bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Global R&D management
Authors: de Meyer Arnoud , Mizushima Atsuo
Published: May 2007

Abstract

Global R&D management, the management of company R&D effort distributed over different countries, a task that concerns multinational firms, has not been widely studied. The authors have therefore carried out in‐depth studies of global R&D conducted by 7 European and 15 Japanese companies. Their objective was to identify ‘best practice’ and so construct a framework for future research.

The authors' conclusions are as follows. Globalisation, that is decentralisation of R&D, has become a necessity for multinationals as a result of the localisation of competition, of product life becoming shorter than development time, and the need to locate laboratories near sources of new technological know‐how.

Because foreign acquisitions often lead to the acquisition of laboratories, questions are raised about how best to integrate them with the administrative practices of the ‘home’ organization, whether to reorganize them or to close them down. When it is necessary to set up a new foreign‐based laboratory deciding its exact location will require the weighing of factors such as whether the activities are to be market or process oriented, where on the R to D scale the activities will be placed, and how far direction of the laboratory's programmes and work will be decentralised.

Global management also demands special attention to the building of an open communication network among the laboratories, the best form of which has yet to be determined. The main concern in human resource management will be how to select and develop an internationally oriented management corps and how to train R&D professionals to communicate across sites.

If globally dispersed R&D laboratories are to be most effectively used then a new framework for their management needs to be developed.
Organisational culture and decision making: a case of consensus management
Authors: Wilkof Marcia V.
Published: May 2007

Abstract

This paper explores how a state‐of‐the‐art concept, organization culture, shapes decision making and consensus generating strategies used in the successful management of product development activities in high technology companies. Engineering development groups interact with many individuals and groups on a wide variety of very comples engineering, manufacturing, marketing and business issues Much uncertainty exists around these issues because information that would allow for a decision to be made is often unknow or unknowable. Trade‐offs are made continually resulting in a high degree of interdependence among development groups and others with whom they interact. Achieving a balance between controlling development activities on the on hand, and encouraging creativity and initiative on the other, is a complicated process.

this paper illustrates the role of organizational culture in product development using case material from a very successful US high case material from a very successful US high technology company. ‘Consensus management’, a major cultural theme at ‘DW Enterprises’, is a decision making style that involves everyone in the decision making process who might have relevant input. A cultural analysis reveals that the engineers developed specific techniques for generating consensus, and that these related as much to control over participation in product development as to decision making.
Technology Innovation Indicators
Authors: Dror Israel
Published: May 2007

Abstract

A survey of the US patent database has yielded indicators to trends in technology innovations. Three types of indicator were developed, namely technology maturity, growth potential and product vs process innovations. The patent data show how innovations in one technology area are linked to other technologies and a measure of these links was incorporated into the above trend indicators. Results have a wide range of applications, including assessment of technological opportunities and helping a company in the analysis of strategic alternatives.
Canonical correlation analysis of unobserved relationships in the new product process
Authors: Calantone Roger J. , Di Benedetto C. Anthony
Published: May 2007

Previous studies of success and failure in new product development have examined the effects of numerous variables upon new product outcomes. Some of these variables are controllable by the firm; many are not. This study employs canonical correlation analysis to investigate the nature of the interactions within and between two sets of variables (controllable and environmental) in the new product process. Several insightful implications for new product management are obtained and presented. Among these is the need for production and marketing synergy in new product development
University/Industry research collaborations: an analysis of interorganizational relationships
Authors: Dill D. D.
Published: May 2007

Theory and research from the field of interorganizational analysis is applied to University/Industry Research Collaborations with the intent of better understanding these relationships and facilitating innovation. Four general perspectives are employed:

population ecology

resource dependence

marketing and

process

The analysis suggests that:

1. These collaborations may be a function of major changes in industry structure which deserves more macro‐level policy analysis.

2. Competitive forces may encourage organizations to invest in collaborations with limited potential for innovation.

3. Geographical proximity, and exchange of personnel and information are critical factors in the design of successful collaborations.
Synthetic fibre technology and company strategy
Authors: Mulder Karel F. , Vergragt Philip J.
Published: May 2007

The authors' aim is to examine the socioeconomic setting in which the modern technologies of synthetic fibre manufacture emerged. Their specially developed methodology consists in analysing the emergence at three hierarchical levels of analysis — at the ‘macro’ level, tracing the dominant line of development, the so‐called technological trajectory; at the ‘meso’ level, characterizing the industry environment (the main focus of the paper); and at the ‘micro’ level within which each company's development strategy is formulated and implemented.

