bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Barley Grain Maturation and Germination: Metabolic Pathway and Regulatory Network Commonalities and Differences Highlighted by New MapMan/PageMan Profiling Tools
Authors: Sreenivasulu Nese , Usadel Björn , Winter Andreas , Radchuk Volodymyr , Scholz Uwe , Stein Nils , Weschke Winfriede , Strickert Marc , Close Timothy J. , Stitt Mark , Graner Andreas , Wobus Ulrich
Published: February 2008

Plant seeds prepare for germination already during seed maturation. We performed a detailed transcriptome analysis of barley (Hordeum vulgare) grain maturation, desiccation, and germination in two tissue fractions (starchy endosperm/aleurone and embryo/scutellum) using the Affymetrix Barley1 GeneChip. To aid data evaluation, Arabidopsis thaliana MapMan and PageMan tools were adapted to barley. The analyses allow a number of conclusions: (1) Cluster analysis revealed a smooth transition in transcription programs between late seed maturation and germination within embryo tissues, but not in the endosperm/aleurone. (2) More than 12,000 transcripts are stored in the embryo of dry barley grains, many of which are presumably activated during germination. (3) Transcriptional activation of storage reserve mobilization events occurs at an early stage of germination, well before radicle protrusion. (4) Key genes of gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis are already active during grain maturation at a time when abscisic acid peaks suggesting the formation of an endogenous store of GA in the aleurone. This GA probably acts later during germination in addition to newly synthesized GA. (5) Beside the well-known role of GA in gene activation during germination spatiotemporal expression data and cis-element searches in homologous rice promoters confirm an equally important gene-activating role of abscisic acid during this developmental period. The respective regulatory webs are linked to auxin and ethylene controlled networks. In summary, new bioinformatics PageMan and MapMan tools developed in barley have been successfully used to investigate in detail the transcriptome relationships between seed maturation and germination in an important crop plant.
EMBRYONIC FLOWER1 Participates in Polycomb Group–MediatedAGGene Silencing inArabidopsis
Authors: Calonje Myriam , Sanchez Rosario , Chen Lingjing , Sung Z. Renee
Published: February 2008

Polycomb group (PcG)–mediated gene silencing is a common developmental strategy used to maintain stably inherited repression of target genes and involves different protein complexes known as Polycomb-repressive complexes (PRCs). In animals, the two best-characterized PcG complexes are PRC1 and PRC2. In this report, we demonstrate that the plant-specific protein EMBRYONIC FLOWER1 (EMF1) functions in maintaining the repression of the flower homeotic gene AGAMOUS (AG) during vegetative development in Arabidopsis thaliana by acting in concert with the EMF2 complex, a putative equivalent of Drosophila melanogaster PRC2. We show that AG regulatory sequences are required for its ectopic expression in both emf1 and emf2 mutants and that EMF2 is required for trimethylation of histone 3 lysine 27 on the AG chromatin. We found that EMF1 interacts directly with AG and that this interaction depends on the presence of EMF2. Together with the finding of EMF1 interference with transcription in vitro, these results suggest that EMF1 enables transcriptional repression of AG after the action of the putative EMF2 complex. Our data indicate that EMF1 plays a PRC1-like role in the PcG-mediated floral repression mechanism.
ROOT HAIR DEFECTIVE4Encodes a Phosphatidylinositol-4-Phosphate Phosphatase Required for Proper Root Hair Development inArabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Thole Julie M. , Vermeer Joop E.M. , Zhang Yanling , Gadella Theodorus W.J. , Nielsen Erik
Published: February 2008

Polarized expansion of root hair cells in Arabidopsis thaliana is improperly controlled in root hair–defective rhd4-1 mutant plants, resulting in root hairs that are shorter and randomly form bulges along their length. Using time-lapse fluorescence microscopy in rhd4-1 root hairs, we analyzed membrane dynamics after labeling with RabA4b, a marker for polarized membrane trafficking in root hairs. This revealed stochastic loss and recovery of the RabA4b compartment in the tips of growing root hairs, consistent with a role for the RHD4 protein in regulation of polarized membrane trafficking in these cells. The wild-type RHD4 gene was identified by map-based cloning and was found to encode a Sac1p-like phosphoinositide phosphatase. RHD4 displayed a preference for phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate [PI(4)P] in vitro, and rhd4-1 roots accumulated higher levels of PI(4)P in vivo. In wild-type root hairs, PI(4)P accumulated primarily in a tip-localized plasma membrane domain, but in rhd4-1 mutants, significant levels of PI(4)P were detected associated with internal membranes. A fluorescent RHD4 fusion protein localized to membranes at the tips of growing root hairs. We propose that RHD4 is selectively recruited to RabA4b-labeled membranes that are involved in polarized expansion of root hair cells and that, in conjunction with the phosphoinositide kinase PI-4Kβ1, RHD4 regulates the accumulation of PI(4)P on membrane compartments at the tips of growing root hairs.
Hypermedia management in television through text processing
Authors: Caldera‐Serrano Jorge
Published: February 2008

Purpose

This paper aims to describe a working routine for the analysis of audio‐visual documents for serving the needs of television journalists.

