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Electronic transmission of orders is not a new idea. For some years it has been possible to order from the larger book suppliers online, with the advantage of being able to interrogate their holdings first. For us though, as customers of BLCMP, the situation was complicated. Our acquisitions software covers the financial side to ordering at the time of order creation — prices are committed to funds as the order is made. Orders sent online to our suppliers on one system would have had to be entered again on our BLCMP system so that the order file and funds could be kept up to date. Although we were interested in a faster form of creating our orders, we were not interested in duplicating work.

Leeds, Yorkshire, 1884. Michael Marks, a Polish immigrant, opens his first penny bazaar under the laconic slogan: Don't ask the price — it's a penny. Today, Marks & Spencer is Britain's biggest retailer, and the fifth‐ranked company in Europe in terms of market capitalisation. Group sales in the last financial year, achieved during a time of recession, increased unemployment and the worst winter in living memory, were in excess of £2,000 million, while profits were £222 million. Additionally sales and profits were swollen from overseas earnings, notably from the stores in Paris and Dublin.

Before the Reformation the Archbishop of Canterbury, as Papal Legate, was empowered by the Church to make provisional awards of degrees, which were then ratified by the Pope in his capacity as head of the university he had founded at the Pontifical Court. After the Reformation, the Archbishop was authorised to continue to award degrees by the virtue of the Ecclesiastical Licenses Act 1533 — known as Peter's Pence Act.

The paper aims to consider how effective time management can lead to improved personal and organisational performance.

The paper draws on the collective experience of the authors. The relationship between culture and chronicity is explained with reference to working styles. It deals with the notion of time and time span with regard to new technologies, and how these may impact on concentration, face‐to‐face communication and styles of learning. It discusses the importance of effective systems and task management, along with decision making. Finally, the paper addresses time issues pertaining to e‐mail.

The paper finds that the nature of information has changed from face‐to‐face to staring at computer screens. Research shows that over one‐quarter of recipients of e‐mails misunderstood the communication, even where those interacting are close colleagues, while research at three US business schools found that colleagues were more likely to be dishonest with one another when using e‐mail because of the lack of face‐to‐face interaction. Studies have also shown that business teams co‐operate less if they have not talked face‐to‐face.

The paper will be of relevance to all those working under time constraints in various cultural settings.

The equation of unified knowledge says that S = f (A,P) which means that the practical solution to a given problem is a function of the existing, empirical, actual realities and the future, potential, best possible conditions of general stable equilibrium which both pure and practical reason, exhaustive in the Kantian sense, show as being within the realm of potential realities beyond any doubt. The first classical revolution in economic thinking, included in factor “P” of the equation, conceived the economic and financial problems in terms of a model of ideal conditions of stable equilibrium but neglected the full consideration of the existing, actual conditions. That is the main reason why, in the end, it failed. The second modern revolution, included in factor “A” of the equation, conceived the economic and financial problems in terms of the existing, actual conditions, usually in disequilibrium or unstable equilibrium (in case of stagnation) and neglected the sense of right direction expressed in factor “P” or the realization of general, stable equilibrium. That is the main reason why the modern revolution failed in the past and is failing in front of our eyes in the present. The equation of unified knowledge, perceived as a sui generis synthesis between classical and modern thinking has been applied rigorously and systematically in writing the enclosed American‐British economic, monetary, financial and social stabilization plans. In the final analysis, a new economic philosophy, based on a synthesis between classical and modern thinking, called here the new economics of unified knowledge, is applied to solve the malaise of the twentieth century which resulted from a confusion between thinking in terms of stable equilibrium on the one hand and disequilibrium or unstable equilibrium on the other.

IN order to be able to discriminate with certainty between butter and such margarine as is sold in England, it is necessary to carry out two or three elaborate and delicate chemical processes. But there has always been a craving by the public for some simple method of determining the genuineness of butter by means of which the necessary trouble could be dispensed with. It has been suggested that such easy detection would be possible if all margarine bought and sold in England were to be manufactured with some distinctive colouring added—light‐blue, for instance—or were to contain a small amount of phenolphthalein, so that the addition of a drop of a solution of caustic potash to a suspected sample would cause it to become pink if it were margarine, while nothing would occur if it were genuine butter. These methods, which have been put forward seriously, will be found on consideration to be unnecessary, and, indeed, absurd.

Family businesses do not perpetuate themselves. Entrepreneurs must nurture and propagate the values that led to the creation of the very thing most precious to them‐their business.This of course depends on stability. Nor do these cherished values propagate themselves. To be made meaningful for others, and for future generations, family experiences, values, and achievements must be communicated to others via language, narrative and storytelling, or other forms embedded in the narrative such as symbols. Often a variety of different socially constructed stories may be necessary contingent upon situation, purpose, or need.

In the development of a strategy to reduce absenteeism one must focus on attendance. Factors related to absenteeism, which become high turnover, are shown in Figure II.

Business at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre has disproved the critics who believed that only London was a suitable venue for major shows. But NEC space costs are rising to such an extent that some exhibitors are threatening to pull out. Report by Dave Grayston.

At the recent conference of the British Medical Association, Dr. Langdon‐Down, of South Middlesex, submitted the report of the Ethical Committee on behalf of the Council, upon the ethics of indirect advertising by the medical profession. The report mentioned a number of restrictions which it was thought advisable to impose as regards advertising by members of the profession. It was stated that in discussions in the Press on matters of public importance relating to the medical questions it was not necessary that the names of the medical writers or informants should be given. The newspapers, it was contended, could give the necessary assurance to their readers as to the professional standing of the authority quoted without mentioning names.—Dr. Fothergill moved that certain recommendations in the report be referred back for reconsideration, including that which related to medical men not attaching their signatures to letters and communications they sent to the Press on medical subjects. On that latter point he suggested that before the report was issued the council should approach the Press Association to get their views on the question. What the Press required was not the advertising of an inferior practitioner. What they desired was to get an adequate medical opinion. The Press said: “If you allow a doctor to go to the Church Congress and talk openly there of birth control, should you not allow that same doctor to put into the public Press a letter over his signature?”—Dr. Lyndon hoped the representative body would not be led away by Dr. Fothergill. The question of having a conference with the Press was brought before the council, who were all against it.—Sir Jenner Verrall said he did not think what was suggested would be a substitute for the indirect advertising complained of.—Dr. Bishop Harman expressed agreement with the contention that it was the name that really mattered in these contributions to the Press. An eminent medical man wrote to The Times a brilliant letter on an important medical subject, and signed himself “Veritas.” It never caused a ripple on the water. They thought it was a gas mantle or something, and there was no punch behind it. Three things mattered—what you say, how it is said, and who says it, and the last is the only thing that really matters.—The report was adopted with the exception of that part relating to medical men's names being attached to letters and communications sent to the Press. That section of the report was referred back for consideration, with the object of seeing how far it was possible to depart from anonymity.