The paper contains a brief history of the development of the technology of synthetic fibre production. The long‐term macro trajectory, pursued by the participant firms in significantly different ways, was towards making a polyamide polymer by solution condensation and spinning it into fibres by existing technology, the aim of each firm being to produce its own high performance fibre selling into a premium market. The paper describes how a number of leading firms chose their particular routes to a marketable product. The motivations varied considerably depending, for example, on legal and patent factors, previous technological choices made by the firm, the need to defend an existing core business, and identification of an empty market niche.

In spite of the general similarity of the outcomes of the technological development the authors hold that the industry is still far from standardization, a situation they explain in terms of a model of standardization put forward by Reddy and colleagues.
Improving R&D/Marketing relations: R&D's perspective
Authors: Gupta Ashok K. , Wilemon David
Published: May 2007

Abstract

Successful product innovation hinges on close R&D/marketing relationships, especially in technology‐based organizations. However, there is evidence that linkage problems are common and when they are not overcome failure is the usual result.

R&D's perspective on what R&D, marketing and senior management can do to improve their relationship with marketing is presented. The recommendations are based on suggestions from R&D directors involved in new product development efforts in 83 technology‐based companies. Also presented is how the need for integration has changed over time and where it is going in the future.
R&D and marketing productivities from cross‐sectional data: A study of German chemical corporations
Authors: Brockhoff Klaus
Published: May 2007

Abstract

The adoption of EC‐regulations in German law on annual corporate reporting has introduced two new formats for profit and loss statements. Using this newly available data from a sample of German chemical companies, production functions are estimated with sales as an output measure, and R&D and marketing as input measures. It is shown that these factors are peripheral rather than complete substitutes. Marginal productivities of the factors imply the opportunity for relative increases of R&D expenditure over marketing expenditure.
Career orientations of software developers in a sample of high tech companies
Authors: Garden Anna‐Maria
Published: May 2007

The career orientations of software developers in 11 high technology companies of different sizes were studied. It was found that the proportion wanting a managerial career was higher than might be expected (34%) and increased with organisational size. Approximately 25% wanted advancement in a technical career, and this remained the same in organisations of different sizes. The same proportion wanted to start up their own company, but this decreased substantially with organisational size. The group wanting a project‐based career was the smallest, at 15%, and this varied slightly with organisational size. The four groups showed differences in their ideal job characteristics, organisational versus technical orientation and expected tenure. The extent to which they actually expected to satisfy their career preference varied dramatically, with the great majority of managerially‐oriented expecting to actually be managers, but the majority wanting to start their own company not expecting to actually do so.

The small high technology company has become an important, almost mythical, component of popular and academic folklore. As Beyer says, the “prevailing wisdom from both lay people and researchers who have been around them says that these firms are somehow different” (Beyer, 1985, p. 483). Within such organisations, the software developer or computer hack has similarly developed a particular aura. As one commentator puts it, “the stereotyped image of the community of programmers is … of a collection of single‐minded nerds possessing no interest in life outside the digital realm” (Sandberg‐Diment, 1986, p.C3). In spite of the interest in both the nature of such companies and such employees, there has been very little empirical data collected (Turbin and Rosse, 1988, p.17) to substantiate the folklore. In particular there has been an almost complete absence of rigorous academic enquiry into what the individuals choosing to work in this type of company are really like, or what their work needs actually are. The present paper is aimed at filling some of this gap, by addressing the issue of what type of career path software developers in high tech companies want.
Information styles of marketing and R&D personnel during technological product innovation projects
Authors: Moenaert Rudy K. , Deschoolmeester Dirk , De Meyer Arnoud , Souder William E.
Published: May 2007

Abstract

The research question in the present article can be phrased in the following way: what are the elements which influence the perception of the utility of information received from another function? A field study research has been conducted in 40 Belgian companies. In each company, we have studied two on‐going innovation projects (one planning project, one development project). Crossfunctional communication behaviours at the R&D/marketing interface have been measured by means of mailed structured questionnaires. Three‐hundred and eighty‐six questionnaires have been returned. The data analyses show that there are four underlying information dimensions, i.e. the perceived relevance, the perceived comprehensibility, the perceived novelty and the perceived credibility of information. We also discuss some contingency variables (function of the message receiver, stage in the innovation process) that might moderate the impact of these dimensions. It will be shown that the interaction between source and receiver has a significant impact on the perceived credibility, the perceived comprehensibility and the perceived novelty of the received information.
Determinants of technological innovation in the small firms of Korea
Authors: Kim Youngbae , Song Kwangsun , Lee Jinjoo
Published: May 2007

