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The Chief Executive's attention for the moment is riveted on the short‐term problem of weathering the tidal waves of the current inflation‐Tecession economic storm. But before many months go by he and his staff will be back at the drawing boards mapping out alternative strategies for the new 1976 long‐term corporate plan. Last year's economic forecast has been torn up, but the question remains, “What do we use in its place?”

Although the current world recession has deflected interest away from the question of supply adequacy, it remains a long‐term problem. To be sure, inventories are now being liquidated and raw material prices are falling, but as we look ahead to 1976 it is possible again to see a situation in which demands are pressing against capacity constraints. In the past it was commonly accepted that firms should expand their capacities ahead of increases in demand (and, if possible, ahead of their competitors' capacity increases). This approach is now being debated, as part of a broader questioning of some guidelines that have frequently been followed by business managers and executives.

The Society is a non‐profit professional and educational association formed in 1966. Today membership exceeds 1,600 individuals interested in improving their competence as planners and increasing the use of planning in corporations and institutions throughout North America.

MY INTEREST in Robert McLellan's work is a fairly recent one, dating as it does from shortly after my arrival in Scotland five years ago. Several pointers made me anxious to know more of his plays and other writings, not least an article by Miss Moira Burgess. I found, however, that an interest was easier to arouse than to satisfy: bibliographies listed practically nothing by him; my own local collection catalogue (McLellan has been an Arran resident since 1938) showed only two articles, one by and one about him, and inquiries of colleagues elicited only surprise that they could find no more than I had done.

This paper reports on the quintessential rural small firm, the tourist service provider and explores the impact of the recent foot and mouth outbreak. A theoretical framework is employed which proposes that many rural small firms capture and commodify the values that are inherent in the countryside. Part of this process is the portrayal of image and is an essential element of the new economy of signs and symbols. This image was critically challenged during the outbreak and thus affords us a unique opportunity to examine what happens, the impacts and effects, on small rural business when the image is tarnished. The findings show that small firms in rural areas suffered badly, even in areas where there was no disease. This leads one to argue that the effects of the disease were generated, less by fact, and more by the production of image. However, it was also found that rural small firms were extremely flexible in their responses to the crisis. In turn this seems to suggest that many small rural businesses may have a particular resilience which augurs well for sustainability.

This study aims to presenting an empirical model for partially admitted turbine efficiency. When the design mass-flow rate is too small that a normal full-admission design would give very-small blade height, it may be advantageous to use partial admission. The losses due to partial admission with long blades may be less than the losses due to leakage and low Reynolds-number of the full-admission turbines with short blades. The turbine efficiency is highly dependent on the degree of partial admission. The empirical model of turbine efficiency is necessary for simulation and analysis of dynamic performances of the turbine system. In this work, appropriate empirical loss correlations are introduced and a proper model is proposed for turbine efficiency.

Experimental and numerical tests are conducted to evaluate the proposed model and the results are compared with the results of existing models. In this work, the effect of nozzles overlapping on the flow pattern is emphasized. Therefore, various models with different degrees of overlapping are simulated and their effects on the turbine efficiency are subsequently evaluated.

A suitable cubic polynomial expression for small axial supersonic turbine efficiency in experiments is suggested. The overlapping nozzles cause change in the flow pattern and the entropy distribution. Therefore, any change in the degree of overlapping of nozzles changes the efficiency of the turbine.

In this work, time-consuming numerous experimental and numerical tests of the turbine are required.

Implication of a proper formula for a partially admitted turbine may result in enhanced prediction and dynamic performance evaluation of the test turbine.

A proper empirical model for a partially admitted supersonic turbine is introduced. This model is suitable for one blocked partially admitted turbine with Mach number between 1.2 and 1.8.

The predominance of certain adverse factors has historically de-motivated firms seeking to enter into the bottom-of-the-pyramid (BoP) markets due to the perception that BoP markets are impoverished and therefore unable to afford their products. However, Prahalad’s seminal study on BoP markets as potential sources of wealth may have influenced the mindset of marketers around the world to view the demographic at the BoP as prodigious product markets waiting to be mined. This chapter, therefore, explores how some multinational corporations (MNCs) may have successfully implemented BoP marketing in Nigeria against the backdrop of diffusion of innovation (DoI) theory. The DoI theory tries to explain how and why new ideas, product, structures, or phenomena (innovations), spread across users and social systems. It posits among other things that there are at least five conditions that define the rate of adoption of an innovation, including relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability. The authors find in the context of case companies, MTN Communications, Promasidor (Cowbell), and Dufil Prima Foods (Indomie) Nigeria that these elements contribute to building a viable explanation for the wide adoption of their products in the Nigerian BoP markets. Regarding the economic viability of BoP markets, the authors find that MNCs may have to embrace a commitment to long-term profitability, focus on economies of scale as a basis for competitiveness, and realize that in BoP markets, defining a marketing model is a continuous process.

