilä Markku
Published: July 2002

There is a huge diversity among change initiatives, which range from streamlining single processes to corporate‐scale strategic restructuring. Accordingly, there is also similar diversity in the drivers and reasons for launching projects, as well as in results and tracers of projects. The reengineering literature has focused on operational improvement of a business process. More recently, the scope of process management has widened to examine the relation of strategic goals and the objectives of change projects. It seems to be that sometimes the drivers for starting a change project and tracers of the projects do not match. The results are often more limited in scope, than the objectives. Examines these relationships through 38 case studies. The results show that in all cases where the drives and tracers did not match, the shift was toward lower level results and tracers. Most apparently, this could be observed in projects aiming at changing business strategies, but with the result of updating information systems infrastructures. Develops a framework for analysing efficient matches of different types of drivers and tracers in development projects. The framework distinguishes between projects aiming at changing the business and those seeking to change processes. These can be further divided into classes according to objectives and results.
Business process re‐engineering: evocation, elucidation and exploration
Authors: For Choi Chung , Chan Stephen L.
Published: July 2002

Business process re‐engineering is a hot topic around management and information systems areas. However, the verdict of the new idea is not clear and reports of successful cases are not numerous. Analyses the definitions and characteristics of business process re‐engineering (BPR). Reports on a literature survey on the critical failure reasons and success factors. Recognizes that the lack of clear concepts and understanding of BPR definitions creates many problems and, therefore, compares the BPR effort with other improvement programmes such as automation, downsizing, total quality management (TQM) for a better understanding of BPR. Suggests a methodology which can be used as general guidelines for management and re‐engineers in performing BPR to enhance success for BPR efforts.
Re‐engineering caused by ISO 9000 certification
Authors: Hvam Lars , Paarup Nielsen Anders , Bjarnø Ole‐Christian
Published: July 2002

Based on a project performed at a medium‐sized producer of medical utensils, reviews some of the problems which the company experienced in connection with the system built up during ISO 9001 certification, and the re‐engineering efforts which were performed in order to relieve these problems. Focuses in particular on a re‐structuring of the company’s system for production documentation and its relation to the traceability of their products. This system was radically altered during the project without the traceability requirements being violated or reduced. These changes resulted in a marked increase in productivity.
Designing a re‐engineering proof process architecture
Authors: Ould Martyn A.
Published: July 2002

Argues that it can be very difficult for someone coming to an organization, with the job of designing or modelling some or all of its processes, to know how to cut the mass of organizational activity up into component processes and to see how they are related; in other words, to determine the process architecture of the organization. Calls for a partitioning into processes, that as far as possible, completely aligned to the business in which the organization is in and as independent as possible of how the business chooses to organize itself. Describes an approach to solving the problem.
Getting customers’ views onto the plant floor
Authors: Loomis William R.
Published: July 2002

Struggling to keep plant managers and plant personnel motivated about customers, manufacturers have spent a lot of money and tried various methods to make plant personnel sensitive to the needs of customers. The methods to do this, development of internal customers, continuous improvement circles, visits to customer sites and others, are expensive and have not been very effective. For small firms it is especially difficult. However, retaining customers is considered critically important by academics and management consultants. This article offers a method to directly link customer satisfaction with targeted manufacturing processes and management decisions that occur within the plant. By identifying the component attributes of a major plant process that can have an affect on customers, firms can find out more specifically how a specific plant process is helping or hurting the manufacturer’s ability to retain important customers. This knowledge can ultimately affect make/buy decisions, investment in new equipment, strategic plans, managerial decisions, and operational procedures.
Selecting BPR projects based on strategic objectives
Authors: Crowe Thomas J. , Rolfes Joseph D.
Published: July 2002

An extensive search has shown that no business process reengineering (BPR) method specifically addresses the issue of selecting business processes for reengineering based on the processes’ impact on the firm’s strategic objectives. Focusing on strategic business units (SBUs) within the electronics and electrical components industry, the research reported in this paper develops a generic set of SBU business processes which is used, in conjunction with an existing set of generic strategic objectives, to create a decision model that assesses the performance and improvement potential of each business process with respect to the SBU’s collective strategic objectives. The decision model, which contains both deterministic and stochastic elements, is based upon the concepts of decision tree analysis and influence diagramming. Validation of both the set of business processes and the decision support system has been conducted through field studies at electronics and electrical components companies. The results from these studies have been very promising.
Implementing reengineering using information technology
Authors: Chan Peng S. , Land Carl
Published: July 2002