Design/methodology/approach

A description in the form of a synthesis is given of the process by which television information must be put at the user's disposal with a response that is both fast and exhaustive.

Findings

In television, there is a need to adapt the habits and methods of documentation to the productive processes of journalists in order to attain the common goals of information retrieval and reuse of the documents.

Research limitations/implications

The main drawback of using this working method lies in the intensive use of large numbers of personnel with knowledge in specific areas.

Practical implications

Well‐designed hypermedia management based on knowledge of the creation processes in television will allow the construction of an information management system that adds value to the documents that have been analysed and facilitates the organisation's creation of future audio‐visual products.

Originality/value

It is hoped that readers use this paper in a critical spirit to adapt it to their own particular requirements, and to serve as a guide both for setting up a document/information system and for organising such departments within the TV industry.
Thumbs up: a new definition of reference
Authors: Mitchell Eleanor , Barbara Watstein Sarah
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this editorial is to examine the changing nature of the role of reference services, and to work towards a new definition of the term “reference”.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper assesses the current situation and looks forward to a new definition of “reference”.

Findings

The paper finds that a new definition of “reference” holds great promise.

Originality/value

A definition of “reference” that takes into account the activities of a twenty‐first century reference librarian will serve to advance reference services and, by so doing, will both impact reference librarians' future and preserve and renew the value of reference librarianship.
Re‐establishing memory: memory's functions and the reference librarian
Authors: Butler Walter
Published: February 2008

Purpose

This paper seeks to re‐establish memory's role within reference librarianship, and to argue that continued research on how memory affects the reference librarian can encourage growth within the profession.

Design/methodology/approach

Neuroscience and psychological explanations of memory are introduced and then utilized to show how reference librarians access and impress memory. Perspectives on reference librarianship in relation to memory, service, education, and knowledge management are also presented and scrutinized.

Findings

Memory is an integral part of librarianship, yet often overlooked. Memory is also a complex tool which comprising overlapping systems. Owing to the nature of these systems, it is sometimes difficult to decipher when one system is being utilized and another is not.

Research limitations/implications

Memory is not tangible, though neuroscience has been able to map out some processes. Because of memory's elusive quality, the paper relies heavily on present biological and psychological theories. There is a need to assess memory practices further in the realm of librarianship and to determine more ways in which memory can contribute to the enhancement of library services.

Practical implications

The paper provides insight for the role of memory within reference librarianship, and suggests a structural basis to analyze librarian service through memory systems.

Originality/value

Utilizing both psychological views and biological constructs of memory, the author systematically incorporates these ideas into roles which are beneficial to the development of the reference librarian and enhancement of reference services.
Towards a theoretical foundation of supply network interdependence and technology‐enabled coordination strategies
Authors: Skipper Joseph B. , Craighead Christopher W. , Byrd Terry Anthony , Kelly Rainer R.
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to provide a conceptual/theoretical foundation to enhance the body of knowledge related to supply chain interdependence and technology‐enabled coordination.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper heavily engaged itself in the theory/literature related to coordination theory, interdependence theory, interdependence, coordination and supply chain technologies to formulate the theoretical propositions.

Findings

From the literature/theoretical bases, the paper derived a total (include sub‐components) of eight theoretical propositions related to interdependence, coordination and technology enablers.

Research limitations/implications

While technology enabled‐coordination is central to supply chain management, there is a lack of a prescriptive view present in the literature. By deriving insights from the rich literature related to coordination theory and interdependence theory, we provide a theoretical foundation for future research to enhance the body of knowledge related to the systematic application of technology to foster the appropriate coordination strategy.

Practical implications

Although empirical support is warranted, the proposed concepts related to technology‐enabled coordination offer pragmatic advice to managers.

Originality/value

The paper provides a theoretical foundation for future research to enhance the body of knowledge related to the systematic application of technology to foster the appropriate coordination strategies.
Automated verification of disaster plans in incident management
Authors: Hoogendoorn Mark , Jonker Catholijn M. , Popova Viara , Sharpanskykh Alexei
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to create a formal specification language for disaster plans in order to remove possible inconsistencies between disaster plans, and to enable the automated verification of properties from such plans against logs of actual incidents.

