bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Technology foresight using a Delphi approach: a Japanese‐German co‐operation
Authors: Breiner Sibylle , Cuhls Kerstin , Grupp Hariolf
Published: May 2007

This article describes a joint project conducted from 1991 until 1993 by the Japanese National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP) and the German Fraunhofer institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI). Some first outcomes, and different alternatives on how to use the data for trend interpretation and priority setting, are described.

The Japanese Delphi survey is conducted every five years and was first undertaken in 1971. In 1992, NISTEP and ISI agreed on a joint project. About 3000 Japanese experts were asked to answer more than 1000 questions based on 16 different technological areas. With financial aid from the Federal German Ministry of Research and Technology (BMFT) the Japanese fifth Delphi survey was replicated in Germany. The Japanese questions were translated and more than 1000 German experts responded to the questionnaires and judged the possible technological development within the next 20 to 30 years. The aim of this joint project is to compare the Japanese and the German answers in order to analyse possible differences and to understand the cultural influences on technology assessment.
The internationalisation of research and development by Japanese enterprises
Authors: Papanastassiou Marina , Pearce Robert
Published: May 2007

Evidence indicates that Japanese Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) have established a large number of R&D labs outside of Japan in recent years. It is suggested that these units play particular roles in global‐innovation strategies, which are themselves a key element in global competition. The first role played by such overseas units is to provide basic research inputs, that help the Japanese parent companies to derive the basis for a new generation of products. It appears that this role is especially prominent in Japanese MNEs, who are notably responsive to the high‐quality science‐base in certain countries. The second role of overseas R&D in global‐innovation strategies is to develop specific variants of new products that fully respond to distinctive consumer needs, and production conditions, in important national (or regional, e.g. European) markets.
Synthetic diamond developments: perspectives from technology analysis
Authors: Japp Stephen Glen
Published: May 2007

Synthetic diamond technology appears to have the capability of significantly changing the future technological landscape. Accordingly, The Institute for the Management of Technology regards it as a ‘marker’ technology. This paper suggests that there is a need to review expectations concerning synthetic diamond developments. Technology analysis is used as a method to understand and communicate the expectations. The history trends and applications are presented. Two challenges are revealed: First, High Pressure and High Temperature is being challenged by Chemical Vapour Deposition as the dominant manufacturing technology, suggesting that the latter should be monitored for breakthroughs. Second, the distinction between synthetic and natural gems is becoming harder to determine. This threat to the gem industry, in combination with the expanding industrial use, suggests that efforts should be pursued to establish the uniqueness of natural gems and to prevent the name ‘diamond’ from being ubiquitously used.
A planning procedure for new‐product chemical research
Authors: Gittins J. C.
Published: May 2007

RESPRO is a computer‐based planning tool for new‐product chemical research, particularly in the pharmaceutical and agro‐chemical industries. It helps the research manager to make quantitative judgements about the effects of different effort allocations to projects at the stage when large numbers of formulations are being tested. These then serve as the basis for estimating the profitability of any given allocation plan, and for adjusting a given plan to make it more profitable. The paper introduces RESPRO and sets it in the context of other similar procedures.
Establishing the determinants of internal reputation: the case of R&D scientists
Authors: Jones O. , Sullivan T.
Published: May 2007

This paper discusses the factors which determine the human resource reputations of science‐based organisations. Reputation, in this context, refers to the extent to which scientists regard the department in which they work as a good employer, and implicitly, a good place to practise science. As a consequence, this study is concerned with internal rather than external reputation. The R&D departments of ten science‐based organisations employing approximately 1500 scientists were included in the study. The sample of 402 respondents was representative, in terms of age, sex, qualifications and experience, of the population of scientists in the organizations included in the research. All employees were educated to at least the level of a Bachelor of Science degree (BSc) and in many cases had obtained a higher degree, Master of Science (7.0%), or Doctor of Philosophy (35.6%). The perceptions of employees are reported; it was beyond the scope of the research to examine the managerial views on reputation.
Managing technology and innovation: a review
Authors: Berry M. M. J. , Taggart J. H.
Published: May 2007

This paper reports the first phase of a major study into the linkages between technology and strategy, with particular reference to smaller firms. As a preliminary step, a wide review of relevant literature was undertaken.

Two main strands of knowledge have been identified. First, a number of high profile issues have dominated the field of technology management starting with Schumpeter's ‘creative destruction’. This seminal work has been refined, notably by Pavitt and Porter, culminating in the view that technology has become one of the principal determinants of competition. Second, a number of models were examined that assess development of technology within the firm over time.

