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Information is now coming centre stage in companies anxious to maintain their competitive advantage in the dot.com economy as electronic business‐to‐business exchanges rapidly emerge. The technical issues of being able to search across a wide range of different database and document types are now being solved through enterprise information portal applications (EIP), often referred to as corporate portals. These provide users with access to internal and external information resources through a customisable Web browser interface. This paper outlines the generic features of EIP applications, and categorises the different approaches being taken by EIP vendors, many of whom are adapting software developed for document management and information retrieval purposes. Emerging roles for information professionals in the deployment of EIP applications are discussed.

The development of online services targeted at the consumer mass market in the USA and in Europe is described. The factors that are affecting the rate of growth of these services in Europe are identified and from this analysis it is concluded that it is very unlikely that the demand for these services is going to grow as rapidly in Europe as has been the case in the USA. The impact of the closure of the Europe Online service is discussed.

My purpose is to draw the attention of the information profession to the fact that the majority of British companies have totally inadequate access to information, to outline the role information brokers can play in alleviating the situation, and to stimulate discussion. In view of the overall theme of the conference, the economics of information, it is probably time that due attention was paid to the problems of what is almost an information ‘third world’, because of the possible adverse effect on the economy of the United Kingdom if it continues to go unnoticed. The size of the problem is substantial; on the British industrial scene, the professional information population is dwarfed by the actual number of companies.

Several online host services in both the USA and Europe offer companies the opportunity of being able to load and access private files of information. The benefits associated with private file services are outlined, and some of the factors which need to be considered when contemplating the use of such a service are discussed, including file design, charges and security. The use of videotex for private files is also discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how upstream social marketing may benefit from social media citizensourcing and improve understanding of community preferences and attitudes to policy. Using the case of shark management in New South Wales, Australia, this paper aims to understand community attitudes toward shark management policy-making and policymakers.

In February 2017, more than 11,200 comments were sourced from Facebook and Twitter using Netvizz, a data extraction tool. To analyze these comments, the study used an abductive framework using social marketing, wildlife and coexistence and policy literature, to determine context, themes and sub-themes. This was combined with Appraisal, a systemic functional linguistics framework, advocating a social reference for coding and analyzing community attitudes and preference.

Preferences for non-lethal measures over lethal or potentially lethal measures were noted, with new technologies highly favored. The online communities wanted a policy that was respectful of human and marine life and focused on patrolled or popular beaches. The main negative comments made related to perceived knee-jerk reactions and poor communication surrounding decision-making. People held little confidence in politicians’ skills and abilities to solve complex and multi-faceted problems, demanding less top-down decision-making and greater community input into policy formation.

This approach could assist upstream social marketers better understand social and community attitudes and preferences toward policy.

The study demonstrated that listening to community through digital channels can assist upstream social marketing understand community preferences and attitudes to policies and the policy-making process. Using abduction further broadens the perspective of the researchers in assigning meaning to commentary.

When the conference organizer first approached me some months ago and persuaded me to deliver this paper, the title—initially ‘Cuts in Special Libraries’—rapidly crystallised to ‘Cuts and the Special Library’. This happened because I decided that I must cover the two aspects, namely public sector cuts which will impinge on special libraries and cuts in the provision of resources in the special library itself. I came to this conclusion since I see the two as interacting, as well as stemming from the same general economic climate in this Country; hence both aspects will affect most, if not all, of us who work in special libraries.

Explores the professional, job‐related relationships of African‐American policewomen. The difficulties black women police officers face often are exacerbated by the intersection of race and gender that influence their self‐perceptions and the perceptions of those with whom they interact, including other officers and members of the community. Additionally, job‐related issues and interactions appear to impact community relations, particularly in circumstances involving minorities. The experiences of the women suggest that marginalization continues to be problematic for some minorities working in law enforcement. The research is based on qualitative data obtained from black female police officers in a large urban city.

The purpose of this paper is to offer a state-of-the-art review of the research on women of color in American policing. Directions for future research are also highlighted.

Using several online databases, a literature search was performed to collect all relevant empirical studies on the topic. The review includes only studies that examined research questions about minority women officers in their own right.

The review identified 12 studies focused on recruitment, hiring, retention and the on-the-job experiences of this population. Most studies focused on black policewomen. All data analyzed in these studies are at least 20 years old.

Research on minorities in policing tends to concentrate on either black men or white women. For decades, scholars have called for more research on policewomen of color, yet little progress has been made. The current study takes stock of the existing research and provides a much-needed agenda to fill this research gap.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce an interpretive approach to examining the relation between information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the good life, based on Michael Walzer's view of (connected) social criticism.

Through a discussion of Michael Walzer's view of social criticism, an interpretive approach to normative analysis of ICTs and the good life is introduced. The paper also offers an additional argument for the indispensability of prudential appraisals of ICTs in normative analysis of ICTs and the good life, which in turn strengthens the basis for the Walzerian approach proposed in the paper.

It is argued that an interpretive approach to normative analysis of ICTs and the good life, i.e. the Walzerian approach, is as viable as – if not superior to – a theory‐driven approach. It is also argued that actual appraisals of ICTs and the good life must be taken into account in the normative analysis.

It is only recently that “the good life” has become more visible in normative analysis of ICTs. This paper continues this relatively new line of research and proposes an alternative approach – as opposed to a theory‐driven approach – to this research programme.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse how appraisal resources and legitimation strategies, concerning “associates” and “suppliers” in Walmart’s Corporate Social Responsibility reports from 2011 to 2013, contribute to the representation of a positive corporate image.

This paper draws upon Appraisal Theory (Martin and White, 2005) and Legitimation Theory (van Leeuwen, 2007) to explore the link between evaluative language and legitimacy concerning abovementioned search terms.

Walmart’s representations of its stance towards “associates” and “suppliers” differ greatly, although the corporation communicates a positive self-image through both of them. Walmart portrays its relationship with its “associates” as cooperative and mutually beneficial. On the other hand, the corporation presents the image of a philanthropist organisation that has been trying to improve the poor working conditions of its “suppliers” through strict regulations.

Only a small amount of data could be analysed manually due to the special nature of evaluative language and legitimation.

This paper fulfils an identified need in studying social reporting in terms of linguistic resources.