R. Poole, G.P. Clarke and D. Clarke
The bid for Safeway announced by Morrisons in January 2003 ended months of speculation as to the next victim in the battle for power in the UK multiple food market. The Morrisons…
Abstract
The bid for Safeway announced by Morrisons in January 2003 ended months of speculation as to the next victim in the battle for power in the UK multiple food market. The Morrisons bid provided the catalyst for other major food retailers to express their interest in the Safeway company and its stores (also joined by a number of non‐food retailers). There is little doubt that this battle raises important geographical issues. First is the spatial fit of each of the bidders and the Safeway stores. The key question is who will gain most new regional market share from the purchase of the Safeway stores? The second is the implication for local spatial monopolies in different parts of the UK depending on the likely winner. This will almost certainly be investigated by the UK Competition Commission. The aim of this paper is to examine both these geographical issues and present some what‐if scenarios concerning future amalgamations of store networks.
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The Bureau of Economics in the Federal Trade Commission has a three-part role in the Agency and the strength of its functions changed over time depending on the preferences and…
Abstract
The Bureau of Economics in the Federal Trade Commission has a three-part role in the Agency and the strength of its functions changed over time depending on the preferences and ideology of the FTC’s leaders, developments in the field of economics, and the tenor of the times. The over-riding current role is to provide well considered, unbiased economic advice regarding antitrust and consumer protection law enforcement cases to the legal staff and the Commission. The second role, which long ago was primary, is to provide reports on investigations of various industries to the public and public officials. This role was more recently called research or “policy R&D”. A third role is to advocate for competition and markets both domestically and internationally. As a practical matter, the provision of economic advice to the FTC and to the legal staff has required that the economists wear “two hats,” helping the legal staff investigate cases and provide evidence to support law enforcement cases while also providing advice to the legal bureaus and to the Commission on which cases to pursue (thus providing “a second set of eyes” to evaluate cases). There is sometimes a tension in those functions because building a case is not the same as evaluating a case. Economists and the Bureau of Economics have provided such services to the FTC for over 100 years proving that a sub-organization can survive while playing roles that sometimes conflict. Such a life is not, however, always easy or fun.
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Presents 31 abstracts, edited by Johanthan Morris and Mike Reed, from the 2003 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference, held at Cardiff Business School in September 2003. The…
Abstract
Presents 31 abstracts, edited by Johanthan Morris and Mike Reed, from the 2003 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference, held at Cardiff Business School in September 2003. The conference theme was “The end of management? managerial pasts, presents and futures”. Contributions covered, for example, the changing HR role, managing Kaizen, contradiction in organizational life, organizational archetypes, changing managerial work and gendering first‐time management roles. Case examples come from areas such as Mexico, South Africa, Australia, the USA, Canada and Turkey.
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Jean-Louis Ermine, Denise Bedford and Alexeis Garcia-Perez
This chapter focuses on designing and constructing a history model. The authors explain why the historical perspective is essential and what we learn from it. The authors explain…
Abstract
Chapter Summary
This chapter focuses on designing and constructing a history model. The authors explain why the historical perspective is essential and what we learn from it. The authors explain the history model in relation to common everyday forms, including project and historical timelines, process timelines, and event and life cycle timelines. The formats of timelines are also referenced. The common reference points are useful for designing and presenting the history model to Knowledge Book users. A step-by-step methodology for constructing a history model is included.
Ronald Burns, Patrick Kinkade and Matthew C. Leone
To identify and assess the current state of professionalism and operations in the field of bail recovery, or bounty hunting.
Abstract
Purpose
To identify and assess the current state of professionalism and operations in the field of bail recovery, or bounty hunting.
Design/methodology/approach
A multi‐method approach, which integrated information from interviews with bond agents with information taken from a survey of workers in the bond field.
Findings
Survey respondents averaged 51 years of age, and were mostly Caucasian males. Most were religious and conservative, and over 25 percent reported having obtained a four‐year college degree. Roughly one‐third of all survey respondents reported experience in law enforcement; nearly half indicated having specialized skills in weaponry. Money was the most cited reason for becoming a bail enforcement agent, and most respondents believed that bail enforcement agents are an under‐appreciated component of the criminal justice system.
Research limitations/implications
These findings were taken from a small number of survey respondents. Consequently, these data are not assumed to be representative of the population surveyed. Additionally, the interviews with key individuals in the field are also not assumed to be representative.
Practical implications
This research has shown that bond agents are not yet professionalized, but a substantial number of them desire greater professionalism in their field, and believe that more professional behavior is necessary to receive greater respect from their fellow criminal justice practitioners.
Originality/value
Very little is known about the operations and attitudes of bond agents. This research has added some critical information to this knowledge base, and has helped to raise other questions which may stimulate further research in this under‐examined field.
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Mikhail A. Sheremet and Ioan Pop
The purpose of this paper is to study natural convective heat transfer and viscoelastic fluid flow in a differentially heated square cavity under the effect of thermal radiation.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study natural convective heat transfer and viscoelastic fluid flow in a differentially heated square cavity under the effect of thermal radiation.
Design/methodology/approach
The cavity filled with a viscoelastic fluid is heated uniformly from the left wall and cooled from the right side while insulated from horizontal walls. Governing partial differential equations formulated in non-dimensional stream function, vorticity and temperature with corresponding boundary conditions have been solved by finite difference method of second order accuracy. The effects of Rayleigh number (Ra = 1e+3−1e+5), radiation parameter (Rd = 0 − 10), Prandtl number (Pr = 1 − 30) and elastic number (E = 0.0001 − 0.001) on flow patterns, temperature fields, average Nusselt number at hot vertical wall and rate of fluid flow have been studied.
Findings
It has been found that a growth of elastic number leads to the heat transfer reduction and convective flow attenuation. The heat conduction is a dominating heat transfer mechanism for high values of radiation parameter.
Originality/value
The originality of this work is to analyze heat transfer and fluid flow of a viscoelastic fluid inside a differentially heated cavity. The results would benefit scientists and engineers to become familiar with the flow and heat behavior of non-Newtonian fluids, and the way to predict the properties of this flow for possibility of using viscoelastic fluids in compact heat exchangers, electronic cooling systems, polymer engineering, etc.
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Edward J. Snape and Greg J. Bamber
There is an increasing realisation that managerial and professional staff play a crucial role in determining the success of the organisations which employ them, whether in the…
Abstract
There is an increasing realisation that managerial and professional staff play a crucial role in determining the success of the organisations which employ them, whether in the private or the public sector. Hence there is a growing concern with the quality and development of such staff. A detailed study of these important occupational groups, which was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC reference F/00/23/00 98) was recently conducted by the authors. Although focused on Britain, the research is linked with parallel studies being undertaken in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and several other European countries. The broader international study will be published within the next year as Roomkin, M. (Ed.), The Changing Character of Managerial Employment: A Comparative View Oxford, University Press, New York and Oxford. The demographic and educational trends which relate to managerial and professional employees, their careers and other aspects of the management of such human resources are discussed. The remuneration of managerial and professional staff, their unionisation and their role in the wider society are then considered.