Thermodynamics on Main Street: When entropy really counts in economics

The implications of thermodynamics for economic theory have been a source of debate for 40 years. Adopting the framing used in modern engineering rather than physics suggests that the market place has already recognised most of these thermodynamic truths as self-evident rather than challenging basic concepts. The exception is the relatively small market for heat where the idea of thermodynamic grade, conveniently represented by the exergy or available work content of a heat source, exposes inconsistencies especially in monopoly supply and economic instruments. Earlier commentators were not wrong in the thrust of their criticisms of economic theory but may have been overly elaborate in their attack.     

International business education of the United States in the 1990s: Accredited vs. nonaccredited schools

This article reports the status of the international business education in the United States as of the 1990s and examines the differences between AACSB accredited and nonaccredited business schools regarding the various aspects of internationalization. The overall conclusions are that along all dimensions significant progress has been made regarding internationalization. Accredited schools have progressed further than nonaccredited schools. Nevertheless, many of the schools have not aimed very high or made major changes in structures, operations, incentives, or requirements of their college to accommodate internationalization. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Justice for Janitors in Los Angeles: Lessons from Three Rounds of Negotiations

We examine an important recent organizing success of the US labour movement: the 'Justice for Janitors' campaign in Los Angeles. This campaign has spanned a complete business cycle and shows the union's capacity for growth over time. It illustrates the potential for unions to overcome pro–employer bias of labour laws, as well as their efficacy in appealing to the wider public. It exposes the importance of building coalitions, as well as the value of union analysis of legal, industrial, and political conditions. Our analysis suggests conditions under which unions might survive and thrive in the service sector in the twenty–first century.     

Past inflation variability and the stability of the demand-for-money function in Nigeria

Conclusions The view that the demand-for-money function is characterized by a stable relationship is subjected to four objective statistical tests. The results suggest that for the period 1961–62 through 1981–82, the demand-for-money function became unstable around 1970–71. The past variability of the rate of inflation was found to be an important variable in the money-demand function of Nigeria.     

Tourism in the PRC-five years after China opens its gates

The ‘tourism industry’ in China, since its recognition as such in 1978, has grown rapidly. This has entailed both ideological and planning problems. The authors, both with extensive first hand experience of the industry in China, illustrate the pragmatism of the Chinese approach in providing solutions and planning the way ahead.     

Nursing leadership: championing quality and patient safety in the boardroom

OBJECTIVE: Identify the extent to which hospital boards of trustees, CEOs, and CNOs are engaged in quality and safety at the leadership and governance level and how CNOs can support board engagement in quality and safety. BACKGROUND: Although research is emerging, still relatively little is known about the impact and interface of hospital boards of trustees, CEOs, and nursing executives related to improving quality and patient safety. METHODS: 73 telephone interviews were conducted with hospital board chairs, CEOs, and CNOs from a convenience sample of 63 U.S. hospitals. The interviews (22 of which were with CNOs) lasted 30 to 45 minutes and were supplemented by a focus group of five nursing executives. RESULTS: There are significant differences in the perceptions of CNOs versus those of board chairs and CEOs. CNOs reported a greater familiarity of landmark reports on quality and patient safety than board chairs. CEOs and board chairs gave substantially higher ratings to integration of quality planning. Boards have limited comprehension of salient nursing quality issues. CONCLUSION: CNOs have a critical role as boardroom champions of patient safety and quality improvement.     

Application of work center control rules in a job shop environment

Work center control rules, defined as a combination of job dispatch rules and short-term work center capacity adjustments, are analyzed using queueing theory. Promising rules are evaluated with a job shop simulation model. Simulations comparing work center control rules to the critical ratio rule for job dispatching indicate that work center control can increase performance to customer due date while simultaneously reducing average work in process inventory. The work center control rules are easily implemented by shops currently using input/output control and daily dispatch lists.     

The Impact of Conflict Types and Location on Trade

This article investigates the impact of interstate and intrastate conflict on trade. Analyses rely on a pooled time-series cross-sectional dataset with observations for 134 countries from 1979 to 2000. Results show that intrastate conflict has a larger negative impact on trade than interstate conflict; conflict in the exporting country has a more negative impact on trade than conflict in the importing country; and, finally, conflict's destructive effects go beyond the borders of the countries that directly experience it, as trade flows are also negatively influenced by conflict in neighboring countries.     

MRP: A tool for product and sales management

One of the most important developments in the area of production and inventory control in recent years is the structuring and application of overall systems to control the flow of work and materials through the plant. The important aspects of these new systems are discussed below, as well as the benefits that such systems can provide. Attention is given to the opportunities that such systems afford the marketing function, in the context of product and sales management.