The principal implication for R&D managers is the authors' conclusion that the various constructs must be used pro‐actively in formulating technology strategy, thus providing a basis for better assessing acquisitions and disposals of technology‐intensive operations.
Technology transactions: networks over markets
Authors: Bidault Francis , Fischer William A.
Published: May 2007

There is a widespread belief in the business community that firms can rely on the market for buying and selling technological opportunities. The argument is: with so much technology development going on in the world, ‘there must be somebody somewhere who has the technology we need.’ According to this belief, acquiring new technology just boils down to finding the supplier, possibly with the help of a specialized intermediary. Several large firms have indeed developed ambitious mechanisms for acquiring the needed technological know‐how as they proceed to make and market a new product.

We contend that this concept of the technology transfer process is erroneous, as it conflicts with actual practice. The very high transaction costs entailed leave considerable room for opportunistic behavior and are more likely to occur when the parties do not know each other. An effective way to reduce transaction costs, therefore, is to limit technology transfers to the firm's partners, i.e. organizations with which the firm has already interacted in the past. Our research provides evidence that successful technology transfers typically take place between suppliers and buyers who had business relationships before considering a technology agreement. In addition, we report findings that companies using intermediaries (technological opportunities catalogues, databases, fairs, etc.) have been disappointed in their attempts to find new technologies from unknown sources.

Because of the high risk of opportunistic behavior, it is practically impossible to assess the value of a technology without knowing who sells it. Similarly, the technology transfer capabilities of a company are difficult to appraise without prior knowledge through business interaction. To a certain extent, it may be better to buy any technology from a partner that one knows well than to buy a supposedly good technology from a firm with which one has had no experience. To put it bluntly: the identity of the partner may actually matter more than the technology being traded!

Consequently, the relevant framework for technology transfer is built on a ‘network concept’ rather than the ‘market concept’. Firms wishing to acquire new technology should turn first to their network of trusted business partners, looking for available technological opportunities instead of trying to buy technology from unrelated organizations.
Strategies for best practice in research and technology institutes: an overview of a benchmarking exercise
Authors: Rush Howard , Hobday Mike , Bessant John , Arnold Erik
Published: May 2007

Many technology institutes have been criticised for their dislocation from, or lack of relevance to, industry. This paper provides an overview of a major benchmaking study which analyzed in depth the most successful technology institutes from eight nations (four in Europe and four in East Asia). Institutes selected for study met a criterion which included a combination of dynamism, relevance to industry, contribution to the national science and technology infrastructure, independent fund‐raising capability, innovative organizational structures, and effective management. The paper examines the activities engaged in by the eight institutes, the principal challenges they face, and identifies the main success factors underlying their achievements. The paper attempts to illustrate practical, best practice strategies by showing how leading technology institutes have successfully contributed to their national system of innovation. To this end, success factors have been categorized into those factors which are under the direct control of the institutes (internal), which are outside of their influence (external), and those which can be affected to a lesser or greater extent.
Book Reviews
Authors: GARDINER PAUL , SKYRME DAVID J.
Published: May 2007

Globalization, Technology and Competition: The Fusion of Computers and Telecommunications in the 1990s

Globalization, Technology and Competition: The Fusion of Computers and Telecommuni‐ cations in the 1990s

High‐Tech for Industrial Development: Lessons from the Brazilian Experience in Electronics and Automation

Science and Technology Management Bibliography

Intelligent Enterprise: A Knowledge and Service Based Paradigm for Industry
Career paths, technological obsolescence and skill formation: R&D staff in Britain and Japan
Authors: McCormick Kevin
Published: May 2007

This paper examines how scientists and engineers working in industrial R&D cope with the pressures of business and technological change and develop their careers. The data is drawn from a survey of nearly 1000 R&D staff working in large industrial corporations in Britain and Japan. Cross national comparisons are used to explore similarities and differences in coping strategies and in the human resource management challenges for companies. Particular attention is given to the problems of potential mismatch between RBD staff career orientations and available career opportunities.
Performance monitoring in R&D projects
Authors: Pillai A. Sivathanu , Rao K. Srinivasa
Published: May 2007

Project Management Systems can use a variety of tools to model and visualise project status. This paper discusses the application of an integrated approach for project modeling and proposes a new graphic tool called PACT for evaluation of project status. An integrated performance monitoring system comprising many tools, including PACT, was used successfully with multiple advanced technology projects within the Indian Guided Missiles Development Programme. The approach provided a better insight into the status and problems of projects, and enabled management to initiate the most appropriate actions towards better performance.
Galileo used to live here.: Tuscany Hi Tech: the network and its poles
Authors: Bianchi Giuliano
Published: May 2007

