bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The regulatory role of the Charity Commission
Authors: Lock Richard S.
Published: July 2002

With gross income of £16bn and assests of over £35bn the charity sector is an important part of the economy but how efficient is the Charity Commision at regulating its activity? This article studies two high profile investigations performed by the Commision (War on Want and Oxfam) and asks whether the Commission was forced to react to adverse public comment by launching inquiries it did not want. Adverse reports into the activities of the Charity Commision have resulted in better monitoring procedures and the recruitment of qualified accountants. In addition the increasing diversification of the activities of the charity sector is bringing regulation by other forces, will these be any more effective? In a sector depending on public support another failure could cause serious problems.
Application of activity‐based costing: some case experiences
Authors: Gunasekaran A. , Marri H.B. , Yusuf Y.Y.
Published: July 2002

In present day manufacturing organizations, performance measurements play an important role in providing strategic directions and developing corresponding operational policies and methods. One such method is the activity‐based costing (ABC) method which calculates the cost of activities and helps in making decisions on product mix and price for improving the utilization of resources and minimizing the cost of production. Even now some manufacturing organizations employ traditional costing methods depending upon their market forces and characteristics. One of the most important decisions to be made is about the type of costing system that would be suitable for an organization. The role of direct labour in current manufacturing environments has diminished, but at the same time the level of support services has increased. Traditional methods of cost calculation do not take into account this increased complexity and still allocate overhead costs by their diminishing labour base or even do not take into account overhead costs. Hence, there is a need for a more accurate product costing method, viz. ABC. Discusses the application of ABC and some case experiences (for commercial reasons, the original identity of the companies is concealed) with the objective to provide information on whether the system would be applicable and under what circumstances it is better suited for improving the overall operational effectiveness of an organization.
Outsourcing implications for accounting practices
Authors: Juma’h Ahmad H. , Wood Douglas
Published: July 2002

Discusses the treatment of outsourcing in company accounts. In particular, it considers the application of several accounting standards that may be relevant to the presentation of outsourcing agreements in the financial statements. The way in which these principles are implemented in the relevant financial statements, with respect to outsourcing between 1991 and 1997, is the main focus of the paper. In practice, accountants, in the majority of the cases, consider outsourcing contracts as immaterial contracts and, generally, they do not include any note of the outsourcing contracts in the financial statements. This implies that accountants (auditors) consider each outsourcing contract as an individual contract without taking into consideration its aggregate effects. Finally, the degree to which FRS 12 raises issues with respect to the outsourcing agreements is considered in this paper and their presentation in accounts is considered.
Implications of US Securities and Exchange Commission Rule #33‐7380 in the improvement of accounting students’ writing skills
Authors: Reinstein Alan , Weirich Thomas R. , Nellermoe Donald A.
Published: July 2002

In response to many authoritative and honorary bodies, the accounting profession has recognized the importance of accounting curricula emphasizing written and oral communications skills. Accounting practitioners expect accounting students to master communications skills as accounting curricula become more responsive to changes in the accounting environment. Discusses key provisions of the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) recent Rule #33‐7380 that requires registrants to use “plain English” to prepare a prospectus’s cover page, summary and risk factor sections in filing with the SEC. The rule specifies six principles of clear writing and provides a handbook for use in preparing prospectuses. Accounting professors should consider adopting the suggestions of this SEC rule as a basis for improving their students’ writing skills.
Assessing payback from NHS reactive research programmes
Authors: Ferguson Brian , Kelly Peter , Georgiou Amanda , Barnes George , Sutherland Barbara , Woodbridge Bill
Published: July 2002

Aims to assess retrospectively the payback from NHS reactive research programmes in the Northern and Yorkshire region. A questionnaire was sent to all recipients of regional reactive research programme funding (biomedical, health services research (HSR), and primary and community care programmes) between 1 April 1991 and 31 March 1996. The sample available for analysis involved 174 respondents covering 119 projects, with a total financial value of £2.2 million. The main outcome measures used were peer‐reviewed publications, changes in individual practice, changes in NHS service delivery and organisation, and impact on the careers of researchers. Overall, 119 projects produced 230 peer‐reviewed publications: this was achieved at an average cost of £10,673, £6,386 and £22,310 per publication for the biomedical, HSR, and primary and community care programmes respectively. From the qualitative data analysis, important changes in individual practice and NHS service delivery were identified by respondents. The researchers in our sample appeared to have attracted over £6 million in R&D funding related to the initial regional grant. Although based on self‐report, there is evidence to suggest that the return on investment from NHS R&D can be substantial, taking a broad view of benefits to the NHS and to researchers. The findings also confirm the need for more effective dissemination and implementation of research findings.
The NHS manager
Authors: Preston Diane , Loan‐Clarke John
Published: July 2002