Reengineering is becoming an increasingly popular option for corporations seeking radical process change. Central to the success of reengineering is the coordination of information technology (IT) throughout the organization. Essentially, IT represents the core mechanism of information flow. When companies improve core IT processes, such as gathering data only once, integrating cross‐functional systems or increasing information speed to customers, radical business process change is possible. However, for IT to be an enabler of reengineering or organizational change, it is imperative that managers are conversant with the various methods by which IT can help advance process change. At the same time, management needs to be aware of the numerous pitfalls that may doom any change effort using IT.
Virtual collocation of design teams: coordinating for speed
Authors: Pawar Kulwant S. , Sharifi Sudi
Published: July 2002

Aims to examine aspects of virtual collocation of teams in the context of concurrent engineering (CE). Argues that design activities have implications for people and structures in the organization. Teaming has meant that more social and physical interactions within the design environment may improve the design process and its outcome. Explores the evolution of virtual collocation of product design teams. Presents selected results from a set of on‐going pan‐European projects as well as other investigations undertaken by the authors. Attempts to highlight paradoxes and dilemmas in setting up physically and virtually collocated teams. These issues are further explored via in‐depth case studies depicting product design and development activities in manufacturing organisations. Concludes by highlighting the characteristics that are associated with effectively performing collocated teams. These are summarised into three phases: pre‐set up, operational and post‐operational.
Hierarchical fuzzy neural network‐based serviceability evaluation
Authors: Wang Jiangping , Allada Venkat
Published: July 2002

The ability to economically and effectively service products provides an avenue for extending the product’s useful life. Quantifying approaches are needed to assist in the serviceability evaluation. In this study, the serviceability characteristics of a product are categorized into three groups: disassembly, reassembly, and handling. Often, many of the serviceability characteristics of a product cannot be defined completely or properly using crisp design data. Moreover, the serviceability analysis is an imprecise science characterized by ill‐structured and subjective evaluation criteria. A formal methodology for representing and processing the design information of an artifact using a hierarchical fuzzy neural network (FNN) model is presented. First, three FNNs are used to compute the disassembly, reassembly, and handling indices. Second, the output of the three FNNs is fed into a separate FNN to compute the serviceability index. The designer can use the proposed model to rank alternate designs by computing the serviceability indices of each candidate design. The working of the proposed model is demonstrated by using two designs for a steam iron.
Enterprise agility: a view from the PRISM lab
Authors: Huang Chin‐Yin , Nof Shimon Y.
Published: July 2002

The agility of enterprises is analyzed in this article from two perspectives: business and organizational agility, and operational and logistics agility. Because of the powerful support of information technologies, mainly AI and networking, companies can seek collaborators to accomplish complex customers’ requirements without investing to expand their own capacity. The emerging alliances of enterprises are virtually formed for various customers’ and markets’ needs. This concept sustains business and organizational agility. In terms of operational and logistics agility, this article suggests that the connection between the autonomy functions and agility requires further study. Our research has proposed that error detection and recovery, and conflict resolution are two significant functions of operational and logistics agility, and determine the expected benefits from the business and organizational agility. The link between a given enterprise flexibility and agility is also analyzed.
Importance of employee involvement in world‐class agile management systems
Authors: Owusu Yaw A.
Published: July 2002

This paper focuses on one major characteristic of a world‐class agile management system, namely, employee involvement and human resources development. The paper provides a method of forming teams for the purpose of improving management systems in an agile environment. It demonstrates that such management systems are progressive and proactive in achieving their goals and objectives and cultivate close communication with their employees and customers. Agile management systems create “people oriented organizations” that highly value their customers and employees. In the paper, the strategic importance of communication and employee involvement for agile world‐class management systems has been discussed. Also, a model for employee involvement for agile management systems has been discussed. The paper concludes that the driving force behind employee involvement and human resource development in agile management systems is good communication.
NESLI: a successful national consortium
Authors: Bley Robert
Published: July 2002

The National Electronic Site Licence Initiative (NESLI) is an attempt to hasten the replacement of printed journals with their electronic equivalents in UK higher education. Effectively a national consortium – NESLI – aims to achieve attractive pricing models for electronic content. However, there is also a strong desire to ensure the interoperability of the various electronic services available to the academic and research community. As such, NESLI is part of the Joint Information Systems Committee’s (JISC) Distributed National Electronic Resource (DNER). This paper discusses the background to the initiative, its aims and objectives, the role of the Managing Agent and what has been achieved to date, as well as the plans for the immediate future. It goes on to consider the possible implications for the world outside of UK higher education, the lessons learned so far, and the viability of the NESLI model.
Risk management in practice: how are we managing?
Authors: Harris Anne
Published: July 2002

