ALBERT

Notes: A simple dynamic model is developed that describes some of the important aspects of research and development projects. Its purpose is illustration of the applicability of dynamic modelling to understanding the key factors affecting R & D performance. The model recognizes the differences among real, perceived, and reported progress on the job. It also includes the effect of schedule pressures on productivity. Simulation results are presented that, among other things, illustrate the trade-off between meeting schedule and maintaining organizational stability, the effects of rapid problem detection and response, and the difficulties due to the intangible nature of R & D progress.

Notes: A large number of engineers work in organizations with specialized jobs of a routine nature. In many ways they can be compared with workers on a production line; it is the same work that is done over and over again. Empirical studies demonstrate that this leads to frustration.There is no standard solution available, but there are a number of approaches that can lead to greater satisfaction if one is willing to experiment with them. A more organic, less structured management system and more use of problem oriented project groups may bring benefits. Job enrichment, where engineers are given more responsibility by transfer of tasks previously done by managers and seniors, and special training where engineers are given an opportunity to systematically develop their capabilities should be considered. Further, organizational development must be mentioned where an external change agent together with the people involved develops a solution aiming at the satisfaction of the needs of both the individual and the organization. Finally come flexible working hours which have an indirect effect on the job situation by allowing for a richer life off the job.

Notes: In this paper, the main conclusions of the research which has demonstrated the significance of person to person communication in technical information transfer are summarized. Some of the major international and national policy statements and projects on ‘STI’ are then reviewed in the light of these findings. Finally, the implications of the comparison are discussed and suggestions put forward as to how the agencies concerned and the Information Profession may take active measures to further develop the informal channels, shown to be the most effective of those available.

Notes: This paper describes a management aid devised to illustrate the inter-relationships between present company business activities and the investigational activities of the various company R&D functions. It is based on the- construction of a three-dimensional model in which the raw material, process and market parameters are the axes. Use of the model can facilitate project definition and selection in R and D departments and can be extended as a management aid in studies of R & D resource allocation and acquisition studies.

Notes: This paper represents an attempt to assess the economic impact of a publicly funded agricultural research institute in cost-benefit terms. The institute is the Scottish Plant Breeding Station which was responsible for breeding two successful main-crop potato varieties. Benefits, achieved and prospective, from new crop varieties are calculated from estimates of resources saved in producing constant crops at reduced acreages but with higher yields. Over the timescale 1951-97, costs (discounted at 10/SL to 1972) total 9-7 M/SL and benefits total 29-8 M/SL (of which 21-1 M/SL is attributable to the two successful potatoes). The net present value is estimated as 20-1 M/SL (B/C 3-1) (very probably in the range 12-37 M/SL, B/C 2-2-4-8).In discussion it is pointed out that few cost-benefit studies of agricultural research are available and that the administrative implications of the present study are far from clear. Plant breeding, in general, being largely free of environmental or welfare effects, seems to be economically attractive and socially benign; and it must become even more attractive with rising food prices and land values.

Notes: When corporate planning has been tried by a number of organizations a number of difficulties have arisen. These are often a consequence of the planning system itself and the manner of its introduction to the organization. A new approach is described in this paper by which planning is introduced in stages. Each is a logical development of the previous one but each makes a reasonable demand on the staff and there is time to ensure that the data needed at each stage by the staff is available. Furthermore, the staff contribute to the development of the planning system which, at each stage in its evolution, is adapted to their needs. Having thus described the introduction and evolution of a planning system in an organization, a later paper will review how the technical function of a company can link into it.

Notes: Managing Technological Innovation, B. TwissTechnology Transfer: How to make it work, Hyman OlkenScience and Technology in India, A. Rahman, R. N. Bhargava, M. A. Qureshi and Sudarshan PruthiTechnological Planning and Social Futures, Eric Jantsch

Notes: Questionnaires were sent out to 124 large Swedish firms, asking how they determined budgets for research and development (R & D) and who decided about the size of these budgets. 94 firms answered and 69 of these undertook R & D.It was found that, as a rule, firms decide upon individual projects and do not specify in advance a fixed level for the R & D budget. The decision about individual R & D projects and/or the R & D budget was most frequently made by the president of the company.The implication of our results for various kinds of research on the economics of R & D are discussed.

