bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Management Training and Development on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
Authors: Marshall J. Neill , Alderman Neil , Wong Cecilia , Thwaites Alfred
Published: October 2007

NEILL MARSHALL IS LECTURER, NEIL Alderman senior research associate, and Alfred Thwaites deputy director, in the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Cecillia Wong is lecturer in the department of planning and landscape at the University of Manchester, England. This paper examines the impact on firms of the management training and development provided as part of the Business Growth Training Option 3, a programme of United Kingdom government financial assistance to help small and medium-sized enterprises in Britain to employ consultants to train and develop their management staff. The study compares changes in a cohort of firms undergoing management training and development in Option 3, with a matched sample of firms not in receipt of assistance. The research demonstrates the effectiveness of management training in small and medium enterprises. It shows that Option 3 assistance led to improvements in management, organisation and business performance in participant firms.
Why 'Business Angels' Say No: A Case Study of Opportunities Rejected by an Informal Investor Syndicate
Authors: Mason Colin , Harrison Richard
Published: October 2007

DR. COLIN MASON IS READER IN ECONOMIC Geography, University of Southampton, England, and Richard Harrison is Professor of Management Development at the Ulster Business School, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. Despite the rapid growth of studies of the informal venture capital market, knowledge of why 'business angels' reject investment opportunities remains highly generalised. In contrast with the investor focus of previous studies, this study adopts a dealspecific perspective by examining a sample of 35 investment opportunities that were considered and subsequently rejected by Metrogroup, a private investor syndicate in the United Kingdom. The paper refines and extends knowledge of 'why angels say no' in three respects. First, most investment opportunities are rejected for just one or two reasons. Second, the most common reasons for rejecting investment opportunities are associated with the entrepreneur/management team, market and marketing factors, and financial factors; a flawed or incomplete marketing strategy and flawed or incomplete financial projections are particularly significant deal killers, especially at the initial review stage. Third, with some specific exceptions, deals rejected at the initial review stage tend to be on the basis of the cumulation of a number of deficiencies rather than for a single reason.
Working Capital and Financial Management Practices in the Small Firm Sector
Authors: Peel Michael J. , Wilson Nicholas
Published: October 2007

MICHAELJ. PEEL IS A LECTURER IN accountancy and finance at Cardiff Business School, University of Wales, and Nicholas Wilson is Professor of Credit Management at the University of Bradford, England. Very little research has been conducted on the capital budgeting and working capital practices of small firms. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a preliminary study on the working capital and financial management practices of a sample of small firms located in the north of England. In general, the results of the survey indicated that a relatively high proportion of small firms in the sample claimed to use quantitative capital budgeting and working capital techniques and to review various aspects of their companies' working capital. In addition, the firms which claimed to use the more sophisticated discounted cash flow capital budgeting techniques, or which had been active in terms of reducing stock levels or the debtors' credit period, on average tended to be more active in respect of working capital management practices. It is hoped that the issues raised will stimulate further theoretical and empirical contributions on this neglected and important area of small business research.
Similarities and Differences in UK and US Franchise Research Data: Towards a Dynamic Model of Franchisee Motivation
Authors: Stanworth John , Kaufmann Patrick
Published: October 2007

PROFESSOR JOHN STANWORTH IS DIRECTOR of the International Franchise Research Centre, at the University of Westminster, England, and Professor Patrick Kaufmann is associate professor of marketing at Georgia State University, USA. The dominant quest for 'independence' (and allied intrinsic satisfactions) among those entering self-employment has been well-documented in the UK, the USA and elsewhere. This appears to hold true for those entering franchising as well as those staging an entry into more conventional small businesses. However, in addition to this, franchising, as a 'tried-and-tested' business format is designed to appeal to motives of economic security far sooner than would normally be the case in a small business career. Additionally, franchisors frequently acknowledge the changing developmental nature of franchisee motivation over the lifespan of a career in franchising and yet, to date, no theoretical framework has been developed to aid an understanding of the dynamic and changing nature of franchisee motivation and its behavioural implications. This current paper represents a first stage attempt at construction of a motivational model capable of being extended through the full career of a franchisee. The research reported here examines data drawn from 728 face-to-face interviews with individuals ('potential franchisees') attending franchise exhibitions held in London, England, and Washington DC, USA, during the spring of 1994. The results indicate marked similarities. The sample is disaggregated into three distinct sub-samples which are then treated as cross-sectional in terms of their socialisation into patterns of motives normally associated with self-employment. The model which emerges is seen as being capable of being extended through the entire career of a franchisee and the paper points to areas of future research required to develop further this process of model construction.
Management Training and Small Firm Performance: Why is the Link So Weak?
Authors: Westhead Paul , Storey David
Published: October 2007

