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THE LIFE OF JAMES BALLANTYNE, Scottish printer, is so interlaced with those of his brothers, John and Sandy, and with the misfortunes of Sir Walter Scott, that it is impossible to give any sort of account of him as a single personality. He was bedevilled by influences that twisted what might have been a prosperous career into a condition that came to near financial disaster.

The BDC has implemented several team briefing schemes into various NHS organisations over the last seven years. Evaluation over the last three years has highlighted several problems with the team briefing system. The article explores these and suggests ways of overcoming the problems with clear, definable actions. It highlights that the basic team briefing model is sound but that organisations need to consider their commitment and whether the culture is compatible or not with some reinforcement of certain processes which includes training team briefers and having effective feedback as part of the process. The article concludes that team briefing is a useful tool, which can help organisations communicate effectively with their employees.

Explores the introduction and development of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in relation to Human Resource Departments. Considers approaches to SLAs and highlights four dimensions necessary for the completion of an SLA. Stresses that Human Resource Specialists should have a thorough understanding of how directorates and other departments relate to one another to provide added value in terms of contribution to the organizational outcomes. Suggests the idea of adding value is an integral part of the SLA process which ensures that it operates as a means to an end and does not become an end in itself. Examines the degree of devolved freedom given to a department to seek work or sell its products outside its Trust/Unit. Scrutinizes the format of SLAs and concludes that the benefits of SLAs for users of Human Resource Departments and the benefits to the Human Resource Departments are similar.

Acknowledges that business planning in the NHS frequently disappoints. Reasons for this are found in the tendency for managers to view the production of a plan as an end rather than a means. A further difficulty resides in the perception managers have of their world. Argues that marketing is the most appropriate paradigm for understanding and structuring this world at present. However, an adaptive cognitive style is necessary to allow constant reframing within the dominant paradigm or even reframing of the paradigm itself. In adopting these approaches, the probability of achieving competitive advantage is heightened. If they are ignored, however, it is likely that training and development techniques, however sophisticated, will have little lasting impact.

While the need for leadership in health care is well recognised, there is still the need to better understand how leadership contributes to improving healthcare services. The body of knowledge concerning improvement has grown significantly in recent years, but evidence about links between leadership and health services improvement remains poor, especially within the UK National Health Service. It remains unclear how and why leadership is important to service improvement, and how leadership development can optimise service improvement.This paper describes a study commissioned by The Health Foundation, exploring the links between leadership behaviours reported by clinicians and managers in NHS organisations and their service improvement work. The study highlights leadership behaviours that appear to be positively associated with NHS improvement work. This paper provides insights into which aspects of leadership are used for different types of improvement work and considers lessons for leadership development.

This paper sets out to evaluate the effect of search method employed (broadly defined here as formal or informal) on the probability that an individual will move out of unemployment into either employment or inactivity. We take advantage of the longitudinal element contained within the Labour Force Survey and link 794 individual records through five quarters. The sample contains all those who are unemployed in Spring 1996 and records their labour market status for the four quarters ending in Spring 1997. Given that this element of the LFS is only just beginning to be used, we attempt to evaluate its usefulness for the estimation of a discrete time‐competing risks model. We do find an effect of search method employed in the final specification and the sign on the coefficient rejects our belief that those using informal search methods may do so in order to signal their higher levels of productivity. Instead we are led to conclude that those using informal search methods may do so because of a lack of skills needed to use more formal channels.

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to highlight the importance of Gandhi's philosophy for creating socially responsible systems for holistic development.

It is a qualitative analysis of Gandhi's writings and interpretation of his ideas for the creation of socially responsible systems which will result in holistic development.

The analysis of Gandhian philosophy brings about a realization that focusing on unidimensional development is detrimental to society. There is a need to integrate various elements of human civilization for the overall happiness of mankind. Gandhi identified the inter‐linkages between various aspects of human life and insisted on creating harmony between them. The authors find that he was against compartmentalization of self and society. Hence, the paper talks about holistic management and the role that organization, social systems and individuals can play in its achievement. His philosophy provides a backdrop against which socially responsible systems can be created.

Though Gandhi's contribution in politics has been widely acknowledged, there is very little work on integration of his philosophy to all walks of life. The paper is original in the sense that instead of dividing his philosophy into narrow segments, it tries to establish the inter‐linkage between the various dimensions of human life.

This chapter examines the determinants of managerial incentives at the time of an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange. We identify a trade-off relation between board monitoring and incentives that is specific to CEOs. We also investigate the role of stock option grants and share transactions at the IPO. We find that the IPO may be used as a wealth diversification opportunity. We report that undiversified managers with large pre-IPO shareholdings receive smaller stock options grants and sell more shares in the IPO than more diversified managers.

Compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals published by MCB University Press: Facilities Volumes 8‐18; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐18; Property Management Volumes 8‐18; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐18.

Index by subjects, compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals: Facilities Volumes 8‐18; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐18; Property Management Volumes 8‐18; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐18.