The paper outlines how networking between smaller companies and larger companies is evolving and how these changes need to be incorporated into policies for regional economic development. The strengths and weaknesses of the Tuscan region are outlined and on the basis of this situation a strategy was devised to exploit its scientific and technological resources. A particular feature of the strategy is the establishment of a new optical fibre communications system linking three university centres, Pisa, Florence and Siena.
Using ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ technologies for global new product development
Authors: McDon Edward F. ough , Kahn Kenneth B.
Published: May 2007

This paper reports on a study of the use of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ technologies as tools for managing global new product teams. ‘Hard’ technologies consist of electronic mail, teleconferencing, fax, video conferencing, and other electronic means of facilitating communication. ‘Soft’ technologies, on the other hand, reflect managerial behaviors that are necessary to deal with the social and behavioral aspects of global new product development. Our study suggests that:

The frequency of use of hard technologies is greater for higher versus lower performing global teams.

The set of hard technologies perceived to be important is different for higher versus lower performing global teams.

How well soft technologies are used is greater for higher performing global teams.

Soft technologies are seen as more important than hard technologies.

Implications of these findings for managers and future research are discussed.
UK biotechnology: institutional linkages, technology transfer and the role of intermediaries
Authors: Shohet Simon , Prevezer Martha
Published: May 2007

One prominent feature of biotechnology in the UK is the close relationship between the public‐sector science base and industry. Using information from interviews, the system for technology transfer is examined and four main institutional actors are identified: sponsors (both public and private, which fund research), hosts (which provide an environment in which research takes place), users (which commercialize research) and intermediaries (which act as agents in the technology transfer process). Models of the process of technology transfer are developed which incorporate knowledge flows between these institutions and the accompanying contractual, and financial/ economic relations. The direction, scale and formality of these interactions is examined and it is suggested that institutional approaches can capture important feedbacks and relationships which are overlooked in traditional stage and activity models of innovation.

In particular, intermediaries are highlighted, and it is suggested that they play an important role in contractual and financial/economic linkages in three ways: (i) by acting as agents between institutions in the presence of an imperfect knowledge market, (ii) by performing a liaison function for firms sourcing external know‐how, and (iii) by providing access to complementary assets for development of technologies internally.

In the conclusion, we argue that institutional models can (a) help to define optimal linkage structures for specific technological areas at national and supranational levels (e.g. between members of the European Union) and (b) highlight the presence of inter‐agency tensions and help identify the appropriate management options for resolving these.
Information asymmetries and technological innovation in large engineering construction projects
Authors: Lampel Joseph , Miller Roger , Floricel Serghei
Published: May 2007

Research on technological innovation shows that information asymmetries between suppliers and buyers constitute a major barrier to the successful introduction of new products. Most of this research, however, puts the burden of overcoming these asymmetries on producers of new products. In the case of large engineering construction projects innovation is often the result of joint problem solving by owners, prime contractors, consultants, and equipment suppliers. In this paper we examine the relationship between innovativeness of large engineering construction projects and internal owner capabilities, degree of control over project, and dependence on external organizations, We use data on power plant construction projects to test hypotheses derived from agency and organization theories of innovation. Our results indicate that organization theories of innovation are on the whole better predictors of the impact on innovativeness of owner's capabilities and relationship to external organizations.
Models of Disability, Work and Welfare in Australia
Authors: Humpage Louise
Published: May 2007

In discourse around disability there has been a shift away from a ‘medical model’, which perceives disability as an individual problem to be ‘cured’ or contained, towards a ‘social model’. The latter focuses on the relationship between people with disabilities and their social environment, locating the required interventions within the realm of social policy and institutional practice. Drawing upon a small qualitative study conducted in Melbourne, this article argues that recent plans by the Australian government to introduce mutual obligation requirements for recipients of the Disability Support Pension (DSP) sit in tension with this shift from the medical to the social models of disability. Mutual obligation is based on the assumption that income support recipients need to be taught how to be more ‘self‐reliant’, to ‘participate’ in society more fully and to become ‘active’, rather than ‘passive’, citizens. This language appears to overlap with that used to articulate a social model, which places emphasis on participation in the community and attempts a shift away from reliance on the medical profession. However, examples from interviews conducted with current and former DSP recipients demonstrate that, in practice, mutual obligation is likely to reinforce a medical model of disability, frame DSP recipients as ‘conditional’ citizens and ignore the obligations of the state and society regarding access and inclusiveness for people with disabilities.
Situational Crime Prevention and its Discontents: Rational Choice Theory versus the ‘Culture of Now’
Authors: Hayward Keith
Published: May 2007