PROFESSOR DAVID STOREY AND DR. Paul Westhead are with the Small and Medium Enterprise Centre at Warwick University, England. To improve the internal efficiency and business performance of small and medium-sized enterprises, a number of training initiatives have been introduced in the United Kingdom over the last decade. This has been based on the provision that training can be a powerful agent of change, facilitating and enabling a company to grow, expand and develop its capabilities and so enhance profitability. This paper seeks to review research which has examined the relationship between small firm performance profits, growth or survival and participation in management training. Although the prime focus of the current paper is upon the United Kingdom context, an earlier paper examined research literature from elsewhere in Europe, Canada, the United States, and Australia. Its conclusion was that the relationship between participation in management training and small business performance is currently not well established. The current paper briefly reviews these issues but is primarily concerned to establish reasons for the weak relationship between management training and small business performance in well-conducted research.
Mexican Small Business Negotiations with US Companies: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Husted Bryan W.
Published: October 2007

BRYAN W. HUSTED IS WITH THE INSTITUTO Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Mexico. Small businesses in many parts of the world are facing the challenges of negotiating in the global marketplace, challenges which are magnified for small businesses from emerging markets which have traditionally prospered from protectionist policies. Unfortunately, there is little information available to assist the small international business negotiator. Little material deals with negotiation from the viewpoint of a small firm in a newly opened economy bargaining with the businesses of an economically advanced nation. A prime example is Mexico which, with the approval of the North American Free Trade Agreement, faces an unprecidented challenge to modernise and become competitive after years of thriving in protected markets. The paper develops a portrait of Mexican small business negotiations with United States companies and of the elements essential for their success. Although the experiences of Mexican negotiators with US firms cannot be generalised to other pairs of countries, their experiences can be instructive for other small business people emerging from the safety of protected national markets.
Improving Productivity and Quality in Small and Medium Enterprises: Cases and Analysis
Authors: Gunasekaran A. , Okko P , Martikainen T , Yli-Olli P
Published: October 2007

At The Time of Writing, All four authors, A. Gunasekaran, P. Okko, T. Martikainen, and p. Yli-oli were with the school of busines studes, University of Vaasa, Finland. In most cases small and medium enterprise prodcue their own product but at the same time they prodcue items for large-scale industries. These create certain interdependencies among SMEs and between them and large-scale industries in order to improve the competitiveness of SEMs in exporting. During recent year large-scale industries have undergone many changes in terms of prodcution concepts such as just-in-time and total-quality-managment and other technologies such as FMs, OPT and CIM with the objective of aligning their busienss, productivity and quality improvement strategies concepts and technologies which have not received adequate atention from SMEs. However, they can play an active role in the integration of various co-operating SMEs in the network and in improving prodcutivity and quality in SMEs. An attempt has been made in this paper to discuss the strategic for improving productivity and quality in SMEs, develop a suitable conceptual model for improving productivity and quality in two Finnish SMEs, taking into account advanced concepts and technologies and various forms of strategic alliances. in addition, a strategic framerwork is offered for improving productivity and quality in SMEs.
The Pricing Decision in Small Firms: Complexities and the Deprioritising of Economic Determinants
Authors: Curran James , Jarvis Robin , Kitching John , Lightfoot Geoff
Published: October 2007

JAMES CURRAN WAS UNTIL RECENTLY Midland Bank Professor of Small Business Studies and director of the Small Business Research Centre at Kingston University, England; he continues to be closely associated with the centre and its research. RobinJarvis is Professor of Accounting andJohn Kitching a Research Officer at Kingston University; Geoff Lightfoot, formerly a research student at Kingston University, is now Lecturer in Management at Keele University, England. Price setting by small business owners has previously been analysed mainly in terms of two approaches. The more theoretical has usually taken economic rationality based on profit maximisation as the yardstick to assess owner-managers' decision-making and behaviour. Empirical approaches (often reporting findings from studies with the above starting point) have repeatedly found that the great majority of small business owners employ relatively simple cost-plus pricing. This paper argues that both approaches are inadequate. Theoretical approaches stressing economic rationality and profit maximisation employ a narrow, outdated notion of 'rationality'. Empirical simplification of the processes involved due mainly to the more complex conceptualisation of 'rationality' which broadens the notion and allows other economic and non-economic norms and values to enter into price setting as well as a wider range of goals than profit maximisation. It suggests that older notions of economic rationality and other rationalities are not mutually exclusive but form differing 'logics' which underlie the decisions and behaviours resulting in price setting. Findings drawn from in-depth interviews with small business owners are Contents Summaries 1 3 used to show how a wider conceptualisation of rationality and data on the 'logics' used by small business owners is a complex and widely varying process. The outcomes, prices, are contingent upon a mix of economic and non-economic influences linked to each other in specific 'logics' used by the small business owners. The implications of the more complex conceptual approach and empirical data on price setting in the paper for those who advise small business are drawn out. They indicate that substantial revision is required if the small business owners are to see the advice as realistic and the take-up of such advice is to increase.
A Typology of Strategic Behaviour among Small and Medium-Sized Exporting Businesses. A Case Study
Authors: Julien Pierre-Andre , Joyal Andre , Deshaies Laurent , Ramangalahy Charles
Published: October 2007