Design/methodology/approach

Different types of properties in disaster plans have been identified and formalized using order‐sorted predicate logic, enabling automated comparison of plans and verification of such properties against logs by means of software tools. Actual disaster plans and logs have been used as a case study to show the working of the approach.

Findings

The automated approach can be used quite easily and result in important findings. For the case study disaster plans crucial differences were found that could have catastrophic consequences. Furthermore, it is shown that in the logs of a well‐known incident the disaster plan was not followed.

Practical implications

If the approach is introduced in practice, disaster plans would be stored in a formal format, enabling the automated comparison of disaster plans, and immediate detection of derivation from a disaster plan in case of an incident.

Originality/value

Other literature about the formal modelling of disaster plans that includes both structural and dynamical aspects and allows representation of organizational structure at multiple aggregation levels has not been found. Nor has comparing the disaster plans using such a formal model, and using the model of the disaster plan to check empirical traces for compliance with this plan, been addressed in prior literature.
Qualitative assessment of adolescents' views about improving exposure to internet‐delivered interventions
Authors: Crutzen Rik , de Nooijer Jascha , Brouwer Wendy , Oenema Anke , Brug Johannes , de Vries Nanne K.
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to gain first insight into factors which might be associated with exposure to internet‐delivered interventions.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi‐structured focus group interviews were conducted with five groups of Dutch adolescents (n=54), aged 12‐17 years. Several aspects of exposure: a first visit; staying long enough actually to use and process the information; and revisiting the intervention, were explored.

Findings

Several factors that are likely to improve exposure to internet‐delivered interventions were identified, such as the use of “word of mouth” marketing, comparison of own behaviour with friends and the use of reminders.

Research limitations/implications

Focus group interviews are only a first step in the generation of ideas and opinions. A next step would be to conduct observational, experimental and longitudinal studies to test if and how these factors improve exposure to internet‐delivered interventions.

Practical implications

This paper is a useful source for those developing internet‐delivered interventions who want to improve exposure rates to their interventions.

Originality/value

The results of this exploration serve as an important first step to gain more insight into factors that improve exposure to internet‐delivered interventions.
The role of alcohol in a sexually motivated situation
Authors: Suvivuo Pia , Tossavainen Kerttu , Kontula Osmo
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study in detail what kind of role alcohol has among a selected group of sexually active teenage girls, with special emphasis on their locus of control and risky sexual behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

The data comprise the narratives of 87 girls regarding their experience with sexually motivating situations that involved alcohol. The narratives were analysed with a categorical‐content mode of reading.

Findings

Narratives belonging to the category ”Everything under control” involved self‐directed girls with strong self‐control who remained in control of the sexually motivated situation despite their drunkenness. “Let it go” narratives were characterised by outwardly directed girls with weak self‐control, irrespective of alcohol use. The effect of alcohol was most noticeable in “I both wanted and didn't want” narratives by girls who had shaky and situation‐dependent self‐control. Their ability to control a sexually motivated situation was unstable and considerably affected by alcohol use.

Practical implications

Alcohol use should be taken into account in sex education and vice versa. Sexual issues should be brought up in education concerning substance use. Young girls should be taught to recognise their own feelings and to consider beforehand what they want from their dating relationships. Role playing can be a useful tool in learning how to better handle sexually motivated situations. A feeling of regret can be utilised in health education both in providing knowledge and as a motivation for behavioural reform.

Originality/value

This study provides sophisticated information for comprehension of the conflicting results of earlier surveys, and it suggests that the association between alcohol use and sexual behaviour is affected by the type of self‐control tendency that girls possess.
Developing the business case for a digital library project
Authors: Cervone H. Frank
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of the role comprehensive business cases can have in ensuring the successful adoption of a digital library project.

Design/methodology/approach

Using theory and practice from information technology in both profit and non‐profit organizations, the author develops a methodology for developing a successful business case for digital library projects.

Findings

One of the major tasks a digital library project manager faces is getting their project approved and in the queue for development. By exploiting the full potential of the planning phase of the SDLC (systems development lifecycle), a digital project manager can develop a compelling business case for their proposed project. By using SWOT analysis as well as additional considerations, the project manager should identify how the project will address critical organizational (business) issues and success factors as well as provide a compelling case for action. In particular, the most successful business cases develop compelling cases for action by carefully crafting solid arguments for why the digital project being proposed is the most important project an organization to undertake out of all the potential projects that might exist.

