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Most research in managerial effectiveness, or competence, focuses upon personal attributes of the individual. This understates the impact of context, which can assist or hinder job performance. A national (New Zealand) survey assessed the impact of 16 environmental variables, four management development variables and two variables reflecting personal skills and abilities, on the ability to be effective as a manager. Analysis revealed eight factors explaining the majority of perceived management effectiveness. The results suggest that support in a variety of forms is a key influence on the ability to be effective as a manager, with particular emphasis on the role of supervisors and subordinates, as well as organisational culture. Organisational level and organisational size interacted with contextual factors. The overall results suggest that, like other employees, managers are more likely to see both their success and hindrances as a function of their environment.

Investigates customer attitudes towards the direct marketing strategies employed by banks in relation to how attitudes toward the marketing media used and response channels influence the customer’s intention to purchase. Marketing media include mail promotion, telephone, and e‐mail promotions. Response channels include mail order, telephone and e‐mail orders. A total of 153 customers of bank services and products completed a survey questionnaire on their attitudes. Research indicates that customers generally evince a negative attitude toward banks using direct marketing strategies. They have mixed feelings about response channels, and low intention to purchase as an outcome of direct marketing. Purchase intention is significantly influenced by attitudes toward direct marketing media rather than response channels. Attaching promotions to communications a customer is expecting to receive can strengthen purchase intention. No demographic differences indicate that attitudes may have a stronger association with purchase intention. Revealed dilemmas faced by bank managers, marketers and researchers.

Reviews a recent case in the Official Referees Court where it was alleged that a surveyor did not give sufficient warning about the severe damage that the death watch beetle can do to a timber‐framed house.

Usability testing using think aloud protocols was conducted on the MetaLib interface, a new federated search product soon to be offered by the university libraries. The object of the testing was to find problems users might experience with the MetaLib interface in order to improve site usability.

Based on responses to a demographic questionnaire, a representative sample of eight volunteers, diverse with respect to affiliation, discipline, gender, language, and computer expertise was selected. Using the MetaLib interface and guided by a moderator, participants completed real‐world tasks while verbalizing their thoughts. Participants also completed a questionnaire and answered three open‐ended items. Transcripts provided the data for the study, which were used to determine problems and difficulties with the interface.

The usability testing revealed one critical issue, that is, problems with the login. Other issues included problems with primary and secondary navigation, confusing terminology, and inconsistency with the site design and user expectations.

This was a qualitative study and results should not be used to generalize to a larger population, but rather to identify issues with usability.

The issues identified will provide feedback that will be used to address the usability of the software and the design of training, tutorials, and quick guides.

Results of this study will add to the body of information about the usability of a federated search product and can help others to select and/or design a usable product. This study can also be used for the future improvement of the MetaLib product.

As in every state, rapid technological developments have affected the way California libraries deliver their services, and, in turn, have generated new relationships for them with private and public partners. The libraries of California were hit hard by a prolonged and severe recession, yet they could not afford to wait for better economic times before joining the technological revolution.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study of the usability studies used by the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries during the redesign of their website.

The Libraries used a web‐based survey to determine needs, proceeding to the prototype design, and completing the process with the final design and user testing. Think‐aloud protocols, used to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the final design, asked participants to verbalize their thoughts as they completed a series of tasks.

The results of the protocols indicated several key weaknesses with respect to navigation, screen design and labeling, leading to more revisions and the final release. Testing indicated that color and graphics attract attention; font, labels, and placement increase visibility; chunking and leading with keywords increase readability; and consistency increases usability.

This is a case study and therefore not necessarily representative to the general population of library website design efforts.

This paper describes several methods of gathering feedback during website design or usability testing with an emphasis on think‐aloud protocols.

The techniques used here may be useful to others who are approaching redesign and usability testing of their own sites and interested in creating a user‐centered design.

IF THE Guinness book of records is still watching these columns, I can now tell them that, after all, Mrs Carole Bignell's hope (NLW February p30) that she had established a record by registering her daughter as a library member at the tender age of two weeks must be dashed. Ken Bowden, District Librarian at Bacup, Lanes (where he gets his copy of NLW a little late), writes that not only did one of his neighbours enrol his daughter when she was five days old some years ago, but that Ken's own son entered the world in February 1977 and was enrolled at Bacup on his third day. Any advance on three days?

The purpose of this paper is to establish the extent to which prospective students can see a visible commitment to study gender in the UK business/management school curriculum prior to enrolment.

A content analysis of the descriptions of modules offered as part of business and management degrees offered by 112 UK universities was conducted. The analysis was restricted to the publicly available information on the websites visible to prospective students. Descriptive statistics regarding the distribution of gender topics across programmes and higher education institutions are presented in addition to university group affiliation (e.g. Russell Group) and accreditation in respect of variables.

The analysis reveals significant gaps in the undergraduate and taught postgraduate offerings of UK business schools that the authors suggest are reflective of subject silos, and institutional risk reduction strategies.

The authors conclude by arguing that accreditation bodies can use their influence to leverage change and to ensure gender content becomes core to curriculum design and its visibility as part of the practice of management to prospective students.

This study provides a benchmark for the visibility of gender as an issue and perspective within UK business/management school offerings.