PIERRE-ANDRE JULIEN, AN INDUSTRIAL economist, is Director of the Bombardier Chair in Management of New Technology for Small Businesses and director of the Revue Internationale PME; Andr6Joyal is a regional economist and co-director of the Research Group in Economy and Management of Small Businesses (GREPME); Laurent Deshaies is a regional geographer and a member of GREPME. All three are professors at the University of Quebec at Trois Rivieres, Canada. Charles Ramangalahy is a research assistant with the Bombardier Chair. This paper presents the result of an in-depth case study of 20 small and medium-sized manufacturing firms, which examined their historical background, the entrepreneurs' objectives, marketing strategies, and the resources used to support export activities. Three different types of firms were identified. The first type, referred to as 'professional exporters', are proactive, have complex marketing strategies and use considerable internal and external resources in export development. A second type, referred to as 'opportunist' exporters, comprises small businesses that export as the opportunity arises; they wait for orders, behave reactively, have no specific strategy and no dedicated export resources. Between the two are 'transitional' exporters, firms trying either to achieve the status of professional exporters by becoming better organised, or to withdraw altogether from exporting in order to devote their resources to domestic market needs.
What's Size Got to Do with It? Implications for Contemporary Management Practices in IT Companies
Authors: Rodwell John , Shadur Mark
Published: October 2007

JOHN RODWELL IS A RESEARCH OFFICER AND doctoral scholar and Mark Shadur a Principal Research Fellow in the Australian Centre in Strategic Management at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. The study reported here explores differences between small and medium-sized companies across a range of human resource management, quality and general management practices, based on a survey of the Australian information technology industry. Small companies were less unionised, subcontracted less, had a more centralised structure and had higher levels of research and development. Medium-sized companies reported greater use ofjust-in-time (JIT), greater use of statistical process control (SPC), more successfulJlT systems and SPC systems. Despite the lower levels of quality system use and success, small companies were found to have a stronger espoused quality philosophy than the medium-sized companies. It is proposed that using non-unionised labour across a range ofjobs while maintaining a higher level of research and development and a quality philosophy allows small business to keep its flexibility while maintaining control, aiming for quality and focusing on the future.
The Population of Organisations Life Cycle (POLC): Implications for Small Business Assistance Programs
Authors: Howard Dennis , Hine Damian
Published: October 2007

DENNIS HOWARD AND DAMIAN HINE ARE PhD candidates working at Southern Cross University, Australia. Despite the wealth of programs employed by governments towards the small business sector, there is often little in the way of studies that systematically evaluate those programs. The authors believe that a major cause of this is a general lack of models that systematically explain what environmental factors influence small enterprise development. The paper addresses in part this issue and recommends the need for research to test the model. Small business development will be a major policy front through the 1990s because of the perceived role of small businesses in job creation and sustainable development. Policy approaches differ, however, because of the debate about government intervention in the economy. While there is substantial agreement in favour of neutralising forces that inhibit free markets, the benefits of direct intervention at the level of the firm are often debated. In this paper, life cycle theories (the Product Life Cuycle and the Organisation Life Cycle) are used to outline how product markets and organisations theoretically develop. An additional life cycle is identified, the Population of Organisations Life Cycle (POLC). It is useful for predicting a range of possible outcomes associated with small business assistance programs (SBAPs) and suggests when the benefits of such programs are maximised.
Sizing up the Small Firm: UK and Australian Experience
Authors: Atkins M. H. , Lowe J. F.
Published: October 2007

