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The Beringer Wine Estates Company has been expanding its market share in the premium segment of the wine industry in the 1990's. After operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of the giant Nestlé food company for almost a quarter of a century, the firm was sold in 1996 to new owners, in a leveraged buyout. For the next year and a half, management and the new owners restructured the firm and expanded through internal growth and strategic acquisitions. With a heavy debt load from the LBO, it seemed prudent for management to consider a significant rebalancing of its capital structure. By paying off a portion of its debt and enhancing the equity account, the firm would achieve greater financial flexibility which could enhance its growth rate and business options. Finally, a publicly held common stock would provide management with another “currency” to be used for enhancing its growth rate and overall corporate valuation. With the equity markets in turmoil, significant strategic decisions had to be made quickly. Should the IPO be completed, with the district possibility of a less than successful after market price performance and these implications for pursuing external growth initiatives? A variety of alternative courses of action and their implications for the financial health of the Beringer Company and the financial wealth of Beringer stockholders are integral components of this case.

This article seeks to examine attitudes about direct‐to‐consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs to final users (referred to as consumers in this paper).

A national telephone survey was carried out of 300 consumers that had seen a doctor in the last six months.

Consumer awareness of DTCA continues at a very high level (96 percent) among the adult consumer population. However, the majority of consumers (53 percent) disagreed somewhat or strongly with the statement “I like seeing advertisements directed to consumers for prescription drugs.” The majority of consumers (69 percent) agree strongly or somewhat that DTCA does not provide adequate information on the risks and benefits of advertised products. It appears that the use of DTCA by pharmaceutical companies is not stimulating nearly the information‐gathering response reported in past studies.

Small sample size makes this survey exploratory.

This negativism may impair the usefulness of this type of advertising in the future. As television, magazine, radio, and other traditional media become less important, the internet may become an important channel for the growth of DTCA. Given the growing negativism of consumers, it is clear that significant changes in DTCA practices are necessary. Without significant changes, DTCA may become impractical or even prohibited.

The article adds to longitudinal data on consumer attitudes towards DTCA. It is hoped that this study will suggest areas for subsequent research and will elaborate on the practical consequences of DTCA and its implications for public health and welfare.

WE have to announce with deep regret the death of Mr. I. Chalkley Gould, founder and director of the Library World since its establishment in 1898. Mr. Gould was a member of an old Essex family associated with Loughton and its neighbourhood, and was born in 1844, his father being the late George Gould, of Traps Hill House, Loughton. His connection with the firm of Marlborough, Gould & Co. and other stationery and printing concerns led him many years ago to give some attention to library and museum work, towards which he had always been attracted because of his personal interest in archaeology and literature. In this way he became associated with many museums, libraries and antiquarian societies, and identified himself more particularly with the movement for the preservation of ancient British earthworks. He was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, vice‐president of the Essex Archaeological Society, the Essex Field Club, and the British Archaeological Association. Within recent years he acted as hon. secretary of the Committee for Recording Ancient Earthworks and Fortified Enclosures—a committee for the formation of which he was largely responsible and in the work of which he took a very deep interest. He was chairman of the Committee for the Exploration of the Red Hills of Essex—an important undertaking which is not yet completed. He also contributed several valuable papers to the Victoria History of Essex, and assisted the editor of that publication in revising the earthworks sections of other counties.

Briefly reviews previous literature by the author before presenting an original 12 step system integration protocol designed to ensure the success of companies or countries in their efforts to develop and market new products. Looks at the issues from different strategic levels such as corporate, international, military and economic. Presents 31 case studies, including the success of Japan in microchips to the failure of Xerox to sell its invention of the Alto personal computer 3 years before Apple: from the success in DNA and Superconductor research to the success of Sunbeam in inventing and marketing food processors: and from the daring invention and production of atomic energy for survival to the successes of sewing machine inventor Howe in co‐operating on patents to compete in markets. Includes 306 questions and answers in order to qualify concepts introduced.

Operating at the crossroads of higher education, librarianship, technology application, and service delivery, the Research Libraries Group (RLG) is a powerful partner to institutional efforts. For 20 years, it has identified critical research needs, provided responsive solutions, and expanded access to new and untapped information resources. With its highly skilled staff, sophisticated technical resources, and successful track record in managing and supporting interactions among its members, RLG is well positioned to help research institutions address the information challenges of the 1990s.

This paper aims to describe the relationship between subliminal advertising and the Cold War to have a better understanding of the cultural dynamics of postwar America.

This paper is a review of primary and secondary materials from the period 1957-1958, primarily popular and trade periodicals that capture the events as they took place.

Subliminal advertising both reflected and shaped fears grounded in the Cold War cultural climate, and reveal other key insights related to the postwar psyche.

Political ideology is readily apparent within consumer culture, a prime example of the insights to be gained by viewing American culture through an interdisciplinary lens.

Advertisers can effectively tap into consumers’ deeply seated emotions, but should tread carefully lest they be accused of “mind control”.

Subliminal advertising represented a seminal moment in postwar American history by exposing the hyper-paranoia of the times.

A blow-by-blow account of the subliminal advertising craze and its relationship to the Cold War represents a deep dive into one of the more fascinating sites of mid-century America.

In this study we examine how resource-constrained organizations can maneuver for competitive advantage in highly institutionalized fields. Unlike studies of institutional entrepreneurship, we investigate competitive maneuvering by an organization that is unable to alter either the regulative or normative institutions that characterize its field. Using the “Moneyball” phenomenon and recent changes in Major League Baseball as the basis for an intensive case study of entrepreneurial actions taken by the Oakland A’s, we found that the A’s were able to maneuver for advantage by using bricolage and refusing to enact baseball’s cognitive institutions, and that they continued succeeding despite ongoing resource constraints and rapid copying of their actions by other teams. These results contribute to our understanding of competitive maneuvering and change in institutionalized fields. Our findings expand the positioning of bricolage beyond its prior characterization as a tool used primarily by peripheral organizations in less institutionalized fields; our study suggests that bricolage may aid resource constrained participants (including the majority of entrepreneurial firms) to survive in a wider range of circumstances than previously believed.

The librarian and researcher have to be able to uncover specific articles in their areas of interest. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume IV, like Volume III, contains features to help the reader to retrieve relevant literature from MCB University Press' considerable output. Each entry within has been indexed according to author(s) and the Fifth Edition of the SCIMP/SCAMP Thesaurus. The latter thus provides a full subject index to facilitate rapid retrieval. Each article or book is assigned its own unique number and this is used in both the subject and author index. This Volume indexes 29 journals indicating the depth, coverage and expansion of MCB's portfolio.

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