Notes: This paper describes the action which was taken by the Pharmaceuticals Division of ICI Limited to move into a New Business Venture, the experiences so far and some of the lessons learned which either have confirmed or contradicted the original ideas.The venture is into the business area of Medical Aids. The first steps were taken by the Division just over three years ago.

Notes: Although some studies and experiences have shown that R & D project selection models can be potentially useful decision aids, their adoption and routine use is not widespread. This lack of usage may be a consequence of the lack of attention which model builders have traditionally given to the prevailing adoption attitudes of R & D managers. A design methodology centering around the measurement of adoption attitudes has been developed and used by the authors. The methodology consists of procedures for analyzing the organizational climate relative to project selection model usage, developing an acceptable model form relative to the organizational climate, and inducing the adoption of this model form within the climate. Three case applications of the methodology are described in which negative-to-positive shifts in adoption attitudes occurred and project selection models were adopted for long-term use. These results indicate that the use of this general methodology may lead to increased formal adoption and widespread usage of project selection model forms in R & D.

Notes: This study attempts to show indirectly that by studying a spread of scientific ideas we are able to comprehend the operation and structure of science and technology information systems. It is shown that any information system is a dynamic and orderly social system which exhibits impressive features of regularity and law. It has also been observed that by formalizing the informal channels, the overall effectiveness of communication can improve.

Notes: R & D Managers use computers extensively in solving technical problems. This paper examines the use they make of computers in solving Management problems. Applications of computers to various aspects of R & D programme formulation, project planning, technical information storage and retrieval, management information systems, and computer-aided training have been investigated by many companies and, in some cases, have been implemented. Some of the techniques have become well established but others are still at a development stage. No attempt has been made to evaluate the techniques described.This topic was the subject of a study by a Working Group of the European Industrial Research Management Association (EIRMA), and a report ‘Computers as Aids to R & D Management’ was distributed to members of the Association. EIRMA has now agreed to release information contained in that report and this paper is based on that information updated by the author, who was Chairman of the EIRMA Working Group.

Notes: The recent history of developments in Industry-University collaboration in the U.K. is briefly reviewed and the present means utilized by Universities to collaborate with Industry and Commerce outlined.The Appendix clarifies the means developed by over thirty Universities with University Companies, Industrial Units or Liaison Bureaux.

Notes: The Technical Economy Department of the Shirley Institute has carried out a detailed study of the textile industries in Germany, France and Italy, their production, trade, productivity, industrial structure and regional policy. In some areas, performance has been compared with that of the U.K. An account is given of the approach, methods and problems encountered in the gathering of the necessary data.

Notes: AbstractThe relation between the need to maintain an efficient research resource and the need to use it effectively for the benefit of the business is best met by a matrix structure. The example of a single laboratory in a large organization is discussed.

Notes: Abstract The pay-off from a new power system does not begin to accrue until many years after the initial research; and perhaps not until 10 years or more after major development programmes are launched. The ensuing benefit to the community in terms of reduced power costs may be spread over 30 to 40 years—combining the lifetime of the stations with the period over which they might be installed. Ideally therefore, the Atomic Energy Authority would like to have accurate forecasts of electricity demand and its characteristics in terms of load factors, etc., 30 to 40 years ahead. This paper describes attempts by the Authority to forecast electricity requirements at and beyond the end of the century as a background to their consideration of the relative merits of alternative future nuclear power systems and the distribution of research effort between them.The study was conducted between 1969 and 1971. The danger of the Middle East countries restricting oil supplies and raising prices was foreseen but in a less acute form and later than has actually occurred. The recent developments are likely to lead to pauses in economic growth followed by growth at lower rates than otherwise. Where forecasts in this article are given in the form of ranges, the lower bounds of the range are likely to apply—at least in the short and medium term.

