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This study of rockclimbers and outdoor leisure consumers, manufacturers and retailers, sets out to discover the nature and outcomes of the consumer/producer relationship centred around the retail setting. Initial theoretical views on the self, participant role, performance and communitas are explored as a background to the discussion. Data collection involved participant observation, in‐depth interviews and a study of both commercially and consumer generated secondary materials (climbing club literature for example). The researchers identified an environment in which temporary leisure identities were supported and at times modified by the retail relationships and were embedded in a rich sub‐cultural narrative. Postmodern concepts pertaining to the consumption of place and space corresponded with the observational data, to the extent that recommendations for retailers are less overtly managerial, and more about facilitating the consumer’s ownership of the spaces and relationships within them.

The Dynix Automated Library System was purchased by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's Libraries and Arts Service in 1987 to replace its existing Plessey circulation system. This paper briefly describes the implementation and the aspects of Dynix which made it particularly attractive to Kensington, as well as reviewing the project one year after circulation went live at the first branch. The system is now in use at all service points in the Borough, that is six fixed sites and one mobile library.

Finding employment is often a key element in recovery from mental ill health but, argues Professor Geoff Shepherd, few professionals place work at the top of their list of priorities during their efforts to support clients through rehabilitation. It is, he suggests, time for change. Mental health services need to recognise the importance of employment and accept that it is their business.

The purpose of this paper is to review representative literature on social inclusion and evaluate the usefulness of the concept in current mental health policy.

The paper employs a selective review of the cost‐effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving social inclusion in children, young adults with first episode psychosis and unemployed adults of working age.

Social inclusion remains a useful concept in understanding both the causes of mental health problems and how these might best be addressed. Although measurement is not easy, it can be operationalised through a mixture of subjective and objective indicators. There is strong evidence for the effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving social inclusion for the groups selected. These findings provide strong support for prioritising these interventions, especially in times of severe financial restrictions.

The selection of literature for review limits the generalisability of the conclusions.

The paper sets out a clear and simple analysis of the concept of social inclusion and how it may be measured. It also brings together the cost‐effectiveness literature on attempts to improve social inclusion for three, key high‐risk groups. The paper strongly supports the value of retaining the concept of social inclusion, despite the fact that it has become temporarily unfashionable.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a preliminary outline of the international presence, commonality and differences between Recovery Colleges.

This study used a short e-mailed survey to create a map of Recovery Colleges internationally and review Recovery Colleges outside the UK. Questions gathered descriptive and qualitative data to gain an overview of the mode of delivery and aspects respondents felt were noteworthy.

This paper identifies Recovery Colleges in 22 countries in five continents (including the UK). Participants described wide variance in their context. Despite adaptations, the operational models and inherent principles of each were closely aligned to those developed in the UK.

This paper provides the first baseline of Recovery Colleges on an international scale. It provides evidence of a high degree of commonality despite variance in setting and highlights the internationally valued transformational power of this model.

The purpose is to provide an intellectual history of Operations Management, particularly noting recent developments and its underlying continuity with earlier systems and thinking. Operations Management as a discipline identifies its “modern” incarnation as dating from the 1960s when it became more rigorous and managerially focused. This re-invention constructed a “narrative” that the profession still follows, yet a critical perspective reveals significant, though under-appreciated continuity with earlier theory and practice.

This paper presents a comprehensive literature review and comparative analysis of historic developments in management and academia.

In the early 1900s, F. W. Taylor’s Shop Management established Operation Management, but its main component, Scientific Management, had stagnated by the 1950s. At that point, the rise of Management Science both reinvigorated Operations Management and threatened it with a competing new discipline. To compete Operations Management then modernized by redefining itself, reasserting its interest in several areas and co-opting Operational Research tools for those. It also contracted, withdrawing from areas considered vocational, or more suited to Industrial Engineering.

This historical overview shows the critical importance of drawing research agenda from practical managerial concerns.

Practitioners benefit from the intellectual rigor that academics provide and a historical perspective shows that the relationship has been mutually beneficial.

The disciplines of Operations Management, Operations Research and Industrial Engineering are complementary and competitive in addressing many problems that transcend their boundaries, and use common ideas and techniques. The demands of “academic rigor” have had a deleterious effect on the practical managerial relevance of these disciplines.

A long-term, cross-disciplinary perspective provides a unique understanding of the research interests and practical orientations of these disciplines.