bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TOWARDS DESIGNER SURFACES
Authors: Bell T.
Published: February 2008

There are thought to be great technical and economic benefits potentially available through the application of multiple surface engineering technologies in new market sectors. This is illustrated through the combined plasma and PVD treatment of low alloy steel substrates. Unique opportunities exist, through the advent of high energy beam technologies, to liquid phase thermochemically alloy aluminium and titanium materials which can then be combined with plasma or PVD techniques to enhance the performance of engineering components by many orders of magnitude. The most recent work in this field suggests that roller element bearings in titanium alloys will soon be within the bounds of design capability and advances towards the design and manufacture of titanium gears could well be possible in the longer term.
Developments in Automatic Transmission Fluid Technology
Authors: Tunney R.J.
Published: February 2008

The single recent event that has most significantly changed the way in which automotive transmission fluids are defined took place in 1990 when General Motors published its Dexron HE specification. This represented the first major modification of General Motors' Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) specifications since July 1978. (The original Dexron II specification was first published in 1973.) The driving force behind the timing for the introduction of this specification was the launch, in 1991, of the Buick Park Avenue with a newly redesigned, electronically‐controlled version of the older Hydramatic 440‐T4 Front‐Wheel‐Drive (FWD) automatic transaxle. This unit was designated the 4T‐60E. The majority of designers of computer‐controlled transmissions use electro‐hydraulic solenoid valves to open and close hydraulic circuits to make the transmission shift. For this reason, many of the new transmission designs require ATFs to have superior low‐temperature fluidity properties. Dexron IIE calls for fluids having a −40°C Brookfield viscosity of less than 20,000 cP, compared with the 50,000 cP requirement of the Dexron II. Only fluids approved to the new specification will be officially endorsed by GM from January 1993.
Cavitation — A Little Noticed Factor in the Operation of Mechanical Seals
Authors: Zeus D.
Published: February 2008

Cavitation damage in the form of spongy, pitted surfaces is widely associated with pump impellers, marine propellers and sliding bearings. It used to be rare as a form of damage on mechanical seals, but the number of cases has been increasing in the last few years. This is due, on the one hand, to conditions of application which are becoming increasingly demanding, and on the other hand to the growing use of ceramic materials. For although the latter make excellent face materials, they are far more sensitive to cavitation erosion than metallic face materials.
MORE LUBRICATION PROBLEMS OVERSEAS
Authors: Tong Robert W.
Published: February 2008

In recent articles it has been stressed several times that it is of the utmost importance that machinery intended for use in a great many places overseas must be of the simplest possible design, and this point cannot be made too often. Once again the particular area in mind is South Africa, and the particular plant referred to is the Oil engine, for here, except for the large engines which go to proper stations, these engines have to run with little or no skilled supervision.
Diagnostics
Authors: Drake Jacqueline
Published: February 2008

Over the years organization development professionals have evolved a number of techniques and methods for gathering and using information. In the Leadership and Organization Development Journal we shall outline the key issues on a number of these approaches. We have adopted a practical question and answer approach, but for those wishing to pursue the ideas further we have provided a brief list of references at the end.
Learning to Change: Organizational Change through Transfer Training Workshops
Authors: Huczynski Andrzej , Logan David
Published: February 2008

The fact that a management training course is run on an in‐company basis rather than outside the organization does not guarantee that any of the learning acquired by course members will automatically be transferred back into the trainee's work situation. While many companies are prepared to devote considerable resources to helping their staff acquire new skills and knowledge, they frequently neglect to assist them in aplying this new learning back into their work. Frequently, disappointed with the low levels of learning transfer from traditional courses, many firms have reverted to work‐oriented, project‐based types of training programmes in the hope of ensuring that at least some of the training effort is translated back into improved trainee performance. However, in many cases the subject matter of the training may make it unsuited to this approach. Alternatively, an organization may wish to retain its existing in‐company training scheme, but would like to improve it in some way so as to enhance the likelihood of staff changing their work behaviour in the direction intended by the course.
Leadership Strategy for Employee Commitment
Authors: Mukhi Suresh K.
Published: February 2008

Over the past 15 or 20 years, there has been a steady stream of management techniques evolved and published. Many have scarcely caused a murmur of interest. A few have been hailed entirely new and capable of magic. Whilst it will be untrue to say that all of these techniques have been discarded or passed into oblivion, there is little doubt that one will have to struggle to remember some which, in their day, were thought to be miraculously effective and, without doubt, destined to be the keystone of further advances in the art and science of management.
Improving Productivity: A Team Building Approach
Authors: Saunders Ian
Published: February 2008