Aims to identify awareness of and involvement in risk assessments, training, incident reporting, information giving and consenting in an acute health care context. Explores how nurse managers perceived risk management as a concept and if they saw advanced neonatal nurse practitioners having a role to play in this activity. The method used was a postal survey of 62 nurse managers or clinical specialists responsible for neonatal nursing care services within NHS Trusts in the UK. Results show that while the nurse managers studies understood the definition of risk management in general, they were more vague about certain aspects of that definition. The nurse managers appeared to be passive in their dissemination and taking forward of risk management strategies, rather than proactively “promoting and helping them forward” as may be expected in facilitative managerial behaviour. Concludes that the challenges of clinical governance demand more proactive approaches to effect and demonstrate change, and support ongoing clinical quality improvements.
Evaluation of an orthopaedic screening service in primary care
Authors: Hattam Paul , Smeatham Alison
Published: July 2002

Historically, provision of orthopaedic services has been hospital based with GPs referring patients for specialist opinion. Growing demands on the service have led to new initiatives to reduce waiting times. One such initiative has been the introduction of orthopaedic assistants, usually physiotherapists, working with an extended scope of practice who see patients after referral to secondary care and determine the patients on‐going management. Studies to date have examined the effect of an orthopaedic assistant working alongside a consultant in the hospital environment. This study describes the impact on the management of the orthopaedic caseload in one general practice resulting from “screening” prior to referral to secondary care by a physiotherapist with an extended scope of practice. It demonstrates the successful management of the majority of patients within primary care.
Evidence‐based clinical guidelines – implementation plans in Scotland
Authors: Millard Andrew
Published: July 2002

Presents a study which investigates how it was planned to implement guidelines from the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN). The study aimed to describe the activity in planning the implementation of SIGN guidelines in Scottish Health Service Trusts in 1996, and to provide a baseline for evaluation. A postal questionnaire was sent to the Clinical Audit lead person in 46 Scottish Health Service Trusts. The response rate after two reminders ranged from 60‐72 per cent across different categories of Trust. The questionnaire asked for plans to implement individual guidelines, adaptation, professions involved, timeframes, dissemination, and evaluation methods. Reveals that local consensus was the main factor in deciding priorities. Most Trusts wished to see other local versions of guidelines produced, and to evaluate implementation collaboratively. Most expected to have reviewed baseline practice before implementation.
The Emory University campus walking tour: awakening a sense of place
Authors: Barlett Peggy F.
Published: July 2002

The paper describes Emory University’s campus self‐guided walking tour, a pleasant activity that heightens environmental awareness and builds a stronger connection to place. Brochures present ten sites and facts about forests and water (including damage from storm surges, erosion, and invasive species), the built environment (including new “green” building efforts), and campus history (including architectural strategies, past faculty activism, and commitments by campus administrators). The tour highlights trade‐offs and tensions among issues and teaches by raising questions. Issues of health, natural beauty, campus growth, and quality of life are also presented. Guided introductions to the tour seem to be most effective, though the brochure is also powerful used alone. A fun activity for a group, the walking tour builds community and awakens interest among those not otherwise engaged in environmental activities.
NOVAGate – a Nordic gateway to electronic resources in the forestry, veterinary and agricultural sciences
Authors: Price Adrian
Published: July 2002

NOVAGate is a subject‐based information gateway covering electronic resources in the agricultural, veterinary and related fields. The service, which opened in July 1998, is produced by the veterinary and agricultural libraries of the five Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – which serve the NOVA University. The gateway covers Nordic and European resources as well as the resources of international organizations, but being planned is a network of subject gateways which will give access to a wide range of international quality resources within the agricultural, veterinary and related fields. The service uses the ROADS software.
Australian subject gateways: political and strategic issues
Authors: Campbell Debbie
Published: July 2002

The key political and strategic issues which need to be addressed for the future development of the Australian subject gateways are: continued quality of content creation, integration of access to print and electronic resources, archiving and persistent identification, sustainability of services and service integration. These isssues will be more effectively tackled internationally, and the Australian subject gateways are keen to work with international collaborators to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome.
The subject gateway: experiences and issues based on the emergence of the Resource Discovery Network
Authors: Dempsey Lorcan
Published: July 2002

Charts the history and development of the UK’s Resource Discovery Network, which brings together under a common business, technical and service framework a range of subject gateways and other services for the academic and research community. Considers its future relationship to other services, and position within the information ecology.
Ease of use versus user control: an evaluation of Web and non‐Web interfaces of online databases
Authors: Xie Hong (Iris) , Cool Colleen
Published: July 2002

This paper reports on an investigation comparing searcher experiences with Web and non‐Web interfaces to online databases. The study was designed to address the following questions: what is the nature of searcher preferences for Web versus non‐Web interfaces to online databases and, more specifically, what are the characteristics of Web and non‐Web based interfaces that help or hinder effective searching? Two samples of students enrolled in a graduate level Advanced Databases Searching course were used as participants in the research. In this class, the students used several Web and non‐Web based online databases. The data collected from self‐administered open‐ended questionnaires were employed in the analysis to address the research questions posed above. Results of the study indicate that some of the functions of Web interfaces outperform non‐Web interfaces; but at the same time they are not universally preferred. An important dynamic that surfaced in this study which helped to explain searcher preference for one type of interface over another was that of user control versus ease of use in the search process. This study concludes with an argument for greater attention to the tension between user control and ease of use in the design of effective and useful interactive online retrieval systems.
The emergence of business information resources and services on the Internet and its impact on business librarianship
Authors: Guodo Liu Lewis
Published: July 2002