The changing role of the manager has been a growing area of both academic and popular literature over recent years. In addition, the interest of the popular press has made terms like “grey suit” and “fat cat” common terminology. Management roles and managerial authority within today’s organisations have seen many changes. This has led to frustration and anxiety for managers as they have watched their role change. In the NHS, like other sectors, managers have become a target for organisational redundancies and have experienced increased responsibility, closer monitoring of performance and heightened job insecurity. This paper aims to offer a contribution to the empirical data on managers by investigating one group of NHS managers’ own perceptions of how others see their role. The findings suggest that NHS managers are very aware of the largely negative perceptions that surround them but accept this as an integral part of their role.
Out‐patient Case Mix: A Survey of User Requirements
Authors: McNamee Paul , Hutchinson Allen , Parkin David , Milne Eugene , Steen Nick
Published: July 2002

Research and development of out‐patient case mix systems, to plan and
monitor resource use in the out‐patient sector, has hitherto not been
accorded priority in the NHS. As part of an investigation of their
usefulness, a survey of NHS professionals′ requirements for out‐patient
case mix was conducted. The results confirmed that there was support for
developing out‐patient case mix systems, although different users had
different requirements. However, a common theme to emerge was the
desirability of constructing holistic systems which cover in‐patient,
day‐case and out‐patient care. Additionally, development of care
packages was seen as a necessary first step in constructing systems for
out‐patient care. Concludes that visit‐based case mix systems are
unlikely to fulfil users′ requirements and recommends that case mix
contracting projects by Healthcare Resource Groups should be extended to
the out‐patient sector, but must recognize that existing systems do not
meet users′ requirements.
Contracting for Services and Limits to Managed Competition
Authors: Brookfield David
Published: July 2002

The introduction of market forces into the NHS has led to an operational
divorce between health care providers and those who need health‐care.
Central to this change has been the widespread use of contracts. As a
management problem, contract negotiation must incorporate consideration
of full cost recovery to establish prices for hospital services sold and
to ensure that available information is employed in assessing external
services purchased. Ignoring the important issue of information
availability in identifying relevant costs, it is the difficulty in
specifying the cost of an episode of treatment, for example, that has
led to contracts being negotiated in block form. Argues that this may be
the only contract that can be effectively established. An important
consequence of this is that the complexity of hospital services and
requirements will work against a wider implementation of piecemeal
managed competition and will form a natural barrier to market forces in
the NHS.
Towards Better Practice Management: A National Survey of Scottish
General Practice Management
Authors: Grimshaw Jeremy , Youngs Hermione
Published: July 2002

Surveys a 50 per cent sample of Scottish practices (stratified by health
board area), concerning whether they had a practice manager and who had
responsibility for practice management tasks. The overall response rate
was 73 per cent, with 63 per cent of responding practices employed a
practice manager. Reports the findings from practices employing a
manager, and reveals marked variations in levels of managers pay and
responsibility. The development of practice management structures varied
with only 85 per cent of practices holding regular practice management
meetings. The results suggest that practices which previously coped
without a manager have recognized the need for one as the complexity of
practice administration increases and that the traditional career path
of managers involving internal promotion is changing.
Sheep Dip – A Health Hazard for North Devon Farmers?
Authors: Sims Peter
Published: July 2002

Sheep dip toxicity from organophosphate is a problem affecting at least
40 people, and probably far more in the farming community in north
Devon. It is a problem not simply of acute exposure, but also of
sub‐acute and possibly chronic exposure, with significant neurological
and other illness. The epidemiology of this exposure and the
pathological characteristics need to be elucidated. The toxicology of
organophosphate chemicals in man, in low dosage, needs further
investigation. Presently, farmers should not use organophosphates if
they have had symptoms from previous exposure. To enable there to be no
financial penalty, governments should ensure that there is no price
differential between organophosphate sheep dips and others, e.g.
pyrethroids. The Government, manufacturers, and the farming community
need to work together to elucidate the problem as clearly as possible.
There may also be long‐term, significant problems with financial
compensation for afflicted individuals.
Commissioning and Public Health
Authors: Alderslade Richard , Hunter David J.
Published: July 2002

