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The following remarks were first addressed to a gathering of Information Officers at a conference organized by Aslib on 18 February, 1956. I took the opportunity to let my mind wander rather haphazardly over the problems of spreading knowledge. There are so many unsolved problems that a tidy and systematic account of the present state of the science of communication (if it can yet be called a science) is hard to formulate. On re‐reading my remarks I am appalled by the number of loose threads I have left dangling, but if they provoke someone else to tie them up they will have served some purpose. I hope in any case that my main thought is not obscure, viz. that knowledge is the nutrient fluid, the life‐blood of our civilization, and its free and vigorous circulation should be the concern of all men of good will.

The last of the London meetings for the winter session 1955–6 was held on 13th April, 1956, when Mr. C. N. Kington, Group Manager, British Iron and Steel Research Association, and Director of Research, Cutlery Research Council, spoke on the problem of helping small firms to make use of scientific research. Many of the steel‐using firms are too small to have information departments of their own and, moreover, have a strong tradition of craftsmanship which is often slow to appreciate the value of new techniques. Mr. Kington has had first‐hand experience of the special approach that is necessary if these firms are to be kept in touch with scientific progress. His paper is printed in full in this issue, together with an account of questions and answers in the discussion which followed. The Chair was taken by Dr. M. A. Vernon, of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, a branch of the Government that is particularly interested in this problem.

The aim of this paper is to propose an action-interaction-process framework to extend research on institutional entrepreneurship. The framework examines an actor's characteristics, interactions in an institutional context, and the process by which entrepreneurial action is accomplished.

Via a sociohistorical archival method of narrative analysis, the action-interaction-process framework is applied to an exemplary case of institutional entrepreneurship – the case of James Meredith and the integrationist movement at the University of Mississippi in the 1960 s.

The findings show that institutional entrepreneurs who maintain little power and influence over the institutional field must form strategic alliances to mobilize constituents and capitalize on the convergence of resources in the social setting.

Through the process of collective action, institutional entrepreneurs can overcome resistance to change and displace inequitable institutional policies, while establishing new practices and norms.

This research provides a stronger approach to examining institutional entrepreneurship and institutional entrepreneurs, the interaction between the institutional entrepreneur and the social context in which the individual operates, and the process by which inequitable institutionalized norms are reformed through collective action. This approach is useful to researchers examining institutional entrepreneurship or any area in which power disparity plays an important role.

The purpose of this chapter is to identify African financial management practices, highlight their origin and explain how they differ from their Western counterparts. The study identified indigenous African financial practices using literature review, archival sources and library research covering the five areas of Africa comprising Northern Africa, Eastern Africa, Central Africa Western Africa and Southern Africa. The study found out that pre-colonial indigenous African financial management features prevalent use of trade finance, trade credit management, investment management and accounting. While there is also evidence of modification of Western financial management practices to suit African contexts, it is on the whole scarce. This is suggestive of the fact that they were in existence in the first instance. The clear conclusion is that many indigenous African financial management practices pre-dated and foreshadowed their Western counterparts. Yet, it is confounding that this has been largely lost sight of, and both scholars and financial management practitioners depict the former as inferior. There is clearly a need to remedy this situation. Educators need to focus on incorporating ethno-finance concepts into the entire curricula chain from basic to higher education. The anchor point for such curricula is Ubuntu philosophy. Financial management practitioners, on their part, need to shed notions that the indigenous practices are inferior and seek to journalise their day-to-day work experiences to build a body of documented practice.

This study attempts to analyze the role of governance mechanisms in municipal bankruptcy, which appears to be a neglected area of research. The analysis considers both the organizational level (micro) and the regulatory system (macro).

We use a relevant case of municipal bankruptcy in Italy to discuss the influence of governance characteristics, such as the political and management structure, interaction, and behaviors. The issues related to the accounting system and external audits are also considered. The data for this study are obtained from secondary sources such as audited budgetary reports, public documents, and reports from the Supreme Audit Institution.

The study indicates that the spoils system can favor the politicians’ exercise of power over public managers and undermine the capacity to prevent and manage financial distress. Poor accounting and weak control systems may facilitate this process. The high turnover of top management throughout a mayor’s term in office may reflect political pressure to force accounting rules and achieve flexibility to obtain the expected results or to correct poor financial performance.

To avert municipal bankruptcies, regulations should consider enforcing ex ante control by external oversight bodies, forbidding risky operations and limiting the spoils system for financial management positions and internal auditors.

Municipal defaults around the world have indicated that regulations and audits are ineffective to prevent local governments from failing. A full understanding of complex mutual interactions between the mechanisms of governance and the behaviors of politicians and managers can provide valuable insights to prevent local governments from failing.

Research conducted on refugees and their learning abilities has generally been myopic in nature, highlighting only the challenges and barriers faced, and less focus has been given to the enormous work and achievements accomplished both by non-profit bodies, educational institutions, and refugees themselves. Research has been conducted in the past where learning has been studied from a psychological perspective, as opposed to drawing on the learner theory. Refugees and asylum seekers have been lumped together as a homogenous group, and studies of single language groups have made conclusions that may not apply to others. This chapter, which serves as the introductory chapter to the book, speaks about the inflow of refugees and the growing need of education for an entire generation displaced from their home countries. The chapter highlights educational access, policies, and the importance of language learning. The last section of this chapter is dedicated to present an overview of the chapters in this book which speaks about some exemplary work done by individuals and institutions from Africa to Germany.

The purpose of this paper is to argue that marketers need to create a relationship between their brand and generation Y consumers through various steps in order to increase brand loyalty of this notoriously disloyal segment.

A cohesive review of generation Y consumer literature forms the basis of theoretical propositions and a conceptual model which suggests ways to increase generation Y brand loyalty.

Findings suggest that existing marketing tools such as integrated marketing communications and branding can be used in new ways to increase the perceived congruence between the generation Y consumer and the brand. This is necessary for creating a relationship with the brand leading to increased brand loyalty.

The paper is important for marketers by indicating key focus areas for influencing brand loyalty of generation Y consumers, and tailoring loyalty programs. In addition, this paper gives marketers insight into how congruency between their brand and generation Y consumers can be created to develop a relationship between the brand and the customer and positively influence brand loyalty.

This paper fills gaps in the literature regarding how to influence brand loyalty from fickle generation Y consumers. Furthermore, the paper highlights the importance of integrated marketing communications theory, branding and celebrity endorsement and how it can be manipulated to increase the perceptions of congruence and build a relationship between the generation Y consumer and the brand, leading to increased brand loyalty.

Adopting an EU policy lens, this chapter primarily addresses the proposed pivotal role of firm-level innovation capability (FLIC) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as a stimulant of sustainable development (SD) and green growth in Ireland/Wales. The chapter specifically examines the scale and scope of the green economy (GE), and considers the importance of organizational inherent “green” innovation capabilities (GICs) to achieve it. Underpinning the study is the methodology and concept of utilizing a facilitated cross-border multi-stakeholder learning network to enable knowledge transfer and exchange practices to flourish between partners, acting as a significant predictor of the development of SME GICs structures. Specifically, against the backdrop of the Green Innovation and Future Technologies (“GIFT” hereafter) INTERREG 4A Project, the research assesses how academic–industry partner exchange and inter-group learning and cooperation facilitates the development of GICs in smaller enterprises to realize a sustainable smart green economy in Ireland.