Work study techniques in UK manufacturing industry

This paper presents some of the results of a large survey on the usage of work study techniques in British manufacturing industry. Detailed comparisons are made between various sizes of companies, companies of different nationality of ownership—particularly American vs British—and the types of company surveyed. The results reveal that, in spite of available knowledge, industry in the UK makes surprisingly low use of work study and that usage is significantly higher in American owned companies than British ones. Comments are made with respect to the improvements required in the teaching of work study.     

The Reconstruction and Development Programme: Success Or Failure?

The Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) of the Government of National Unity (GNU) represents a major initiative to redress the imbalances of the past. The RDP consists of six principles and five key programmes which are outlined in this paper. It addresses, to a degree, the position of youth and women. It also stresses the importance of education and training. Various research studies that provide measurements of poverty against which the RDP can be evaluated have already been completed. They show the gross disparities in quality of life, before the April 1994 election, between people of different racial groups and urban and rural dwellers. The RDP can be assessed in both physical and psychological terms; and results of a longitudinal study measuring awareness, perceived delivery and expectations of the RDP among urban adults are given. A successful outcome for the RDP is seen as essential, if a stable South African society is to materialise. This paper sets out to examine whether this is feasible.     

Criminal justice on trial

The range of initiatives for young or drug-dependent offenders is bewildering, and includes arrest referral (to drugs worker), drug treatment and testing orders, drugs courts, random mandatory drugs testing of prisoners, transitional care between prison and community, and Scotland's now disbanded Airborne Initiative. Yet judges prescribe sentence on lesser evidence about what works, is safe and is cost effective than that relied on by doctors prescribing licensed medicines. Sheila M. Bird and Clive B. Fairweather make a passionate plea for an evidence-based approach to investigating the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of criminal justice initiatives     

Policy experiments with a paper industry model

A simulation model of the paper industry is briefly described, as is the manner in which the model was developed. The model was built in order to carry out a series of simulation experiments. The purpose of these experiments was to compare the effectiveness of a number of sets of alternative policies, which had been devised with the objective of ameliorating the effect on the industry of demand fluctuations. In addition, the experiments were intended to detect potential supply dislocations likely to be created anywhere in the system as a result of employing the policies under test. Both the experiments themselves, and the results obtained from them, are described and discussed.     

Industry modelling

Industry models are used for a variety of purposes including: forecasting markets for strategic planning, providing a basis for directing investments by financial institutions and governments and the development of contingency plans by companies. This paper assesses industry models along two different dimensions, that of the missions fulfilled by the model and that of the problems encountered in the construction of the model: in effect a market and a production orientation respectively. An attempt is made to identify potentially fruitful directions for further developments.     

Foster care in India: An exploratory survey of the community perceptions and prospects for implementation of foster care in a developing nation: A study in Udaipur,Rajasthan, India

This study was conducted in order to assess the prospects for implementing foster care as an alternative to the dominant system of institutional care available to orphaned and abandoned children in India. 653 families in urban Udaipur participated in a mixed-methods based assessment of receptivity to foster and adoptive care. The majority of those who responded reported receptivity to the idea of foster care as an alternative to institutional care. However, analyses demonstrated that respondents also perceived barriers to implementing systematic foster care, particularly with regard to family recruitment due to problems securing family and community support for participation. The results are discussed in light of governmental calls for non-governmental organization and other stakeholders to institute alternatives to foster and adoptive care. The results of this study have applied significance for organizations and practitioners seeking to implement care alternatives for orphan and abandoned children in India.