The emergence of business information resources and services on the Internet is discussed and its impact on business librarianship. Important resources in various business areas are identified, such as economics, finance, marketing, international business, and real estate. It is argued that business information on the Internet has become a very important part of business information services and that it poses great challenges to business librarianship. Subject knowledge in business has become increasingly crucial for business librarians to effectively identify, evaluate, select, and organise business information on the Internet. Without subject knowledge, or with a lack of subject knowledge in business, business librarians will not be able to maintain the quality of business information services. The article further argues that, given the fact that a large percentage of business librarians in the USA do not have formal training in business, it is time for library and information science schools and libraries to address this issue by setting high standards for recruiting instructors in business information and by setting high standards for employing business librarians.
Thesauri on the Web: current developments and trends
Authors: Asghar Shiri Ali , Revie Crawford
Published: July 2002

This article provides an overview of recent developments relating to the application of thesauri in information organisation and retrieval on the World Wide Web. It describes some recent thesaurus projects undertaken to facilitate resource description and discovery and access to wide‐ranging information resources on the Internet. Types of thesauri available on the Web, thesauri integrated in databases and information retrieval systems, and multiple‐thesaurus systems for cross‐database searching are also discussed. Collective efforts and events in addressing the standardisation and novel applications of thesauri are briefly reviewed.
CORC: a system for gateway creation
Authors: Hickey Thomas B.
Published: July 2002

CORC is an OCLC project that is developing tools and systems to enable libraries to provide enhanced access to Internet resources. By adapting and extending library techniques and procedures, we are developing a self‐supporting system capable of describing a large and useful subset of the Web. CORC is more a system for hosting and supporting subject gateways than a gateway itself and relies on large‐scale cooperation among libraries to maintain a centralized database. By supporting emerging metadata standards such as Dublin Core and other standards such as Unicode and RDF, CORC broadens the range of libraries and librarians able to participate. Current plans are for OCLC as a full service in July 2000.
Users, end‐users, and end‐user searchers of online information: a historical overview
Authors: Farber Miriam , Shoham Snunith
Published: July 2002

Discusses the changing relationships between information professionals – vendors, database producers, searchers – and end‐users, during the last three decades. Most of the time, the industry was quite vague as to who exactly the end‐users were, and consequently several different definitions were used to describe the target audience of online information systems. The needs and capabilities of the end‐user were measured conveniently through the reactions of libraries’ and information centres’ personnel who were not always the most suitable sources. The concept of the “end‐user” is examined from the beginning of the online industry in the 1970s through the menu driven systems of the 1980s and the role of the compact disk in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
A conversation with Göran Roos
Authors: Chatzkel Jay
Published: July 2002

This conversation with Göran Roos explores leveraging the interrelated roles of intellectual capital and strategy in contemporary organizations. Roos has created frameworks which make the intangible of intellectual capital understood as a very real asset and to be cultivated, measured and appropriately exploited for competitive advantage. The conversation examines how to work with management to rethink strategies and practices to determine and utilize the drivers for intellectual capital growth, as well as how to rigorously valuate and effectively use intellectual resources throughout their enterprises to make significant differences. These approaches have been used in a wide variety of both private and public sector organizations around the world in a broad range of market segments.
Moving corporate culture beyond the executive suite
Authors: Boyd David P. , Begley Thomas M.
Published: July 2002

In its fiduciary role, the board of directors should select a CEO who mirrors the desired ethos of the company. If the board remains cognizant of cultural compatibility as a central criterion in the hiring process, it may engage in strategic oversight without undue interference in the internal operations of the business. Once the board has fulfilled its selection mandate, problems of cultural execution await the CEO, especially in companies trying to effect cultural change. By using human resources as a strategic lever, however, chief executives can meet the Board’s mandate for unity of purpose based on core values.
Corporate governance and corporate failure: a survival analysis
Authors: Parker Susan , Peters Gary F. , Turetsky Howard F.
Published: July 2002

This study investigates the association of various corporate governance attributes and financial characteristics with the survival likelihood of distressed firms. To address the manner in which firms evolve over time, we employ survival analysis techniques by incorporating Cox Proportional Hazards regressions. We longitudinally track an ex ante sample of 176 financially distressed firms. The results suggest that firms that replaced their CEO with an outsider, were more than twice as likely to experience bankruptcy. Furthermore, larger levels of blockholder and insider ownership over the sample period are positively associated with the likelihood of firm survival.