Are business outcomes due primarily to entrepreneurial and managerial ability or are they mainly the result of business content? The purpose of this study is to explore this question by comparing the railroads of Victoria and Queensland (Australia) and the South-West and Northern Plains of America between 1881 and 1900. Given the commonalities of the four railway systems in terms of their economic orientation towards rural custom, and their marked difference in terms of ownership, one would expect similarities in their financial circumstances if outcomes were primarily determined by fluctuations in global commodity markets. Conversely, marked differences would be expected if outcomes primarily resulted from managerial initiative.

Conceptually, this study is informed by the idea that social and economic outcomes are shaped by long historical movements, with meaningful structural change occurring rarely but to great effect. In exploring this concept through a comparison of the railways of Australia and the American West, the study draws on two forms of archival evidence. One source of evidence relates to railroad management, operations and finances. Figures cited come primarily from Australian railway commissioners’ reports and Poor’s Manual of the Railroads of the USA. The other source of evidence relates to agricultural statistics. These are drawn from official reports.

This study argues that effective strategic decision-making can only occur if we understand the structural changes that alter our world. In the late nineteenth century, the Australian and American railroads servicing newly settled rural regions were financial failures because management failed to appreciate the structural changes that the revolution in steam-powered transport had initiated; a revolution which resulted in commodity prices – and hence, the railway rates for farm produce – being determined by global demand and supply balances rather than by local factors. As a result, they continued a policy of expansion that was no longer financially justified.

This study seeks to contribute to a fundamental debate in historical studies and management about the drivers of social and economic change. Increasingly, there is acceptance of the view that historical circumstances are inherently unstable and what counts is the particular change cascading through a myriad of “events”. This study points in a contrary direction, suggesting that business outcomes are primarily determined by deep structural shifts that can be understood and steered but seldom opposed.

This study examines the ethical and social consequences of the accelerated adoption of new technologies. An empirical approach is employed to explore the impacts of rapid technological integration on societal norms, ethical considerations, and individual behaviours. Responses from 305 participants are analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), focusing on perceived usefulness, ease of use, relative advantage, personal innovativeness, and fear of missing out (FOMO). The findings unveil intricate interactions between technological advancements and ethical–social dynamics, underscoring challenges and opportunities. This study offers critical insights for policymakers, technology developers, and society at large, aiming to encourage a more ethically informed and socially conscious approach to technology adoption.

A comprehensive evaluation of the constructs that contribute to the incorporation of a supply chain innovation into an organization is markedly absent in the literature. Even in academic fields where the post‐adoption diffusion stages of acceptance, routinization, and assimilation are often investigated, no study integrates these constructs and their constituent dimensions into a unified framework. In addition, these post‐adoption activities are largely ignored in the supply chain innovation literature. This paper aims to integrate extant literature regarding acceptance, routinization, and assimilation for the purpose of clarifying the definitions and identifying the dimensions of each construct to provide guidance to scholars who are investigating innovation diffusion in the supply chain.

Through the lens of diffusion of innovation theory, a broad base of literature both within and beyond the scope of traditional supply chain management (SCM) journals is considered to develop a unified framework of post‐adoption activities.

This research effort provides an in‐depth analysis of the post‐adoption stages of the organizational diffusion process and suggests 17 activities that support diffusion. Relationships between and within these stages of the process are inferred to create a unified framework of post‐adoption activities.

The resultant framework provides a reference point for future research. Although providing motivation for this study, this research is limited by the fact that few studies in the SCM literature consider organizational diffusion beyond adoption. The proposed framework is contingent on generalizing literature from related academic disciplines. Future SCM research can validate these findings and further tailor the framework to be more specific to supply chain applications.

This article provides insight for supply chain professionals who seek to not just adopt, but also to fully embed a newly acquired innovation into their organization. Managers can use this article's resulting framework as a reference to determine what actions they should take to fully incorporate an innovation.

Although recognized as an important area of investigation in other literature streams, post‐adoption activities are almost entirely overlooked in SCM research. This study provides both the motivation and a starting point for scholars to consider such activities.