M. H. ATKINS IS WITH THE DEPT. FOR Management Studies, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, andJ. F. Lowe is with the Bristol Business School, University of Western England, UK This paper reexamines the definition of a small firm. In the past both input and output criteria have been used in different industrial sectors, often without any formal justification except convenience. Other definitions have concentrated on structures or roles but instead a new model based on management processes related to the planning function is advocated. This new model is widely applicable and empirical results have been obtained from large-scale samples of firms in the United Kingdom and Australia. Logistic regression is used to identify the structural differences between firms in manufacturing and services.
Disparities in Quality Perceptions Between Small Firms and their Customers
Authors: Roper Stephen , Hewitt-Dundas Nola , Mcferran Brendan
Published: October 2007

STEPHEN ROPER, NoIA HEWIET-DUNDAS and Brendan McFerran are with the Northern Ireland Economic Research Centre, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Discussion of product quality in the context of small United Kingdom companies has largely related to the impact of quality certification. Product quality improvement will, however, only yield a competitive advantage if improvements are recognised and wanted by customers. This raises two key questions: first, how aware are small firms of their customers' priorities in improving quality? Second, how does small firms, assessment of their own product quality compare with that of their customers? To answer these questions, perceived relative quality indices were constructed for a group of small firms and their customers. Comparison of customer and supplier responses highlighted significant disparities. First, the small firms in the sample tended to over-emphasise the importance of intrinsic quality attributes while under-estimating the importance to their customers of extrinsic and service quality attributes. Second, there was a major disparity between the relative quality perceptions of the sample of suppliers and their customers. With one exception, small firms in the sample gave themselves a higher relative quality rating than that given by their customers. The results suggest that the sample firms, twothirds of whom were IS09000 registered, needed to re-evaluate their quality priorities. The results also suggest a potential role for development agencies as gatherers/providers of market information.
Internationalisation by Business Service SMEs: An Inter-industry Analysis
Authors: Ofarrell Patrick N. , Wood Peter A. , Zheng Jurong
Published: October 2007

ROFESSOR PATRICK N. O FARRELL IS Assistant Principal and Professor in the School of Management at Heriot-Watt University, Scotland, and Dr. Jurong Zheng is a research associate in the School of Management at the same uiniversity; Dr. Peter Wood is Reader in Geography at University College, London, England. This paper analyses the process of internationalisation by SMEs in five business service sectors in the United Kingdom, engineering consultancy, management consultancy, market research, computer software and pu-oduict design. Hypotheses are formnulated and tested on evidence drawn fronm samples of SMEs in Scotland and the south-east of England reflecting the following issues: the time profile of entrx into foreign markets, location of foreign markets, mnode of entry into first anid largest markets, and the decision process uinderlying international market selection and entry nmode clhoice. Tiheiarlc significanit differences in the timing ol entry inito the first foi-eigli market h-x industry and there is also a significant relationship bettween inldustri and location of the first foreign iniai ket. Fexs firmrlis engaged in a process of explicitly choosinig a foreign market to enter. B V r-estrictinig theii consider ationto tl u merits of a proposal inll (id hoc order thex effectively conflatedl the two dlecisi(lns in-to onie. Simila-lly, 67 pei cenit of fit-ills mnade the inode choice (lecisioli xw ithow considering an alterinative no)(le.
Patterns of Micro-enterprise Diversification in Transitional Eurasian Economies
Authors: Lynn Mlonty L.
Published: October 2007

DR. MONTY L. LYNN IS ASSOCIATE Professor of Management and director of the MBA programme at Abilene Christian University, Texas, USA. This theoretical study attempts to sketch an initial picture of diversified micro- enterprises (0-9 employees) in transitional economies, such as those in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). A framework of political, economic and legal environments, industry and firm characteristics, and cultural/entrepreneurial influences which appear to impact small firm diversification patterns is outlined. Then, five archetypical formations of diversified micro-enterprises in transitional economies are sketched, and their incidence hypothesised. Suggestions for the successful management of diversified micro-enterprises are offered, as are directions for future research.
Franchise Versus Conventional Small Business Failure Rates in the US and UK: More Similarities than Differences
Authors: Stanworth John , Purdy David , Price Stuart , Zafiris Nicos
Published: October 2007

