In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of…
Abstract
In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.
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Peter Thornton and Mike Waddington
Instability and increasingly rapid change are both features of the contemporary business environment. They are a reality with which all members of the business community…
Abstract
Instability and increasingly rapid change are both features of the contemporary business environment. They are a reality with which all members of the business community, irrespective of size or area of activity, must come to terms if they are to survive and prosper. The requirement, therefore, is for flexible systems which will enable managers to formulate better plans and which will reduce company response times so that problems can be anticipated and opportunities seized. Consequently managements' paramount requirement is for systems which can produce timely and comprehensive management information — a resource which tends to be in short supply in many smaller organisations.
Consumerism's fundamental nature, reflecting as it did a general dissatisfaction among consumers with the existing relationship between consumer and producer in the marketplace in…
Abstract
Consumerism's fundamental nature, reflecting as it did a general dissatisfaction among consumers with the existing relationship between consumer and producer in the marketplace in the well‐off industrialised nations, ensured its rapid growth and internationalisation. Notes that after gaining momentum in the USA, consumerism had spread to most of the developed countries, in particular Sweden, Japan, The Netherlands and the UK. Suggests that the international consumerist movement reached its peak in many countries in the late 1960s and 1970s, and this was when the consumerist movements were united by a single overwhelming objective — ensuring the consumer got a fair deal in the marketplace. Contends that consumerists have approached the problem from two different points — the strategies employed fall into these categories: consumer information and education; and the recognition of basic consumer rights in law. Believes that elements of both attempts try to ensure that the consumer is able to protect himself and are found in all the countries with consumerist movements. Concludes that consumerists' aim has been to ensure that within this framework the interests of consumers are protected and that consumers receive a fair deal.
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Definitions of consumerism have ranged from the essentially pragmatic to the speculatively theoretical, from the simple “let the seller beware”, to the all embracing “concern for…
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Definitions of consumerism have ranged from the essentially pragmatic to the speculatively theoretical, from the simple “let the seller beware”, to the all embracing “concern for the total impact of business on society”. Regardless of the definitions, consumerism in Britain today is about consumer protection and how this can best be achieved. Whether this is merely a stage in the evolutionary development into something more comprehensive in its concerns and more radical in its approach remains to be seen. The main stream of the British consumer movement is middle class in origin and outlook. The social composition of the movement has been an important factor conditioning both its definition of consumer problems and its approach to their solution. Essentially the movement is concerned with ensuring that shoppers get a fair deal in the market place. The role of the consumer in the market place and the relationship between consumer and producer is never fundamentally questioned. The existing societal order and its concomitant economic relationships are simply accepted as part of the framework within which the consumer movement must work to achieve its objectives.
Peter Thornton and Verner Wheelock
Contemporary society is increasingly confronted with the socio‐economic problems generated by what has been described as the end of industrial society and its transition to a…
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Contemporary society is increasingly confronted with the socio‐economic problems generated by what has been described as the end of industrial society and its transition to a post‐industrial society. The most immediate symptom of this transition process is the high rate of unemployment being experienced by all the advanced industrialised nations. The aggregate percentage of the labour force unemployed in April 1978 in Canada was 8.6; in Italy 6.8; in Belgium 10.4; in Great Britain 5.8; in West Germany 4.4; and in the United States 6.0.
Peter Thornton and Verner Wheelock
There is no doubt that the application of microelectronic devices in processes and products can result in significant increases in labour productivity. There is considerably less…
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There is no doubt that the application of microelectronic devices in processes and products can result in significant increases in labour productivity. There is considerably less agreement, however, on the implications of this for future employment prospects. The predictions which have been made concerning the impact of the microprocessor and its related technology on the economy and employment cover the entire range, from economic expansion and job creation at one extreme, to recession and large‐scale persistent unemployment at the other. A large number of these forecasts, however, are based on a limited analysis of the technological, economic, demographic and social factors involved and exhibit a general lack of awareness of certain basic historical trends in the labour market.
By now a great deal has been written about the micro‐processor and its related technology and a great many management appreciation seminars have been organised. Yet the fact…
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By now a great deal has been written about the micro‐processor and its related technology and a great many management appreciation seminars have been organised. Yet the fact remains that only 10–15 per cent of manufacturing companies are actually using micro‐processors and over 50 per cent of managers still seem to be unaware of what microelectronics can do for them. Placed in an international context the UK rate of adoption, adaptation and absorption of micro‐electronics is poor, specialists are being produced slowly and the Government is providing neither the strategy nor the support to be found in other OECD countries. Although there are a few bright spots, the picture is largely one of unrelieved gloom.
Peter C. Thornton and J. Verner Wheelock
The office is an area of activity which to date has been largely untouched by major technological change. With the exception of the electric typewriter and the development of…
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The office is an area of activity which to date has been largely untouched by major technological change. With the exception of the electric typewriter and the development of photocopying machines, office equipment has changed comparatively little during this century. As a result, while there have undoubtedly been advances made in office organisation and procedures, the basic systems have remained essentially manual and mechanical. The situation is reflected in the relative capitalisation of shop floor operatives and office workers. A recent study conducted by the Stanford Research Institute, for example, estimated that the average investment in capital equipment for an office worker was about $2,000, compared with an average of $25,000 on the shop floor. The labour intensity of office systems is similarly evident in their cost structure, with approximately 80 per cent of office costs being directly attributable to labour.
The first paper ever published on microprocessors described the device as the “re‐configurable” circuit. This conveys the simplest, but most important feature of the…
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The first paper ever published on microprocessors described the device as the “re‐configurable” circuit. This conveys the simplest, but most important feature of the microprocessor, namely that by changing the software a device can be tailored to fit a wide range of applications — from a simple light switch control to the central processing unit of a computer. This versatility of microelectronic devices, combined with their falling price, decreasing size and exponentially increasing power makes inevitable their widespread application. Indeed, it can be predicted with reasonable confidence that by the end of the century the pervasiveness of the “silicon chip” will be the defining characteristic of an advanced society.
H. PETER JOST and J. SCHOFIELD
In Part 1 the authors dealt with the background of tribology and its intended purpose, ie to conserve energy by minimization of wear and friction in moving parts of plant and…
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In Part 1 the authors dealt with the background of tribology and its intended purpose, ie to conserve energy by minimization of wear and friction in moving parts of plant and machinery — the basis of the 1966 Jost Report. In Part 2 they set out to show in great detail how this may be achieved dramatically by intensive research and development.