This study identifies the factors determining technological innovations in the small firms in Korea. Two groups of 24 innovative and 25 noninnovative small firms are compared on four categories of variables: environmental, strategic, structural, and top management characteristics, which were found to be important determinants of technological innovation in prior research in developed countries. A multiple discriminant analysis reveals that two top managerial characteristics (risk‐taking propensity and tolerance for ambiguity), environmental heterogeneity, environmental scanning strategy, and professionalization of organizational structure are the most significant factors discriminating innovative from noninnovative small firms in Korea. The findings suggest that predominant determinants of technological innovation vary according to the types of organization and, in the case of small firms, managerial attitudes toward innovation is the most critical factor. Other strategic and policy implications for the management of innovation in the small firm context are discussed.
Emerging challenges for R&D executives — an American perspective
Authors: Chatterji Deb
Published: May 2007

In recent years, many companies have witnessed dramatic changes in their business environment. Emergence of global markets and competitors coupled with new competitive strategies based on quality, speed and/or alliances have forced business managers — especially in the United States — to adopt new management strategies, structures and systems. These in turn have caused many R&D executives to progress from their traditional agenda of managing R&D activities in domestic laboratories to a new agenda of coordinating and integrating technology development and exploitation on a world‐wide basis. This paper discusses this evolution of R&D management agenda in the United States and its implications. It also reviews the approaches being used and the experiences being gained by the American R&D management community to address the emerging challenges.
Managing cooperative research and development: partner selection and contract design
Authors: Håkanson Lars
Published: May 2007

This paper explores the influence of partner selection and the design of contracts and agreements on the chances for a collaborative R&D venture to ‘succeed’. It is based on questionnaire data regarding 49 such ventures undertaken by companies based in four Nordic countries. The age distribution of the sample is taken into account through use of statistical event history analysis, testing hypotheses regarding the determinants of the hazard rate. The results show that prior contacts with prospective partners improve the chances that a cooperation will succeed. Such contacts help prevent difficulties due to differences in corporate culture, inadequate technical capabilities, incongruous strategic intentions, etc. The analysis also suggests that contracts and agreements should avoid detailed specifications of the procedures to be followed during implementation. Such stipulations create problems by reducing the flexibility required in inherently uncertain R&D collaborations. Granting relative resource self‐sufficiency and managerial autonomy to the venture organisation improves its chances of success.
Innovating through alliances: expectations and limitations
Authors: Bidault Francis , Cummings Thomas
Published: May 2007

Abstract

In this paper we have analysed the innovation processes occurring in several cross‐industry technology partnerships in order to suggest some key managerial issues pertaining to the effectiveness of these increasingly popular initiatives. Our general proposition, based on an extensive literature review and clinical research, is that the managerial hurdles in partnerships frequently offset, and in some cases eliminate, the expected innovation advantages. We submit that there is a fundamental tension between the dynamics of innovation and the logic of partnering. The extent of the tension, however, depends on the nature of the innovation project and on the characteristics of the partnership. Thus we recommend that managers involved in the formation of joint‐R&D agreements should carry out an innovation‐partnering assessment to design an appropriate management structure that would minimise the ‘tension’. Lastly, we suggest some ingredients for carrying out such an assessment, and directions for further research.

Alliances seem to be today's answer to most management challenges. As recent surveys show, companies all over the world are forming partnerships to alleviate difficulties met in nearly every business activity —design, manufacturing, distribution, service… (e.g. Hergert & Morris, 1987; Urban, 1989), The popularity of such strategic initiatives in the 1980's has led to a dramatic increase in the number as well as in the forms of alliances (Hagedoorn and Schakenraad, 1990).
Does it pay to acquire technological firms?
Authors: Chakrabarti Alok , Hauschildt Jurger , Süverkrüp Christian
Published: May 2007

Abstract

The paper focuses on several research questions: How do the firms differ in terms of their strategic objectives for foreign acquisitions? What are the determinants of ‘success’ of acquisition? What are the differences between the American and German firms in terms of their acquisition strategies and successes?

Our special interest was to get a closer look into the technological motive of the foreign acquisitions. This made a two‐step procedure necessary. A first survey of 86 firms had to identify those acquisitions which were motivated by technological interests through a questionnaire. Findings: There are four classes of companies with different motives for acquisitions: Market oriented entrepreneurs, Short‐term profit seekers, Technological acquirers, Preemptive market protectors.