Improving the nation′s health is a major challenge. It has a long
history within the specialty of public health medicine, with its
commitment to knowledge and action. But achieving a balance between
these activities has been a source of considerable tension within the
specialty. The commissioning function, with its related dimensions of
purchasing and contracting, provides the best chance for decades of
aligning public health knowledge with the action that can produce health
improvement. The concept of public health management seeks to bridge
knowledge and action, drawing on a range of skills. But there is a long
way to go before the necessary skills and capacities are demonstrated in
practice. The organizational and personal development agenda remains
very large. Yet, what is occurring in the NHS has not been achieved
anywhere in the world. Describes one practical approach to strategic
health development and commissioning. But it will require sustained
commitment if it is to succeed.
The effect of financial incentives on physicians′ behaviour in
health maintenance organizations
Authors: McCleary Karl , Asubonteng Patrick , Munchus George
Published: July 2002

Examines the relationship between the presence of financial
incentives and their effect on physician behaviour in health maintenance
organizations (HMOs). By reviewing the scope and dimensions of both HMOs
and financial incentives, a foundation is laid for the review of the
current empirical evidence. Further analysis and conceptual development
is given to this topic by stating the limitations of existing research
– in the confounding variables, in the complexity of incentives,
and in the unanswered questions of quality of care – and by
proposing innovative ways of studying the “other aspects of
physician behaviour” not previously considered. Questions and
implications are raised for future research and practice.
Managerial objectives in the NHS
Authors: Mellett Howard , Marriott Neil
Published: July 2002

Discusses managerial objectives in the National Health Service and
compares service to patients with financial considerations. Reviews the
growing influence of financial criteria and the manner in which
financial objectives have been introduced. Asks if managers see their
mission in terms of financial targets or patient service. Reports on the
results of a questionnaire survey of all the managers in the provider
units within two District Health Authorities. Managers were asked to
rank a set of five statements in order of the extent to which they agree
with them. Analysis of the overall results shows a large measure of
agreement within the group of respondents that service to patients ranks
first, with financial aspects coming last. The same outcome occurred
when the results were disaggregated to NHS Trust/non‐Trust level and
between staff categories.
The future direction of general practice
Authors: Holden John , Spooner Andrew
Published: July 2002

Examines the present strengths and weaknesses of the general
practice system. Proposes a different structure for the future which
should provide benefits for both the purchasers and providers of health
care, as well as for the patients themselves.
Medicare health maintenance organizations
Authors: Asubonteng Patrick , Tucker Jessie , Munchus George
Published: July 2002

Provides a review and analysis of Medicare health maintenance organizations in the USA. The Porter model of industry structure is used. Discusses the issues of suppliers, buyers, market entry and substitutes. Indicates there is currently no intense rivalry among Medicare risk‐based HMOs. However, the Porter model reveals crucial information regarding the forces which drive industry competition. Trends in the field of managed care and Medicare financing continue to be a real challenge regarding future research.
Quality matters: junior doctors’ perceptions
Authors: Newman Karin , Pyne Tanya
Published: July 2002

Presents the results of an empirical study of junior doctors’ views on quality and clinical audit in health care. Claims that the requirement for annual efficiency gains and rising patient expectations, together with the realization that the “costs of quality” can consume between 30 and 50 per cent of costs, has brought quality in health care to the forefront. In this context, and because much of the medical care is delivered by junior doctors, studies their perceptions on dimensions of quality in health care, their knowledge of, and participation in, clinical audit and the obstacles to providing quality care. Makes a striking finding ‐ the low priority given to patient satisfaction ‐ a perspective which is out of alignment with the priorities of government policy, and the whole philosophy of “quality in service”. Asserts that the role, significance and outcome of clinical audit as a quality improvement tool is cast into doubt by these consultants of tomorrow.
Medical participation in and leadership of quality programmes
Authors: Øvretveit John
Published: July 2002

Notes that medical participation in organization‐wide quality programmes and leadership of quality is commonly viewed as the key to a successful programme. Reviews and reports research into doctors’ involvement in such programmes as distinct from doctors’ involvement in medical quality activities. Reveals the lack of systematic evidence on the subject, suggests areas for future research, and summarizes what is known. Gives recommendations based on reported research and experience for quality training for doctors and how medical managers might engage their colleagues and other professions in quality programmes.
Communication in the NHS: using qualitative approaches to analyse effectiveness
Authors: Tourish Dennis , Hargie Owen
Published: July 2002