Price and Nicos Zafiris are all members of the International Franchise Research Centre at the University of Westminster, England. At its best, franchising is an avenue into self-employment offered by franchisors (owners of a 'tried and tested' business format) to franchisees (typically aspiring small business men and women), in exchange for payment of a once-off front-end fee followed by an on-going royalty. Based on the principle of 'cloning' success, a principal tenet of the franchise fraternity is that franchise failure rates are low. From the viewpoint of small business researchers, franchising has been argued to be of particular importance, since most franchisors still are, or recently have been, small businesses themselves and most of their royalty-paying franchisees are also small businesses. Thus, in principle, franchising offers a route to growth for the would-be franchisor and small businesses opportunities with limited risk for would-be franchisees. Debates on franchise failure rates, compared with conventional business failure rates, have historically been dogged by problems of definition and measurement. However, recent developments have improved the situation here and what emerges is a striking similarity of failure rates between the two forms of (usually) small business - franchised and non-franchised.
Marketing Channel Relationships among Small Businesses
Authors: Wren Brent M. , Simpson James T , Paul Chris
Published: October 2007

DR. I xiJEs T. SIMPSON AND DR. BRENT M. WAreni are respectively associate and assistant professors of marketing at the Unixversitx of Alabama, Huntsville, USA, aincd Professor Chris Patul is chair of the D)epar tment of Economics and Finance at the same University. As distributorsuipplier irelationships become increasingly complex, considerable advances have been made in Ltunderstatnding the relationship im-aniagement process. However, little effort has been dexoted to understanding hoxss co-ordination and control or t-elationslip activities is achieved wheni small businesses are involved. This paper (lescribes the results of a study examining whether the rielationships these btusinlesses have wxith their suppliers. The i-esults suggest that, utnlike larger firmns, the smuallest firms operate primarily in ittarket oiloosely aligned governance stlrulcttii-es, assign less importance to the continuation of long-term relationships andlct use fewxer influence attempts. However, smiall businesses tend to rely i ore on i elational norms as a means of' iman-iaginig the relationship. The conclusions and implications of these finclings are discussed.
Information Services in the Eastern Pilbara
Authors: Hoffman Bob
Published: October 2007

The eastern Pilbara region of Western Australia is a large area with a small population isolated from major urban centres. Limited facilities for transport and communication hinder information delivery. The financial resources of the information agencies in the region vary and this affects the provision that can be made. Cooperation among libraries in the region is having a positive effect. The activities of public libraries, a community college library, and a mining company information service are described.
Information Management in Agricultural Research
Authors: Samaha E.K.
Published: October 2007

The development of agricultural research in many developing countries has not been accompanied by the development of agricultural information services. The main problems in the dissemination of research results, the provision of library and documentation services, the development of person-to-person communication and the communication of information to decision-makers, farmers and other end-users are outlined and suggestions for improvements put forward. The international information systems, AGRIS and CARIS, are described and principles for the establishment of national agricultural information infrastructures are outlined.
Information for the Public Service in Fiji
Authors: Linn Peter , Kennington Don
Published: October 2007

The background to an analysis of information management in the Public Service Commission (PSC) of Fiji is outlined and the implementation of proposals to create better information systems and improve libraries in the Fiji Public Service is described. The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC) provided funds for a preliminary review and feasibility study and among the recommendations of the study report was the establishment of a Research and Information Unit. This was set up with a wide-ranging brief involving personnel record systems, internal correspondence registries, the PSC library, statistics and research and document editing. The progress made by the Unit, of which the principal author of this article was appointed Head, is described, including a review of government libraries. In most areas positive improvements are evident and there has been an increase in information awareness within the Commission and throughout the Government service.
Data for Local Development: a pilot project in Sri Lanka
Authors: Guneratne D.P.
Published: October 2007

A pilot project for the establishment of a microcomputer-based data system for village level planning and rural development in Sri Lanka was initiated by the Government in January 1983 to investigate the problems and possibilities of improving information management at the local level. Kalutara District was chosen as the site of the pilot project for a number of reasons. An outline of the administrative and planning structure at the district level is given and the scope and objectives of the project described. The more important issues of implementation then discussed are: links with budgetary and statistical organizations; identification of short-term and long-term project components in line with established priorities; hardware and software requirements; and costs. Finally, the implications of the pilot project for decentralized information services in developing countries are examined. On the basis of the results of the pilot project, the Government is now committed to developing the information infrastructure of the other administrative districts in Sri Lanka.
Developing the Common Communication Format
Authors: Hopkinson Alan
Published: October 2007

The Unesco Common Communication Format (CCF) is described in the context of other exchange formats. A definition is given of 'exchange format', and the CCF is compared against this definition. The history of its development is outlined and its major technical features are summarized. Examples are given of the ways in which it is being used and is likely to be used in the future, and a number of implementation manuals are mentioned which have been developed to assist in its use.
Short Title Catalogue on-Line
Authors: Crump M.J.
Published: October 2007