The project which this report outlines took place in a manufacturing plant of a medium sized company. The plant employed approximately 1,200 people operating on a four shift manufacturing system. They produced, by continuous process, a variety of similar consumer products. The project lasted approximately nine months. This report outlines the course of the project and its final outcome. The lessons that were learnt from this project have been put together in the form of a conclusion to this report.
Tips from Thailand: A S E Asian View of Western Consultants
Authors: Olanvoravuth Ninnat , Kakabadse Andrew
Published: February 2008

This article attempts to give the western consultant travelling to South‐east Asia an idea of what to expect, of what will and what will not work in terms of consultancy practice.
The Organisation Laboratory An Experiential Learning Design
Authors: Edmonstone John
Published: February 2008

Recent research on the development of effective managers indicates that in addition to the long‐recognised social and analytical skills which are required there are also “meta‐qualities”, chief among which is the ability to “learn how to learn”. This article offers a description of an experiential learning design, the Organisation Laboratory, which can help develop this capacity.
Conditions for Successful Participation
Authors: Koopman Paul L. , Drenth Pieter J.D.
Published: February 2008

A big issue in research on leadership and organisation change is how, and how much, workers who will carry out the decisions should participate in the decision making process. An answer to this question has become more crucial now that several recent studies have shown that worker participation in the decision making process is by no means always successful: here the type of decision plays a large part. Certain conclusions from a study in three Dutch organisations are discussed below. This study is part of an international research project.
Integrating the Internal Organisation: An Intervention
Authors: Walton Michael
Published: February 2008

This case example is about working in an organisation characterised by conflict and low trust within the top and senior management levels. It sets out the stages of the work that was done, and the resulting, and continuing, positive pay‐offs which have taken place.
Auditing Performance—An Alternative Approach
Authors: Bennett Roger
Published: February 2008

Getting the best performance from any company's resources, especially people, can be a headache at the best of times. Making sure that each employee is productive, so that the company is productive, is a key task of all managers and practising specialists. This is especially critical in today's troubled economic climate where companies are being forced to cut back on staffing levels and where employees are often fully stretched in coping with the work that has to be done. Add to this the frequently made comparisons between the performance of UK companies and those of our main competitors, and you find that our productivity and performance levels are lagging quite severely behind. Clearly there is a need to improve performance, but how? This article puts forward an alternative approach to those adopted in the past. It is based on a detailed analysis of performance put forward in a recent publication.
Some Processes at the Consultant/Client Interface in OD Work
Authors: Casey David
Published: February 2008

The way in which the article is constructed is that one particular assignment is described in outline first, as a case history. This is Part I. Then, in Part II, this assignment is reviewed, with particular reference to the typical consultancy processes at each stage, from the first process of actually getting asked in, to the final withdrawal process.
From “Organisational Social Work” to Organisation Design
Authors: Edmonstone John
Published: February 2008

One of the more trenchant criticisms made of the work of Organisation Development practitioners is that they are really “organisational social workers”, relatively impotent in terms of strategic decision‐making within the enterprise and best employed in providing “tea and sympathy” to shell‐shocked victims on the corporate battlefield. In this role they can bring to bear their panoply of techniques (counselling, life planning, assertiveness training, etc) to ameliorate the ravages of organisational life. Happily, there is now some evidence of the unhappiness of many OD practitioners with this role and consequent attempts to move into the areas of strategy and planning. This article recounts the process by which a unit of practitioners in the British National Health Service moved over a four‐year period from a concern with the casualties of large‐scale organisational change to involvement in questions of organisation design.
The Role of the Secretary in Personnel Management
Authors: Ridgeway Christopher
Published: February 2008

The role of the secretary has recently become the focus for considerable research. Silverstone studied the variables related to the job satisfaction of office secretaries for her PhD and Vinnicombe for hers. The Unions such as APEX (1979) have considered the effect of technological office changes on the secretary's job. Others such as McCabe and Popham have written on the organisation structure changes necessary to support the technological changes, from typewriters to word processors, which will influence the secretary's job.
Developing Tomorrow's Managers
Authors: La Russo A.C.
Published: February 2008

The development of managers must be viewed as a major investment by all organizations. An organization's ability to hire and train future managers will ultimately decide its success or even its survival. The current economic conditions of increased foreign competition, growing government regulations, lagging productivity, high rates of inflation and interest and periodic raw material shortages, have increased the need for maximizing the benefit any organization obtains from its resources, including personnel. Not only is it the responsibility of management to establish the goals of an organization, but also to co‐ordinate the factors of production (labor, land capital and equipment) to attain these goals.
Women at Work
Authors: Cooper Cary L. , Davies Rachel
Published: February 2008

