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The role of information within management is in a state of dramatic transformation. Managers must grasp and act on the implications of this change if they are to maintain their competitive position both corporately and as individuals. Information technology continues to develop at an exponential rate. But it is only an extension of what has gone before, and should be understood and used in this light. Vastly more information relevant to managers is now accessible than ever before, particularly through the use of electronic databases and networks. A selective listing of major business information databases is provided. Individual managers, whatever their function, must learn to take full advantage of the information resources available to them, and do so continuously as part of their management techniques. Organisations must develop an information strategy and corporate structure which ensures the fullest use of internal and external resources. The position of the librarian within this overall task remains well‐placed, although his relevance and role remain very much a question for his own initiative.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible explanations for the slow adoption and development of online anonymity technology. The ability to remain anonymous while engaging in different activities, online is increasingly sought after by consumers with privacy concerns. Currently, the only way to maintain online anonymity is through the use of technology. This paper reviews and analyzes the tools currently available to consumers to maintain online anonymity. There are only four tools available to consumers to ensure online anonymity: anonymous remailers, rewebbers, The Onion Router (Tor) and the Invisible Internet Project (I2P). These tools provide the protection needed for an Internet user to remain anonymous but suffer from a lack of usability and adoption.

The authors have selected a few specific online anonymity technologies based on the following criteria: the technology satisfies our full anonymity definition, the technology is currently available for public use and the technology has been academically researched.

Few anonymity technologies are available for public use that offer the ability for full online anonymity, and these technologies are difficult for the average computer user to operate. Further research is still needed to help determine what the average user wants to see in an anonymity technology as well as ways to help users integrate the technology into their commodity software (such as Web browsers). Future online anonymity technologies should enable the user to decide when, how and with whom their information is shared if it is shared at all with ease and simplicity.

The authors identify, explain and analyze publicly available online anonymity technologies in terms of their usability. The authors identified ways as to how online anonymity technology can be improved to increase public adoption. The authors make pertinent recommendations on how the design and development of online anonymity technology can be improved in the future.

Many transportation companies struggle to effectively utilize the information provided by tracking technology for performing operational control. The research as presented in this paper aims to identify the problems underlying the inability to utilize tracking technology within this context. Moreover, this paper aims to contribute to solving these problems by proposing a set of design principles based on the concept of intelligent products.

The study as described in this paper adopts a design science research methodology consisting of three phases. First, a case study in a transportation company has been performed to identify the problems faced when utilizing tracking technology. Second, to overcome these problems, a set of design principles has been formulated. Finally, a prototype system based on the design principles has been developed and subjected to experimental and observational evaluation.

This paper identifies the problems associated with the utilization of tracking technology for the control of transport operations. Moreover, the proposed design principles support the development of information systems which overcome the identified problems and thereby enhance the utilization of tracking technology in a transportation context.

The commonly held perception that tracking technology will improve the ability to perform operational control does not unequivocally stand up to empirical scrutiny. While it is widely demonstrated that tracking technology is able to accurately capture the detailed operational information, it remains a fundamental challenge to transform this abundance of information into accurate and timely control decisions. This research provides a valuable contribution with respect to tackling this challenge, by identifying problems and providing solutions related to the utilization of readily available tracking technology.

Scientific innovation has resulted in the development of newer technologies for the betterment of humankind. Academic and research organizations are the places where these technologies are actually ideated and/or invented. However, the process of technology transfer and its eventual successful commercialization covers many other facets, in addition to the scientific research alone. This study aims to draw attention towards certain policy gaps and thereby suggest plausible solutions for the improvement of technology transfer process in the Indian context.

Here, the authors present an extensive Web survey of technologies available for transfer/commercialization in 12 major Indian research organizations, namely, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Indian Council of Medical Research, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Biotechnology, Indian Space Research Organisation, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur and IIT Kanpur.

A total of 2,921 technologies were found to be available with respect to the above-mentioned organizations, with the highest of these in agricultural sciences and the maximum reported by ICAR.