The Eighteenth Century Short Title Catalogue (ESTC), available on the British Library's on-line bibliographic information service, BLAISE-LINE, since 1982, is now also accessible on the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN). Examines the history of the project as an international effort and the development of the RLIN link. North American records are handled by a team in Louisana State University, while the United Kingdom and the rest of the world report holdings to the team based in the British Library. The project provides a valuable research tool for scholars, giving enhanced access to the fullest possible range of the output of the eighteenth century presses.
AID to Libraries: policies and trends
Authors: Clow David V.
Published: October 2007

Information-related aid, including aid to libraries, is an area of technical assistance designed to contribute both to economic and to human development. Its role in economic development is heavily emphasized in the literature, but no major aid agency gives top priority to it and only a handful can be said to give it more than a low priority. The scope and nature of aid for information and library development are reviewed and the contribution of the major bilateral and multilateral aid agencies and non-governmental organizations is analysed. Different forms of library aid including consultancy, presentations and donations of new and used books and periodicals, gifts of furniture, equipment and buildings and the provision of education and training, are discussed. Political and social implications of library aid are considered.
The Zanzibar Archives Project
Authors: Thurston Anne
Published: October 2007

While the importance of archives administration and records management is beginning to be realized in the developing world, few governments have recognized the contribution well-kept records could make to development and efficient public administration. Two workshops, attended by members of the staff of seven National Archives in East and Central Africa, were held in Zanzibar in 1984 and 1985. Initially inspired by the Royal Geographical Society's concern for the condition of correspondence from and about explorers, the workshops examined the problems on the ground of preserving and making records accessible. Work on the Ministry of Agriculture's records demonstrated their development value and the need for a concerted training programme within the region.
In Defence of Standards: high school library standards in Papua New Guinea
Authors: Calvert Philip
Published: October 2007

The value of quantitative standards has been questioned in the professional literature. The question of whether Papua New Guinea has made a mistake in publishing quantitative standards for its school libraries is examined. The major problem in the high schools is the lack of experienced personnel to implement standards; therefore the only kind of standards it is realistic to use are quantitative. When trained teacher-librarians and Regional School Library Advisers enter the field, it will be possible to move along a continuum to qualitative standards and evaluative criteria. The major needs are the input of resources and professional credibility. Quantitative standards can produce the desired results and are the best choice for Papua New Guinea at this time.
Resource-Sharing and Self-Reliance in Southern Africa
Authors: Lungu Charles B.M.
Published: October 2007

The main objective of the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) is to achieve regional self-reliance through cooperation, but this cannot be achieved without proper information management. The SADCC countries are too dependent on ready-made solutions provided by foreign advisers. There is a considerable amount of information available in the SADCC region, but the absence of national documentation services, and of a national union catalogue, undermines the establishment of intra-regional resource-sharing facilities. Networking will facilitate both accessibility and availability of the region's resources to a wider community. Examines the advantages to the SADCC countries of the networking idea and progress in regional information networks such as SADIS (Southern African Documentation and Information System).
Information Technology in the Caribbean
Authors: Moll Peter
Published: October 2007

The Caribbean possesses many advantages in terms of its potential receptivity to information technology. All the countries in the Caribbean could benefit from greater resource-sharing in the information field. Agencies such as Unesco are sponsoring the development of regional networks, such as CARSTIN, the network for the exchange of information and experience in science and technology for development, and the training of librarians in the skills appropriate to the new automated information services. A systematic review is needed of opportunities and methods for librarians in the Caribbean region for continuing education in the applications of information technology. An information technology special interest group could be formed within ACURIL, the Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries, and could prepare proposals on the formation of a Caribbean
PGI'S Tenth Anniversary — 1977-1987
Authors: Tocatlian Jacques
Published: October 2007

Briefly describes Unesco's concern with information matters; the creation of the General Information Programme, PGI, and its evolution through the first and second Medium-Term Plans; the integration within PGI of the information, library and archives components ; the changes in emphasis to respond to evolving needs; the present challenges it has to face and the way it adjusts to the budgetary limitations.
Foreign Exchange and Library Collections in Nigeria
Authors: Obiagwu M.C.
Published: October 2007

Highlights the constraints which foreign exchange controls and import restrictions have on academic library collection development in Nigeria. Library services that effectively support academic programmes in teaching and research are seriously undermined. A number of strategies for the survival of collection development are proposed, including an account of the University of Port Harcourt library experiment.
Pan-American Health Organization Cd-Rom Pilot Project
Authors: Brito Claudio J.
Published: October 2007