The role of women in society is radically changing in most Western countries. Vast numbers of women are beginning to work full‐time and to aspire to climb the same “organisational ladders” as their male counterparts. Indeed, the latest figures from the US Department of Labor indicate that the “typical American family” with a working husband, a homemaker wife, and two children now makes up only seven per cent of all US families. In addition, whereas in 1960 31 per cent of all married women in the US were working, as were 19 per cent of women with children under six, by 1975 the comparable figures were substantially higher at 44 and 37 per cent respectively.
Developing a Personnel and Social Policy Model: A Workshop Design
Authors: Kurtz Hans‐Jürgen
Published: February 2008

At the end of each year it was customary for the members of our Personnel and Social Department to have their annual conference. At this conference we took stock of all activities of the past year and made plans for the year to come. Neither is a rather traditional conference adequate for developing strategies that are supposed to last for the next five to ten years, nor is a simple inventory of past activities enough of a basis on which to build on a completely new frame of reference for Personnel and Social Policy strategies. Therefore, the head of our department felt that it was about time to start considering aspects such as goals and corresponding consequences that would allow us to be more future‐oriented.
Reappraising MBO
Authors: Murphy J.J.
Published: February 2008

This article tackles the problems encountered when introducing a management by objectives system into an organisation. It outlines a checklist which can help the practising manager achieve a smooth transition from “what was” to “what will be”.
Outdoor Development Training:A New Tool for Management
Authors: Chapman A. , Lumsdon C.A.
Published: February 2008

How two business school lecturers used outdoor activities as an aid to management development. Their findings show that physically and psychologically demanding tasks can make a significant contribution to management learning.
Team Management Synergy
Authors: Harris Philip R.
Published: February 2008

In this post‐industrial period of human development, traditional organisational models and managerial styles are gradually being replaced. They are inadequate and unproductive with the new knowledge workers. Therefore, a major transition is underway in social systems from “disappearing bureaucracies” to “emerging ad‐hocracies”. In these turbulent times, leaders facilitate the transcendence from past to futuristic operations by promoting matrix or team management approaches. Whether the strategy is called a project, task force, product or business systems team or ad‐hoc planning committee, work is organised around a “temporary” group that involves both permanent (functional) and impermanent lines of authority. Such endeavours at organisational alteration and design are bridges from the way we have been doing work to the way we will be conducting human enterprise in the decades ahead.
The Values Problem in OD
Authors: Edmonstone John
Published: February 2008

For the organisation development practitioner the problem of value is to do with modes of conduct or desired end‐states and the movement towards these. The alternatives appear to be for the OD practitioner to make the value base as explicit as possible, or to act as third party to an organisational situation, concerned with existential knowledge and increasing the level of political discussion over desired end‐states among managers. In this latter manner organisational change activities can be geared to progressively changing realities.
OD Practices in France: Part One
Authors: Desreumaux A.
Published: February 2008

Part One of a two‐part article. A survey of organisational development practices in France reveals the lack of a clear OD theory: it does not have a precise technological context, nor does it refer to the social philosophy origins of American OD. Some consultants claim to practise OD but mostly without telling clients; this veiled approach illustrates the difficulty of setting it in an organisational context.
Developing the Police Officer at Work
Authors: Cacioppe Ron L. , Mock Philip
Published: February 2008

The predominant psychological type among senior police officers is the extraverted‐sensing‐thinking‐judgement type, pragmatic and practical and thus ideally suited to many aspects of police work, according to data presented to 119 Australian senior police officers. The high proportion of extraverted‐thinking‐sensing‐judgement types may explain the common macho‐image of policemen. Low levels of self‐actualisation among police officers may limit honesty, openness, flexibility and concern for the good of the police force and society, as well as contributing to stress, so this aspect must be dealt with.
Sub‐optimisation and Resistance to Change:How to Channel “Political Energies” by Means of Structure and Skills
Authors: Mastenbroek Willen F.G.
Published: February 2008

The problems of sub‐optimisation and resistance to change are chronic in organisations. Sub‐optimisation is endemic in horizontal relations, resistance to change in vertical relations. Both involve a dynamic trend towards maintenance and/or improvement of one's strategic position in relation to others in the organisation. Two solutions are presented: structural — from vertical control to horizontal competition; and skills — how to balance co‐operation and competition, with particular emphasis on negotiating skills. The structural approach attempts to reduce intergroup rivalries and to channel competitive energies towards organisational goals by using organisational structure and incentives. The skills approach focuses on the negotiating process as a set of social skills to balance co‐operation and competition. A model of negotiating is presented which could be instrumental in charting the behaviour of negotiators, e.g. in training sessions for structuring feedback.
OD Practices in France: Part II
Authors: Desreumaux A.
Published: February 2008

