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This paper presents the findings from an evaluation of a direct payment pilot project for parents of disabled children in Staffordshire. The study found that, for a variety of reasons, parents accessing direct payments did not report any greater benefits than those using traditional services.

Examines recent innovations in the UK mortgage market and links these to the theoretical and empirical literature on the choice of mortgage instrument by households. Low inflation rates and employment insecurity have led to a demand for more flexible payment and amortization scheduling. Estimates a multivariate logit and a probit model to highlight the underlying determinants of amortization rates (mortgage maturity) from 1987 to 1991. Sees affordability criteria and the susceptibility of a household to financial problems as important determinants of extended mortgage maturities while the absence of these problems encourages shorter maturities, consistent with lifecycle behaviour. These choices provide the underpinnings to subsequent mortgage market innovations.

The article assesses the direct and indirect impact of a major redundancy on local unemployment. The extent of these effects depends on the way in which the local labour market adjusts. Two hypotheses are considered. (1) that the redundant workers displaced other labour market participants from work; and (2) that self‐employment assisted the process of labour market adjustment and, therefore, reduced both the direct and indirect effects of the redundancy on unemployment. The data for the research are taken from a survey of workers made redundant, in May 1985, from the Michelin tyre company based in Stoke‐on‐Trent, England. The results suggest that displacement took place in the manufacturing sector of the local economy, but that self‐employment was important in easing the “dynamic” adjustment of the post‐redundancy labour market. Policy makers should recognise that a part of the adjustment process is the use of self‐employment as a temporary employment state.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the key characteristics of the post‐investment relationship between the venture capital firm and its investee companies.

The research is a case study of a major UK venture capital firm using qualitative research to determine the key characteristics of the post‐investment relationship. The study is based on interviews with parties on both sides of the relationship.

While the results reflect the findings of the entrepreneurship and venture capital literature they also point to the importance of network growth and development for organizational learning in the venture capital industry, professionalization of investee firms and as a context in which the selection of the entrepreneur and the post investment relationship are set.

The research has the limitation of most case studies that the results cannot readily be generalized, in this case to the wider population of venture capital firms. Confidentiality issues also limited the extent to which a longitudinal study could be conducted.

A better understanding of the post‐investment relationship can inform entrepreneurs in their pitch for funds and in their anticipation of the post investment relationship. This understanding can also assist venture capital firms in the management of this relationship.

The case study uses data from rare access to a venture capital firm. It also differs by interviewing both parties to the post‐investment relationship, that is venture capitalist and investee firm.

Starting from a critical analysis of the main criteria currently used to identify marginal areas, this paper aims to propose a new classification model of such territories by leveraging knowledge discovery approaches and knowledge visualization techniques, which represent a fundamental pillar in the knowledge-based urban development process.

The methodology adopted in this study relies on the design science research, which includes five steps: problem identification, objective definition, solution design and development, demonstration and evaluation.

Results demonstrate how to exploit knowledge discovery and visualization to obtain multiple mappings of inner areas, in the aim to identify good practices and optimize resources to set up more effective territorial development strategies and plans. The proposed approach overcomes the traditional way adopted to map inner areas that uses a single indicator (i.e. the distance between a municipality and the nearest pole where it is possible to access to education, health and transportation services) and leverages seven groups of indicators that represent the distinguishing features of territories (territorial capital, social costs, citizenship, geo-demography, economy, innovation and sustainable development).

The proposed model could be enriched by new variables, whose value can be collected by official sources and stakeholders engaged to provide both structured and unstructured data. Also, another enhancement could be the development of a cross-algorithms comparison that may reveal useful to suggest which algorithm can better suit the needs of policy makers or practitioners.

This study sets the ground for proposing a decision support tool that policy makers can use to classify in a new way the inner areas, thus overcoming the current approach and leveraging the distinguishing features of territories.

This study shows how the availability of distributed knowledge sources, the modern knowledge management techniques and the emerging digital technologies can provide new opportunities for the governance of a city or territory, thus revitalizing the domain of knowledge-based urban development.

