TOWARDS AN ANTHROPOLOGY OF TOURISM?

VALENE L. SMITH (ed.). Hosts and Guests, The Anthropology of Tourism. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1977     

Branch banking in the year 2000

The topic of branch banking in the United States in the year 2000 is obviously one that has been in the minds of California bankers for some time because California is the largest state in the United States to permit virtually unlimited statewide branch banking. It is a topic that must also be in the minds of a large number of European and Asian bankers as well because several non-U.S. banking systems have already established large branch networks in the United States. It is a difficult topic because no one knows precisely what will be the status of branch banking in the year 1990, let alone the year 2000. This article makes some predictions.     

A low-cost approach to computer-integrated manufacturing in a small chemical unit

Many firms are considering CIM as a means of reducing costs and increasing quality. Sometimes, however, a major problem in this kind of project seems to be the high investments involved. In this paper a methodology for developing a low-cost CIM application is presented. The proposed methodology was successfully experimented in a small chemical unit of one of the leading producers of nylon in the world. The paper reports on the design and implementation of the computer-integrated manufacturing and the associated costs and benefits.     

Systems analysts and the politics of organizational control

The introduction of major information systems into organizations can be fraught with difficulties. The negative effects of such systems can, for many important organizational members, be too great a price to pay for the supposed benefits. The advent of computerised information systems has served not merely to deskill the clerical ‘craft’ but can also be used as a strategy by top management to reduce the management control gap. However, by undercutting the organizational ‘rules of the game’, information systems innovation can produce severe strains and stresses in the political system. The proposals in the literature to combat the effects of innovation are examined. A broader, political perspective is used to reveal some of the inadequacies of these proposals and supporting data, gathered from interviews in several Canadian organizations, are presented to illustrate this. The paper ends with a discussion of the implications of this broader approach.     

“Children's Talk and Parental Fear”. Cases of Sexual Misconduct in Danish State Schools 1900–19701

Cases of sexual misconduct in Danish state schools became the objects of attention in the years following the turn of the 20^th Century. An analysis of 85 cases where teachers were accused of sexual misconduct towards their students reveals that the period from 1900 to 1970 present a set of changes in the attitudes to and management of intergenerational sexuality. Throughout these years there existed three ambivalent features relating to the child and its sexuality, to the pros and cons of reporting the case, and to the behaviour of the masculine teacher at a time of changing pedagogical ideals.     

THE MARKET FOR MOTION PICTURES: RANK, REVENUE, AND SURVIVAL

Every motion picture is an innovation that competes for theater screens and audiences during its brief life against a changing array of imperfect substitutes. We analyze a large sample of motion pictures as an evolving rank tournament of survival and death. The results indicate that the failure rate of motion pictures is time-dependent and survival time is strongly related to the number of initial bookings. Weekly box office revenue is highly convex in rank, which is consistent with Rosen's superstar phenomenon. Our results have implications for motion picture licensing arrangements, which have been severely restricted by U.S. court decisions.     

Evidence-based Medicine and Child Mental Health Services

There is increased focus on using research evidence to guide clinical practice in the provision of child mental health services, to allocate resources and to make policy decisions. Emphasis has been placed on randomised controlled trials, which are clearly vital. However, given the complexity of children's lives and the multiple systems relevant to their care, it is important to consider alternative research designs and to think creatively about outcomes. In the context of difficulties with random allocation a number of quasi-experimental designs are described that may more closely reflect actual clinical work. In the context of ecological theory, the importance of taking a systems level approach to evaluation is highlighted, with examples from the US. Finally, the ways in which qualitative outcomes measures can be used to sensitively describe the effects of treatment are outlined, and their potential for giving voice to children and families as consumers of mental health services. These suggestions aim to lessen the tension between the requirements of the scientific investigations of treatment effectiveness and the realities of clinicians' daily experiences.