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For the last seven years we have been involved in feasibility studies, applying the economist's rigorous cost benefit analysis techniques to training investments and activities. The progress of the research has been well documented in various journals. Very early on it was demonstrated that although cost benefit techniques could be applied to certain forms of operator training, they only formed a part of the armoury of a training evaluator when more complicated skills and job organisations were encountered. In 1970 a progress summary was published in this journal. As a part of the current debate about the evaluation of training we have been asked to write a further progress summary. Rather than repeating parts of other articles we have attempted to do two things in this article: first to clarify some confusion we see developing in the terms used by trainers, and secondly to air some ideas which are being developed in the various research projects in which we are engaged. In this way we hope we can illustrate, by implication, the current thinking in the ITS about evaluation of training.

The Industrial Training Service was established in 1960 to influence ideas about training at national level and to help put them into practice. This has always been the background against which ITS in‐company work or individual training and development programmes have been conducted. The Industrial Training Service thus has been one of the links between the realities of day‐to‐day work carried out in organisations, and the thinking at national level, which guides the policies and practices of training and human resource development. This article describes how the development of the ITS over the past 20 years has paralleled the evolution of training in the UK. It describes a working model which has guided its development and uses it to make some analysis and prediction for the next 20 years.

Many engineering staff in the Health Service, from craftsmen to professional engineers, enter from outside the service at varying stages in their careers and from a variety of previous employments. Whilst more is now being done in the way of basic training via a substantial craft apprenticeship scheme and an honours degree studentship scheme, it is likely that substantial outside recruitment will continue for the foreseeable future. The Health Service is not primarily an engineering organisation, engineering staff total only 10 000 out of a total of 800 000 employees and the main training effort is of course in the medical, para medical, and nursing fields. Thus the engineering side of the Health Service contains numbers of staff trained in their basic trade or profession, but lacking knowledge of areas specialised to the Health Service. Because of their diversity of backgrounds and the breadth of knowledge required in the Health Service there are also gaps in more basic knowledge. Also, given the pace of change in some technologies, updating is necessary for all staff.

The purpose of this paper is to present a biographical review of the career of the late Caroline Robinson Jones (1942‐2001) in order to understand her challenges and contributions to the advertising profession. Prior to her death, she was considered the foremost African‐American woman in the advertising business. She was the first black woman to serve as a vice president of a major mainstream advertising agency and also established a respected agency bearing her own name. This paper focuses on Jones' contributions to marketing practice and her experiences as a woman of color in the advertising industry.

This paper uses a traditional historical narrative approach largely based on archival materials housed in the Caroline Jones Collection at the Archives Center of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution. Relevant secondary literature was also employed to provide appropriate context.

While the advertising industry has historically been noted for its lack of diversity among its professional ranks, Jones made significant contributions to the industry. Yet, despite her trailblazing accomplishments, findings suggest her efforts were constrained by structural oppression in the industry concerning gender and race.

Scholarly literature reflecting the contributions and experiences of women of color in the advertising business is nearly non‐existent. This paper provides an analysis using sources which are valuable in understanding career opportunities and challenges for women of color in advertising professions.

Most of us knew Leo Jolley at Aslib or through his writings only, so we are grateful to Kevin Jones for telling us of his career. We are not surprised, because Jolley's own presentations made it clear that they arose from long experience and deep thinking. Here lies my difficulty. It is my task to outline his theory the of holotheme, but no one could do it better than he nor, indeed, as well. So I will recommend to you his contribution in absentia to the Ottawa Conference of 1971. Admittedly his writings are concentrated. He had what is sometimes called the mathematician's approach to prose. The writing is coherent, but every sentence is meant to mean something and something different. This leads to clarity, but it does demand attention and thought. His style certainly sharpens his arguments and the impact of his apt and often witty examples. I will indicate in what field of endeavour his work lies, and then go over the salient features of his grand design.

Operational risks can cause considerable, atypical disturbances and impact food supply chain (SC) resilience. Indicatively, the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions in the UK food services as nationwide stockouts led to unprecedented discrepancies between retail and home-delivery supply capacity and demand. To this effect, this study aims to examine the emergence of digital platforms as an innovative instrument for food SC resilience in severe market disruptions.

An interpretive multiple case-study approach was used to unravel how different generations of e-commerce food service providers, i.e. established and emergent, responded to the need for more resilient operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SC disruption management for high-impact low-frequency events requires analysing four research elements: platformisation, structural variety, process flexibility and system resource efficiency. Established e-commerce food operators use partner onboarding and local waste valorisation to enhance resilience. Instead, emergent e-commerce food providers leverage localised rapid upscaling and product personalisation.