Argues in favour of utilizing qualitative methods to assess the effectiveness of internal communications in the National Health Service (NHS), as a supplement to the more standard quantitative measures normally employed. Presents a case study from an NHS Trust, demonstrating the type of data which is generated. Compares these data to findings derived by quantitative methods. Argues that the qualitative findings both confirm and supplement those derived by quantitative methods, and that both can identify the types of major problems prevalent within the NHS at present. Suggests that the further study of these issues should become an important part of efforts to create national standards for communication effectiveness in the future.
Managerialism and public attitudes towards UK NHS managers
Authors: Learmonth Mark
Published: July 2002

Presents the results of empirical work examining public attitudes towards UK NHS managers. The findings indicate a strong lack of sympathy for managers. Discusses possible explanations for these results. The preferred explanation is that NHS managers as a group tend to share an ideology about the nature of the NHS and the role of management within the NHS which is at odds with the beliefs held by most members of the public on these matters. Explores the origins and nature of managerial ideology (managerialism) in the NHS and discusses possible reasons why the ideology might tend to be unpopular with the public. Concludes by suggesting that the traditional core values of the NHS as perceived by the public could be being violated by managerialism. This violation may be the principal cause for the low public esteem in which NHS managers are currently held.
Seamless health care for chronic diseases in a dual health care system: managed care and the role of family physicians
Authors: Lee Albert
Published: July 2002

Neither private nor state run health care systems are perfect. Although there is increasing evidence that Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) provide comparable care at lower cost, HMOs tend to select healthy patients. The dual health care system in Hong Kong spends about 3.9 per cent of GDP, with health indices among the best in the world. Hong Kong still faces the problem of escalating health care expenditure. One should take advantage of the dual health care system to evolve a new paradigm for a primary‐led seamless health care service. The Diabetes Centre of a university teaching hospital together with the University of Community and Family Medicine has started a structured shared care programme in diabetes mellitus, involving general practitioners in both the private and public sectors integrating the primary and secondary care, and the private and public sectors. This programme starts to develop an infrastructure for providing quality care at an affordable cost for a large pool of patients with chronic disease. Unlike other “managed care schemes”, this one is not run by profit‐oriented companies, but by health professionals with an interest in providing best possible care at an affordable cost. The “disease management” approach needs a care delivery system without traditional boundaries; and a continuous improvement process which develops and refines the knowledge base, guidelines and delivery system.
A model for calculating costs of hospital wards: an Italian experience
Authors: Garattini Livio , Giuliani Giovanni , Pagano Eva
Published: July 2002

Until recently Italian hospitals had no cost accounting or activity data collection systems, being formally required only to do financial book‐keeping. The cost analysis method presented here might be used to set up detailed and complete hospital cost accounting, which would permit a better understanding of patterns of resource distribution among departments, better opportunities for cost saving and cost control for hospital managers and health authorities. The study first identified a framework within which to assess the annual cost related to a hospital ward, then calculated the mean bed day cost for each speciality. Cost data were collected over one year in 1996 from manually compiled records, at one local hospital in Northern Italy. Costs were estimated following a step‐down allocation method. Wards requiring a major amount of resources per day of stay are intensive cardio‐coronary unit (US$650.689), and ophthalmology (US$483.322). The less expensive ward is general medicine (US$148.645). The cost analysis method presented in this study might be used to set a detailed and complete hospital cost database, which is a necessary tool for hospital managers to realise cost control and cost recovery.
Customary marine tenure systems and sustainable fisheries management in Papua New Guinea
Authors: Asafu‐Adjaye John
Published: July 2002

Takes a critical look at a current model of fisheries management which is based on principles related to Hardin’s “Tragedy of the Commons”. According to this model, where access to a fishery is free, it is not in the interest of the community to limit their fishing effort. To prevent over‐fishing and eventual destruction of fish stocks, fisheries managers in Papua New Guinea (PNG) have concentrated their efforts on imposing limits on fishing effort. Argues that such methods are bound to fail because they are imposed by outsiders and are alien to the local communities. Argues that customary marine tenure systems have a better chance of success in the management of local fisheries resources because they are community‐based and are derived from kinship and lineage structures. Advocates that, rather than overlooking such systems, governments must strengthen them to enable them to play their role in sustainable fisheries management.
A study of group lending and incentives in Bolivia
Authors: Van Tassel Eric
Published: July 2002

Documents a case study of an urban group lending programme run by the bank BancoSol in La Paz, Bolivia. The lending programme has proved capable of sustaining a set of widely accessible lending relations with a large number of self‐employed microentrepreneurs in Bolivia. In documenting this programme, our aim is to contrast several features of BancoSol’s group lending policies against some of the theoretical results that have emerged from the microeconomic modelling research on group loan contracts. This exercise is based in part on a small survey that was conducted among BancoSol’s client borrowers.
An explanation for the rising share of services in employment
Authors: Spithoven A.H.G.M.
Published: July 2002

