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Considers the role of design as a marketing tool for the wine industry. The meaning of design and its relationship to marketing is defined then explored from a number of perspectives to demonstrate its relevance to modern wine making techniques. Examines the possibilities for a design led approach to wine making using case material from an English Winery. Concludes that design offers real opportunities in wine making as a means for developing effective marketing strategies.

The article considers trends in the Czechoslovakian wine industry, the industry's home market faces a decline in per capita consumption and increasing price sensitivity. Through a case study the development of a particular producer of quality wine is examined together with the emergence of a coordinated approach to marketing decisions. The UK is a potential export market for such a producer. The growth and development of the UK wine market is considered and opportunities identified. Developing a producer to serve those requirements is found to be difficult requiring the producer to readdress the issue of quality. Bottles and labels may also need to be changed. The development process requires investment and the risks of political change need to be considered.

The Hall Effect sensor is continuing to undergo some ingenious improvements, as a researcher outlines.

Examines expenditure on property held by an investor or a person running a business, particularly the contrast between capital expenditure for Capital Gains Tax purposes and that allowed for income taxation purposes. Considers the possible effects of proposals for new VAT laws on the property industry. Surmises that the distinction between revenue and capital expenditure is still not fully resolved, being a “live” issue affected by current practice and future cases.

Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).

The purpose of this paper is to present a rare example of the roots of (comparative) urban failure. This acts as counterpoint to the more common preoccupation with investigating how and why some cities become successful.

The main methodology used is a series of in‐depth qualitative interviews with a representative sample of the urban elite of the city being studied. The initial main source of key contacts was the City Centre Management Committee.

Analysis of the in‐depth qualitative interviews showed that most respondents, whether from the public or private sectors, genuinely believed in, and spontaneously expressed the view, that negative parochialism was a pervasive drag on the future plans and aspirations of city leaders. The findings are triangulated with other evidence that this parochialism has endured for generations.

Though the sample of respondents is small, it does represent a high percentage of the local urban elite. Other forms of data triangulation may be possible and could be helpful in corroborating the findings. Future research should seek to identify other instances of the problem.

Not all cities are highly publicised success stories nor deliver the environment that their residents deserve: but good intentions can be thwarted by negative parochialism. Urbanists need to be aware of the existence of negative parochialism and its implications for urban policy and practice.

By examining a rare‐documented example of the roots of (comparative) urban failure, the findings are of value to all who seek to understand the functioning of policymaking in the urban arena.

The need for IT (Information Technology) and information skills training has been revisited by a new approach to clinical decision‐making in the National Health Service (NHS): evidence based practice. The Trent Institute for Health Services Research supports NHS staff in the Trent region either wishing to implement evidence based practice or to undertake research of their own by providing advice and training. A range of courses providing training in research skills has been developed. Included in this range are four half‐day information skills courses, developed by the Information Resources section of the Trent Institute: Literature Searching, Health information on the Internet, Introducing the Cochrane Library and Sources for clinical effectiveness. Aims and objectives for each course have been developed to facilitate the development of course materials and the evaluation of training. Evaluation questionnaires are completed by course participants and at the time of writing (November 1997), response has been positive. The information collected is being used to plan future courses for the next academic year, such as Training the Trainers courses.

Describes the Sigma Project. The Project, under way in a number of health care settings across Trent Regional Health Authority, is making dramatic productivity gains and improvement in the quality of care by adopting a radical approach to health care provision and setting exacting performance targets. The project is being spearheaded by a number of Trust chief executives and unit general managers. It involves 16 sites and nearly 30 individual initiatives at those sites. Pump‐priming funding has been provided by the region. By going for a fault‐free service and getting it right first time, large productivity gains are being made.

Presents the findings of a UK‐based study into the environmental practices of SMEs (i.e. small and medium‐sized enterprises employing up to 250 people). The firms were found to be environmentally “reactive”, and this is explained by reference to a system of interconnected and negatively reinforcing practices. This is corroborated by organisational self‐assessments, with firms accepting that they have a low commitment to environmental issues. It was apparent that the firms would like to improve their environmental performance, but the authors argue that meaningful progress will be achieved only if there is a shift to a more proactive model of environmental practices.

The whole kingdom from north to south at the time of writing is enveloped in freezing Arctic weather, reminiscent of the North Russian campaign of long ago. The normal winter is relatively mild, mainly a Westerly pattern, occasionally wild and windy, wet with a rare cold “snap”. There are variations in the pattern, damp and warm in the south‐west, few frosts and rarely any snow; in the north of the country, Scotland, much colder, with the south‐east partaking of the weather pattern of the land mass of the Continent. The variations appear more of the mild weather in the South and colder, appreciably, in the North; recalling service personnel stationed at Gosport who did not need an overcoat all winter, whereas in the North, many found it necessary to wear a light overcoat tor most of the year, the south‐east corner of England, obtaining no help from the warming Gulf Stream, often gets the worst of the weather, which it has done to a very considerable extent in this winter.