Certain significant policy interventions of this study include the need of a central framework for deposition, management and dissemination of institutionally developed technologies. More attention and support is required for the technologically less developed research areas, and there is a need for the promotion of funding mechanisms for the prototype development, in addition to the already available funding schemes for other stages of technology commercialization.

Hence, the successful commercialization of the innovation from the Indian research labs requires the restructuring of the existing policies to eventually facilitate the economic growth of the nation.

This study discusses the major policy gaps of the Indian technology transfer process. For this, an extensive Web survey was carried out to enlist the various technologies available for transfer and commercialization in India from 12 major research organizations. The study presents the results and some major policy implications of the technology transfer and commercialization process in the Indian context.

Reports a questionnaire survey which identifies information technology presently available within Nigerian University Libraries. The survey also examines the use of IT and benefits derived from it. Discusses constraints on availability and use of IT in Nigerian University Libraries.

Outlines barriers which face those with disabilities. Presents the US Federal Government’s view under the recent legislation and introduces the work of the Access Board. Examines Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and its probable impact on the public and private sector and also considers the exceptions the act allows. Provides a representative sample of comments from private industry organizations.

Examines the tenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

This work was originally commissioned during 1982, the year that was designated Information Technology Year; the year that the personal computer replaced the space invader machine as a focus for teenage obsession; the year of the library symbol, the Hunt Report on cable TV; the year the US Post Office issued two stamps celebrating American libraries, and the British Post Office issued a stamp for IT year suggesting that libraries were a thing of the past. The work was intended to look at “the background to the IT revolution, the benefits of applying technology to library services and the reasons for its relatively slow progress”. It was envisaged at the time that what would have been effectively a state‐of‐the‐art report on the technology available to libraries, and who was doing what with it, would be a useful tool for library managers introducing or extending library technical services. It might usefully have complemented the LA publication, The impact of new technology on libraries and information centres (LA, 1982). However, for a variety of reasons it was not possible to produce the publication in 1983 as intended; the person commissioned to write it was unable to do so; and eventually, in 1984, it was realised that the speed of development and availability of technology was such that any such work would be useless as a practical guide within months of publication. The growth, during the period, of journals on the subject of library applications of IT of all kinds; the appearance of regular updates in the generalist professional press; the formation of, for example, the Library Association IT Group: all these developments clearly offered better opportunities of current awareness to the library manager than could be achieved by a single monograph.

As the 1960s drew to a close, Congress found itself grappling with an increasing array of complex technological issues that it was ill equipped to analyze and that could be the cause of costly blunders if acted upon incorrectly. To alleviate this situation, the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) was created in 1972 under Public Law 92–484 in order to advise Congress on issues in science and technology so that relevant information would be available when pertinent legislation was being developed. Under the leadership of its director John Gibbons, OTA has earned the distinction of providing Congress, that most political of bodies, with timely and objective information without becoming mired in political skirmishes. Despite this distinction, OTA is one of the smallest government agencies, with a budget of twenty million dollars and a staff of 140. Its organization is remarkable for its simplicity. A bipartisan congressional Technology Assessment Board governs the agency overall but appoints the director who has full responsibility for running it. The nine agency divisions are organized according to scientific disciplines and report to the director with little or no intervening bureaucracy. Outside expert advice is available from the Technology Assessment Advisory Council. The result is an organization that is equally balanced politically and scientifically, that is streamlined and efficient, and that allows input from its governing members. This structure also allows great flexibility in the research and production of assessment reports. To do an assessment, OTA deploys its experts to go out and gather the information needed on the wide‐ranging topics it has been commissioned to research. The topics are chosen according to the need and interest of both houses and both political parties. Outside experts are sometimes called upon to do research but OTA exercises the final responsibility over their reports. Factual conclusions and options are presented but opinions are never given. The manner in which the information is acted upon is always left to Congress, a major reason for OTA's success.