The vagueness of consultants' ideas as to what OD is, their diverging opinions as to its technical contents and the underground nature of the practice make OD in France rather elusive. OD tends to develop only in organisations where the absence of urgent problems and the vagueness of the feeling of unease make the agents receptive to long and unconventional intervention methods and facilitate the use of these methods. In this way, the practice of French consultants which does not originate from a democratic ideology and which pays more attention to the analysis of the stakes system within each organisation goes beyond the movement of planned change. OD in France appears to become more bureaucratic, or interventions acquire certain bureaucratic features deeply rooted in the French organisational context. The French case might be used as a field of experience and reflection.
OD for Managers: Some Fall‐out from Empirical Results
Authors: Cahoon A.R. , Rowney J.I.A.
Published: February 2008

Organisation development encompasses a host of strategies ideally reflecting a systematic approach aimed at more closely linking the human resources and potential of an organisation to its technology, structure and management processes. The needs of managers at various levels in the hierarchy differ and one method for all management is not effective. Needs of managers are identified here by level, and appropriate OD strategies based on these findings suggested.
The Woman Entrepreneur: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Hisrich Robert D.
Published: February 2008

For a woman entrepreneur, the risks of starting and operating a business are increased by being in a male dominated arena, having few role models and lacking confidence in some business skills. To be successful she needs to establish a track record. Necessary education and business training should be obtained. Occupational experience in middle management or technical areas is beneficial. Before starting up the family situation should be assessed. A strong moral support system of family, friends, clients and business associates should be established. She must be determined to succeed and work hard in a professional manner. Research findings from a mail survey and personal interviews with a sample of women entrepreneurs in the US, Puerto Rico, Ireland and Northern Ireland are presented.
An Investigation of the Properties of Kolb's Learning Style Inventory
Authors: Wilson D.K.
Published: February 2008

The Experiential Learning Model devised by Kolb proposes that learning is a cyclic process involving four kinds of abilities: that all normal adults possess and use abilities in all four modes; the level of these abilities and preferences for their use varies among individuals; individual learning style can be assessed through the use of the Learning Style Inventory (LSI). These propositions have important implications for human development and those responsible for it. A research programme to generate evidence of work‐based coping behaviour among managers with which to assess the validity of the first three of these propositions is reported. Three versions of the LSI were administered (standard, elaborated and randomised) on a test‐retest basis to a sample of adult participants in courses in management studies at Sunderland Polytechnic, and 130 usable results were obtained. The inventories were administered twice with an intervening period of six weeks during the 1984/85 academic year. Data analysis explored test‐retest stability, internal consistency and factor identification. The apparent test‐retest stability of groups masks considerable variation at the level of the individual. Changing the order of the items in the inventory brings a reduction in test‐related and split‐half correlations. The elaborated version of the inventory produced less reliable results than the standard and randomised versions, and the pattern of item associations was very difficult. Those who wish to use the LSI to classify individuals according to learning style should do so with care.
Beyond Intrapreneurship: The Metamorphosis of Larger Corporations
Authors: Norburn David , Manning Kingsley , Birley Sue
Published: February 2008

The relationship between strategic positioning and the appropriate mechanism for its implementation is important to most top managers. The determination of an appropriate organisational relationship will largely reflect the complexity of the trading environment. Intrapreneurship within traditional organisational structural formats is one mechanism to combat turbulent trading conditions. A “menu” of organisational relationships is presented which are used within a looser model of organisational relationships. Changes of this nature imply a re‐examination of managerial “grooming”. Educators must design school curricula around criteria of increasing self‐reliance and risk taking. Management developers should encourage the same characteristics. A change in political and social attitudes is also indicated.
Muddling Through: The Anguish of Apprenticeship
Authors: Mainiero Lisa A.
Published: February 2008

As organisational development (OD) matures into an identifiable profession, concerns about the adequacy of training processes for members of the profession have emerged. The apprenticeship period serves a critical function in helping the novice learner discover what is expected of him or her in the field. An analysis of this developmental period may be most helpful to both experienced OD practitioners serving as sponsors for young OD professionals, as well as for those individuals “learning the ropes” as emergent OD professionals in a rapidly changing field. The experience of an apprentice‐in‐training on a large‐scale feedback project is described. A model of the apprenticeship period is highlighted using the concepts of role theory. Its implications for the sponsor and apprentice are assessed.
Chinese Management: From the First Emperor to Deng Xiaoping
Authors: Fukuda John
Published: February 2008