Notes: Abstract The literature shows that two patterns of communication exist in an R&D environment, one dominated by a project system and the other directly related to distance. A study was made of the communication patterns of two laboratories about to merge. The study was able to show that differences do exist between the two laboratories, mainly because of the geographical differences on the two sites, but overall communication patterns were similar. These patterns showed that the number of communications did drop off with distance but work contacts and a project system override the distance factor.

Notes: AbstractThis paper outlines three ways of looking at decision processes, and relates them to problems of research management. A classification of decisions is suggested, based on three dimensions of complexity. On each dimension, innovative decisions are normally more complex than operating decisions, but since the latter are more common, there is a danger that the former will be inadequately treated, as shown in an example. These dangers may be mitigated, first, by regarding complex decision-making as an explicitly cyclical process, and, second, by recognizing the significance of reference standards. Four types of reference standard—historical, external, planning, and imaginative—are noted, and brief consideration is given to their origins and to their influence on the perception not only of problems but also of solutions. It is argued that the range and quality of the reference standards used are likely to be significant factors in the success of research management.

Notes: AbstractA framework is presented within which can be analysed the timeliness factor that partially governs the receptivity to innovative technical ideas of industrial organizations. A partial analysis is performed within this framework. This suggests certain conclusions which might assist in the marketing of by-product or 'spin-off’ technical ideas.

Notes: AbstractThe interface factor in the development and utilization of new technology is analyzed with questionnaire surveys. The interface factor is found to determine R&D performance in a study of large manufacturing companies in the United States and in a study of computer utilization performance in commercial banks in the United States. A comparison of the interface factor in the functioning of R & D in the United States and Japan suggests that interface problems may be less serious in Japan. Company experience is reported which indicates that the interface function can be controlled by management policies, procedures and practices. The need for greater attention to the interface factor by executives and by researchers on R & D management is a conclusion which follows from the findings presented in this paper.