The rational choice theory of crime and its cognate field of study, situational crime prevention, have exerted a considerable influence in criminal justice policy and criminology. This article argues that, while undeniably useful as a means of reducing property or acquisitive crime, rational choice‐inspired situational crime prevention initiatives are limited when it comes to offering protection against a growing number of so‐called ‘expressive crimes’. Developing this critique, the article will criticize the sociologically hollow narrative associated with rational choice theories of crime by drawing on recent research in social theory and consumer studies. It argues that the growing tendency among many young individuals to engage in certain forms of criminal decision‐making ‘strategies’ may simply be the by‐product of a series of subjectivities and emotions that reflect the material values and cultural logic associated with late modern consumerism.
Multiple Review
Authors: HARRIS MARGARET
Published: May 2007

Language and Experience: Evidence from the Blind Child. By BARBARA LANDAU and LILA R. GLEITMAN
Content, Context, and Compositionality
Authors: BUTLER KEITH
Published: May 2007

Abstract: This paper addresses the question of whether mental representations are compositional. Several researchers have claimed recently that there are empirical data that show mental representations to be context‐sensitive in a way that threatens compositionality. Some have then gone on to claim that connectionist encoding schemes are well suited to accommodate such noncom‐positionality. I argue here that the data do not show that mental representations are noncompositional, and that there are significant problems with the suggested interpretations of connectionist encoding schemes.
The Current Status of Research on Concept Combination
Authors: RIPS LANCE J.
Published: May 2007

Abstract:Understanding novel phrases (e.g.upside‐down daisy) and classifying objects in categories named by phrases ought to have common properties, but you'd never know it from current theories. The best candidate for both jobs is the Theory Theory, but it faces difficulties when theories are impoverished. A potential solution is a dual approach that couples theories (representations‐about categories) with fixed mentalese expressions (representations‐of categories). Both representations combine information in parallel when understanding phrases. Although there are objections to the notion that theories can combine, some of them lose their force when applied to a suitable dual model.
Meaning, Reference and Cognitive Significance
Authors: TAYLOR KENNETH A.
Published: May 2007

Abstract: I argue that a certain initially appealing Fregean conception of our shared semantic competence in our shared language cannot be made good. In particular, I show that we must reject two fundamental Fregean principles‐what I call Frege's Adequacy Condition and what I call Frege's Cognitive Constraint on Reference Determination. Frege's adequacy condition says that in an adequate semantic theory, sentence meanings must have the same fineness of grain as attitude contents. The Cognitive Constraint on Reference Determination says that in an adequate semantic theory mechanisms of reference determination will fix routes of epistemic access to referents and will mediate one‐sided recognition judgments about referents. I argue against Frege's adequacy condition that if meanings are sliced as finely as it requires there will be too many meanings to go around. I argue against the cognitive constraint on reference determination that even in an adequate theory of reference, mechanisms of reference determination must be sharply distinguished from routes of epistemic access. If so, we have little reason to expect an adequate theory of reference determination to directly illuminate Frege's cognitive puzzles or be sufficient to explain the basis of our one‐sided recognition judgments.
Cognitive Ethology and the Intentionality of Animal Behaviour
Authors: ALLEN COLIN , BEKOFF MARC
Published: May 2007

Abstract:Cognitive ethologists are in need of a good theoretical framework for attributing intentional states. Heyes and Dickinson (1990) present criteria that they claim are necessary for an intentional explanation of behavior to be justified. They suggest that questions of intentionality can only be investigated under controlled laboratory conditions and they apply their criteria to laboratory experiments to argue that the common behavior of approaching food is not intentional in most animals. We dispute the details of their argument and interpretation of the laboratory experiments. While criteria such as those suggested have a role to play in comparative studies of cognition, both laboratory and field studies are important for assessing the applicability of intentional explanations across different taxa.
Nonconceptual Content: From Perceptual Experience to Subpersonal Computational States
Authors: BERMÚDEZ JOSÉ LUIS
Published: May 2007

Abstract:Philosophers have often argued that ascriptions of content are appropriate only to the personal level states of folk psychology. Against this, this paper defends the view that the familiar propositional attitudes and states defined over them are part of a larger set of cognitive processes that do not make constitutive reference to concept possession. It does this by showing that states with nonconceptual content exist both in perceptual experience and in subpersonal information‐processing systems. What makes these states content‐involving is their satisfaction of certain basic conditions deriving from a general account of representation‐driven behaviour that is neutral on the question of concept possession. It is also argued that creatures can be in states with nonconceptual content even though they possess no conceptual abilities at all.
Two Concepts of Concept
Authors: KHALIDI MUHAMMAD ALI
Published: May 2007