China is a country in dire need of management reform. Although the behaviour of people at work is necessarily influenced by the environment surrounding an organisation, it is more directly affected by the management. After a brief glance at a chief executive officer of 2,000 years ago — the Emperor Shihuang — four selected cases of management practices in China today are highlighted, illustrating some of the management problems facing the modern country and the changing attitudes that could prove all‐important for its future.
Consultation on Organisational Levels: An Intervention Framework
Authors: Coghlan David
Published: February 2008

Many models and typologies exist in the fields of organisational behaviour and consultation. One model, developed by Rashford and Coghlan, focuses on organisational levels as a framework for managing human resources. Four organisational levels — individual, face‐to‐face team, group‐divisional and policy‐strategy — are distinguished and each level is defined in terms of tasks and interventions. In the field of consultation, the typology of Blake and Mouton is well established. This typology presents a classification system of five consultation interventions — acceptant, catalytic, confronting, prescriptive and theory. It has widely influenced thinking on, and training in, consultation skills. The Blake and Mouton typology is applied to the Rashford and Coghlan framework with a view to its further development.
HOW MANAGERS INFLUENCE SUBORDINATES: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF DOWNWARD INFLUENCE TACTICS
Authors: Dosier Lloyd , Case Thomas , Keys Bernard
Published: February 2008

An empirical study of managerial influence tactics is described using a structured interview process. Two hundred and fifty‐seven usable narrative accounts of downward influence attempts were obtained using this approach. Respondents also reported the nature of the influence attempt, the reasons for success or failure, whether other people were used, and the long‐term consequences of the influence attempt. These categories derived, described successful and unsuccessful attempts by a wide variety of managers in both private and public sector organisations, large and small. Influence tactics were organised into 17 categories by a systematic and well‐established process. One way chi‐square tests were used to analyse categorised responses. Generally it was found that influence tactic success was more likely when associated with the initiation of new tasks or goals and more likely to fail when trying to eliminate subordinate violation of rules, procedures, or policies. There was a trend for more threatening tactics to be more closely associated with unsuccessful than successful influence attempts. The data suggest that short‐term influence tactic success may be obscured in the research by the use of multiple tactics and by long‐term relationships and that unsuccessful influence attempts may result in the deterioration of interpersonal relationships.
Is there hope for man? A new phase in the work of the Institute for World Order
Authors: Hollins Harry B.
Published: February 2008

In January 1974, Robert L. Heilbroner wrote: There is a question in the air, a question so disturbing that I would hesitate to ask it aloud did I not believe it existed unvoiced in the minds of many: “Is there hope for Man?” In another era such a question might have raised thoughts of Man's ultimate salvation or damnation. But today the brooding doubts that it arouses have to do with life on earth, now and for the relatively few generations that constitute the limit of our capacity to imagine the future. For the question asks whether we can imagine the future other than as a continuation of the darkness, cruelty and disorder of the past; worse, whether we do not foresee in the human prospect a deterioration of things, even an impending catastrophe of fearful dimensions.
Managing a project to install an integrated management system
Authors: Youker Robert B.
Published: February 2008

After the appointment of a new administrator of the Social and Rehabilitation Service, which is the DHEW agency concerned with the welfare program in the United States, top priority was placed on installing new approaches and methods to managing this large organization. The overall development of this program has been recorded by Mott and Porter in “A Case Report on a Comprehensive Planning and Management System.”
Planning as politics
Authors: Hurni M.L.
Published: February 2008

The trade literature on planning, as distinct from the learned literature, contains more than its share of anxious concern about the future of the practice. This anxiety seems to arise principally from:
New prospects for investment in a Scarcity Inflationary Environment
Authors: Cohen Kalman J. , Mathieson Robert F.
Published: February 2008

Although the current world recession has deflected interest away from the question of supply adequacy, it remains a long‐term problem. To be sure, inventories are now being liquidated and raw material prices are falling, but as we look ahead to 1976 it is possible again to see a situation in which demands are pressing against capacity constraints. In the past it was commonly accepted that firms should expand their capacities ahead of increases in demand (and, if possible, ahead of their competitors' capacity increases). This approach is now being debated, as part of a broader questioning of some guidelines that have frequently been followed by business managers and executives.
A new look at cash, profit, growth, risk, and time
Authors: May John M.
Published: February 2008

The events and trends of 1974 caused traditional corporate objectives to be changed rather drastically, and the remaining years of the 1970s promise further changes in how corporate managements set objectives and formulate business and financial strategies.
Forecasting for planning
Authors: Chambers John C. , Mullick Satinder K.
Published: February 2008

