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The Energy World exhibition of low energy houses held at Milton Keynes towards the end of summer 1986 focussed much attention on the subject of energy‐efficient design in housing both in terms of what is considered technically and economically viable now, and what may become so in the future. Organised by Milton Keynes Development Corporation (MKDC) and sponsored by Anglian Building Society, Energy World formed the biggest single event in Energy Efficiency year, attracting over 70,000 visitors from the UK and abroad. A total of 53 energy‐efficient houses was exhibited by 33 private developers, ranging from small local firms to nationally‐known volume builders, with a further five house types exhibited by MKDC as part of its shared ownership programme. (Shared ownership houses are those where the occupier purchases a portion of the equity and rents the remainder.) The exhibition was not an isolated event however. It has followed several years of experience with low‐energy housing projects in Milton Keynes, and formed the launch‐pad for the much larger Energy Park development currently under construction. This seven‐year project will combine the experience gained to date with further innovative techniques and procedures to apply the principles of energy‐efficient design on a community‐wide basis. The 300‐acre site will comprise employment areas, housing parkland and a range of community facilities. It will eventually house 3,000 people and provide employment for 2,000.

In September 1987, the Milton Keynes Energy Park, the first of its kind in the world, announced the start on site of the first two business development schemes. As with the residential developments in the Energy Park (see Property Management Vol 5 No 2: ‘Energy initiatives in Milton Keynes’ by Alan Horton), the promoters of the park, Milton Keynes Development Corporation, have set strict energy cost criteria for all business developments. Work is underway to develop a computer‐based Industrial and Commercial Milton Keynes Energy Cost Index (MKECI), similar to the MKECI used for residential developments, which has been vetted and endorsed by the Building Research Establishment. How‐ever, so that the first business developments in the Energy Park would not be delayed, an interim procedure has been adopted based on the Chartered Institute of Building Services Energy Code (CIBSE) Part 2a. The CIBSE 2a code is recognised within the current Building Regulations 1985, and is deemed to satisfy provision for those energy conservation regulations. The CIBSE 2a code defines a procedure for calculating the thermal and electrical demand, expressed in watts per unit floor area per year, for a building. The Code also provides a more complicated format and procedure for calculating the anticipated total energy demand arising from detailed designs and specifications. This procedure enables a detailed design check to be made against the original energy target at any time during the design stage and is used by Milton Keynes Development Corporation to assess whether a design will produce an acceptable energy performance. Following an assessment of comparative low energy buildings in the UK, Europe and America, the interim Milton Keynes Industrial and Commercial energy target was set at the CIBSE 2a code target minus 40 per cent. Milton Keynes Development Corporation invited submissions from developers for two sites on the Energy Park. As well as meeting the energy performance target, the buildings had to be well designed and commercially viable. And, in order to ensure that the buildings are operated as energy efficiently as possible after occupation, the Development Corporation also requested information on the energy management systems to be employed. The first schemes selected by the Development Corporation are by developers London & Edinburgh Trust (LET) and Bride Hall Group.

National Health Service cooks and trainee cooks have been competing in the 1985 Flour Advisory Bureau 60p Menu Challenge, and recently the winners of the competition were announced.

Considers the World Bibliographical Series. Outlines the history and aims and objectives of the series, and the ways in which the volumes differ in terms of size and bibliographic content. Identifies set sections for the volumes for all countries and the possibilities for incorporating other areas to convey a country′s essential flavour and unique characteristics. Points out that volumes do not cover single countries only, but also other geographical areas. Includes an introduction to the companion International Organizations Series .

Presents, from a systemic perspective, an examination and discussion of performance measurement, performance indicators and associated improvement initiatives, as typically applied in public sector organisations. Such mechanisms are usually implemented as a causal loop which is established between perceived performance and resulting actions, thereby constituting a form of feedback control. Within this context a two‐dimensional matrix model is postulated in which the independent dimensions are the source of control and the nature of the resultant control‐action. The paper examines the implications revealed by this model within the context of performance management and system dynamics. The potential role of influence diagrams and dynamic simulation models is thereby introduced as a potential means of unravelling the complex behaviour which can often arise in the presence of such interactive cause‐effect loops. A number of typical examples, drawn from within the public sector, are invoked to illustrate the discussion.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the history and contents of an archival resource that is of interest to scholars of historical marketing. The Pirate Group Inc. archive, held by McMaster University Library’s William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections consists of over 27,000 sound recordings and 84 metres of textual records, documenting the work of Pirate, an award-winning Toronto-based advertising company founded in 1990. The comprehensiveness of the archives, which includes tens of thousands of advertising “spots”, gives researchers unprecedented access to the creative forces behind some of the most memorable advertisements produced in Canada.

This paper aims to answer the following questions: what is the Pirate Group Inc. and what is their documentary legacy? How can scholars of marketing history benefit from the records contained within the Pirate Group Inc. archive? How can researchers access the material at McMaster University Library’s William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections?

The authors assert that the Pirate Group Inc. archive may be of particular interest to scholars engaged in research on the following topics: Canadian nationalism in marketing campaigns, the advertising history of companies whose histories are under-studied due to a lack of archival resources and the recent history of radio and television political ad campaigns.

The paper contributes to historical research in marketing by asserting that the Pirate Group Inc. archive has continuing value for further research. The Pirate archive, which allows for unprecedented access into the study of Canadian advertising due to its comprehensiveness and its uniqueness among archival collections from the contemporary era, makes it a strong primary source for marketing historians.

This study aims to investigate the extent to which the provision of non-audit services (NAS) by external auditors to audit clients affects auditors’ independence and the audit expectation gap in Nigeria.

The study adopts an interpretivist approach. In total, 30 semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted to explore the views expressed by audit partners and pension fund managers in Nigeria; group responses were evaluated and presented separately. After transcribing the interview audio recordings, a thematic data analysis of the two groups’ responses was performed.

Interpretation of the interview responses indicates that the provision of NAS by audit firms to their audit clients is regarded by auditors as a matter of economic necessity. Nevertheless, it is also perceived as impeding auditors’ independence and increasing the gap between the auditor and public expectations.

This study contributes to the debate surrounding the need for an independent body to oversee auditing standard setting distinct from the current practice to enhance transparency.

A qualitative analysis of the nuanced responses obtained from the semi-structured interviews reveals starkly the perceived economic pressures on auditors to accept non-audit work. Moreover, it endorses the regulation to restrict non-audit work in support of a sustainable fee level for an independent audit.

Peter Moore has joined Neumo of Newhaven as product manager. He will be responsible for the Feige filling machinery range, for which Neumo has been appointed exclusive UK agent.

Most second‐generation online catalogs give libraries some capability to customize help messages, screen displays, and system prompts. Microcomputer applications designed or mounted locally may offer even more flexibility. Commercially available information systems offer the user some type of assistance, even when not totally profitable. The librarian has become an active, if not always willing, participant in the design of his or her system's user interface. Knowledge of both patrons and collections can have direct bearing on the structure and effectiveness of the library's automated system, its interface, and online help features.

The appointment of Mr. Alan Woodward brings a wide experience of the surface coatings industry to his new position as acting sales manager, Surface Coatings Division with Croxton + Garry Ltd.