Services are crucial for the functioning of a society and an economy. Nonetheless, they have not been given the attention they deserve and remain poorly understood by the economics profession. In many studies services are taken to be technologically sluggish or stagnant, and this then, is regarded as an explanation for their rising share in overall employment. The fact that due to the new information technologies, labor productivity in services has been perceptively increasing is not adequately reflected and acknowledged in economic statistics. This article discusses some aspects relating to changes in labor productivity with special reference to services. It describes the product of services from the final consumers’ point of view, as well as from the point of view of producers and analyzes the effect of services on process and product innovation. Attention is directed to the problem of measuring productivity in services and to some explanations for their rising share in GNP and employment in OECD countries. The conclusions suggest that changes in income, and in consumer behavior, affect the share of services and influence the growth of productivity in service industries.
Wasting time and wasting the earth
Authors: Tiemstra John P.
Published: July 2002

Recycling is typically advocated on economic grounds, yet at current prices, it does not pay. There are some reasons to think that some of these prices are inefficient, but the main problem is that recycling substitutes labor for energy, virgin materials, and landfill space. Advocates of recycling argue that this use of labor has environmental consequences that are less harmful than the one‐time use of recyclable resources. Recycling should be encouraged by legal and business policy mandates, as well as by increasing taxes on virgin resources.
Property rights in women’s empowerment in rural India: a review
Authors: Roy K.C. , Tisdell C.A.
Published: July 2002

This paper examines the importance of property rights in women’s empowerment in rural India. Arguments justifying the need for granting property rights to women are presented and the distinction is made between legal (formal) and customary (informal) rights. The ineffectiveness of legal right in absence of customary rights has been discussed. Customary rights also become ineffective due to other institutional impediments. These impediments have been discussed. The results of extensive field work in rural West Bengal and Orissa have been presented to illustrate the pattern of development process that poor rural women want and in which the property right is only one component, not the only component.
Preferences for public health insurance: egotism or altruism?
Authors: Shiell Alan , Seymour Janelle
Published: July 2002

This paper reports the results of a telephone survey to elicit preferences for public or private health insurance. The survey adopted a method described by Hudson and Jones that allows respondents to distinguish between self‐interest and altruistic motivations. A random sample of 403 people drawn from the central Sydney area participated in the survey. The results suggest strong altruistic support for publicly funded health care even among those whose self‐interest is better served by tax‐financed incentives to take out private insurance. This result undermines the assumption in the public choice literature that people will vote for a tax policy only if it is in their self‐interest.
The moral dimensions of neoclassical economics: a critique
Authors: Finnegan Marie
Published: July 2002

Aims to provide a comparative analytical critique of the moral
underpinnings of the neo‐classical tradition. The “moral
gauge” employed for this purpose is that of the overtly ethical
socio‐economic doctrine of the Catholic Church, as delineated in the
major papal encyclicals produced over the course of the last 100 years.
Outlines the ethical framework supported by this doctrine, and then
compares and contrasts it with the neoclassical approach under a number
of theoretical and policy headings. Argues that the neoclassical
presumption of an interpersonal moral vacuum has constituted a major
departure from its intellectual inheritance, and has weakened its
authority as a basis for policy formulation.
Innovative funding to support biodiversity conservation
Authors: McNeely Jeffrey A. , Paul Weatherly W.
Published: July 2002

Argues that conserving biodiversity requires a combination of policy reform and appropriate economic instruments. Presents policy reforms which would remove the underlying causes of the loss of biodiversity and create incentives for the efficient use of biological resources. The economic instruments would further strengthen the incentives for behaviour which is supportive of the objectives of the convention on biological diversity and generate the additional financial resources required to fund investments in biodiversity.
Sustainable income: extending some Tisdell considerations to macroeconomic analyses
Authors: Thampapillai Dodo J. , Uhlin Hans‐Erik
Published: July 2002

The depreciation of environmental capital is internalized within a simple Keynesian framework to permit the determination of sustainable income. The framework is empirically applied to the US economy by integrating standard macroeconomic data with macro‐environmental data which were derived by the adoption of a proxy method of valuation. The analysis includes the simulation of sustainable income paths and the evaluation of wages and technology/ management policies for achieving convergence between full employment and sustainable income. The scope for further conceptual development is demonstrated by the illustration of aggregate supply in the context of environmental depreciation.
Transboundary environmental problems and new trade rules
Authors: Helm Carsten
Published: July 2002