Originality/value

This paper fills a gap in the digital project management literature by providing a step‐by‐step process for developing compelling business cases for digital library projects.
The long and winding road
Authors: Herb Ulrich , Müller Matthias
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to describe the open access archiving of scientific primary and secondary literature on the institutional and the disciplinary repository of the Saarland University and State Library. The challenges, opportunities and success factors of both repositories are compared and evaluated.

Design/methodology/approach

The article is based on the findings and experiences of eight years of open access archiving practice.

Findings

Basic requirements for success and acceptance are: quality control and standardisation that could be proved for example by an official certificate; and visibility and dissemination – researchers emphasize that their documents are indexed by the databases most common within their community. This applies especially to disciplinary repositories.

Originality/value

Universities should undoubtedly offer an institutional repository. Usually the university library runs this repository. The article lists some key points that should be considered when an organisation plans to start and run an institutional or disciplinary repository.
The ARROW project
Authors: Groenewegen David , Treloar Andrew
Published: February 2008

Purpose

To provide an overview of the Australian Research Repositories Online to the World (ARROW) project.

Design/methodology/approach

An retrospective analysis of the first three years of the ARROW project.

Findings

Provides information about the decisions made by the ARROW project, and reviews how they turned out.

Originality/value

This paper provides a review of the first three years of the ARROW project (which was the original funding horizon) from the perspective of the project team.
Ontario Government documents repository D‐Space pilot project
Authors: Devakos Rea , Toth‐Waddell Annemarie
Published: February 2008

Purpose

This paper aims to describe a project to increase access and longevity of electronic government documents.

Design/methodology/approach

The Ontario Legislative Library has partnered with the Ontario Council of University Libraries to extend the longevity and accessibility of electronic government documents using DSpace.

Findings

Digital repository software, such as DSpace, can be used to extend access to, and longevity of, special collections.

Research limitations/implications

The case study may be specific to local practices and the institutions involved.

Practical implications

The consortial approach builds on existing practices to build a cost effective and sustainable service.

Originality/value

Many projects in electronic government document preservation and access require large investments. This project leverages existing practices and resources.
Setting up a university digital repository: experience with DigiTool
Authors: Stevenson Valerie , Hodges Sue
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the DigiTool software has been used to create a university digital repository.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper outlines the project team's experience of using the DigiTool software and evaluates its potential for the creation of academic digital libraries.

Findings

The initial trials and first live projects demonstrate that DigiTool is a proprietary software solution with all the capabilities required to create an open access digital repository. The test work described in this paper will contribute to future enhancements to the software.

Practical applications

The paper will be of interest to project managers involved in the evaluation and selection of digital library software

Originality/value

DigiTool is relatively new to the UK market and this is a report of the first UK digital repository created using it.
The language barrier and its implications for HQ‐subsidiary relationships
Authors: Harzing Anne‐Wil , Feely Alan J.
Published: February 2008

Purpose

This paper intends to open up the debate on the influence of language on the way multinational companies manage their subsidiary operations.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors explain the importance of the field and expose a dearth of prior research. Subsequently, they define the “language barrier” and elaborate on the causes underlying this barrier, drawing on social identity theory.

Findings

The authors we propose an integrative model that consists of two coupled vicious cycles: the communications cycle – composed of the eight aspects of the language barrier – and the management cycle.

Research limitations/implications

This contribution to an otherwise ignored field of business study should be considered only a first step in opening up a new research agenda. Specialists in each of the fields touched upon are invited to make a contribution to the debate.

Practical implications

The management cycle suggests implications of the language barrier for various aspects of the HQ‐subsidiary relationship: strategic decision‐making, organization and personnel selection, global integration strategies, and autonomy and control procedures.

Originality/value

This paper uses socio‐linguistic theory to define and elaborate on the construct of the language barrier, a construct which is believed will be helpful in furthering research on the impact of language‐difference on multinational management.
The link between cultural value systems and strategic marketing
Authors: Lee Yang‐Im , Trim Peter R.J.
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to make clear how managers in Western organizations can understand the Japanese and Korean cultural value system and interpret the strategic decision‐making process that exists within organizations exhibiting a collectivist culture.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review was undertaken and several studies, either jointly or separately undertaken by the authors, were drawn upon in order to provide depth to the analysis and interpretation.

Findings

Although there are similarities between Japanese and Korean people, there are a number of distinct differences between them. These differences have come about as a result of Buddhism and Confucianism being adopted at different points in each country's history, and the fact that these countries have developed their own unique cultural value system. The differences manifest in organizational characteristics, which provide Japanese and Korean organizations with a specific identity, management model and way of doing business. What is evident, however, is that managers in both Japanese and Korean organizations are familiar with the relationship marketing concept and actively embrace the strategic marketing approach.

