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Using the industry as an approximation of the external environment of companies, Dess and Beard proposed the construct organizational task environment (OTE). If the precision of the definition of industry is desirable, it involves a multiplicity of elements that restrict the ability of generalization. This paper aims to contribute by identifying clusters of industries with similar environmental profiles. As the discriminant validity of the OTE construct was tested only by Harris in US manufacturing industry, not supporting it, this study also seeks to contribute by assessing the OTE construct validity for the Brazilian manufacturing industry.

Authors collected data from all manufacturing sectors in Brazil, between 1996 and 2003; they used confirmatory factor analysis with the multi-trait multi-method matrix approach to assess the construct validity and ran environmental dimensions' factorial scores through the cluster analysis to find out natural groupings of industries.

The results support the convergent and discriminant validity of the construct OTE, suggesting that further replication should be conducted in the US economy and in different economic contexts.

The study identified four groups of industries with similar environmental conditions, increasing possibilities of generalization of researches. The limitations stem from measurement in an extended period of time and not measuring changes in the environment.

To expand the analytical capabilities of managers for decision making on the sharing of skills between businesses in different industries.

The main contributions of this work are to further discussions on the validity of the OTE construct and to identify industrial clusters of homogeneous environments.

In 1984 the Health Sciences Library at the State University of New York at Buffalo created a local area network (Lan) for the Library Consortium of Health Institutions in Buffalo using a multi‐user microcomputer. The rationale, methodology, capabilities and problems of the Lan are discussed. The changed demands of the Consortium and new University specifications on compatibility which have prompted plans for a new Lan are stated. The rationale and design for the new network are presented, and suggestions for Lan planners are made.

The Minister of Technology, Mr Anthony Wedgwood Benn, has appointed Air Commodore A. S. R. Strudwick, D.F.C., as Director of Flying in the Ministry of Technology with effect from January, 1969. He will succeed Air Commodore H. A. C. Bird‐Wilson, C.B.E., D.S.O., D.F.C., A.F.C., who will be returning to the Ministry of Defence.

IN the Douglas Super DC‐3 twin‐engined commercial transport, now being demonstrated throughout North and South America, may be seen an instructive example of what has come to be known in the aircraft industry as ‘bread‐and‐butter engineering’—the extension of the normal life‐span of a well‐tried design by rebuilding to modern operational and airworthiness standards. The ubiquitous DC‐3, from which the ‘super’ version is derived, has itself long been the bread‐and‐butter work‐horse of the air transport world, but its days are numbered under promulgated I.C.A.O. regulations which become operative in 1953. By rebuilding and modernizing the DC‐3 to international civil airworthiness standards, Douglas are out to show operators that the Super DC‐3 is the logical post‐war replacement in the twin‐engined short‐haul category.

A NEW two‐seater military monoplane, equipped with a British engine, has lately been produced by Constructions Aéronautiques G. Renard, of Brussels.

This paper aims to investigate China’s policy on digital trade with the objective to highlight the rationales behind such policy.

China’s policy on digital trade is assessed by analysing the main regulations imposed in the country in the period from 1985 to 2016 that have an impact on digital trade.

It was found that there are more than 70 measures imposed today that have a negative impact on digital trade. The measures are diverse and can be justified with several policy objectives, namely, industrial policy, public order and national security, and these support China’s fiscal and state-owned enterprise structure.

This paper analyses China’s policy on digital trade from a new perspective and provides insights on the rationales behind this policy.

Flexible Ducting Ltd., Ruchill Street, Maryhill, Glasgow, N.W., have announced the introduction of a new ultra‐lightweight ducting, Featherflex, which, it is claimed is the lightest flexible duct yet devised for low pressure cooling and ventilation on aircraft. Made from ncoprenc impregnated glass with nylon helix, Fcatherflex is available in stock lengths of 8 to 12 ft. in bore sizes from 5/16 to 4 in. with a pressure range of 5 lb./sq. in. at 100 deg. C.

Your series by David F. Cheshire is most interesting and worthwhile. I am specially grateful for the kind and constructive remarks he has made over the months about exhibitions in the Barbican Art Gallery, which is part of my department in the City of London.

An index language usually incorporates various methods for improving recall and/or precision when searching. Recall devices tend to increase the size of retrieved document sets, while precision devices tend to reduce them. The most common recall and precision devices are described in general terms and their usage in several thesauri is examined. The thesauri looked at relate to databases available for searching in the ESA IRS online information system at one time or another and include the NASA Thesaurus; Thesaurus of Engineering and Scientific Terms; Thesaurus of Metallurgical Terms; Subject Headings used by the USAEC; Subject Headings for Engineering; INIS Thesaurus and the INSPEC Thesaurus. The extent to and the way in which the recall and precision devices are used in the ESA IRS online system for controlled and uncontrolled subject term searching are discussed.

THE purpose of this paper is to examine the part that metal fatigue plays in the engineering of the helicopter, and to outline the methods used at present to estimate the safe fatigue life of the component parts of the helicopter.