Increased environmental pollution and the globalization of economies have initiated an academic debate on the relationship between international trade and the environment. Addresses the question of whether the present GATT/WTO regime conflicts with effective policies to cope with transboundary environmental problems, including the protection of global commons. Analyses the welfare effects of transboundary pollution tariffs by using a simple partial equilibrium framework. Contrasts the results with an assessment of the existing GATT/WTO regime, in which no distinction between national and transboundary environmental problems has been made. Outlines, in conclusion, some basic elements of a necessary reform of the GATT/WTO regime. These proposals would allow border tax adjustment for certain types of production‐related environmental charge without undermining an open and non‐discriminatory multilateral trading system.
Catholic social teaching and the changing world economic order
Authors: Thanawala Kishor
Published: July 2002

Notes that the 1991 Papal Encyclical,Centesimus Annus, emphasizes the role of justice in the economic and social order of the global economy and that it calls for effective international agencies which would oversee and direct the economy to the common good in relation to the whole human family. Focuses on challenging questions posed by the call relating, for example, to the significance of having a just world economy and the role of existing institutions in its promotion. Initiates a discussion relating to such issues. Reviews the views expressed in some of the Papal Encyclicals on relevant economic issues. Discusses some problems relating to international development, and presents a discussion on some aspects of economic justice together with some welfare implications of economic theory. Describes attributes of an international monetary regime, followed by a presentation of a selective set of empirical observations. Briefly discusses international dependence theory, and exploitation in the international context. Finally, offers some concluding observations.
Measuring the benefits and yield from foreign tourism
Authors: Dwyer Larry , Forsyth Peter
Published: July 2002

Since it is necessary to give up real resources, goods and services to provide for the demands of tourists, the net benefits to an economy from tourism growth are typically substantially lower than gross tourism expenditure. Recognizing this, tourism researchers are paying increased attention to the concept of yield so as to inform benefit cost analysis, government policy, marketing strategies and investment decisions in the context of tourism development. First, defines the concept of yield and discusses some problems in its measurement; identifies distortions to the competitive tourism market and the implications for tourism yield; and also explores the relationship between yield and tourism expenditure as an indicator of yield. Concludes that the yield from tourism goes beyond visitor expenditure and should take account of a wide range of economic, environmental and social costs and benefits of tourism development.
The changing status of women in India
Authors: Ghosh R.N. , Roy K.C.
Published: July 2002

Argues that legal and constitutional rights in themselves do not change social attitudes. In the longer term these attitudes are conditioned by economic pressures, which would ultimately lead to improvement in the status of women. In the Indian context, developmental planning and urbanization did not have a specific focus on the role of women in economic change. As a result, development and urbanization led to very uneven results for different categories of women in India. While the poor women in rural India were left behind, the middle class educated women were able to improve their economic and social status as a result of urbanization and development. Again, Muslim women were unable to make as much social progress as did the Christian and Hindu women.
Ecology, economics and ethics
Authors: Ramakrishnan P.S.
Published: July 2002

Reports that while overconsumption of the world’s natural resources is a problem in developed nations, it is population growth and biological resource depletion that are the bane of developing nations. Uses India as an example for discussing biodiversity, natural resource issues and ecosystem function in an Asian context. Examines the linkages between ecological and social processes when humans are integrated within the structural and functional attributes of the ecosystem. Suggests a holistic approach for the rehabilitation and sustainable development of rural systems, so conserving biodiversity and natural resources.
Contributions to charitable organizations in a developing country: the case of Singapore
Authors: Ming Wong Chung , Chua Vincent C.H. , Vasoo S.
Published: July 2002

This article makes use of pooled time series data to study the demand for donations to charitable organizations in Singapore, a newly‐industrializing country. As in the case of the developed nations, donations are found to be responsive to the price of giving and characteristics of the charities such as size and age. Government social expenditures are found to cause some crowding‐out of private donations. The results imply that the government can reduce its direct role in providing social services, and at the same time meet the rising demand through policy measures to encourage private giving.
Emergent issues of environmental economics
Authors: Myers Norman
Published: July 2002