The second survey investigated the process and the results of acquisitions with a special view on the role of research and development through 60 interviews in 30 acquisition cases in both acquiring and acquired units. Findings: A network of variables explains the success. The most important are context variables (uncertainty, cultural differences), size of both firms, low degree of formalization, expertise, and lack of conflicts about technological philosophy.
Technology strategies and the Miles & Snow typology: a study of the biotechnology industries
Authors: Weisenfeld‐Schenk Ursula
Published: May 2007

Abstract

Strategic behaviour has been defined as managing environmental risks and matching organisational capabilities with the opportunities offered by the environment (e.g. Hofer & Schendel (1978)). One possible theoretical framework for analysing strategies of a firm is the Miles & Snow typology (Miles & Snow, 1978). It has received considerable attention and has been tested empirically with respect to business strategy in various industries (Snow & Hrebiniak, 1980; Hambrick, 1983) as well as marketing strategy (McDaniel & Kolari, 1987).

In this paper we attempt to apply the Miles & Snow typology to technology strategy and to relate technology strategies to the perception of environment and project risks. Thus, we

Empirical data from companies involved in biotechnology is used to study some key questions.
Research Impact Quantification
Authors: Kostoff Ronald N.
Published: May 2007

A method was developed to quantify the impacts of research. The method is able to identify indirect impacts of research, and the pathways through which they are disseminated. A fully connected network is constructed whose nodes represent research, technology, and mission areas. The total impact of a given research node on any other node is the sum of the impacts (link value products) along every path in the network, and includes research‐research, research‐technology, and technology‐research impacts. A pilot study was performed using a taxonomy of research and development nodes, with the raw input data (the link values) obtained from a survey of experts. An algorithm processed the data to provide total impact results, which are presented here.
Skills shortages and training: a forgotten dimension in new technology
Authors: Foley Paul , Watts Doug
Published: May 2007

Skills shortages and training problems are forgotten by many companies when they adopt new technology. 52 engineering firms in a ‘traditional’ industry in a single local labour market were interviewed to examine their attitudes to new technology and the skills and training implications of technology adoption. Skills and training issues were often forgotten or misjudged during the new technology appraisal process. It was these same areas which created most problems for many companies after adoption. Misjudgements concerning the level of labour force flexibility and training requirements for staff often created problems after the adoption of new technology. Skills shortages for adopting firms are most acute at the skilled level, this predominantly concerns the ‘local labour market'. Most firms adopted a short term response to skills shortages. Relatively low utilisation of policy initiatives and ‘formal’ avenues of assistance prior to new technology adoption were also identified.
R&D project selection and scheduling for organizations facing product obsolescence
Authors: Venkatraman R. , Venkatraman Sitalakshmi
Published: May 2007

Research and development is very crucial in an organization that faces rapid product obsolescence. Our thesis is that R&D project scheduling and resource planning should be born out of the optimum product launch plan which, in turn, should be in adherence to the growth rate targeted by the organization. Such an approach would ensure that the R&D activities of the organization are in tune with the Organization's goals. The absence of such coordinated R&D planning would hamper the productivity and profitability of the organization. This paper attempts to develop a methodology and model that would enable the streamlining of R&D project schedule. A real life case application has also been illustrated.
R&D project team climate and team performance in Korea: A multidimensional approach
Authors: Kim Youngbae , Lee Byungheon
Published: May 2007

This study examined the relationship between R&D team climate and team performance in a developing context, Korea. Given the fragmented results of existing studies in advanced countries, which explored largely the effects of individual dimensions of team climate on team performance, this study focused on the interaction effects among multiple dimensions of team climate. The interaction effects can produce seemingly contradictory or paradoxical bivariate associations between each climate dimension and team performance.

Both bivariate and multivariate analyses, using data from 80 R&D project teams in both government‐sponsored research institutes and private R&D centres in Korea, revealed the following results.

1. Four dimensions of R&D team climate—autonomy, cohesiveness, change orientation, work pressure—were not positively associated with team performance. Rather, autonomy was found to have a significant negative relationship.

2. Interaction effects of each team climate dimension were partially borne out. When the change orientation or work pressure of a team was high, autonomy had a positive impact on team performance. Otherwise, autonomous team climate deteriorated performance of the team. However, interaction effects between cohesiveness and change orientation or work pressure were not found significant.

3. There appeared three clusters of R&D teams with similar climate characteristics. Teams with high autonomy but a low change orientation exhibited a lower level of performance than the other two clusters—one with low autonomy but high change orientation and work pressure, and the other with a medium level of autonomy and change orientation.