Abstract:Two main theories of concepts have emerged in the recent psychological literature: the Prototype Theory (which considers concepts to be self‐contained lists of features) and the Theory Theory (which conceives of them as being embedded within larger theoretical networks). Experiments supporting the first theory usually differ substantially from those supporting the second, which suggests that these theories may be operating at different levels of explanation and dealing with different entities. A convergence is proposed between the Theory Theory and the intentional stance in the philosophy of language and mind. From this stance, concepts should not be thought of as concrete physical entities.
Simulation and Cognitive Penetrability
Authors: HEAL JANE
Published: May 2007

Abstract: Stich, Nichols et al. assert that the process of deriving predictions by simulation must be cognitively impenetrable. Hence, they claim, the occurrence of certain errors in prediction provides empirical evidence against simulation theory. But it is false that simulation‐derived prediction must be cognitively impenetrable. Moreover the errors they cite, which are instances of irrationality, are not evidence against the (very defensible) version of simulation theory that takes the central domain of simulation to be intelligible transitions between states with content.
Deconstructing Dennett's Darwin
Authors: FODOR JERRY
Published: May 2007

Abstract: Daniel Dennett's book, Darwin's Dangerous Idea, offers a naturalistic teleology and a theory of the intentionality of the mental. Both are grounded in a neo‐Darwinian account of evolutionary adaptation. I argue that Dennett's empirical assumptions about the evolution of psychological phenotypes may well be unwarranted; and that, in any event, the intentionality of minds is quite different from, and not reducible to, the intensionality of selection.
The Unfinished Chomskyan Revolution
Authors: KATZ JERROLD J.
Published: May 2007

Abstract:Chomsky's criticism of Bloomfieldian structuralism's conception of linguistic reality applies equally to his own conception of linguistic reality. There are too many sentences in a natural language for them to have either concrete acoustic reality or concrete psychological or neural reality. Sentences have to be types, which, by Peirce's generally accepted definition, means that they are abstract objects.

Given that sentences are abstract objects, Chomsky's generativism as well as his psychologism have to be given up. Langendoen and Postal's argument inThe Vastness of Natural Languagesto show that there are more than denumerably many sentences is flawed. But, with the view that sentences are abstract objects, the flaws can be corrected. Once psychologism and generativism are abandoned, the revolution against Bloomfieldian structuralism can be brought to completion and linguistics can be put on a sound philosophical basis.
Do Children Understand the Mind by Means of Simulation or a Theory? Evidence From Their Understanding of Inference
Authors: RUFFMAN TED
Published: May 2007

Abstract:Three experiments investigating children's understanding of inference as a source of knowledge and beliefs were used to determine whether children use a theory in understanding the mind. A child watched while a sweet was placed in a box whereas a doll was merely given a message about which sweet had been transferred. Children were asked to judge whether the doll knew the colour of the sweet in the box and what colour the do6 would think the sweet was. The main finding was that children tended to say the doll would hold a false belief about the colour of the sweet whenever the doll had not looked in the box. This result is easily reconciled with the theory view as a drive for coherence within the different aspects (knowledge and belier predictions) of the child's theory of mind. The result is contrary to the simulation view because children were generally good at‘inputting’or taking account of the relevant information (i.e. the doll's knowledge of the sweets’colours and the message to the doll), because children assessed their own beliefs quite differently from the doll's beliefs, and because contrary to the default assumptions set out by Harris (1991) children found it easier to assign a false belief to the doll than to assign a true belief.
The Truth‐Conditional Relevance of De Re Modes of Presentation: A Reply to Grimberg
Authors: BEZUIDENHOUT ANNE
Published: May 2007

Abstract: Grimberg identifies four arguments which she alleges are used in my paper‘Pragmatics and Singular Reference’(Bezuidenhout, 1996a) in order to establish the truth‐conditional relevance of de re modes of presentation. In fact, only one of these, properly understood, is an argument which I would endorse. However, I do plead guilty to having used examples with features which misleadingly suggest that I endorse these various arguments. It is an easy matter to construct examples free from these defects, which is what I attempt to do.
A model for relating technology, organization and employment level: A study of the impact of computerization in the Swedish insurance industry
Authors: Stymne Bengt , Löwstedt Jan , Fleenor C. Patrick
Published: May 2007

This article investigates effects of computerization in the Swedish insurance industry from 1960–1980. While the technological imperative dictates that many jobs would disappear, it was found that employment actually increased. The authors produce a model relating technology to employment levels and suggest that a range of moderating factors must be considered.
Pluralist beliefs about new technology within a manufacturing organization
Authors: Mueller W. S. , Clegg C. W. , Wall T. D. , Kemp N. J. , Davies R. T.
Published: May 2007

There is little systematic survey evidence so far on the attitudes and beliefs of those involved with new technology in small batch manufacturing. Here the authors present findings on the responses of management, trade unions and employees in an Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) work environment.
Industrial relations policies in high technology firms
Authors: Beaumont Phil
Published: May 2007