Environmental policies are rarely set by environmentalists, whatever they may think to the contrary. Macro‐level policies relating to land, water, atmosphere and other prime environmental resources are generally set by departments of agriculture, industry, settlement and the like, and especially by those departments of economic planning that establish the fiscal framework. Alternatively, policies are set by major business concerns, banks and investment bodies. These dominant agents in a nation′s economy then pass on to environmentalists whatever “policy space” is left over, whereupon environmentalists find themselves spending much time and energy in countering the environmental problems set up (all too unwittingly) by the others. A more productive approach for environmentalists would be to tackle some of these problems at source; and the first step in that direction is to better understand the sources in question.
The Soviet and post‐Soviet allocation of land rent
Authors: Raiklin Ernest
Published: July 2002

This paper attempts to analyze the mechanism of land rent distribution under the Soviet and post‐Soviet conditions. The subject is examined from a purely theoretical point of view. The procedure is as follows: first, the socioeconomic meaning of the word “Soviet” is defined. Second, the difference between land rent production and land rent distribution is examined. Finally, Soviet land rent distribution is investigated. Also, changes which the collapse of the Soviet system brought to the process of land rent distribution during the post‐Soviet period are examined. Within this framework, the role of Soviet turnover taxes versus post‐Soviet value‐added taxes is discussed.
Complementarity of market and state intervention in the context of Australia’s structural reforms since the early 1980s
Authors: Dutta Dilip , Heininger Marcus
Published: July 2002

The ongoing debate concerning the role of state vis‐á‐vis market has prompted some scholars in Australia to reassess this simple dichotomy. Recently, they are urging neoliberal policy makers to follow a “middle way” avoiding the extremes of the free market approach and the traditional interventionist/planning approach. This paper examines the reasons why extreme approaches to policy making are inferior from the broader socio‐economic point of view. In order to highlight the state‐market complementarity, it focuses on the range of policy tools that have been commonly employed in Australia in recent years, and then shows how they have assisted the market to operate more efficiently by providing economic and social infrastructure, and achieved non‐market oriented social‐justice objectives through re‐distribution measures.
Economics, extension and the adoption of land conservation innovations in agriculture
Authors: Pannell David J.
Published: July 2002

It is argued that there are three broad conditions that are necessary for an individual farmer to adopt a farming‐system innovation: awareness of the innovation, perception that it is feasible and worthwhile to trial the innovation, and perception that the innovation promotes the farmer’s objectives. Challenges involved in meeting each of these conditions are discussed, with particular attention to land conservation practices. In Australia, agricultural extension is the main method of intervention that has been used to promote land conservation. Insights from the framework presented here are used to suggest the particular types of approaches to agricultural extension that are most likely to contribute to positive outcomes.
Tax incentives, individual characteristics and charitable giving in Singapore
Authors: Chua Vincent C.H. , Ming Wong Chung
Published: July 2002

Previous studies conducted for developed countries like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom have often found charitable giving by individuals to depend on income, the tax price of giving, and other variables. This article makes use of confidential tax file data to conduct a similar study for Singapore, a rapid‐growing newly‐industrializing country. The results indicate that disposable income, the tax price of giving, donor’s age and educational attainment are important determinants of charitable giving by individuals. Donations are found to be income‐inelastic but highly price‐elastic. Thus, lowering the price of giving through tax incentives can be very effective in encouraging private donations to charity.
COBISS: National Union Catalogue, online bibliography and gateway to other resources
Authors: Seljak Marta , Seljak Tomazo
Published: July 2002

In 1987, a shared cataloguing system as the common basis for the library information system of the former Yugoslavia was designed. Before Yugoslavia’s disintegration in 1991, the shared cataloguing system was renamed COBISS – the Co‐operative Online Bibliographic System & Services. It later became the synonym for the library information system of Slovenia. Today it connects over 220 Slovenian libraries. It provides the libraries with conditions, necessary for shared cataloguing at a national level, including bibliographies and the automation of local functions. COBISS/OPAC enables the users to access information sources in the wider Internet environment. While COBISS software is used by some of the libraries in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, in Bosnia and Herzegovina too, COBISS/BIH, an independent co‐operative library system, was established in 1998. The COBISS system is an example of how to develop an efficient co‐operative library system as one of the vital segments of the information society in an environment primarily occupied with current problems of transition.
Knowledge management, librarians and information managers: fad or future?
Authors: Loughridge Brendan
Published: July 2002

