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The purpose of this article is to describe some recent experiences at the United Kingdom Open University (UKOU) in setting up computer‐mediated communication (CMC) support for housebound disabled or otherwise isolated students. The driving force behind this experiment was the important role that CMC has as an educational tool; it empowers and reduces isolation of remote learners. This feature of CMC has received little attention, for, hitherto its application within education has been linked mainly to its use as a teaching aid. Educators concerned with the issue of widening access to higher education may be interested in learning about the OU project and its outcomes. The note first describes the context of this application, by reviewing the multimedia approach to home‐based, parttime, distance education used by the UKOU. The key lessons learned from the use of CMC as an educational tool since 1988 are summarized. The current housebound student project is then described, both in terms of the design stages through to implementation of network activity and interim evaluation and review. Finally, some key points for others interested in implementing a similar scheme are summarized.

This paper examines the internationalization strategy of Gordon Ramsay Holdings Ltd (GRH) from its base in London. While a substantial body of research on the strategic prerequisites for successful internationalization already exists, little attention has been given within this literature to the international growth of small, informally organized and entrepreneurially‐driven firms. The discussion also identifies the challenges facing GRH as it strives to continue its international expansion.

The paper utilizes various published sources from the general press, business press and trade journals to examine the international expansion of GRH on the back of the personal brand the charismatic Gordon Ramsay has achieved in culinary and media circles. The growth of the GRH organization is interpreted through a theoretical framework of strategic capabilities and relationships.

The analysis illustrates how critical resources and capabilities, branded reputation, and strategic relationships established in GRH's home market have been leveraged effectively overseas. The most fundamental challenge facing GRH going forward is balancing the opportunities and pressures for growth against the need to maintain the highest levels of quality in existing establishments. This “balancing act” has to unfold within an empire in which the entrepreneur‐emperor (Ramsay) has less and less time to devote to any particular activity or establishment.

The case illustrates the importance of developing and leveraging strategic capabilities and relationships in support of successful international expansion. Some of the unique challenges associated with the internationalization of small, informally organized and entrepreneurially‐driven (and branded) firms are addressed in terms of both problems and solutions.

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the association between the family status and corporate social responsibility disclosure (sustainability reporting) of large US companies.

The authors gathered data from GRI database as well as from Compustat. They use both univariate and multivariate statistical analyses.

The authors find that there is no statistically significant difference in the likelihood of sustainability reporting between family and non‐family firms of the S&P 500. They document important associations among the propensity to issue sustainability reports, the level of details of sustainability reports and certain firm‐specific and industry characteristic variables.

This study is focused on S&P 500 firms and may not be generalizable to smaller firms. Differences among family firms such as stock ownership and management control may affect sustainability reporting and are important topics for future research.

Society should be aware of the motivations and incentives that govern sustainability reporting decisions by both family and non‐family firms. The authors show that both family and non‐family companies use voluntary disclosure in general and sustainability reporting in particular as a way of mitigating regulatory, political and litigation costs.

No prior study, to the authors' knowledge, has examined the association between sustainability reporting and the family status of firms. The authors include suggestions for future research in this area and hope that their study will provide motivation and guidance to researchers to study this topic further.

This paper presents the theoretical rationale for further development of a model for the assessment and management of intraorganizational conflict. The purpose of such a model would be to assist employees, managers, human resources practitioners, and external service providers in selecting the most appropriate conflict management strategy for a given conflict. The framework presented builds on the previous work of Sheppard (1984) and Elangovan (1995, 1998) in suggesting that a contingency‐based model of strategy selection must include attention to characteristics of the conflict, desired outcomes of the participants, and awareness of available conflict management strategies. By expanding the range of conflicts and conflict management strategies typically included within a single model, the framework presented here forms the basis of a comprehensive model for dealing with intraorganizational conflict.

Discusses the 6th ITCRR, its breadth of textile and clothing research activity, plus the encouragement given to workers in this field and its related areas. States that, within the newer research areas under the microscope of the community involved, technical textiles focuses on new, ‘smart’ garments and the initiatives in this field in both the UK and the international community at large. Covers this subject at length.

At a recent inquest upon the body of a woman who was alleged to have died as the result of taking certain drugs for an improper purpose, one of the witnesses described himself as “an analyst and manufacturing chemist,” but when asked by the coroner what qualifications he had, he replied : “I have no qualifications whatever. What I know I learned from my father, who was a well‐known ‘F.C.S.’” Comment on the “F.C.S.” is needless.

The purpose of this paper is to argue the case that libraries should use the lean startup method for developing, managing and launching radically innovative services or products.

Libraries need to innovate but do not have the management structure to handle the extreme uncertainty in implementing radical innovations. This paper examines the lean startup method for managing innovation, explores how it differs from traditional management tools, outlines the reasons for and barriers to innovation in libraries and highlights the new tools required to manage innovation. This paper also discusses the culture of innovation in libraries and how libraries innovate. The lean startup method is examined through the lens of a variety of innovation models.

The lean startup method for managing radical innovations is shown to be a sound alternative to traditional library management methods.

This paper is one of the few to examine a practical method for librarians to manage radical innovations in academic libraries.

Commercial natural dyes are quite costly as manufacturers are to follow multi-step extraction and purification procedures for standardisation purposes. Upon cost comparison, they lose in the market to synthetic dyes. However, in the handicraft sector, reproducibility may be of lesser importance against cost. In the present study, a domestic method of dyeing silk with the aqueous extract of raw plant/tree components (flower, leave, bark and root) by using a natural mordant and alum will be described. Good dyebath exhaustion and washing and light fastness are observed for some of the natural colouring matters.

Ever since Mead, sociology has maintained a deep divide between human and non human animals. In effect, Mead constructed humans as having capacities that he saw lacking in animals. Recent research on animals has challenged the traditional ideas of Mead and others by providing evidence of animal intelligence, adaptability, selfawareness, emotionality, communication and culture. This paper examines the human‐animal relationship as presented in Introductory Sociology Textbooks to see if this new research on animals has allowed us to move beyond Mead. We find outdated information and confused thinking on such topics as the relationship between language and culture, the development of the self in animals, and the role of instinct, socialization and culture in animal behavior. We conclude that, with few exceptions, the main function of the treatment of animals in these texts is to affirm the hard line that sociology has always drawn between humans and other species.

The importance of new business start‐ups cannot be over‐emphasised. The UK government has taken actions designed to stimulate the growth of new businesses and aid their survival. The identification of barriers to entry is important, together with strategies to minimise their impact. The UK continues to lag behind the USA in its levels of entrepreneurship. The removal of barriers to start‐up is key to rectifying this situation and stimulating the new business aspect of the economy. The paper highlights the government’s position in furthering entrepreneurship, draws on initial primary research into student barriers to start‐up and makes recommendations for how higher education institutions can assist in breaking down the barriers identified.