‘High Technology’ firms constitute a significant growth sector in the UK. Such firms are often assumed to be non‐union, with a paternalist style of management, providing a striking contrast to traditional industrial relations practices. Here the author assesses the current evidence.
Codetermination and technological change in the German automobile industry*
Authors: Bamber Greg , Lansbury Russell
Published: May 2007

This article examines how works councils in the West German automobile industry have influenced management approaches to technological change in three firms. The authors argue that while the post‐war industrial relations consensus in Germany can be increasingly questioned, car‐makers in the English speaking countries have important lessons to learn from their German counterparts.
Labor and training issues in advanced technology industrial development
Authors: Allen David N. , McGowan Robert P.
Published: May 2007

The United States, together with other advanced industrial societies is having to address the skill and training requirements which stem from occupational change as a result of technological innovation. This article examines the major labor questions for policy‐makers in the USA now and in the near future.
Unions and new technology in Australia
Authors: Davis Edward M , Lansbury Russell D
Published: May 2007

The Australian trade union movement has identified new technology as a major issue for the 1980s and beyond. This article examines ACTU policy on technological change in the light of the experience of two large Australian unions.
Trade union policies on new technology: facing the challenges of the 1980s
Authors: Dodgson Mark , Martin Roderick
Published: May 2007

Although trade unions have generally agreed TUC policy on new technology, they found it difficult to follow policy and make acceptance conditional. Economic circumstances, employer strategies and the structure of trade unions and collective bargaining, constrain the realisation of policy objectives. But there are also weaknesses in the policies themselves and the resources trade unions dedicate to new technology.
The technological imperative and the quality of employment
Authors: Heller Frank A.
Published: May 2007

This article challenges the widespread concept of a ‘technological imperative’which is alleged to lead to greater economic efficiency. The socio‐technical model, supported by evidence from past research and recent cases, undermines the validity of the ‘imperative’and presents an alternative based on choices.
Considerations on the collective dimension of work
Authors: Troussier J. F.
Published: May 2007

The introduction of new technologies combined with demanning policies has brought about a greater awareness of the importance of the collective dimensions of work. Research work, in France, has been investigating the notions of ‘work groups’* and ‘collective/group skills’. These are key issues concerned with the mastering of new technologies, and the creation of ‘new forms’of work organization, such as quality circles.
The limits to‘Japanisation’—Just‐in‐Time, labour relations and the UK automotive industry
Authors: Turnbull Peter J.
Published: May 2007

Competition from Japanese manufacturers has been particularly fierce in the automotive industry. Consequently, many British manufacturers are now emulating the production and employment policies of their Japanese rivals. But there are limits to such a process, especially in the sphere of labour‐management relations and the control of work.
Prejudices and wishful thinking about computer aided design
Authors: Löwstedt Jan
Published: May 2007

The findings from a study of the consequences of the introduction of CAD† on the organisation of work in three Swedish engineering companies are consistent with European empirical research but not with the predictions of either the advocates or critics of the technology. Here the author offers two possible explanations.
New technology based firms and the emergence of new industries: some employment implications
Authors: Shearman Claire , Burrell Gibson
Published: May 2007

This article challenges conventional theories on the role of NTBFs in the growth of new industries. Its‘community dynamics’approach is an alternative to the SPRU model of‘dynamic complementaries’and argues that while NTBFs are crucial, their capacity for employment generation is low.
New technology and job design: the case of CNC
Authors: Burnes Bernard
Published: May 2007

This article is based on a three‐year study of the introduction and use of computer numerically controlled machine tools (CNC) into nine engineering companies. It rejects the view that technology determines job design and instead highlights the role of managerial values and competence and organisations’own structures and practices.
The Japanisation of Xerox
Authors: Giles Eileen , Starkey Ken
Published: May 2007

The impact of Japanese competition has led to attempts by Western organisations to implement elements of Japanese management. The process has been described as‘Japanisation’. Here the authors examine the Japanisation of Rank Xerox and Xerox Corporation. Xerox has benefitted from the learning experience of its Japanese joint venture, Fuji Xerox, and has been described as the most‘Japanised’of Western companies.
Freeing work from the constraints of location and time
Authors: Bailyn Lotte
Published: May 2007

Information technology makes possible working patterns with flexibility in location and time. But traditional assumptions of managerial control serve as a strong deterrent. This article deals with these issues through an analysis of interviews at ICL and Texaco UK, with managers and high‐level employees who work partially at home. Rank Xerox networkers are used as a point of comparison.
CAD—The‘Taylorisation’of drawing office work?
Authors: McLoughlin Ian
Published: May 2007

