Paul Beynon‐Davies, Douglas Tudhope and Hugh Mackay
In this paper we discuss some of the particular features of user involvement in information systems (IS) development projects with reference to the idea of the trajectory of…
Abstract
In this paper we discuss some of the particular features of user involvement in information systems (IS) development projects with reference to the idea of the trajectory of development being a political/cultural process. The main aim is to attempt to supply more depth to an understanding of the pragmatics of user involvement in IS development projects. We illustrate how in one particular project, differences in organisational sub‐cultures, and in particular the way in which the technology was ‘framed’, led to differences in the way in which an information system was conceived. These differences, in turn, contributed to elements of organisational conflict between stakeholder groups over the future trajectory of the IS development. We conclude with a critique of some generally held assumptions concerning user involvement.
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Robert Crawford and Matthew Bailey
The purpose of this paper is to explore the value of oral history for marketing historians and provide case studies from projects in the Australian context to demonstrate its…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the value of oral history for marketing historians and provide case studies from projects in the Australian context to demonstrate its utility. These case studies are framed within a theme of market research and its historical development in two industries: advertising and retail property.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examines oral histories from two marketing history projects. The first, a study of the advertising industry, examines the globalisation of the advertising agency in Australia over the period spanning the 1950s to the 1980s, through 120 interviews. The second, a history of the retail property industry in Australia, included 25 interviews with executives from Australia’s largest retail property firms whose careers spanned from the mid-1960s through to the present day.
Findings
The research demonstrates that oral histories provide a valuable entry port through which histories of marketing, shifts in approaches to market research and changing attitudes within industries can be examined. Interviews provided insights into firm culture and practices; demonstrated the variability of individual approaches within firms and across industries; created a record of the ways that market research has been conducted over time; and revealed the ways that some experienced operators continued to rely on traditional practices despite technological advances in research methods.
Originality/value
Despite their ubiquity, both the advertising and retail property industries in Australia have received limited scholarly attention. Recent scholarship is redressing this gap, but more needs to be understood about the inner workings of firms in an historical context. Oral histories provide an avenue for developing such understandings. The paper also contributes to broader debates about the role of oral history in business and marketing history.
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MANY WRITERS have something to say to us; a few speak to one's condition. For some of us, of this time and place, James Kennaway was one of those few, and this is why news of his…
Abstract
MANY WRITERS have something to say to us; a few speak to one's condition. For some of us, of this time and place, James Kennaway was one of those few, and this is why news of his death in December 1969 had for many people to whom he was known only through his work the impact, almost, of a personal loss.
THAT DR T. C. SMOUT in his highly praised A History of the Scottish People, 1560–1830 (1969) felt able to dismiss Robert Fergusson (‘the dissipated son of an Edinburgh clerk’…
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THAT DR T. C. SMOUT in his highly praised A History of the Scottish People, 1560–1830 (1969) felt able to dismiss Robert Fergusson (‘the dissipated son of an Edinburgh clerk’) with the verdict ‘nothing more serious than the celebration of food and drink was ever his business’ indicates yet again the continuing depreciation that, with honourable exceptions, has been Fergusson's critical fate since his bourgeoning fame disappeared in the furore excited by the appearance of Burns.
British Telecom's Building Management Division (BMD) has its headquarters in the City of London, responsible for the management of 52 central London and 90 provincial headquarters…
Abstract
British Telecom's Building Management Division (BMD) has its headquarters in the City of London, responsible for the management of 52 central London and 90 provincial headquarters buildings, housing a total of 19 500 staff. The division — now 1000 strong and possibly the largest single facilities management operation in this country — was formed in 1980, when British Telecom's services were separated from the Post Office in the run‐up to the 1984 privatisation. Initially the department was responsible only for maintenance works and the day‐to‐day running of the buildings, relying on other units to deal with communications and support services, property acquisitions and disposals, and major fitting‐out works. As a nationalised industry, BT relied heavily on the government's Property Services Agency (PSA) for all professional services and for the evaluation and purchase of furniture and other supplies.
Uses the outcomes of case study research in socio‐economically disadvantaged education contexts to examine the work of educators who have had a noticeable effect on the quality of…
Abstract
Uses the outcomes of case study research in socio‐economically disadvantaged education contexts to examine the work of educators who have had a noticeable effect on the quality of life in their communities. Concludes that the work of highly successful classroom practitioners can in part be understood through reference to prominent theories of educational leadership. Questions historical and current approaches to educational administration which associate leadership with positional authority. Proposes an alternative definition of “teacher leadership”.
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Rising wool prices and technical advances in artificial fibres have provided Europe's man‐made textile producer's with booming business. But with prices yet to regain a healthy…
Abstract
Rising wool prices and technical advances in artificial fibres have provided Europe's man‐made textile producer's with booming business. But with prices yet to regain a healthy level after last year's production surplus, British manufacturers view with growing concern the Government's counter inflation measures. Roger Eglin reports.
SYMPATHY will be extended to our colleagues in the beautiful lands of Denmark and Norway, whose civilisation is so far in advance in all its political and social qualities of that…
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SYMPATHY will be extended to our colleagues in the beautiful lands of Denmark and Norway, whose civilisation is so far in advance in all its political and social qualities of that of the invaders. Denmark has for years had a library service unequalled in Europe, in particular for its country services, and its town libraries have been administered with a liberality that becomes a country where a happy, cultured and lovable people dwell—or did so dwell until the catastrophe. Norway, too, has much the same liberality of spirit, and amongst its librarians are many who are valued personal friends of their British comrades, who have studied in our library schools and worked in our libraries. We hope they and their libraries will come through safely.
This chapter reviews the literature to contextualize the intervention in the post–cold war era characterized by the momentum of globalization dominated by informal actors beside…
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This chapter reviews the literature to contextualize the intervention in the post–cold war era characterized by the momentum of globalization dominated by informal actors beside the legal authority of the state. It indicates how these actors deviate the primary purpose of the humanitarian intervention and create an ungovernable environment of the state particularly when interventions are operated in countries endowed with natural resources. The case of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) serves as a model to ascertain such phenomenon in which actors such as states involved in intervention come in collusion with shadow elites, lobbyists and multinational companies to establish clandestine networks of illegal exploitation and smuggling of natural resources. The chapter winds up by suggesting the redefinition of policies of interventions to keep humanitarian intervention in its primary mission while holding actors involved in illegal and smuggling of natural resources accountable.
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WE place this special Conference number in the hands of readers in the hope and belief that it will offer features of distinct interest which will increase the value and enjoyment…
Abstract
WE place this special Conference number in the hands of readers in the hope and belief that it will offer features of distinct interest which will increase the value and enjoyment of Brighton. There can be no doubt that the organizers of Library Association Conferences have endeavoured to surpass one another in recent years; almost always, it may be said, with success. Brighton, like Blackpool if in a rather different way, is a mistress of the art of welcome, and it will be long before another town can surpass her in the art. She is at her best in September when the great, and to some appalling, crowds of her promenades have thinned out a little. This year, then, librarians have an interesting time ahead; although, as we glance over the programme again, we fear that the outdoor and other pleasures we have subtly suggested will occur only fitfully. There will be so much to do in the way of business.