Labour intelligence and industrial relations policy 1886–1914*

This article examines the contribution of labour intelligence to the policy-making process during a formative period of modern British industrial relations. It concludes that the experience of 1886–1914 has important lessons for current policy-makers in the use of labour intelligence.     

The maturation of the science of media selection

The historical development of models in the field of media scheduling is traced. The models are identified as to which have dominated certain stages of development over the last twenty five years. A general discussion is also provided of the less sophisticated models of the preceding period. Overall, the evolution is described in terms of the development of a science to maturity. This paper was invited and has not been subject to our blind review process.     

The nature and extent of the market for soybeans and soybean products

Summary This paper addresses the question of whether soybeans, soybean meal, and soybean oil produced in the United States and exported were part of a single, world geographic market during the decade of the 1980s. An answer to this question is sought using an approach to defining a geographic market based on the notion of instantaneous causality. The empirical results, based on prices for soybeans, soybean meal, and soybean oil for three spatially diffuse locations, suggest that there was but a single identifiable world market for these commodities over the period of study.The authors are with the Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington D.C. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the views of other U.S. Department of Agriculture staff members. Senior authorship is not assigned. The authors would like to thank an anonymous referee for helpful suggestions.     

Constitutional choice for the control of water pollution

Before passage of the Clean Water Act, water pollution was controlled by the common law of nuisance and the law of water rights. Had the common law not been superseded, it might have provided more ecologically sound pollution control than has occurred under the command-and-control statutory regime. The Clean Water Act imposes mechanical definitions and is subject to political interference. In contrast, the principle of the common law lies in its evolutionary and competitive nature, which is consistent with the market process. Meiners thanks the Political Economy Research Center of Bozeman, Montana for support during his visit in 1992. We thank Terry Anderson, Robert Natelson, Jane Shaw and Richard Stroup for helpful comments. We owe a large intellectual debt to Bob Staaf, who made us think about the relationship between competitive markets and the common law.     

Integrating quality management practices with knowledge creation processes

Several quality thought leaders have considered the role of knowledge in quality management practices. For example, Deming proposed The Deming System of Profound Knowledge™ that dealt explicitly with knowledge. However, various authors in the quality field diverge considerably when contemplating knowledge. We propose an integrated view of quality and knowledge using Nonaka's theory of knowledge creation. This integrated view helps illuminate how quality practices can lead to knowledge creation and retention. The knowledge perspective also provides insight into what it means to effectively deploy quality management practices. Previous empirical research noted the importance of effective deployment, but provided little insight into what effective deployment means. This research argues that quality management practices create knowledge, which leads to organizational performance. Taking a knowledge-based view (KBV) of the firm provides a deeper understanding of why some organizations are more successful at deploying quality management practices than others.     

Factors underlying the inclination to donate to particular types of charity

Two hundred and fifty members of the general public were interviewed in central London and asked to assume that they had been given a certain sum of money, all of which they had to donate to a single good cause. The interviewees were presented with the names of three organisations in different fields (cancer care, animal welfare and human rights) and asked to make a selection. Respondents were then questioned about their personal values, inclinations and other characteristics potentially relevant to the choice. It emerged that personal values and inclinations exerted powerful influences on selections. Moreover, the possession of certain personal values and inclinations correlated significantly with specific organisational values that the respondents most admired. Copyright © 2003 Henry Stewart Publications