Forecasting is important to planning in a number of ways, such as the projection of environments, sales, costs, or profits for new or established products. However, the techniques used in, and the approach to, forecasting may be quite different for established versus new products. For established products the main objective may be to understand and project relatively stable conditions (assuming no major upsets); for new products the objective may be to forecast how the product will be accepted in a new or changing market. Furthermore, the forecaster must understand how new environmental conditions will affect both the factors to be forecasted and the changing needs of the decision‐maker.
Goals for global society: A third‐generation project for the Club of Rome
Authors: Knoepfel Rudolf W.
Published: February 2008

Modeling of long‐range world trends began in a rigorous way in 1968, when the Club of Rome initiated the Forrester and Meadows studies which resulted in the computer models Worlds 1, 2, and 3. Publication of the results in popular form in Limits to Growth catalyzed worldwide discussion of the finiteness of the earth with respect to explosive growth in population and technological civilization. While these first‐generation world models had a profound effect on how many people now view social progress and the future of mankind, they were criticized for being over aggregated and failing to take into account sufficient human factors, such as social and political organization, values, and the force of secular and religious traditions.
Business and the new federalism
Authors: Lufkin Dan W.
Published: February 2008

We are coming into an era in which business will have unprecedented opportunity to deal with government on a creative and profitable basis. What has made this opportunity possible is the New Federalism started during the Nixon administration. The states, with money received from the federal government, are now in a position to make new strides toward solving a series of social problems. With noncategorical grants from Washington, they are, moreover, free to undertake these programs with a minimum of bureaucratic interference.
Process is more important than product; Or throw out the plan and keep the planner
Authors: Mendell Jay S. , Lynn Tanner W.
Published: February 2008

The Myth of Rationality. To prepare a technology assessment is to engage in a struggle between openness and closedness. This is the inherent struggle of planning and forecasting, since one's objective is to include the significant and exclude the complicating. In technology assessment, this struggle is particularly awkward, since in principle the assessment should be open to the consideration of side‐effects and ricochet effects and to alternative future environments; yet in practice there are limitations on time, personnel and funding, and limitations on the willingness of decision‐makers to assimilate a complicated, differentiated, equivocating analysis. So closedness is imposed where there might be openness.
Getting the power to plan
Authors: Shea Cuming Pamela , Bechard William
Published: February 2008

The Need for Power. Corporate planners are charged with defining where the organization should be going and identifying how it might get there. To meet this challenge, the planner must be familiar with the diverse kinds of problems and opportunities confronting his organization, as well as with the resources available to solve the problems or respond to the opportunities. Unfortunately, being familiar with the problems, opportunities, and resources is not enough. If corporate planners are to go beyond recommending direction and approach, they must understand the nature of power and how to use it effectively. The objective of this article is to discuss the various types of power available to planners and how this power can be used to improve the effectiveness of planning skills.
U.S.C.'s center for futures research
Authors: Wilson Ian
Published: February 2008

The year 1971 saw the appearance on the University of Southern California campus of the Center for Futures Research, “dedicated to research into the fundamental causes and directions of social change and the design of new policies and strategies.” Under the leadership of its director, Dr. Burt Nanus, the Center has built up a first‐rate professional staff and acquired a well‐deserved reputation as one of the most competent and dynamic futures research organizations in the country, on or off campus. In little more than three and a half years the Center has completed a range of projects, and compiled a list of publications, that would do credit to an organization twice its size.
Why has planning failed and what can you do about it?
Authors: Pennington Malcolm W.
Published: February 2008

Everybody talks about formal planning. Everyone reads the literature. And most people agree that the concept is compelling and logical, and that planning is a thoroughly grand and sensible thing to do.
Taxonomy
Authors: van Dam André
Published: February 2008

With 160 nation‐states, ranging from the principality of Abu‐Dhabi to the republic of Zaire, depending upon each other in different ways and to different degrees, it becomes an increasingly complex task to compare, classify, rank, and forecast the relative development and opportunities offered by each.
Planning in an age of discontinuity
Authors: Wilson L.R.
Published: February 2008

When a planner becomes chief operating officer, that's good news. It is valuable to see how he views planning from his new role. The age of discontinuity presents special problems, and Mr. Wilson suggests some key elements to approaching them successfully.
Socioeconomic trends and corporate strategies
Authors: Goldman Irwin
Published: February 2008

Many of the problems facing corporations today are the familiar ones: rising costs, reduced profit margins, intensified competition made more keen by the recession and growing market saturation, product obsolescence, complex and more stringent government legislative and regulatory requirements. The list goes on. Although we have faced these problems before, there seems to be a new urgency to our search for plans and strategies to deal with them. The problems seem somehow bigger, more refractory today, and more urgent.
Forecasting for planning: Time series analysis
Authors: Chambers John C. , Mullick Satinder K.
Published: February 2008