This paper reviews some recent professional and academic publications on aspects of the theory and practice of knowledge management, with particular reference to the curriculum of professional education for library and information management and the career roles and prospects of information professionals. Some commentators dismiss knowledge management as a fad; others view it as a major paradigm shift in the management and exploitation of “intellectual capital”. It is concluded that many aspects of knowledge management practice bear a close resemblance to well‐established practices in librarianship and information management. However, the emphasis by knowledge management theorists and practitioners on the importance of knowledge elicitation and knowledge creation, groupwork and team work, greater involvement in organisational strategy development and support and IT may require greater attention to the personality, motivation and career aspirations of potential entrants to the profession in order to prepare them better for wider‐ranging, multi‐role careers.
Relationship marketing in consumer markets – Rhetoric or reality?
Authors: O’Malley Lisa , Tynan Caroline
Published: July 2002

Relationship marketing (RM) was conceived as an approach to industrial and service markets, and was considered inappropriate in other marketing contexts. Recently, however, the domain of RM has been extended to incorporate innovative applications in mass consumer markets. Much has changed in a few short years. Recent applications of RM in consumer markets have been facilitated by developments in direct and database marketing within an increasingly competitive and fragmented marketplace. This paper presents a critical review of the history of RM in consumer markets, and incorporates important conceptual, practical, empirical and popular contributions. A number of critical issues which remain unresolved are identified in the paper. These form the basis of ten research propositions which are crucial to justifying and advancing the domain extension into consumer markets.
Repertory grid technique – An interpretive research framework
Authors: Marsden David , Littler Dale
Published: July 2002

Examines some of the underlying assumptions, research objectives and practical applications of the repertory grid technique (RGT) in consumer research. It explains why the use and evaluation of the RGT should be grounded in the assumptions of the theory from which it derives, George Kelly’s personal construct psychology (PCP), and examines the way in which it is both congruent with and can contribute to the development of the emerging interpretive paradigm in consumer research. The specific questions that the RGT can help to answer about consumer behaviour experience are identified and illustrated with the findings from a short empirical study. Overall, it is argued that when the RGT is employed within the guidelines of PCP it provides a useful interpretive research framework for exploring some of the similarities and differences in the content and structure of consumers’ subjective meaning systems.
Brands without boundaries – The internationalisation of the designer retailer’s brand
Authors: Moore Christopher M. , Fernie John , Burt Steve
Published: July 2002

Addresses an area which has been neglected in the international retailing literature; the internationalisation of the fashion designer’s brand. Initial exploratory research revealed that there were 114 international fashion design houses competing for a global market of around £24 billion. Further research by postal questionnaire to entrants into the UK market, in addition to semi‐structured interviews with European and US designers, confirmed that this market was buoyant, fuelled by the development of diffusion lines for the mass market. Identifies four stages of market development: wholesale channels to department stores; the creation of ready‐to‐wear flagships; large diffusion flagships; the opening of stores in provincial cities. In order to acquire capital to enable this expansion, over 60 per cent of all fashion designers are now public limited companies. Even then franchising of stages 3 and 4, diffusion line development, is often franchised to third parties with the designer maintaining control over the product and its brand image. Between 20‐30 per cent of gross margin is spent on advertising support to create global campaigns to enhance brand image in foreign markets. However, there is increasing tension between the desire to be exclusive yet becoming involved in product line extensions and widespread distribution which could ultimately dilute the brand’s value.
The Marketing Concept: Putting the Theory into Practice
Authors: Hooley Graham J. , Lynch James E. , Shepherd Jenny
Published: July 2002

This paper attempts to develop a typology of current approaches to
marketing in UK industry. It reports the results of a national postal
survey of over 1,000 UK chief marketing executives. Cluster analysis was
used on the survey data to isolate four distinct marketing approaches
which are current in UK industry. These are described as
“marketing philosophers”, “sales supporters,”
“departmental marketers” and “unsures”. Three of
these orientations suggest a natural progression from sales support
through departmental marketing to the adoption of marketing as a guiding
philosophy for the whole organisation. While it is recognised that this
kind of cross‐sectional analysis cannot be used to conclude that all
business moves through these stages towards marketing orientation, the
paper presents attitudinal, organisational and executional evidence to
suggest that this is a viable hypothesis.
“The Voice of the Consumer?”: Speculations on the Limits to
the Marketing Analogy
Authors: Wensley Robin
Published: July 2002

The basic assumptions underlying the marketing approach, both in
terms of theory and practice, are considered. Particular emphasis is
placed on two issues: the degree to which the specific market
transaction is user or supplier specified and the degree to which the
user is regarded as active or passive. This analysis results in a
typology of forms of relationship between supplier and user which can be
used to illustrate some of the problems of extending the marketing
analogy to the public services sector as well as some of the remaining
contradictions in much marketing practice itself.