Research limitations/implications

Undertaking research into national cultural value systems and organizational cultural value systems is complex and requires an interdisciplinary approach. It can also be suggested that more emphasis needs to be placed on undertaking research of this kind in both Japan and Korea. Furthermore, it is advocated that a longitudinal study is undertaken in order to provide both evidence of how organizational cultural value systems within a collectivist culture change through time, and how cultural traits influence the decision‐making process.

Practical implications

Managers in Western organizations will be able to relate to the value systems of Japanese and Korean organizations and as a consequence, will understand how long‐term trustworthy relationships are developed. This should facilitate the negotiation of business deals and result in business partnerships being developed that are based on mutuality.

Originality/value

The interdisciplinary approach adopted allowed the authors to view culture from several perspectives and to link more firmly national cultural value systems with organizational cultural value systems, and with organizational identity. By adopting this research strategy, the authors were able to explain how organizational identity is influenced by and reinforced by the concept of strategic marketing.
How IT purchasing preparedness facilitates e‐marketplace usage
Authors: Truong Dothang , Jitpaiboon Thawatchai
Published: February 2008

Purpose

This research aims to examine the extent of e‐marketplace usage from the buyer perspective. Three types of e‐marketplace – third party exchange, consortium exchange, and private exchange – are compared and the impact of the buyer's information technology (IT) purchasing preparedness on the extent of e‐marketplace usage is evaluated.

Design/methodology/approach

A web‐based survey of 359 purchasing professionals in the USA is used in the analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare the extent of e‐marketplace usage among the three e‐marketplace types. Multiple regression methodology is also used to test the impact of IT purchasing preparedness on the extent of e‐marketplace usage.

Findings

The results indicate that there is no significant difference among the three types of e‐marketplaces in regard to the extent of current e‐marketplace usage and planned e‐marketplace usage. Additionally, IT purchasing preparedness appears to have a positive impact on e‐marketplace usage.

Research limitations/implications

The research empirically confirms the positive impact of IT purchasing preparedness on e‐marketplace usage. Nevertheless, it was limited to the buyer side and did not examine the interaction of IT purchasing preparedness and other influencing factors.

Practical implications

The research provides useful information for companies who are using or plan to use the e‐marketplace for purchasing. It also helps market participants to choose an appropriate e‐marketplace based upon their own IT purchasing preparedness.

Originality/value

This research fills the gap in the existing e‐marketplace literature and provides empirical evidence for e‐marketplace usage and the impact of IT purchasing preparedness.
A hybrid power‐saving protocol by dual‐channel and dual‐transmission‐range clustering for IEEE 802.11‐based MANETs
Authors: Jiang Jehn‐Ruey , Yang Chau‐Yuan , Chiou Ting‐Yao , Huang Shing‐Tsaan
Published: February 2008

Purpose

There are two types of medium access control (MAC) layer power‐saving (PS) protocols for IEEE 802.11‐based mobilead hocnetworks: synchronous and asynchronous ones. This paper seeks to propose a hybrid PS protocol to take advantages of both types of protocols.

Design/methodology/approach

The protocol utilizes the concept of dual‐channel and dual‐transmission‐range clustering. It divides all the hosts into clusters. Each cluster has a head and all the heads are organized as a virtual backbone to help route data. The protocol also utilizes the cluster head dismissal mechanism to avoid the ever‐increasing of cluster heads and to adapt to topology changing.

Findings

Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed protocol is more power‐efficient and more scalable than related protocols.

Originality/value

The proposed protocol is applicable to MANETs composed of hosts with single IEEE 802‐11 network interface card.
Mobilizing technology transfer from university to industry
Authors: Sharif Naubahar , Baark Erik
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The present paper seeks to illuminate the role played by university‐based technology transfer offices (TTOs) in driving the transfer of research‐based knowledge and technology from institutions of higher education to industry in Hong Kong.

Design/methodology/approach

Following a literature review, the authors use empirical data on technology transfer and innovation, and case studies of existing TTOs at City University of Hong Kong (City U) and Hong Kong University of Technology and Science (HKUST), to analyze and illustrate the changing nature of the role that TTOs have played in Hong Kong, from the late 1980s to the present.

