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Examines various models of retail branch performance. Relates branch success to the various characteristics of its marketing environment. Suggests that these assist decision making not only in planning for new branch development, but also in evaluating the performance of existing branches.

Introduction In recent years decision analysis has become an integral part of marketing and management courses. The benefits claimed for the technique are that it provides:

Outlines the basis of the conjoint measurement technique method, illustrates its application and identifies user problems. Postulates that conjoint measurement is designed for situations where two or more independent variables affect the rank order of a dependent variable. Says that three variables of marketing problems suggest that conjoint measurement could be particularly useful: first, marketing is frequently concerned with ordinal, or ranking, responses; second, marketing involves multi‐attribute stimuli; finally, marketing decisions involved interdependent variables. Explains that conjoint measurement has considerable potential for marketing applications — but it is not without pitfalls and expounds on these. Uses the MONANOVA method to produce degenerate solutions to consumers' preference rankings.

In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.

WE wish for our readers a Good New Year. Whether it would be appropriate to wish readers a Happy New Year at this stage will depend upon many factors. Even before these words appear in type we may be involved in the more intense struggle for the very existence of our country which everyone seems to think must come sooner or later. The ultimate outcome of that we do not doubt, but while it continues we shall need all the strength, spiritual, mental and physical, that we possess. Nevertheless, it will be a good new year if we remain sensitive to all the needs and opportunities that surround us.

Introduction Perhaps the most significant economic transformation within the last three decades has been the internationalization of business. From the modest levels of the 1950s, the volume of world trade has exploded to over $2 trillion, and the sales of foreign affiliates of US firms have reached $500 billion by 1983 (Terpstra 1983). Yet, even in the light of accelerated efforts to further stimulate US exporters (e.g., the Export Trading Company Act of 1982), a recent Dunn and Bradstreet survey showed that less than 1% of the US firms had engaged in exporting in 1982 (Trade Marks, 1983). Similarly, the International Trade Administration of the US Department of Commerce has lamented that only 5% of all US manufacturers will have engaged in export marketing in 1984.

A review of the research areas of faculty members and the teaching programmes of this institution.

The authors consider the role of institutional relationships in providing an exhibition as a launching platform for emerging artists to develop their careers, as well as contributing to the broader creative economy. The authors view this as an entrepreneurial intervention in challenging the status quo through its potential to stimulate artist career development.

Data were collected using a case study approach in order to understand the complex inter-relationships between stakeholders of an emerging artists' exhibition at a well-known art institution. A total of 26 interviews were held with a selection of the exhibiting artists, artists from previous years' exhibitions, institution staff, the exhibition selection panel and major prize givers.

The main relationship value created by the institution as perceived by the exhibiting artists was high-level publicity and exposure of their work. Related benefits such as the potential to build career-enhancing networks were also emphasised. Some of the artists interviewed were aware of the art market structure and how they could create and sustain value within it. Others expressed a lack of awareness of and interest in its operationalisation where more assistance from the institution could help.

This research focussed on the institutional relationships relating to one organisation, albeit one which leads the way in terms of helping to accelerate emerging artist careers. However, best practice lessons emerge from the research in terms of informing similar institutions elsewhere. The authors move beyond quantitative measurement of cultural value activities in developing in-depth qualitative insight into these relationships so that more nuanced understanding is revealed.

There is a need to develop pathways to assist new graduates and for a more strategic focus by art institutions to help develop their careers by creating and sustaining impact and engagement in the marketplace. This will be of interest to policy makers in helping to shape programmes of assistance in the future beyond the art institution. The authors also uncover broader cultural value impacts beyond the exhibition site where these institutional relationships can contribute positively to health and well-being.

The exhibition is one of only a very limited number of similar events throughout the UK and can be viewed as a successful entrepreneurial intervention.

Supply chain (SC) professionals and their competence play a key role in creating value and competitive advantage for companies. A considerable amount of this competence is developed at work, but little is known about how this takes place. Drawing on constructivist learning theory, the authors investigate how SC professionals develop their competence at work.

The study takes off from a theoretical framework of workplace learning mechanisms, followed by a series of in-depth interviews with an expertise panel of profoundly competent and experienced SC professionals.

The results provide detailed insights into the learning process of SC professionals. The key findings show that SC professionals use a wide range of learning mechanisms throughout their careers, and that the contribution and complexity of these mechanisms differ and change dynamically with seniority. The findings also show that learning mechanisms should not be viewed as isolated phenomena, but closely related to every-day SCM work as well as learning attitude.

By conceptualizing learning as a process, and congregating the fragmented literature into a framework of workplace learning mechanisms, this research provides a theoretical reference point for future studies. The empirical findings bring a new level of detailed knowledge on how SC professionals learn at work.

The results can assist SC professionals, HR managers and academic program leaders in their quest to develop competence in the field of SCM.

This paper makes a unique contribution to the human aspects of SCM literature by presenting the first study that investigates in depth the crucial but complex process of how workplace learning takes place for SC professionals in practice.

Reviews the EuroFM Conference in Brussels where views on facilities management were presented from several countries. Presents a diversity of opinion and practices. Proposes that companies should collaborate in Europe to provide further opportunities for facilities management.