Planning is concerned primarily with developing strategies that will achieve a desired future. Accordingly, planners frequently prefer to give relatively little attention to recent trends and patterns and therefore to avoid the use of trend projections, time‐series‐analysis techniques, and other such methods. These planners maintain that their objective is to create an environment that will enable them to deviate from historical trends and therefore that history has little value. However, there are several ways in which statistical projections are useful to planners. In this article we will describe some of the more commonly used time‐series techniques and how they can be applied.
Jockeying for position in the career steeplechase
Authors: Baiardi Peter
Published: February 2008

“I thought planning was strictly a staff coordinating job that had poor acceptance and low entrepreneurial content. I thought it was a fast track to oblivion,” says Howard Potratz, director of strategic planning and business development for the Consumer Products Group at Warner‐Lambert. His mind changed by a persuasive boss and a chance to get involved in acquisitions for the pharmaceuticals company, Potratz is now a confirmed believer in the career benefits of a planning position. “Strategic planning, together with the acquisitions that grow out of planning strategies, provide an excellent combination for corporate exposure and the development of broad executive skills.”
Hounding theoretical economists
Authors: Leontiades Milton
Published: February 2008

An economist who makes such an insightful remark on his profession is not without promise. On balance, however, in this book Lekachman does not deliver the much needed critical evaluation of the economics profession by an economist of stature.
Planning for profit
Authors: Gale Bradley T.
Published: February 2008

One hundred and ninety of the world's largest and most diversified companies have added a new capability to their arsenal of planning tools. They have tapped into a new and unique collection of strategic experiences of product‐line businesses now maintained by The Strategic Planning Institute (SPI). Member companies use information derived from this data base as one additional input to:
Cross‐sectional analysis: The new frontier in planning
Authors: Gale Bradley T.
Published: February 2008

Cross‐Sectional vs. Time‐Series Analysis. The strategic position of a business is not immutable. It can be altered by external changes in the market it serves, the technology it uses or by a conscious strategic choice. When such changes do occur, a business's own historical experience may be a poor basis for predicting what will happen next. If a planning tool is based solely on the experience of a single business, something may change, causing the time‐series model to fall apart.
Canada's uncertain industrial prospects
Authors: Gilmour James M.
Published: February 2008

For the past two years the Science Council of Canada has been engaged in a broadly‐based study of Canadian manufacturing industry. The Council sensed along with other institutions, that our industries in the seventies are suffering from numerous maladies only some of which are caused by world recession and other recent economic circumstances. As befits its mandate, a great deal of attention has been paid to the technological component of our industrial difficulties. The Science Council is presently studying policy initiatives appropriate to the creation of a more viable manufacturing base. Sufficient research has been completed to give some broad indications of the conclusions being reached on the nature and causes of our industrial dilemma, and of the type of policy response which the Science Council believes is essential to redirect manufacturing towards viability.
The (not too) rocky road for economic growth
Authors: Baron Donald C.
Published: February 2008

The economic disruptions of the 1970s have created considerable uncertainty concerning the outlook for future long‐term economic growth in the United States. Many economists and businessmen contend that the problems are symptomatic of fundamental structural changes in the economy. In this view, the enduring problems of inflation, poor productivity, raw materials shortages, financial instability, and government interference in the private sector are expected to condemn the economy to permanently low growth rates and severe cyclical fluctuations.
Evaluating management procedures: The right way
Authors: Bennett Alfred
Published: February 2008

Companies and investors are constantly examining other companies as potential acquisitions or investments. Over the past ten years, I have conducted detailed investigations of more than 80 large publicly‐owned companies in many industries, companies ranging in size from $200 million to $12 billion in sales. These companies universally have said that my interviewing approach is unique. My clients find the results to be cogent and useful. The same approach may assist planners in analyzing potential acquisitions, candidates for the investment portfolio, or even their own companies.
Go for the goal
Authors: Pennington Malcom W.
Published: February 2008

If you were sitting in your car wondering which way to turn out of your driveway, a map wouldn't do you much good unless you could decide on a destination. If you are directing the path of an organization, rather than a car, you cannot successfully plan unless you know what you want to accomplish. In short, the key to planning—like driving—is determining goals, for without clear goals you will not have useful plans.
Strong chaining for change
Authors: Theobald Robert
Published: February 2008

We need change. We need large‐scale change. We need immediate change.
Forecasting — How to keep your head when all about you are losing theirs
Authors: Eckenrode Robert T.
Published: February 2008