CAD has been described as a‘Trojan horse’through which drawing office work will be deskilled. This article rebuts the crude Tayloris‐ation thesis which underlines such views and offers an alternative analysis of the effects of CAD.
Flexible specialisation, work organisation and skills: approaching the ‘second industrial divide’
Authors: Phillimore A. J.
Published: May 2007

Piore and Sabel's concept of flexible specialisation (FS) has initiated a lively debate between‘optimists’,‘pessimists’and ‘sceptics’. The potential impact of FS on work organisation and skills is examined through a review of industry case studies with discussion of the implications for management, government and unions with respect to training policy.
Determinants of trade union influence over technological change
Authors: Deery Stephen
Published: May 2007

Trade unions have generally found it difficult to exercise influence over the process of technological change and its effect on the conditions and content of work. This article seeks to identify the circumstances under which unions may be able to gain access to the decision‐making process and in turn shape the organisational outcomes of new technology.
Clerical workers and information technology: gender relations and occupational change
Authors: Liff Sonia
Published: May 2007

A questionnaire and interview study of women office workers in the West Midlands, who had recently experienced technical change, is used to examine their perceptions both of changes in their jobs and of the implementation process. The consequences for women's opportunities are discussed.
New technology and the restructuring of pit‐level industrial relations in the British coal industry
Authors: Leman Steve , Winterton Jonathan
Published: May 2007

Since the 1984–85 strike, British Coal has pursued its corporate objectives by restructuring operations, introducing new technology and intensifying work. The reconstruction of industrial relations which has accompanied these changes is analysed with particular emphasis on developments at colliery level.
A research note: information technology and company performance in the textile industry
Authors: Hardill Irene , Wynarczyk Pooran
Published: May 2007

Here the authors examine the role of computer networks on organisations engaged in textile and clothing manufacture. The results reveal that companies with a computer network performed significantly better than those without, both in terms of growth in employment and return on sales over the period 1985–87
The challenge of CAD/CAM: some experiences of British and Canadian engineering companies
Authors: Lee Gloria
Published: May 2007

This article considers factors which influence the readiness of management to associate organisational with technological change. Outcomes are related to the socio‐political environment of firms and the position of engineers in the two countries.
Subcontracting in banking: some evidence from Britain and France
Authors: O'Reilly Jacqueline
Published: May 2007

The oversimplified analysis of subcontracting in terms of the relations between small and large firms needs to be abandoned in favour of a broader societal approach. Drawing on empirical evidence from Britain and France it is argued that such an approach can identify a wider range of political, social and economic factors affecting the decision to subcontract.
Industrial relations in UK clearing banks: a comment on Cressey and Scott
Authors: Gall Gregor
Published: May 2007

Here the author explores the manifestations of discontent resulting from conflictual industrial relations in banking. This has brought about changes, it is argued, that are of equal significance to those referred to by Cressey and Scott.
Volvo human‐centred work organization—the end of the road?
Authors: Sandberg Åke
Published: May 2007

Volvo recently announced the closure of their factories at Kalmar and Uddevalla which were internationally renowned for the innovative methods of work organization as an alternative to the assembly line. In this and the following article the authors question the rationale of management's reasons for the closure, and assess the effect of the closures for those social scientists who saw Volvo as a shining example of work redesign
Cellular manufacturing: the development of the idea and its application
Authors: Alford Helen
Published: May 2007

This article charts the development of the idea of cellular manufacturing (CM) from its beginnings to its present status as a general organizational principle. Using survey data and a case study, an assessment is made of the application of CM and its trends for the future, especially from the human resources perspective.
Taylorism, teams and technology in ‘reengineering’ work‐organization
Authors: Conti Robert F. , Warner Malcolm
Published: May 2007

This article critically examines the phenomenon of ‘Reengineering’ (or Business Process Reengineering: as it is sometimes called) as a transfer of ‘just‐in‐time’ techniques developed in manufacturing to the office environment. The article concludes that its most likely diffusion will be for ‘downsizing’ and ‘cost‐reduction’, and may result in a modest degree of success in only some of its applications to manufacturing and office environments.
Analyzing an industry in change: the Irish software manual printing industry
Authors: Jacobson David , O'Sullivan David
Published: May 2007

This article is concerned with the application in a case study of three inter‐related theoretical issues: new perspectives on technological change, learning organizations, and the question of market versus hierarchy in the relationships between firms. The case study is of the software manual printing industry in Ireland, and its relationship with the major, international software companies.
Engineering careers and technology transfer: Japanese companies in the UK
Authors: McCormick Kevin , Cairncross David , Hanstock Yumiko , McCormick Brian , Turner Alan
Published: May 2007