The results implied that a holistic team climate, as well as an individual aspect of climate, had a significant impact on team performance. A configuration approach considering interaction effects among various climate aspects would be beneficial for the development of high performing R&D teams.
The impact of EC R&D programmes on corporate R&D practice in Europe: a knowledge‐base approach
Authors: Kastrinos N.
Published: May 2007

This paper examines the role of additionality in the impact of EC R&D pro‐grammes on firms. It comes from a study of the Impact of the EC Framework Pro‐gramme on European Industry, which was sponsored by the Support Programme for Evaluation Activities in Research (SPEAR) of the EC. The argument is that there is an interaction between ie use of additional R&D resources, the organization of the R&D process, and the exploitation of R&D results. The analysis of the R&D process takes place within a framework based on the concept of the knowledge‐base of the firm. A number of case studies are discussed and conclusions are drawn as to the impact of the EC Framework Pro‐gramme on European firms.
The future labour market for R&D Manpower in The Netherlands
Authors: Berendsen Henry , De Grip Andries , Willems Ed
Published: May 2007

An adequate supply of qualified research and development (R&D) personnel is an important precondition for a government policy that aims for a strongly knowledge‐intensive economic growth. As in many other OECD countries, there is great concern in The Netherlands about meeting this crucial condition in the next decades. This article tries to show to what extent this current concern is justified. For that purpose, forecasts of future supply and demand for research manpower in the science and engineering fields (including agriculture and health) have been produced, extending to the year 2010. Sensitivity analyses show that the fore‐casts are not very sensitive to alternative assumptions on economic growth, investments, replacement demand and labour supply.

From a methodological point of view the forecasting approach differs from the more traditional manpower forecasting. Firstly, the demand for R&D personnel is split up into an increase in total employment for R&D manpower (expansion demand) on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the need for replacements for researchers who retire, die or switch to other occupations (replacement demand). Expansion and replacement demand are considered in three sectors of R&D work: universities, research institutes and private enterprises. Expansion demand and replacement demand together determine the job openings for newcomers. These job openings are confronted with the supply of new R&D manpower, which is largely determined by the output of the educational system. The confrontation of demand and supply forecasts shows that, in general, severe shortages of R & D manpower will result if there are not adequate manpower policy adjustment. The article closes with a discussion of the policy implications of the expected disequilibria in the market for R & D manpower.
Strategies for the exploitation of intelligence capital: evidence from Hungarian Research Institutes
Authors: Oakey R. P. , Hare P. G. , Balazs K.
Published: May 2007

This paper is based on survey interviews with 64 respondents conducted in four Hungarian Research Institutes during the spring of 1993. The main objective of the research was to assess progress made with the exploitation of intellectual property contained within these bodies. This investigation has two subsidiary goals. First, given a rapid decline in funding provision by the Hungarian government for these organisations, an initial task of the work was to ascertain the actual and potential financial contribution that has been made from consultancy activities and new 'spin off firms. Second, existing 'spin off firms which had emanated from these sources were examined to ascertain if they had potential for providing industrial growth in the local Hungarian economy. The paper concludes, on the basis of detailed evidence, that progress has been disappointing, and moreover, that severe barriers to the achievement of both these goals continue to exist within the Hungarian economy. Coherent planning will be necessary to exploit potentials which are in danger of being lost through the haemorrhaging of staff to foreign employment opportunities.
Transition and development of innovation capacities in Hungary
Authors: de Tournemine Regis Larue , Muller Emmanuel
Published: May 2007

The paper attempts to synthesize the conclusions of theoretical works dealing with innovation processes and technological strategies in the frame of a national innovation system with some results from a survey of the national innovation system in Hungary.

An important focus of the paper is on the transition situation in Hungary and the role science and technology play and are expected to play to influence the competitiveness of the country. Special attention is therefore given to the new actors in the system. The conclusions are expressed in the form of premises dealing with the multiple impacts of the transition on the Hungarian innovation system.
The use of co‐nomination to identify expert participants for Technology Foresight
Authors: Nedeva Maria , Georghiou Luke , Loveridge Denis , Cameron Hugh
Published: May 2007

The United Kingdom has been carrying out a major exercise in the field of Technology Foresight, involving fifteen panels engaged in wide consultation about the future of their areas. The objectives of the Programme are to help set priorities for publicly funded science and technology and to create new working partnerships between science and industry. The paper describes the process by which members of the panels, and those whom they subsequently consulted, were identified. A survey‐based technique known as co‐nomination was employed, whereby respondents were asked to identify suitable participants and at the same time to profile their own expertise. The process was repeated with those nominated. The patterns of expertise thus revealed are themselves of interest and are used to construct a map of the inter‐relationship between the fields covered by the panels.
Bricoleurs and boundary riders: managing basic research and innovation knowledge networks
Authors: Turpin Tim , Garrett‐Jone Sams , Rankin Nicole
Published: May 2007

A major focus of national and institutional research policies during the 1990s has been on improving linkages between publicly funded research activities and industry for the purpose of advancing economic and other national objectives. The transfer of scientific knowledge, however, within and between public research institutions, universities and other innovative organizations is taking place within rapidly changing organizational environments. The emergence of new organizational structures that transcend institutional boundaries, scientific disciplines and the boundaries between basic and applied research are all contributing to as well as responding to changes in the ways science intersects with industrial innovation.