Findings

It is found that, while TTOs originally served primarily to generate additional revenues for their affiliated universities through the creation and commercialization of intellectual property, that role has gradually evolved to support innovative start‐up companies through technology transfer.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited in having included only two case studies. In the future more cases should be examined, not only of other spin‐offs and start‐ups from City U and HKUST, but also from other Hong Kong universities as well. The study implies that TTOs should continue to learn how to respond to the needs of start‐ups through self‐evaluation. Universities should better manage TTOs, and the government, through better understanding of the capacity of TTOs to create spin‐offs, should develop policy measures that facilitate the process.

Originality/value

This study is among the first to examine the role of TTOs using a case‐study approach, especially in addressing the relationship between university‐industry linkages and the broader innovation system in Hong Kong.
Emergence of the entrepreneurial university in evolution of the triple helix
Authors: Zhou Chunyan
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The study aims at disclosing the evolution process to an entrepreneurial university in the government‐pulled triple helix in China through the analysis of MIT and Stanford model of “university‐pushed triple helix” in which academic institutions take the lead in regional innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a case study of the Northeastern University (NEU), which is located in the Northeast China where there is a dominant government‐pulled triple helix and with the establishment of China's first science park in which a highly successful software company (Neusoft) was created.

Findings

The pathway to an entrepreneurial university begins with government‐pulled + industry‐university collaboration, to university‐industry collaboration + interaction triple helix. This may be followed by a gradually developing “university‐industry collaboration” in which companies fund academic research with potential industrial use, the beginnings of a university‐pushed triple helix.

Originality/value

The analysis of NEU exemplifies the emergence of the entrepreneurial university in China and provides strategic implications for policy makers in terms of designing the appropriate policy to support university enterprising strategy.
New opportunities for industrial automation
Authors: CHENEVIX‐TRENCH TIMOTHY
Published: February 2008

Automation in industry is at a critical stage. A new kind of automation is emerging from a pioneering and experimental decade, and new techniques are beginning to find applications in which they produce dramatic returns in productivity. An astonishing vista of potential applications is opening up, and the development of these is now limited far more by lack of experienced people than by any technical limitations.
ADVERTISING CONTROL
Authors: KELLY WILLIAM
Published: February 2008

Automated expense control systems using computers are feasible and have been of great utility in exercising cost control and imp ementing sophisticated auditing procedures for advertising expenditures. As a tool of managment, provision of current information in great detail has enabled advertising and product managers to take corrective action quickly and decisively as emergency situations develop. It has facilitated advance planning, and has made possible an effective follow‐up on the progress of the advertising plan as it is worked out during the budgetary period. Surveillance by several independent offices—advertising, product managment, advertising control—makes it less probable that over‐charges, omissions and the like will go undetected. Smaller organisations could certainly benefit from such an advertising control system, but it has become a “must” for the large, decentralised, multi‐product company where because of their number, marketing programs can easily get ”lost in the shuffle“.
Raising the efficiency of the smaller firm
Authors: HUTCHESON G.A.
Published: February 2008

With so much emphasis placed today on the need for professional management and greater use of sophisticated techniques and equipment, the problems and requirements of medium‐sized and smaller businesses tend to be overlooked.
DECISION TAKEN
Authors: ALFRED A.M.
Published: February 2008

Discounted cash flow (DCF) is a technique for measuring whether future earnings from a project are worth the capital investment required to acquire them. Future earnings have, over the life of a project, to pay back the invested capital and also to pay interest on the outstanding capital at any time. The rate of interest which the future earnings are capable of paying on the capital invested is a measure of the profitability of the project and is called the DCF rate of return. The minimum acceptable DCF return is, of course, the rate of interest which the company has itself to pay for its capital. Thus DCF methods supply a sound means of separating sheep projects from goat projects. Most large U.K. companies now use DCF methods for project appraisal, but Courtaulds was one of the first to appreciate its use and is still one of the few to make DCF analysis obligatory for all projects submitted to the board. In this article, A. M. Alfred, chief economist of Courtaulds and one of those most involved in Implementing DCF techniques within his company, answers questions on why Courtaulds introduced the technique and what has been achieved by it.
LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS
Authors: MERRITT NEIL
Published: February 2008

DEFINITION OF REDUNDANCY Section 1 (1) of the Redundancy Payments Act 1965 provides “Where on or after the appointed day an employee, who has been continuously employed for the requisite period, is dismissed by his employer by reason of redundancy … then, subject to the following provisions of this Part of this Act, the employer shall be liable to pay to. him a 'redundancy payment' calculated in accordance with Schedule I to this Act.”
Executive search
Authors: BROOKE PETER
Published: February 2008

“The concept of the professional manager, moving from company to company during a career, rather in the manner of a medieval mercenary captain in the service of a series of monarchs, was established earlier in the USA”
The computer executive
Authors: PETERSEN R.J.
Published: February 2008