The subject of forecasting has continued to be a pre‐occupation of planners, particularly as the apparent reliability of forecasts in recent years has declined. The author of this article suggests that better forecasts can be made if certain precautions are observed. Readers seeking more information on forecasting methods may wish to consult a Planning Review series by Chambers and Mullick (March 1975, July 1975, September 1975, and January 1976).
The self‐service society: A new scenario of the future
Authors: Zeleny Milan
Published: February 2008

Firmly press the “hold” button on those predictions that the post‐industrial society is nigh. Given current trends, another scenario can be developed for the future, an alternative that might well be termed the self‐service society.
Social demands: Continuing pinch threatens business
Authors: Leontiades Milton
Published: February 2008

The social responsibility of business is not a new issue, but it is certainly one whose time arrived during the 1960s and early 1970s. There are today few issues of greater concern to business people. There are also few issues that have so galvanized consumer groups to protest to influence specific business decisions, such as installation of a nuclear utility plant, or against the philosophy of a “profits‐first” orientation of business generally.
The basics for bargaining: A code for multinationals
Authors: Knoepfel Rudolf W.
Published: February 2008

For their opponents, the Multinational Corporation (MNC) is a rapacious, exploitative, immoral and blatently malevolent institution, the source of most of the socioeconomic problems and “injustices.”
Strategic management the Monsanto way
Authors: Neubert Ralph L.
Published: February 2008

It has become increasingly obvious that few companies can continue to provide goods and services in the same way as in the past, and remain economically viable. New government regulation of products and product usage, competitive serving of identical market needs, and increased competition from new companies make it clear that we must focus more attention on factors formerly regarded as extraneous to our job of managing the organization.
The debate over productivity: Tilting at Windmills?
Authors: Thackray John
Published: February 2008

Hyped by the Administration, the problem of productivity has lately hit the headlines. Like the Nixon and Ford governments, Carter and his entourage of economic experts have taken to loud public lamentations about the U.S.' low productivity growth. In fact, Carter has been far more pessimistic on this score than his predecessors, predicting an annual productivity growth over the next five years of a mere 1.5 percent, compared to previous Department of Labor projections of a 2 percent figure. The very day after his gloomy forecast in the Economic Report to Congress, the Labor Department unveiled the lousy productivity score for 1978—a trifling 0.4 percent increase, the worst since the 1974 depression. Carter solemnly warned the nation that this alarming drift at a time of high inflation threatened everyone's standard of living.
Bureaucrat to businessman
Authors: Abramson Robert M. , Voci Joseph J.
Published: February 2008

Developing managers for government‐owned enterprise in less developed countries means creating entrepreneurs who can double as public officials.
Training: Planning's neglected necessity
Authors: Royce William S.
Published: February 2008

Consider three blunt statements I and my colleagues heard during the last year from people who are not professional planners, but who are expected to participate in planning processes at their companies:
Gould: Planning charges its batteries
Authors: Carroll Daniel T.
Published: February 2008

In 1967, the Board of Directors of the then downtrodden Gould National Battery Company decided it had had enough of slack profits. A new chief executive was brought in who, in turn, brought a new management team on board. Since then the company has grown and diversified strikingly. Sales in 1967 were $100 million; profit was virtually non‐existent. In 1978, Gould reported sales of $1.9 billion and, after tax, profits of $106 million.
The debate over productivity: Cracking the measurement problem
Authors: Sadler George E.
Published: February 2008

True measures of physical and real value productivity can provide factory management with a highly useful tool for operations analysis and for identifying specific areas to improve efficiency. At the plant level such measurement permits specific breakouts of the relative efficiency, and the costs of production and capital, labor, and energy, either for individual product lines, for processes, or departments, or for the establishment as a whole. Interplant comparisons can, of course, point the way to sounder management decisions based on greater informa tional input. Such plant‐level productivity measures should always be related directly to changes in the basic input‐output relationships such as plant size, production method, percent of capacity utilization, extent of technological innovation, or product diversification.
Managing the strategic design making process
Authors: Naylor Thomas H.
Published: February 2008

The essence of strategic planning is to provide a conceptual framework for the company's chief executive officer (CEO) and line managers to enable them to make decisions today that will affect the company in the future. Strategic planning involves the formulation of long term goals and objectives and the selection of strategies to achieve these goals and objectives for the company in light of an uncertain environment in which the firm must operate.
Editorial
Authors: McKean Deborah A.
Published: February 2008

Is Samuel Johnson finally out of date? To be “sometimes cheated” has not been a popular goal of corporate planners who are in the business of helping their companies avoid the threat of being cheated out of the continued market success of a product or service.