Examines the usual difficulties faced by the implementation of information and knowledge dissemination systems in developing countries and explores the possible use of CD-ROM technology to overcome them. A pilot project of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) for the production of a CD-ROM containing Latin American bibliographic references on public health is also described.
Educational Library Provision for the Blind in Botswana
Authors: Mbaakanyi D.M.
Published: October 2007

Efforts have been made in Botswana in the last seventeen years to educate and rehabilitate blind persons, but library and information services for the blind are almost non-existent. The library problems of blind students are outlined and proposals are made for the development of an educational library service for blind persons at primary, secondary and university levels.
Scholarly Journal Publishing in Developing Countries
Authors: Bandara S.B.
Published: October 2007

Most of the world's trade in periodicals and newspapers is confined to a small group of mainly industrialized countries. Only a few of the scholarly journals considered important enough to be indexed for the international scientific community are produced in developing countries. Many scientists and researchers from developing countries prefer to communicate through journals published in developed countries. A survey carried out in 1986 by the Association of Journal Editors (Mona Campus) at the University of the West Indies identified many problems common to journal producers in other developing countries, including restricted library subscriptions budgets, limited local audience, lack of expertise in marketing, promotion and production and inadequate financial support. Cooperative action among editors and publishers may help to solve these problems.
Altabits and Publishing On the Canadian Prairies
Authors: Gutteridge Norma
Published: October 2007

Canadian-owned publishers are assisted by their government through its Department of Communications (DOC) to compete with US and British publishers. Publishers in the province of Alberta who were singly too small to qualify for a DOC programme to help publishers computerize and increase their cost-effectiveness, formed a consortium called ALTABITS. Its successful application to the DOC enable ten publishers to computerize their operations, leading to reduced typesetting costs, the ability to network with each other and other Canadian publishers and to participate in the Canadian Telebook electronic ordering system. The DOC is now promoting the ALTABITS model to small publishers in other provinces.
Training at the Glassroots: an integrated approach to training library assistants in Southern Sudan
Authors: Rosenberg Diana , O'Connor Brigid
Published: October 2007

Since training of library staff in Southern Sudan began in 1978 a training structure has evolved to meet the country's specific needs. Due to social and economic conditions, only small-scale and piecemeal library development can be realized. Training axioms must be based on an awareness of these limitations. Three levels of courses were developed for library staff by the University of Juba Library which started organizing training programmes for its own staff and those of other libraries due to lack of skilled personnel. These were: the Certificate Course in Librarianship, in-service courses and short courses. Details of the curriculum, training staff, selection principles and teaching tools are given. The University Library plays a vital role in advising on library development in Southern Sudan. Examines the problems that arose in regard to training: selection of suitable candidates; lack of organizational support; practical application of training; poor level of English expression; and lack of local examples of good library practice.
Attitudes of Information Users in the Sahel
Authors: Diop Amadou
Published: October 2007

The attitudes and behaviour of users of the Documentation Unit of the Pan-African Institute for Development, West Africa, Sahelian Region (PAID-WA-SR) have been systematically recorded since 1982, with the aim of investigating the effects of users' attitudes on the management of the Documentation Unit. From a study of evaluation sheets completed by users every time they visit the Unit, and also from personal observation, it was possible to identify three main groups, namely, regular users, intermittent users and occasional users, who display three different types of attitude, i.e., participative, delegative and 'snobbish'. Deeper understanding of these general attitudes can enable documentalists to respond more effectively to the information needs and problems of their clients.
Japanese Archives at the Dawn of a New Age
Authors: Yasuzawa Shuichi , Ando Masahito
Published: October 2007

Because there is little tradition of archives administration in modern Japan, enormous quantities of public and private records have been destroyed or dispersed. The loss of records was accelerated by World War 2 and its aftermath. Since the 1950s, however, when local historians began a movement for the better preservation of records, archives services in local authorities have been gradually developing. The central government set up the National Archives in 1971. The Japan Society of Archives Institutions, which was organized in 1974 and joined the International Council on Archives in 1986, is making efforts to promote archives legislation and a professional training programme for archivists. Greater international cooperation is needed to promote archives development in Japan.
Archive Repatriation in Southern Africa
Authors: Kamba Angeline S. , Mazikana Peter C.
Published: October 2007