“The business community is showing increasing concern over a trend which is becoming disappointingly apparent — management has not learned what to do about the computer. Each new study, each new report on computer management indicates that the problem seems to be worsening. I believe that management's problem stems not from the technical complexity of computer techniques, but from managerial unwillingness to back with its confidence what it has backed with its funds.”
RAISING PRODUCTIVITY IN DISTRIBUTION
Authors: SUSSAMS J.E.
Published: February 2008

How many factories and depots should a manufacturer of consumer products operate and where should they be situated? Computers can affect the answer.
Value Engineering
Authors: GARRATT ARTHUR
Published: February 2008

What are the true sources of value in a product or service? How important is any particular facet of a product or service? Arthur Garratt, Technical Director of Value Engineering Limited, shows why these questions must be asked, and how they can be answered.
Corporate self‐renewal
Authors: HAGGERTY P.E.
Published: February 2008

Texas Instruments Inc. is now the 138th largest company in the USA with earnings of $580m. and plans for reaching $3 000m. in 1976. Its UK subsidiary began operations 10 years ago and now has the largest share of the UK semiconductor market with a turnover of £15m. All parts of TI are expected to grow at 30 per cent per annum and, indeed, the corporation as a whole has averaged this for the past 25 years. Innovation in create, make and market—the beginning of corporate self‐renewal—have made an important contribution to its rapid growth.
Mathematical models in retailing
Authors: MERCER ALAN
Published: February 2008

LAST April, when he announced his recommendations concerning the detergent industry, the then President of the Board of Trade told the House of Commons that too little was known about the economic effects of advertising in general and its relationship to competition. If he had been speaking in a wider context, he might have said that the descriptive theories of marketing are inadequate when complex decisions have to be made. In an increasingly numerate society, it is important to develop mathematical models which at one extreme will allow the Monopolies Commission to resolve questions relating to company mergers and at the other will enable the small shopkeeper to take decisions about his retail outlet.
Pyramids of disillusion
Authors: Rhys Williams Brandon
Published: February 2008

“The difficulties now all too commonly encountered in industry, commerce and the civil service, result from the attempt to combine the pyramidal structure with both continuity of employment up to full retiring age and the steady growth of responsibility from start to finish of each man's career”
MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS
Authors: WARD TOM
Published: February 2008

Business and industrial management in the UK has always prided itself on its practicality, despite Keynes' observation that the practical man is usually the slave of some outdated economic theory. Relevant experience has always been considered a far more important qualification than brains, and the phrase “it's all right in theory but it doesn't work in practice” is used to dismiss any concept not immediately understood.
The Management Apprentice
Authors: REVANS R.W.
Published: February 2008

“Even supposing that university teaching in traditional fields is an effective investment this is no reason to assume that management studies are also profitable in the same academic context”
What can OR contribute to market planning and budgeting decisions?
Authors: SOUDER WILLIAM E.
Published: February 2008

“Starting with basic market research information about the nature of the market place, OR simulation in effect generates further data. It helps to answer the manager's question, 'What would happen if …?'”
Measuring advertising effectiveness
Authors: KING STEPHEN
Published: February 2008

MEASURING the effectiveness of advertising is a complex problem. This review is concerned more with principles and underlying philosophy than with research methods. This is because I believe that in all consumer research it is not too difficult to work out the right methods once we have identified exactly what we want to find out and why; and also decided how we shall use the information when we have found it.
WOMEN on the shop floor
Authors: HILL ANDREW
Published: February 2008

“We found that the most important components of both satisfaction and dissatisfaction with jobs were concerned with satisfying higher level psychological needs.”
MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS
Authors: WARD TOM
Published: February 2008

THE spate of technical publications which management is urged increasingly to read, contain references to Management Information Systems or, equally, Total Information Systems, and this fairly new terminology is becoming the “in phrase” of the moment. The attraction of this total approach is considerable. Any business, whatever the nature of the products or services it offers, can be considered as an information machine, and as management spends much of its time making decisions with inadequate information the idea of having access to complete management information sounds a few stages removed from paradise.
Selecting industrial research projects
Authors: ALLEN D.H.
Published: February 2008

INDUSTRIAL research covers a wide spectrum of research activity, from fundamental research through applied research to development work. Fundamental research in industry is the counterpart of pure research elsewhere: it is the search for new knowledge in scientific fields which are relevant to an organization's short‐ or long‐term objectives. In fundamental research one cannot predict beforehand what each project will achieve and relate this to the organization's objectives. The research workers should choose individual projects within a particular field on their scientific merits. The effectiveness of fundamental research depends on selecting the fields in which to carry it out and on the ability of the research workers to make discoveries. Fundamental research in industry aims to provide a flow of discoveries and new ideas that may, after applied research and development, produce technology that the organization can exploit to promote its objectives.
Controlling research—the board's rôle
Authors: MORRISON J.K.
Published: February 2008

