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The purpose of this paper is to position well-being as a necessary component of the productivity debate and highlights the need for a deeper understanding of the nature of such a link. It first considers productivity at the national level in order to show how this affects both the climate and the economic policies within which organisations operate.

The paper presents an overview of current research and practice in the area. It treats the organisation as the primary level of analysis, and before highlights some of the apparent challenges in conceptualising well-being.

The importance of well-being is rising up national and employer agendas. Organisations need people to perform at their best in a sustainable way. The paper argues that an organisation with well-being at its core will reap productivity gains. It supports the view in the literature that improvements at national level can only be made on the back of sophisticated strategies across numerous organisations. However, for this to happen shared actions and understanding of these challenges has first to be created and acted upon across institutions and organisations. There are notable costs of poor well-being to productivity, and identifiable benefits of promoting and supporting employee well-being for productivity.

There is a clear practice implementation gap. Some organisations are embracing the opportunities to invest in their staff, but those who make employee well-being a business priority and a fundamental part of how the organisation operates are in the minority. There is also an ongoing challenge of measuring the impact of well-being programmes which can inform ROI assessments and enable organisations to demonstrate the business benefits of employee well-being.

There remain many unanswered questions about both the nature of the link between well-being and productivity and the economic impact of an association. This paper sparks further interest in expanding the understanding of the well-being and productivity link or peripheral issues.

The review, which covers the past, present and future of library automation, begins with the establishment of networks, describing the role of OCLC and the adoption of MARC. The second step is seen as the growth of online databases, with particular reference to Lockheed, SDC and BRS. Costs, however, have deterred full use of these. A case is made for standardisation of formats. The effect of online systems on retrieval is related to the increasing interest in document delivery systems. The contribution of mini‐ and microcomputers to this area is noted. Centralised shared systems have allowed automation to progress. All this needs paralleling in the library schools which have difficulty in providing the facilities. The real problem is still that of making systems user friendly. Perhaps librarians need to cultivate self‐sufficiency in programming using easy high‐level languages like FORTH and SPEAK‐EASY. Wordprocessors also will need to be a standard part of library equipment. The future must lie in achieving access to all information from a terminal.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an interview with Jill Miller, author of the recent CIPD study, “Achieving sustainable organization performance through HR in SMEs”.

This is an interview.

The interview discusses the findings of this study, and offers practical insights for both SME owners/founders and HR practitioners working within SMEs.

This article outlines the key “inflection points” which occur along the SME growth journey, and makes recommendations on how to be prepared to overcome them. It links to a practical tool developed by the author to aid the understanding of where an SME is situated on the growth journey, making it possible to anticipate the inflection points before they occur.

Looks at the extent and consequences of sexual harassment in US schools. Points out that sexual harassment can occur at a young age and can happen to pupils of either gender. Reports a 1993 survey which indicates the level of sexual harassment taking place within US schools, the circumstances in which it happens, and the form that it takes. Underlines the conclusion that it is widespread and harmful to pupils. Sets out the impact that the harassment has on those being harassed, discussing how it affects self‐esteem and school work. Outlines the schools’ legal duties to act to prevent sexual harassment, pointing out that recent court decisions could mean that schools without effective policies are open to litigation. Briefly, suggests ways in which schools could tackle sexual harassment.

The research on the health benefits of intensive engagement with creative and cultural activities through art therapy and workshops led by artists is well recognised in the literature on cultural impact. In general, this engagement involves small numbers and, in the current climate, is unlikely to receive sufficient investment to make a difference at a population level. Less recognised is an emerging field of epidemiological research on the health impact of ‘general cultural attendance’. This provides evidence that simply going to a museum, art gallery, film or concert on a regular basis increases longevity, and that culture is a separate variable. This article summarises this evidence and looks at the strategic implications for cultural organisations from the perspective of a practitioner. If cultural attendance can help address health inequalities, and if the best way to overcome the psychological and social barriers to cultural attendance is personal contact with a trusted guide, the article outlines a system where voluntary and statutory organisations can refer people to cultural organisations who might benefit from them. The former would need to be able to guarantee a high quality and friendly welcome that recognises the needs of first‐time users from excluded groups. Developed among a network of cultural organisations with voluntary and public sector partners, such a system could reach sufficient numbers to have a health impact on a population level.

This paper uses a stakeholder approach to examine how the role of accounting and the status of accountants changed over a 30 year period (1970 to 2000) in a major Australian government trading enterprise. Data are gathered from semi‐structured interviews with organizational participants and documentation. The study provides support for the importance of stakeholders in shaping organizational processes and practices, including accounting practices, and for the effects of changes in stakeholder constituency and agenda on such practices. The study also provides evidence of the roles accounting and accountants may play in implementing a stakeholder agenda, including both instrumental and symbolic roles, and how the status of accountants may rise and fall commensurate with those roles.