This article examines two issues: first how Japanese companies recruit, train and utilise engineers in their UK transplants; secondly, how technology transfer between British and Japanese engineers is affected by career structures. It draws on questionnaire responses from 88 companies and interviews at a small number of sites.
Continuous process technology, annualised hours and national bargaining
Authors: Beaumont P. B. , Hunter L. C.
Published: May 2007

From the 1980s, the paper and board industry in Britain, in response to the pressures of strong foreign competition, sought the fuller utilisation of new and existing technology through changing work practices. This particularly involved the extensive introduction of annualised hours arrangements with national bargaining arrangements playing a major role in their introduction.
ISIS—a knowledge‐based system for factory scheduling
Authors: Fox Mark S. , Smith Stephen F.
Published: May 2007

Abstract: Analysis of the job shop scheduling domain has indicated that the crux of the scheduling problem is the determination and satisfaction of a large variety of constraints. Schedules are influenced by such diverse and conflicting factors as due date requirements, cost restrictions, production levels, machine capabilities and substitutability, alternative production processes, order characteristics, resource requirements, and resource availability. This paper describes ISIS, a scheduling system capable of incorporating all relevant constraints in the construction of job shop schedules. We examine both the representation of constraints within ISIS, and the manner in which these constraints are used in conducting a constraint‐directed search for an acceptable schedule. The important issues relating to the relaxation of constraints are addressed. Finally, the interactive scheduling facilities provided by ISIS are considered.
Japanese work in expert systems
Authors: Ishizuka Mitsuru
Published: May 2007

Abstract: Activities concerning expert systems in Japan are outlined. Expert systems are receiving increasing attention in Japan, together with fifth‐generation computers. Rather than describing the details of individual systems, a variety of expert systems are briefly introduced with their aims and features.
KARDIO‐E‐an expert system for electrocardiographic diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias
Authors: Lavrač Nada , Bratko Ivan , Mozetič Igor , Čerček Boian , Grad Anton , Horvat Matija
Published: May 2007

Abstract: KARDIO‐E is an expert system for the electrocardiographic diagnosis of heart arrhythmias. AT the present stage the system can be used as a helpful diagnostic tool in the routine assessment of ECG recordings in preventive or systematic examinations as, by cardiologist's estimation, its performance is equivalent to that of a specialist of internal medicine (non‐cardiologist) highly skilled in the reading of ECG recordings. The system is also useful for instruction of electrocardiography in education of all medical profiles. This paper presents the ECG diagnosis problem, the automatic generation of the system's knowledge base and a detailed description of the system. Results of on assessment study are also presented.
Preceptor: a shell for medical expert systems and its application in a study of prognostic indices in stroke
Authors: McSHERRY DAVID , FULLERTON KEN
Published: May 2007

Abstract: Preceptor is a shell system for building rule‐based expert systems to support clinical decision‐making. Its highly‐structured knowledge base is designed to reflect the variety of decision‐making activities in patient management. We describe Preceptor's knowledge base and dialogue structures, its inference strategies, and its comprehensive facilities for knowledge base creation and management. We report its application in a study of prognostic indices in stroke, and describe our approach to knowledge acquisition in this application.
Auditor: a microcomputer‐based expert system to support auditors in the field
Authors: DUNGAN CHRIS W. , CHANDLER JOHN S.
Published: May 2007

Abstract: Public accounting firms are beginning to use more sophisticated forms of decision support as competitive pressures rise and technological advances are made. One form of support is the microcomputer‐based expert system. This paper describes the development of one such system to aid external auditors in estimating the dollar amount of their client's uncollectible accounts receivable. The resulting system is Auditor, which is based on the general inference engine, AL/X, developed by Michie. The details of the development process from initial interviews to validation are presented. Insights into the process of audit decision making and into the development of microcomputer‐based expert system for auditing are discussed.
Escort — an expert system for complex operations in real time
Authors: SACHS P.A. , PATERSON A.M. , TURNER M.H.M.
Published: May 2007

Abstract: Escort is a real time expert system which relieves the cognitive load on users of information systems generating large volumes of dynamic data. Escort is currently configured to help process plant operators in centralised control rooms. The system provides advice to the operators to help them handle and avoid crises. A demonstration system advising on a simulated oil production process has been implemented. Its key features are that it operates in real time, contains four domain knowledge bases, is controlled by a knowledge based scheduler and provides dynamic advice to the operator.
Expert systems: working systems and the research literature
Authors: BUCHANAN BRUCE G.
Published: May 2007

Abstract:Many expert systems have moved out of development laboratories into field test and routine use. About sixty such systems are listed. Academic research laboratories are contributing manpower to fuel the commercial development of AI. But the quantity of AI research may decline as a result unless the applied systems are experimented with and analyzed.