Notes: PERSONNEL AND MANPOWER MANAGEMENT: A Guide to Manpower Planning: A. M. Bowey PERSONNEL AND MANPOWER MANAGEMENT: The Personnel Management Process—human resources administration (3rd ed.): W. French PERSONNEL AND MANPOWER MANAGEMENT: Personnel Management and Organisation Development: fields in transition: W. L. French D. Hellriegel. PERSONNEL AND MANPOWER MANAGEMENT: Planning for Human Resources: L. Margerison D. Ashton (ed.) PERSONNEL AND MANPOWER MANAGEMENT: Organisation of Management Development Programmes: D. S. Markwell T. J. Roberts. PERSONNEL AND MANPOWER MANAGEMENT: Personnel Management in Hospitals: G. Millard. PERSONNEL AND MANPOWER MANAGEMENT: Personnel Planning and Occupational Choice: S. Timperley. PERSONNEL AND MANPOWER MANAGEMENT: Problems and Policies in Personnel Management—a case book (2nd ed.): J. W. Towle S. M. Schoen R. L. Higgert. PERSONNEL AND MANPOWER MANAGEMENT: Occupational Choice. A selection from The Sociological Review: W. M. Williams, ed. INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY: Participation in Management: Industrial democracy in three Western European Countries: W. Albeda, ed. INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY: Worker Participation and Collective Bargaining in Europe Commission on Industrial Relations INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY: Worker Participation: individual control and performance: D. Guest D. Fatchett INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY: Working Power: policies for industrial democracy: G. Radice, ed. INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY: Worker Participation in Britain Social Policy Research Ltd. INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY: Workers' Management and Workers' Wages in Yugoslavia—the theory and practice of participatory socialism: H. M. Wachtel TRADE UNIONS: Social Stratification and Trade Unionism: G. Bain D. Coates V. Ellis. TRADE UNIONS: Trade Unionism: J. A. Banks TRADE UNIONS: Trade Unions and Society—the struggle for acceptance, 1850–1880: W. M. Fraser. TRADE UNIONS: The First Shop Stewards Movement: J. Hinton TRADE UNIONS: The Union of Post Office Workers—a study in political sociology: M. Moran TRADE UNIONS: Political Purpose in Trade Unions: I. Richter TRADE UNIONS: Labour: the Unions and the Party—study of the trade unions and the British Labour movement: B. Simpson TRADE UNIONS: White-Collar workers and the U.A.W. C. D. Synder THE MULTINATIONAL COMPANY: The Multinational Company in Europe—some key problems: M. Z. Brooke H. L. Remmers (ed.) THE MULTINATIONAL COMPANY: Multinational Corporations and National Government. A case study of the United Kingdom's experience 1964–1970: M. Hodges THE MULTINATIONAL COMPANY: MuItinational Enterprises and Social Policy THE MULTINATIONAL COMPANY: American Labour and the Multinational Corporation: O. Kujawa, ed. THE MULTINATIONAL COMPANY: International Business and Multinational Enterprises: S. H. Robock K. Simmonds THE MULTINATIONAL COMPANY: Multinational Business: V. Salera THE MULTINATIONAL COMPANY: Managing the Multinational Enterprise: Organisation of the firms and ownership of the subsidiaries: J. M. Stopford L. T. Well, Jr. INCOME DISTRIBUTI0N: Unequal Shares: wealth in Britain: A. B. Atkinson INCOME DISTRIBUTI0N: Low Pay and How to End it—a union review: A. Fisher B. Dix. INCOME DISTRIBUTI0N: Poverty, Inequality and Class Structure: A. Wedderburn, ed. INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT: Measurements of Labour Disputes and their Economic Effects: M. Fisher INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT: Strikes and Industrial Conflict: Britain and Scandinavia: G. K. Ingham. INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT: Strike—A live history 1887–1971: R. A. Leeson. INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT: Case Studies in Industrial Law and Relations: J. Ritson BRITISH LABOUR LEGISLATION: Unfair Dismissal and the Law: S. D. Anderman BRITISH LABOUR LEGISLATION: Pay and Price Control Guide: B. Bracewell-Milnes BRITISH LABOUR LEGISLATION: The Industrial Relations Act—a comprehensive guide: C. Crabtree. BRITISH LABOUR LEGISLATION: Industrial Tribunals—a practical guide: R. M. Greenhalgh. BRITISH LABOUR LEGISLATION: Industrial Relations: R. C. Simpson J. C. Wood. PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT: Managing the Health Service: S. C. Haywood. PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT: Management by Objectives in Local Government: J. W. Glendinning R. E. M. Bullock. PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT: General Review of Conditions of Employment of Public Services: International Labour Organisation. PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT: Career Problems in the Public Service: International Labour Organisation. PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT: Staff Relations in the Civil Service—fifty years of Whitleyism: M. Parris. PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT: Public Employee Unionism: Structure, growth, policy Studies of Unionism in Government: J. Stieber PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT: The Unions and the Cities. Studies of unionism in government: H. M. Wellington R. K. Winter, Jr. COMPARATIVE INDUSTRIAL SOCIOLOGY: Japanese Blue Collar-the changing tradition R. E. Cole COMPARATIVE INDUSTRIAL SOCIOLOGY: African Railwaymen: solidarity and opposition in an East African labour force R. D. Grillo COMPARATIVE INDUSTRIAL SOCIOLOGY: The Aristocracy of Labourthe position of the skilled craftsman in the American class structure G. MacKenzie COMPARATIVE INDUSTRIAL SOCIOLOGY: The Ghanaian Factory Worker: Industrial Man in Africa M. Peil

Notes: Book reviews in this article: LABOUR AND THE LAW Hamlyn Lectures No. 24 Otto Kahn-Freund PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT LAW by F. W. Rose MANAGEMENT BY AGREEMENT by W. E. J. McCarthy and D. Ellis STRAIGHT JACKET OR FRAMEWORK: The implications for management of the Industrial Relations Act by E. G. A. Armstrong INCOMES POLICY, EQUITY AND PAY INCREASE DIFFERENTIALS by Hilde Behrend INCOMES POLICY AND CAPITAL SHARING IN EUROPE by Derek Robinson PAY, PRODUCTIVITY AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING by Robert B. McKersie and Laurence C. Hunter GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY IN BRITAIN: THE FEDERATION OF BRITISH INDUSTRIES IN POLITICS, 1945–65 by Stephen Bland WHITE COLLAR UNIONS—A REVIEW Institute of Personnel Management WHITE COLLAR UNIONISM IN BRITAIN: A SURVEY OF THE PRESENT POSITION by Roger Lumley PARTICIPATION IN INDUSTRY by C. Balfour THE APPLICABILITY OF ORGANIZATIONAL SOCIOLOGY by Chris Argyris WORKING FOR FORD by H. Beynon REDUNDANCY AND PATERNALIST CAPITALISM: A STUDY IN THE SOCIOLOGY OF WORK by Roderick Martin and R. H. Fryer