Recent international evidence suggests that innovative organizations during the next decade will depend more on their ability to maintain quite complex organizational research linkages than on their internal organizational research capabilities. Case studies of the organizational approach adopted by companies and commercial‐research agency consortia in China and Australia lead to a discussion of a typology of academic‐industry alliances. The typology provides insights into different collaborative R&D management strategies associated with different forms of science‐industry alliance.
Industrial Relations as a Source of Social Policy: A Typology of the Institutional Conditions for Industrial Agreements on Social Benefits
Authors: Trampusch Christine
Published: May 2007

The article's starting point is that the now‐conventional conceptualization of welfare state retrenchment as a shift from state provision of income support to market processes is misleading. Rather, state provision may be replaced by benefits negotiated collectively by trade unions and employers. As a first step to further investigate this development the article suggests a typology of institutional contexts within which industrial agreements on social benefits emerge. This typology is based on Thomas H. Marshall's distinction between political and industrial citizenship. Following the comparative method of the ‘parallel demonstration of theory’, the typology is applied to four countries where collective agreements on social benefits have recently been concluded, namely Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Germany. It is argued that, on the one hand, the state's activity or passivity in labour relations and, on the other hand, the timing of the institutionalization of political and industrial citizenship is decisive for the development of collectively negotiated benefits. The conclusion for comparative welfare state research is that, when viewing policies of welfare state retrenchment, the research should systematically include industrial relations and their historical trajectories in its frame of reference.
Challenges in Multidisciplinary Systematic Reviewing: A Study on Social Exclusion and Mental Health Policy
Authors: Curran Claire , Burchardt Tania , Knapp Martin , McDaid David , Li Bingqin
Published: May 2007

In the clinical sciences, systematic reviews have proved useful in the aggregation of diverse sources of evidence. They identify, characterize and summate evidence, but these methodologies have not always proved suitable for the social sciences. We discuss some of the practical problems faced by researchers undertaking reviews of complex and cross‐disciplinary topics, using the example of mental health and social exclusion. The barriers to carrying out social science and cross‐disciplinary reviews are reported and some proposals for overcoming these barriers are made, not all of them tried and tested, and some of them controversial. Using a mapping approach, a wide‐ranging search of both clinical and social science databases was undertaken and a large volume of references was identified and characterized. Population sampling techniques were used to manage these references. The challenges encountered include: inconsistent definitions of social phenomena, differing use of key concepts across research fields and practical problems relating to database compatibility and computer processing power. The challenges and opportunities for social scientists or multidisciplinary research teams carrying out reviews are discussed. Literature mapping and systematic reviews are useful tools but methods need to be tailored to optimize their usefulness in the social sciences.
Multiple Review
Authors: HAMPTON JAMES
Published: May 2007

Book Reviewed in this Article:

Epistemology and Cognition. By Alvin I. Goldman. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1986. pp. ix + 437. £23.50.
Pragmatics and Singular Reference
Authors: BEZUIDENHOUT ANNE
Published: May 2007

Abstract: :I present arguments in favour of the view that the propositions expressed by utterances containing singularly referring terms have modes of presentation of the objects referred to by those terms as constituents. I rely on recent work by Sperber and Wilson, Recanati and other pragmatists, and claim that a Fregean account of singular reference is supported by this work. This is in opposition to Recanati himself, who in his book Direct Reference has argued for a view which is closer to that of some neo‐Russellians. In particular, I argue contra Recanati for the truth‐conditional relevance of the modes of presentation associated with demonstratives and other referential terms. That is, 1 argue that these modes of presentation must be seen as part of the truth‐conditional content of utterance‐tokens containing such terms.
Evidence for the Innateness of Deontic Reasoning
Authors: CUMMINS DENISE DELLAROSA
Published: May 2007