“Even when scientists do have a greater understanding of industrial conditions, the board will still not escape from its supervisory duties. These are to define policy, set targets, control finance, review projects, assess productivity and provide a suitable atmosphere and motivation.”
Computers for profit
Authors: STURT HUMPHREY
Published: February 2008

READERS with good memories will recall a study which McKinsey & Company made in the USA under the title “Getting the Most Out of Your Computer”. It was published in 1963 and summarized at length in the Harvard Business Review for July/August 1963. This study reviewed progress to date in the use of business computers in a selection of 27 companies with a view to identifying the characteristics which distinguished the successful computer users from the unsuccessful ones.
Planning for computers
Authors: MUMFORD ENID
Published: February 2008

IN HIS masterly book “Planning and Control Systems: a framework for analysis” R. N. Anthony attempts to clear up some of the confusion which seems to befog both the theory and practice of planning. He distinguishes between two aspects of planning which he sees as fundamentally different — namely, strategic planning and what he calls management planning and control. He defines strategic planning as policy formula‐tion and goal setting for the organization as a whole; a process which involves deciding on company objectives, choosing the resources to be used to achieve these objectives and the policies which are to govern the acquisition, use and disposition of the resources. Stated in these terms strategic planning is very much a staff and top management process. Management planning and control he defines as a type of planning concerned with the administration of the enterprise — for example, bringing new systems of work into operation and formulating personnel practices to meet departmental needs. He sees these localized planning functions as line activities.
To bake or to break
Authors: WHEELER GORDON E.
Published: February 2008

Free competition is one of the much extolled virtues of any economy not altogether dominated by state monopoly: the supposed virtues need not be dwelt upon here, but the tactics and strategies necessary to be successful in competition perhaps deserve rather more attention than they receive. In the most competitive of all businesses—professional soccer—the rewards for success are extremely high, while the turn‐over of managers is also very high in the many competing clubs which necessarily are unable to achieve success. In more normal business activities, situations occur from time to time in which although a company may be efficient by local, regional, or even national standards no strategy of decision seems appropriate. This case explores such a situation and invites readers' comments. Where this case is used as part of a course on business policy students may be asked to develop a policy likely to avoid situations similar to those discussed or to develop a strategy to meet the present situation.
Marketing strategy and diversification
Authors: BURMAN D.F.
Published: February 2008

“Whatever the reason and objectives involved in diversification, the company must expect to become engaged in unfamiliar products, technologies or markets, so it must provide new expertise to support the new operations.”
Location of industry and Government policy
Authors: CUTHBERT NORMAN H. , SPARKES JOHN R.
Published: February 2008

LOCATION of industry policy in Great Britain has its origins in the Special Areas Act of 1934, which marked the beginning of government's acknowledgment of the need to influence the distribution of industry. Since then, successive governments have continued to accept the need. But ideas on how the need should be met have changed considerably, although almost entirely constrained by the principle of taking the work to the workers. Such changes as have taken place in location policy have often led to companies alleging inconsistency on the part of government since the companies have found themselves left high and dry by a change in policy which, having influenced a decision on location, now by‐passes them.
Incentive bonuses for executives
Authors: MERRETT A.J. , WHITE M.R.M.
Published: February 2008

British companies have salary provisions whereas American corporations have remuneration philosophies. If one is looking for examples of a highly systematized approach to the payment of managers one is likely to find it among the subsidiaries of US parent companies.
TECHNOLOGICAL STRATEGIES for industrial companies
Authors: QUINN J.B.
Published: February 2008

WHAT is involved in formulating a strategy? What kinds of factors must be considered in such planning? How can a management establish internal decision processes to properly develop and implement a viable strategy?
LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS: The Donovan Report on Trade Unions and Employers' Associations
Authors: MERRITT NEIL
Published: February 2008

BEFORE examining the major recommendations of the Royal Commission on Trade Unions and Employers' Associations it is perhaps useful to restate the brief to which the Commission worked. It was “to consider relations between managements and employees and the rôle of trade unions and employers' associations in promoting the interests of their members and in accelerating the social and economic advantage of the nation, with particular reference to the law affecting the activities of these bodies and report”. This was the fifth Royal Commission to be set up to review the topic in the past hundred years, the first having been appointed in 1871 and the others in 1874, 1891 and 1903.