Notes that political marketing has become the subject of an increasing number of academic publications, but the subject of marketing a business proposition to a political audience such as government ‐ political lobbying ‐ has received less attention in this literature. Marketing business to government is generally evaluated more in the context of impact on legislators and regulators ‐ how to sell a case in political terms ‐ than from the point of view of the wide range of pressures on a business organizing itself to do so. Argues that the principles and ways of analysing the development of a political campaign have direct application to the analysis of lobbying campaigns. Examines in outline the successful 1993 bid by Devonport Management Ltd for the Trident refitting contract, drawing some lessons on the development of a specific lobbying campaign from the point of view of a business, employing concepts recognizable to marketing professionals. Describes the process of development of the Devonport “product”, the formulation and implementation of strategy and the monitoring and control of that strategy. Draws some conclusions about the lessons for successful development of a lobbying campaign to government by business, and proposes a research agenda is. Re‐emphasizing the importance of political marketing to business requires the recognition that Parliament is only one of a number of forums for activity and successful lobbying depends on an understanding of all these forums drawing on a range of analytical business skills. Seeks to illustrate some connections between the disciplines of marketing, political communications and lobbying.

“I hold it for indisputable, that the first duty of a State is to see that every child born therein shall be well housed, clothed, fed, and educated, till it attain years of discretion. But in order to the effecting of this, the Government must have an authority over the people of which we now do not as much dream.” So wrote John Ruskin well back in the last century; the Welfare State he then appeared to envisage has in many respects come into being, but there is still timidity in Governments, procrastination, and reluctance to impose their authority on the people, particularly when long term measures of public health are concerned. The dead, or at least palsied, hand of Government seems to clog progress in many directions, and its excuse often is that the liberty of the individual must be protected. This specious line of reasoning is apparently being followed in the question of the fluoridation of water supplies, which was the subject of a recent Symposium organized by the Royal Society of Health. For some years now there has been a fairly full knowledge of the essential facts, and in the Symposium they were ably reviewed and discussed by a number of well‐informed speakers.

The food standards of the Indiana State Board of Health, which appear on another page, show that it is quite possible to lay down official definitions of various articles of food; and a study of these regulations may be of assistance to those authorities who are striving to arrive at some form of order out of the chaos which at present exists in this country in matters relating to food standards. With reference to milk, it will be seen that not only is the question of composition dealt with, but strict directions are given that milk derived from a cow which can in any way be considered as diseased is regarded as impure, and must therefore, says the Board, be considered as adulterated. In regard to butter and margarine, limits are given for the total amount of fat—which must consist entirely of milk‐fat in the case of the former substance—water, and salt; and not only are all preservatives forbidden, but the colouring matters are restricted, only certain vegetable colouring matters and some few coal‐tar colours being permitted. All cheese containing less than 10 per cent, of fat derived from milk must be plainly labelled as “ skim‐milk cheese”; and if it contains fat other than milk‐fat, it must be described as “ filled cheese.” Some exception is taken to the use of preservatives in cheese, inasmuch as it appears that cheese may contain a preservative if the name of such preservative is duly notified upon the label ; and the rules for the colouring of cheese are the same as those which apply to butter and margarine. All articles of food containing preservatives are considered as adulterated unless the package bears a label, printed in plain type and quite visible to the purchaser, stating that a preservative is present, and also giving the name of the preservative which has been used. Articles of confectionery must not contain any ingredient deleterious to health, such as terra alba, barytes, talc, or other mineral substance, nor may they contain poisonous colours or flavours.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer characteristics that influence Swedish consumers' mortgage rate decisions, such as the choice between an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) and a fixed rate mortgage (FRM).

Data were collected in a randomised survey of the Swedish population in 2010. Through binary logistic regression, the effects of education, income and risk aversion on household mortgage decisions are investigated. In addition, consumers' financial literacy and self‐reported ability to handle sudden mortgage rate increases are examined. A test of gender effects is also performed.

The results show that a lower level of education, lower income, lower financial literacy, and trouble handling interest rate increases influence Swedish consumers to choose ARMs. Gender does not significantly affect the overall results. However, a gender‐divided regression shows that age, a low level of education and risk averseness significantly affect men's mortgage choices, whereas income, trouble handling interest rate increases and low financial literacy significantly affect women's mortgage choices.

The most vulnerable Swedish consumers choose FRMs to a greater extent and, thereby, make future expenditures more predictable for the single household by reducing liquidity risks.

This paper tests a number of characteristics in predicting consumers' mortgage choices, emphasises the importance of loan takers' ability to cope with sudden mortgage rate increases, highlights the importance of financial literacy in understanding consumers' financial choices and elucidates the Swedish case.