Digital food platforms offer a highly customisable, multisided digital marketplace wherein platform members may aggregate product offerings and customers, thus sharing value throughout the network. Platform-induced disintermediation allows bidirectional flows of data and information among SC partners, ensuring compliance and safety in the food retail sector.

The study contributes to the SC configuration and resilience literature by investigating the interrelationship among platformisation, structural variety, process flexibility and system resource efficiency for safe and resilient food provision within exogenously disrupted environments.

By applying a non‐parametric Malmquist Productivity Index to a sample of all post‐merger Malaysian banks over 2001‐2003, this paper attempts to investigate to what extent the inclusion of OBS items in the output definition of banks affect the estimated total factor productivity change indexes. It is found that the inclusion of OBS items results in an increase in estimated productivity levels for all banks under study. However, the impact seems to be the largest on technological change rather than efficiency change.

The potential advantage of extreme value theory in modeling management phenomena is the central theme of this paper. The statistics of extremes have played only a very limited role in management studies despite the disproportionate emphasis on unusual events in the world of managers. An overview of this theory and related statistical models is presented, and illustrative empirical examples provided.

Without aspiring to emulate Robert Browning's song thrush, we venture to repeat an admonition on smoking in the food trade of almost a decade ago. (The Smoking Habit, 1962, BFJ, 64, 79). The first time it coincided with a little research we had undertaken, which later saw the light of day epitomized in article form and was enthusiastically (sic) commented upon in sections of the press and then died as if it had never been born. (Tobacco and Lung Cancer, 1965, Med. Offr., 2955, 148). Now, it coincides with the most concentrated, officially inspired, campaign, so far, mounted against the evils of smoking. The most striking fact about all these national efforts every few years is the lack of success in real terms. A marketing organization achieving such poor results would count it a costly failure. It would be unfair to say that none have given up, but with a habit so ingrained, determination is required and in many, if not most, of those able to refrain, the craving is so great that they are smoking again within a week or so. Overall, the smoking population is enormous, including, as it does, girls and women‐folk. Once, it was undignified for a woman to be seen smoking. We recall a visit by Queen Mary to the village Manor House, just after the First War; she was an expert in antique furniture and came to see the manor's collection. When Her Majesty asked for a cigarette, the village rang with astonishment for days. Nothing as amazing had happened since Cavaliers and Roundheads tethered their horses beneath the three great poplars which stood on the green. “Queen Mary! 'er smokes!”

Under this title an interesting article by Thurman B. Rice, M.D., was published in the July issue of the Monthly Bulletin of the Indiana State Board of Health. Dr. Rice tells us that it is customary in the U.S.A. for the Boards of Health to require certificates of health from all food handlers, and that a conscientious examiner would even refuse to issue a certificate if the applicant had eczematous hands or open sores on the hands or face. This seems a most excellent precaution and one which might well be studied with due consideration in this country. Unfortunately, certain unscrupulous physicians apparently overcome the inconvenience of giving a thorough examination, and cases are known where 140 blanks, certifying that as many persons were free from all transmissible disease, were signed in two hours—and also where pads of blanks have been signed and the names filled in later by the restaurant manager as employees began to work. After referring to the care and cleanliness required in the preparation of the food itself, Dr. Rice points out that, should a case of food poisoning occur, the health authorities should be informed immediately and all suspected foods should be interned and kept in a condition which will guarantee as little change as possible—usually refrigeration at a very low temperature. The layman, on hearing of a case of food poisoning, is very prone to suspect those articles of food consumed at the last previous meal—while the significant article may have been eaten a day, or more, before—or, in the case of typhoid fever, two weeks before. Dr. Rice continues by telling us that we should always remain in the most jovial of moods at the dining table, and that causes for anger, fear, disgust, or any other unpleasant major emotion should be avoided. Also complaining, nagging criticism and sarcastic remarks at the table are most injurious to the flow of the gastric juice. We refrain from comment upon the effect of the restaurant orchestra, which has at times, we feel sure, been the cause of much “ criticism and sarcastic remarks ”; also the most careful and jovial diner (even after reading Dr. Rice's article) surely cannot fail to stimulate a little “anger” at the waiter who served the latecomers at the adjoining table before his good self? As a means of preventing epidemics from food sources, Dr. Rice recommends cleanliness, character, intelligence and good health in the workers; adequate equipment, alertness and supervision from the management; and the practice of the principles of the modern science and art of epidemiology in the board of health.