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Michael Barron and David Targett argue in favour of forecasting playing a relevant part in decision making. They point out that forecasting possesses reliable techniques, it is only when the gap between the producers of forecasts and the users is too great that managerial scepticism intervenes. They suggest ways of overcoming this.

In recent times there has been a change of emphasis in business forecasting. The shift has been away from the technical and statistical aspects. More thought is now being given to the way in which techniques are used and the context in which they are applied. This article is the first in a series of two which deal with these issues. It describes the role of the manager in forecasting. In particular, it discusses the tasks in designing and planning a forecasting system which are the key to its success and which fall within a manager's responsibility. The second article is concerned with the link between forecasts and the decisions they support.

Forecasting experts are not always sufficiently knowledgeable about the way their forecasts are used by managers. Consequently there is a tendency for them to focus excessively on forecast accuracy instead of decision usefulness. This article draws on modern information theory to provide some insights into the problem of identifying relevance and recognising value for money in market research and sales forecasts.

This paper considers the problems of evaluating the benefits of an investment in information technology and systems against a background of institutional change. It is based on a case study in the National Health Service and follows the progress of a project to introduce benefits realisation in NHS Trusts. The case illustrates the importance of personal, hands‐on attention to benefits management and calls attention to the different contingencies faced by managers in attempting to introduce evaluation or benefits realisation schemes. It concludes that, where managers face “certain” contingencies, formative evaluation will be beneficial, but where the contingencies are uncertain, structural changes in the organisation may be more effective in achieving benefits. The paper ends with a plea for evaluation activities to be re‐integrated into their organisational context.

The last decade of the twentieth century brought with it exponential growth of electronic commerce (EC). The growth of business‐to‐business (B2B) EC outpaced that of all other forms of EC. During roughly the same time period, benchmarking became an important approach for accessing organizational performance. Benchmarking is a methodology suitable for evaluating virtually any aspect of organizational performance in public or private organizations. In this manuscript B2B and benchmarking are discussed with the objective of developing directions for research and the application of B2B benchmarking. A framework for benchmarking B2B EC is proposed that describes five levels of benchmarking: independent B2B EC benchmarking, buyer‐seller (1:1) collaborative benchmarking, 1:M consortium benchmarking, 1:M:N collaborative benchmarking, and buyer‐intermediary benchmarking.

Managers have a particular opportunity at the moment to tackle core business issues rather than relatively peripheral matters. The opportunity arises out of the prolonged series of upheavals which have replaced the relative economic calm of the 50s, 60s and early 70s. It arises because an increasing number of “hard‐nosed” managers acknowledge that supposedly “soft” issues, such as motivation, culture and values, are central to even medium‐term business effectiveness. This, of course, was the central conclusion of Peters and Waterman's In Search of Excellence which has reached huge numbers of managers with its sales of over five million copies.

Cyber threats present constantly evolving and unique challenges to national security professionals at all levels of government. Public and private sector entities also face a constant stream of cyberattacks through varied methods by actors with myriad motivations. These threats are not expected to diminish in the near future. As a result, homeland security and national security professionals at all levels of government must understand the unique motivations and capabilities of malicious cyber actors in order to better protect against and respond to cyberattacks. This chapter outlines the most common cyberattacks; explains the motivations behind these attacks; and describes the federal, state, and local efforts to address these threats.

Canadian institutions of higher education have long touted their dedication to inclusivity and diversity. The Academy, however, exists in a mix of new managerialism and collegialism, environments that demand conformity and the prioritization of sameness over difference. For employees with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the very nature of their condition means that conforming to a standard is a difficult, if not impossible task. If passed, the proposed Accessible Canada Act means universities in Canada will have a legal responsibility to accommodate employees with disabilities, including ASD.

ASD is a neurodevelopmental condition of varying severity characterized by difficulties with communication, social interactions, and repetitive behaviors. While it is difficult to determine how many adults live with ASD in Canada, current statistics show that 1 out of 66 children are on the autism spectrum (PHAC, 2018). Many have physical and mental comorbidities that complicate their health status.

Though conformity may streamline human resources processes and standardize staffing issues, it is essential for administration to identify areas where they are weak in supporting potential and current employees who veer from the norm. Libraries need human resources policies and procedures that reflect and celebrate uniqueness. Long-held tendencies toward valuing fit and conventionality need to give way to transformational mentoring and empowering in order for a diverse workforce to reach its fullest potential. Embracing inclusivity will result in numerous benefits, not just for the employee but for the library. This chapter shows how personnel with high-functioning autism can be best supported in Canadian academic libraries.

TO operate effectively in his environment a man should seek to appreciate the sources which created it. There are few better ways for the work study man, or others concerned with the efficient running of the industrial machine, to do so than by digesting Management Thinkers, published at 40p in the Pelican Library of Business and Management.

ALL TAXES must, at last, fall upon agriculture, wrote Gibbon. Today he would probably change it to ‘all taxes must, at last, be borne by others for agriculture’. It vexes every government in and out of Europe, hovering over Common Market desks and troubling lands like New Zealand.