Abstract:When reasoning about deontic rules (what one may, should, or should not do in a given set of circumstances), reasoners adopt a violation‐detection strategy, a strategy they do not adopt when reasoning about indicative rules (descriptions of purported state of affairs). I argue that this indicative‐deontic distinction constitutes a primitive in the cognitive architecture. To support this claim, I show that this distinction emerges early in development, is observed regardless of the cultural background of the reasoner, and can be selectively disrupted at the neurological level. I also argue that this distinction emerged as a result of selective pressure favouring the evolution of reasoning strategies that determine survival within dominance hierarchies.
How Reasons Explain Behaviour: Reply to Melnyk and Noordhof
Authors: DRETSKE FRED
Published: May 2007

Abstract: Melnyk complains that my account of the way reasons explain behaviour cannot be extended to cover novel behaviours. I admit that I did not extend it, but deny that it is not extendible. This, indeed, is what Chapter 6 of Dretske (1988) was all about. Noordhof finds faults with my account and claims there is another account (partial supervenience) that does a better job. I acknowledge one of the defects—a defect I was aware of when I wrote the book‐but deny that the partial supervenience of content on intrinsic properties represents a better theory of the explanatory role of content.
Sticking Up for Oedipus: Fodor on Intentional Generalizations and Broad Content
Authors: ARJO DENNIS
Published: May 2007

Abstract: In The Elm and the Expert, Jerry Fodor tries to reconcile three philosophical positions he is presently committed to: a computational theory of mind, intentional realism and a denotational theory of meaning. One problem he faces is this: a denotational semantics, according to which the meaning of a singular term like a name is exhausted by its referent, seems to rule out there being true intentional generalizations, or generalizations which advert to the contents of a subject's mental states. That there are such true generalizations is a major element in Fodor's intentional realism. Accordingly, Fodor is forced to find a way of dissolving this apparent incompatibility. This paper looks at his attempts to do so and concludes that they fail.
Pragmatically Determined Aspects of What is Said: A Reply to Bezuidenhout
Authors: GRIMBERG MARY LOU
Published: May 2007

Abstract: If ‘a’ and‘b’are (proper) names and if the meaning of a name is exhausted by its referent, how can‘a = a’differ in cognitive value from‘a = b’if‘a = b’is true? This is Frege's famous puzzle and Bezuidenhout reconstructs it using demonstrative NPs in place of names, i.e.: This X is that X.’Her solution is to posit the‘truth‐conditional relevance’of the de re modes of presentation of such expressions. My major objection is that Bezuidenhout's examples are such that the NP to the right of the copula is anaphoric rather than demonstrative and cannot, therefore, support her argument.
The social implications of new technology: an unpredictable future
Authors: Sarfati Hedva , Cove Margaret
Published: May 2007

Here the authors summarise the responses to new technology by employers, trade unions and governments from an international perspective and they identify the emerging trends on job displacement, workforce adjustment and new skill requirements in Western industrialised countries.
Opening the black box: the relation between technology and work
Authors: Rose H. , McLoughlin I. , King R. , Clark J.
Published: May 2007

This article argues that social scientists need to develop a detailed understanding of ‘technology’, and its relationship to social variables, if the full impfication of new technologjes is to be adequately investigated. Material from research on telephone exchange modemisation in British Telecom is used to develop such an approach.
Employment effects of technological change
Authors: Newton Keith , Leckie Norm
Published: May 2007

This article examines the debate about whether new technology creates or displaces jobs. It emphasises the occupational dimension, in order to assess some of the policies relating to education, training and income distribution. Finally, the role of technological change is examined in terms of the quality of the resulting job structure and the issue of income and skill polarization.
The NGA and the impact of new technology
Authors: Gennard John
Published: May 2007

In the past the NGA dominated the communications world of paper and ink. This domination is being undermined by the micro‐processor revolution which is creating an alternative communications world based on electronic devices and in which the NGA presently has little influence. Here the author analyses the strategies and policies adopted by the NGA to retain its influence in the ‘shrinking’communications world of paper and to gain some influence in the new communications.
Intelligent knowledge based systems (IKBS): organisational implications
Authors: Dawson Patrick
Published: May 2007

Many factors other than technology can influence the forms of work organisation at several key stages during the process of change. This article discusses developments in the design of intelligent knowledge‐based systems (IKBS) and argues that these new forms of computerisation will undermine the position of a number of management functions in the enterprise.
Small firms, new technology and the division of labour in Japan
Authors: McCormick Kevin
Published: May 2007

Here the author examines the problems, in adopting new technology, faced by small firms in Japan's machinery industry. A significant part of the concern about the technology gap between large and small firms is attributed to their respective capacities to recruit and train skilled labour.
New technology and industrial relations
Authors: Clark Jon
Published: May 2007

