Planning for recreational planning

This paper takes a look at recreational planning from the point of view of a formal planning system. In particular, the development of a decision support system for recreational planning is discussed. One of the outputs of this system is the familiar recreation plan and its associated processes. In addition, such a system allows the recreation plan to deal with some important issues on a timely basis as well as establishing a strong working relationship with local agencies.     

Toward understanding strategic issue diagnosis

This paper calls attention to a central but neglected process in strategic decision making, i.e. strategic issue diagnosis (SID). A framework for discussing SID is presented in terms of three critical components: inputs, process characteristics and outputs. The framework is illustrated in the context of PIMS and BCG, two widely recognized strategy models. The major implications highlight the theoretical significance of SID for understanding strategic decision making.     

The Scope of the Grants Economy and Income Distribution: An Examination of Intergenerational Transfers of Income

A bstract . Private transfers of income between family members have had significant equalizing effects on the distribution of income in the United States but only recently have they become a subject of research and an element of analysis. Some of the major theoretical developments in the area of income distribution and intergenerational mobility in the rich literature of the grants economy are reviewed. Among the effects of family transfers on income distribution, the most critical considerations in intra-family transfers, tentative results indicate, are those that relate, directly or indirectly, to investments in children during their formative years. Estimates of the size of family transfers include one that in a single year their total was of the magnitude of 30.7 percent of gross national product and another that in 1980 they were 70 percent of total transfers, amounting at least to 1 trillion. Trends in their level and structure are projected.     

New Product Development in the Pharmaceutical Industry: Pooling Network Resources

Pharmaceutical innovation increasingly involves some pooling of resources of finance, equity, technology, information, and intellectual property between pharmaceutical companies and other organizations. The organizations and their exchanges constitute a network which can be regarded as a growing store of these varied resources preferentially accessible to network members. D. Jane Bower examines some network effects in management decision making in Ciba-Geigy (Switzerland) and Elan Corporation (Ireland). She concludes that participation in a common network has enabled these firms to access a pool of resources of knowledge, experience, and finance. This pool has been generated by past exchanges among network members, including providers of finance, and has increased the network's collective reservoir of knowledge.     

How Small Enterprises in Ghana Have Responded to Adjustment

Monitoring of adjustment has focused on larger, often state-ownedenterprises, many of which have been adversely affected by themore competitive environment. Little is known, however, aboutthe impact of adjustment policies on small firms. Firm-leveldata from Ghana show that the adjustment process was well underway across sectors and within firms and that new investmentwas taking place. The adjustment process had strained most firms'operations—profits were squeezed between rising inputcosts and weak domestic demand and low-cost competing imports.Small-scale industries were forced to become more competitiveto survive. Interviews with owners of small firms revealed considerableentrepreneurial initiative in changing product mix and seekingnewly opened market niches. Sample entrepreneurs fell into twobroad groups: dynamic, successful adapters with good prospects(found mostly among small-scale enterprises) and stagnant producerswho had not adapted to the new competitive environment (foundmostly among microenterprises). For potentially dynamic smallfirms, the most critical constraint was lack of access to financefor working capital and new investment. Many microentrepreneurswere seriously constrained by a lack of purchasing power amongthe lower-income population and by saturation of the sector.     

Reviews

“Urban unemployment”

Hasluck, C., 1987: Urban Unemployment: Local labour markets and employment initiatives. London, Longman, £6.95 paper.

“Property and industrial development”

Fothergill, S., Monk, S. and Perry, M. 1387: Property and Industrial Development London: Hutchinson, £12.95 paper.

“High-tech”

Breheny, M. J. and McQuaid, R. W. 1987: The Development of High Technology Industries: An International Survey. London: Croom Helm, £35.00.

Monde, C. (ed), 1986: Science Parks -- Their Contribution to Economic Growth. Birmingham: UK Science Parks Association, £15.00 paper.

“American perspectives”

Bergman, Edward M. Editor 1986: Local Economies in Transition: Policy Realities and Development Potentials. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, $40.00 cloth, $16.95, paper.

“Marginal regions”

O'Cearbhaill, D. and Cawley, M. (editors) 1986: New approaches to the development of Marginal Regions, 8th International Seminar on Marginal Regions in association with University College Galway, 3 Vote: no price stated.

“Training without jobs”

Finn, Dan 1987: Training Without Jobs:New Deals and Broken Promises:From Raising the School Leaving Age to the Youth Training Scheme. London: Macmillan £6.95.

“The coopera tive workplace”

Rothschild, J. and Whitt, A. J. 1986: The Cooperative Workplace: potentials and dilemmas of organizational democracy and participation. USA: American Sociological Association Rose Monograph Series, Cambridge University Press. No price stated.

“Opposition to plant closures”

Maunders, A. 1986: A Process of Struggle. Aldershot: Gower £20.00 cloth.

“Property data”

Investment Property Databank, 1987: The IPD Annual Review 1987 London, £45.

“Urban economic development”

Hausner.V. A. (editor) 1987: Critical Issues in Urban Economic Development. Volume II. Oxford: Clarendon Press, £22.50 hardback.     

Loan Repayment Performance in Community Development Finance Institutions in the UK

This paper identifies the key institutional factors that influence loan loss rates in Community Development Finance Institutions in the UK. Traditional bank credit assessment puts the blame of poor loan performance largely on the borrower. This is the first study of its kind to examine institutional characteristics of 16 CDFIs in the UK and assess their influence on the loan loss rates. The results show that 8 out of the 13 institutional characteristics examined significantly influence loan repayment performance. Although a vast body of literature supports the view that borrower characteristics are highly influential, our results provide strong evidence to show that institutional characteristics are equally important and both factors need to be taken into account if loan repayment performance is to be improved.