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The purpose of this paper is to seek to critically look at the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and Word Trade Organization Doha Round of negotiations, and their substantive outcomes on the main trade issues with a view to assessing their development content, nature and impact so far.

The paper will carry out that purpose by reviewing EPAs and Doha Round's original mandates on development and benchmarking the outcomes thereof against the “new development economics” imperatives and the assertion that trade policy has to truly foster development and progressively realize the right to development in a sustainable manner.

The main findings of the paper are that the two negotiating processes are failing to meet the development expectations and objectives set out in their respective mandates or put in place suitable trade policy options to ensure sustainable development. The processes are in fact mainly driven by commercial as opposed to developmental interest and tend to impede rather than promote both global and regional intergration of developing countries.

In making a conclusion, the paper posits some practical and conceptual suggestions to trade policy makers and negotiators with a view to operationalise and inform a paradigm shift in global trade relations and the concomitant machineries that have hitherto focused mainly on market access and commercial interest; to one underpinned by new development economics imperatives and the right to development as the principal benchmarks of trade policy.

The purpose of this research is to identify quick, effective and affordable architectural design solutions to improve the health of patients, visitors and staff, in an underfunded community healthcare center (CHC) in Baltimore.

Both qualitative (individual and Focus group interviews) and quantitative methods (space syntax analysis and questionnaire survey) are used to assess the healing environment. The questionnaires cover interior and exterior environment related questions.

The questionnaire identifies three issues related to wayfinding, interior design, and access to natural light. The findings demonstrate that the waiting area, exam room and laboratory need to be upgraded. Incorporation of some other interior components including, wall art, plants, music, signage are also suggested by the respondents.

Very few studies in the USA have been done to understand the effects of architectural design to create a healing environment on the community scale.

The purpose of this paper is to develop pansystems‐styled traffics, logistics and knowledge rediscovery. The core logoi are the generalized resources//F* and their circulation//C*. The research presents a new outlook to mathematics, physics, traffic, communication, logistics, KD, internet, computer, translation, simulation, information, life‐systems, logic or reasoning, memory or storage, process, transaction, finance, education, inherent, topology, evolution, etc. and then certain mechanism among them and related mutuality can be unveiled.

A flexible combination of philosophy, mathematics and technology is embodied. The paper is an application of pansystems methodology to approach the following topics: pansystems resource, circulation: traffics, logistics and KD; pansystems variational principle and pan‐circulation; pansystems logistics; pansystems network, supply chain and bullwhip effect; pansystems innovation and knowledge rediscovery.

All of the topics concerned are reduced to the actualization of pansystems variational OR and classification‐repetition‐PanOR, which possess a transfield nature.

This paper provides the framework and concretion principles of pansystems research on traffics, logistics, supply chain, bullwhip effect, innovation and related applications, and presents a new world outlook, which leads to some new comprehension to KD and WHF* <world*history*future*>, SEM* <society* economy*management*>.

The education sector is at the forefront of developing tomorrow’s construction professionals. It is therefore important that with the current rate of change in the construction industry, education curriculum should be seen to be relevant. An area that is revolutionising the construction industry is the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM), including its potential for improving H&S on construction sites. This paper aims to focus on the perception of higher education (HE) students on the potential impact of 4D modelling on the management of site health and safety on construction sites.

A quasi-experimental approach was adopted to determine student’s perception of the extent to which 4D modelling and simulation can impact H&S management. Pre-test and post-test students’ perceptions of the value of 4D to management of health and safety were compared.

The influence of education was examined by using two main students groups, one group studying BIM modules within their course while the other group did not. Although minimal perception differences regarding key impacts of 4D were highlighted, the awareness differences were significant. The study demonstrated the perception of benefits regarding 4D for H&S being in the planning of site logistics, visualisation, programme accuracy and risk reduction. The study highlights the importance of relevant education, to increase awareness of 4D for Health and Safety.

While most of the studies reported in academic literature on education and training related to university/tertiary education, this study focused on the higher education level students. It considered this as an equally important cohort as the graduates will also contribute to health and safety management on construction sites. The study also demonstrated the value of including technology based H&S training to mirror developments in the construction industry.

This paper aims to examine the impacts of relational capital on supply chain quality integration (SCQI) and operational performance from the holistic perspective of the entire supply chain.

Structural equation modeling with LISREL was used to test the conceptual model based on data collected from 308 companies in China.

The results indicate that with the exception of internal relational capital not having a significant impact on customer quality integration, supplier, internal and customer relational capital have positive impacts on supplier, internal and customer quality integration, which consequently improve operational performance. The results also show that internal relational capital has positive impacts on supplier and customer relational capital, and internal quality integration has positive impacts on supplier and customer quality integration.

The results provide important managerial insights for the improvement of operational performance through the development of relational capital and the implementation of SCQI practices throughout the supply chain.

The authors contribute to the relational capital and supply chain quality management literature by exploring the effectiveness of relational capital in improving SCQI and operational performance from the holistic perspective of the entire supply chain. The findings enrich the knowledge of SCQI management from the perspective of relational capital.

This paper looks at the how adult protection policy and procedures have been implemented in the Northern Irish joint health & social services context. This reveals great similarity with other UK settings. One board's use of focus groups to evaluate its policy and system is reported

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the I‐V characteristics of ZnO film on Si substrates with Ag buffer layer by conductive atomic force (C‐AFM).

An Ag buffer layer and Zn film was first deposited on silicon substrate by RF‐sputtering deposition method from high pure Ag and Zn target, respectively. Then, the deposited film was sintered in air at 500°C for 1 h.

The structures and morphologies of the prepared films were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectrum (EDS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and C‐AFM. The results show that the prepared ZnO films with Ag buffer layer have a good crystallinity and surface morphology. Interestingly, the I‐V curve of ZnO film exhibited typical characteristics of semi‐conductive oxide under the conductive Ag buffer layer.

The paper demonstrates, by C‐AFM, that the ZnO/Ag‐buffer/Si exhibits excellent crystal structure, morphology and typical I‐V characteristics.

Formation of the Federation of Materials Institutes The Institute of Ceramics, The Institute of Metals and The Plastics and Rubber Institute announce the formation on 1 June 1988 of the Federation of Materials Institutes.

ASSEMBLY automation like other technologies has not developed continuously but in innovative spurts. The 1960s and 1970s produced the first generation of dedicated assembly machines, reflecting a manufacturing environment of large volume, standardised products with few product variables. Such market conditions were provided mainly in the USA, Japan and in a few European industrial countries. Today, the European market faces increasing pressures to adapt standard products to individual customer requirements. This in turn re‐enforces the need for a new generation of assembly machines: robot‐assisted assembly systems.

Although Hanover remains an essential feature of Germany's aerospace aspirations, there was little enthusiasm on the part of non‐German aerospace firms participating.