This article reviews recent studies of new technology and industrial relations and indicates four main areas for future research. The author concludes that more attention should be devoted to the technology itself, and that industrial relations research could usefully incorporate many recent insights and developments in industrial sociology.
New Technology in West Germany: the employment debate
Authors: Wiedemeyer Michael
Published: May 2007

In view of high unemployment, one major issue of concern within the German population is the impact of new technology on the labour market. This article examines the problem of determining and predicting effects of technological change on employment and discusses the development of job structure, work organisation and skill requirements.
Skilled maintenance work at British Telecom: findings from the Social Change and Economic Life Research Initiative
Authors: Penn Roger
Published: May 2007

Here the author examines the relationship of technical change and job skills amongst maintenance workers in telecommunications in Britain. It demonstrates that there are significant variations within different areas of such maintenance work and strongly challenges the notion that such maintenance work is subject to a generic process of deskilling in the present era.
Developing Japan's R & D staff: in search of a new personnel management?
Authors: McCormick Kevin
Published: May 2007

The traditional system of managing corporate manpower resources in Japan has fostered incremental innovation, diversification and organic growth. The establishment of R & D labs for frontier research has brought debate about the need to reform, or even abandon, traditional methods. The evidence to date suggests marginal rather than wholesale change.
The dynamics of just‐in‐time
Authors: Oliver Nick
Published: May 2007

This article analyses the impact of just‐in‐time production on the three resources of machines, materials and people, and suggests that JIT entails a redistribution of slack between these resources. The impact of JIT on an organization's human resources is particularly problematical; pressures towards both increased variety and intensity of work are apparent.
The art of building a car: the Swedish experience re‐examined
Authors: Hammarström Olle , Lansbury Russell D.
Published: May 2007

The Swedish automobile industry has recently encountered significant difficulties. This article reviews a major study of the relationships between production, technology and work organisation in Volvo and Saab. It compares the Swedish approach to automobile production with those of the American and Japanese companies and speculates on whether the Swedish industry will survive in the coming decade.
Bank computerization and organizational innovations: the long winding road to the bank of the future
Authors: Bilderbeek Rob , Buitelaar Wout
Published: May 2007

Despite increasing customer orientation and a more proactive IT policy in the services offered by Dutch banks, organizational innovation has been partial and segmented. Changes in organizational structure are complicated by the current wave of mergers between banks and insurance companies.[1]
Employment, technology and industrial relations in the UK clearing banks: is the honeymoon over?
Authors: Cressey Peter , Scott Peter
Published: May 2007

Employment in UK retail banking has begun to decline as all the major institutions shed workers. Technological, organizational and market‐driven reasons for the job losses in the major clearing banks are discussed. Irrevocable long‐term changes in employers' industrial relations and human resource strategies are identified as necessary accompaniments to pushing the current retrenchment through in the context of a developing general crisis in employment relations.
Pushing back the frontiers: management control and work intensification under JIT/TQM factory regimes
Authors: Delbridge Rick , Turnbull Peter , Wilkinson Barry
Published: May 2007

Drawing on primary and secondary sources the authors argue that the JIT/TQM manufacturing system intensifies work as a result of increased surveillance and monitoring of workers' activities, heightened responsibility and accountability, the harnessing of peer pressure within ‘teams' and via ‘customers', and the fostering of ‘involvement’ in waste elimination and the continuous improvement of the production process.
Local perspectives on new process technology and employment
Authors: Foley P.D. , Watts H.D. , Wilson B.
Published: May 2007

This article examines the introduction of new process technology into a local labour market in the late 1980s and relates variations in adoption rates to establishment characteristics. The authors highlight the contrasts in the employment outcomes and training requirements in adopting and non‐adopting establishments and find that ‘adopters' expect more changes in employment, more skills shortages and have a greater awareness of future training needs.
Information technology, organizational restructuring and the future of middle management
Authors: Dopson Sue , Stewart Rosemary
Published: May 2007

This article examines the impact of information technology as one of the factors affecting the numbers and roles of middle managers. The authors highlight the need to empirically examine middle management work in the context of the complexity of changes affecting the job of middle managers and the complexity of reactions to these changes, if further assertions about the future of middle management are to be avoided.
Taylorism, new technology and just‐in‐time systems in Japanese manufacturing
Authors: Conti Robert F. , Warner Malcolm
Published: May 2007

This article attempts to examine what is believed to be a significant overall Taylorist influence in Japanese manufacturing as well as a specific manifestation of this phenomenon, namely the unique flow requirements of the generic Toyota system (JIT). The use of unbufferred flow, it is argued, is feasible only with consistent quality, thus making non‐discretionary Taylorist job design a necessary condition.