Describes a project, funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Unesco, to microfilm documents held in the National Archives of Zimbabwe which related to the former Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and repatriate them to the National Archives of its former constituent countries, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The problems encountered with equipment, staff and supplies are described. Despite the problems, the objectives of the project were more than fulfilled. Microfilm copies of the documents, amounting to some three million pages, have been handed over by the National Archives of Zimbabwe to those of Malawi and Zambia, together with microfilming equipment used in the project, and a training course carried out during the project has created a core of trained technicians.
Development Planners and Libraries: a survey of attitudes
Authors: Allcock Sheila
Published: October 2007

Describes an attempt to study the attitudes of planners and decision makers in government service or large institutions in developing countries to the library services they use regularly. A questionnaire was presented to people on the training courses run during 1987 at the Project Planning Centre for Developing Countries at the University of Bradford. From the results of this survey it is concluded that a sizeable minority of people with the power to allocate resources have both a favourable and realistic attitude to libraries. Librarians should be more prepared to cooperate with sympathetic members of their institutions in improving library service and thus contributing more effectively to the development effort.
Archivos e informática: un proyecto de mecanización documental en España
Authors: Heredia Herrera Antonia
Published: October 2007

The application of the computer in the field of historical archives has been delayed due to the conservatism of archivists and the limited resources of archival institutions. Automation is being introduced, but the creation of information products based on archives still requires careful manual preparation by archivists before machines are used. Describes a project for the production by computerised methods of a volume of the 'Catalogo de Consultas del Consejo das Indias' (Catalogue of Consultations [Reports] of the Council of the Indies) for the period 1626 to 1650. Further volumes, produced by the same method, are now in preparation. (In Spanish).
Delays in Publishing Scholarly Journals
Authors: Bandara Samuel B.
Published: October 2007

An inability to publish issues of journals at the appointed times is a problem common to many scholarly publishers in developing countries. One solution is to accept and announce a delay by dating a new issue with the actual published date. Another problem is the appearance of some issues out of sequence. This may be due to the desire to produce special thematic issues, which can interfere with the rapid communication of research findings and new ideas. It is also important that reviews of new publications appearing in scholarly journals be up-to-date. The implications for scholarship of delays in publication are considered and the importance of dating articles as well as journal issues is emphasized.
Staffing Secondary School Libraries in Kenya
Authors: Otike J.N.
Published: October 2007

The school library situation in Kenya is on the whole gloomy. Only a handful of schools can afford to employ professional librarians. Out of a total of three thousand secondary schools in Kenya, less than forty have positions for trained para-professionals. Teacher-librarians do not receive any allowance for their additional responsibilities and the majority have never had any training in librarianship. Clerical staff and pupil assistants are employed in many school libraries. Lack of recognition of the importance of school libraries on the part of the authorities adds to the staffing problem. Despite these problems, attempts are being made to improve the situation. The Ministry of Education is gradually realizing the value of school libraries and new library education and training programmes are being developed. In the long run, however, the main solution will be to produce teacher-librarians with dual qualifications.
Libraries in Post-Revolutionary Ethiopia
Authors: Pankhurst Rita
Published: October 2007

Reviews library development in Ethiopia since the revolution. Whereas the negative aspects of the revolution are well-known, its achievements are not recorded in the Western media. Impressive developments in education have resulted in a surge of demand for reading matter at all levels, and it is suggested that, despite government efforts, there is a book famine in Ethiopia. Under these conditions, libraries have particularly heavy responsibilities. Provides an overview of the development of the National Library, academic, school, public and special libraries, including the provision of library materials, technical operations, library services, library publications, library staffing and education, and library buildings, since the revolution.
Information Technology and Education
Authors: Badioze Zaman Halimah
Published: October 2007

Considers the impact of information technology on learning and teaching. Briefly describes the Cyclops and CAVIS interactive computer systems used in some secondary schools and Open University programmes in the UK and Europe. Outlines a scenario for the use of information technology in education in Malaysia, which aspires to be an industrialized nation by the year 2020 under the Vision 2020 programme outlined in 1992. An experimental Computer-Integrated Learning System (COmIL), is being developed at the school level under a project of the Malaysian Institute of Microelectronic Systems and the Ministry of Education. This has three components: an authoring system, a database applications system and a network applications system. Teacher education programmes will have to keep pace with the development of this new innovation.
Documentation in the Institute of Southern African Studies, Lesotho
Authors: Gupta Sushma
Published: October 2007

Outlines the activities of the Institute of Southern African Studies (ISAS) at the National University of Lesotho and describes the collections, activities and future plans of its Documentation Centre. Identifies the main problems facing the development of the Centre and some possible solutions.