Notes: Book reviews in this article: G.D.H. COLE AND INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY: A REVIEW: The World of Labour Introduction by John Lovell G.D.H. COLE AND INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY: A REVIEW: Self-Government in Industry Introduction by J. G. Corina G.D.H. COLE AND INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY: A REVIEW: Workshop Organisation Introduction by A. I. Marsh WORKPLACE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS: Building: Teamwork or Conflict? by L. G. Bayley The Management of Wage Payment Systems by Alan Gillespie Labour Relations on the Docks by M. Jackson ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR: Social Psychology of the Work Organisation by A. S. Tannenbaum Organisational Problems in European Manufacture by T. D. Weinshall LABOUR ECONOMICS: Manpower Economics by E. B. Jakubaus and Neil A. Palomba Labour Economics by J. E. King Unemployment and Wage Inflation with Special Reference to Britain and the U.S.A. by J. Taylor UNEMPLOYMENT: Regional Unemployment Differences in Great Britain by P. C. Cheshire Interregional Migration Models and their Application to Great Britain by R. Weeden The Changing Pattern of Employment—Regional Specialisation and Industrial Localisation in Britain by M. Chisholm and J. Oeppen Men Out of Work—A Study of Unemployment in Three English Towns by M. J. Hill, R. M. Harrison, A. V. Sargeant and V. Talbot Do The Poor Want To Work? A Social-Psychological Study of Work Orientation by L. Goodwin Marienthal: The Sociography of an Unemployed Community by M. Jahoda, P. F. Lazarsfeld and H. Zeiselb

Notes: Book reviews in this article: INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS IN THE COMMON MARKET by Campbell Balfour AN INCOMES POLICY FOR BRITAIN edited by F. Blackaby PILOTS AND MANAGEMENT: Industrial Relations in the UK Airlines by A. N. J. Blain WHITE COLLAR UNIONISM IN BRITAIN: A SURVEY OF THE PRESENT POSITION by Roger Lumley THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FRINGE BENEFITS IN INDUSTRY by Jane Moonman UPGRADING BLUE COLLAR AND SERVICE WORKERS by Charles Brecher HUMAN RESOURCES - OBTAINING RESULTS FROM PEOPLE AT WORK by E. J. Singer and J. Ramsden

Notes: Book Reviewed in this article: Housing the Poor, edited by Donald J. Reeb and James T. Kirk, Jr. Only Six Million Acres: The Decline of Black Owned Land in the Rural South, prepared under the direction of Robert S. Browne. Ghetto Revolts: The Politics of Violence in American Cities by Joe R. Feagin and Harlan Hahn. Planning and Urban Growth: An Anglo-American Comparison by Marion Clawson and Peter Hall. A World of Strangers: Order and Action in Urban Public Space by Lyn H. Lofland. Societal Development: Five Approaches with Conclusions from Comparative Analysis by Szymon Chodak. Location Preferences, Migration, and Regional Growth: A Study of the South and Southwest United States by Niles M. Hansen. Urban Growth and the Circulation of Information: The United States System of Cities, 1790–1840 by Allan R. Pred. Regional Growth Theory by Harry W. Richardson. Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women's Liberation by Mary Daly. Female and Male in Latin America: Essays, edited by Ann Pescatello. Forecasting Recreation in the United States: An Economic Review of Methods and Applications to Plan for the Required Environmental Resources by Charle J. Cicchetti.