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In June 1985 an Austrian wine producer was found sweetening low‐priced wine for export to Germany, with an illegal substance, diethylene glycol. Subsequent investigation found a very small percentage of Austrian producers doing the same thing. The “Anti Freeze” connotation caught the imagination of the media, particularly in Britain, which had a field day of “humorous” and often inaccurate stories. Within a few weeks, Austrian wine sales dropped disastrously. The author, both an interested observer as well as a participant in the ensuing campaign to re‐establish Austrian wines, examines the story of the scandal, and more importantly, the sequence of action that followed. In particular, the article looks at the setting up and operation of the Austrian Wine Marketing Service and the worth of such organisations.

End‐user requesting in New Zealand remains a relatively new phenomenon. The National Library of New Zealand has conducted two separate pilot projects with different institutions. This paper aims to consider the differences between the two projects and looks at the trends that emerged.

The pilot projects occurred over similar timeframes, 12 months apart. Each used a different interface from which end‐users submitted their requests. The projects aimed to test workflow processes and ascertain the impacts for end‐users and library staff. System impacts and maintenance requirements, how the results would feed into best practice guidelines, and recommend future developments were also considered.

This paper details the different user responses elicited during the evaluation processes. A large proportion of end‐users in both projects confirmed that they would use this method of request creation again. The results confirm that end‐user requesting does work in a utility environment.

Both projects continue in production with differing levels of involvement. The Lincoln University project continues following a redevelopment of the request screens based on what end‐users identified as important to them. The Landcare Research project continues with a more low key approach as the National Library of New Zealand considers the future developments required to enhance the end‐user experience and product up‐take in New Zealand.

This paper is of value to interloan librarians and especially those in an academic environment. It provides a compact case study where a national electronic utility provides the main platform for interlending and document supply in one country.

Today's consumers are sharply aware of environmental problems, and they're demanding environmental responsibility on the part of industry. In a 1989 Gallup poll, 79% of Americans identified themselves as environmentalists. A 1990 New York Times poll reported that 84% of Americans consider industrial pollution to be a serious problem. One‐third of all women listed the environment as one of the three most important problems facing the US today in a 1990 survey by Good Housekeeping magazine. And 78% of women in that poll were very concerned about the disposal of solid waste and garbage.

This study evaluated the effect of macroeconomic factors on residential real estate (RE) investment returns in the cities of Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria, with a view to guiding RE investors and researchers.

A survey research design was employed using a questionnaire to collect RE transaction data from 2008 to 2022 from estate surveying and valuation firms in the study areas. Rental and capital value data collected were used to construct rental and capital value indices and total returns on investment. The macroeconomic data used were retrieved from the archives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Granger causality (GC) and multiple regression models were adopted to evaluate the effect of selected macroeconomic variables on residential RE investment returns in the study areas.

The study found a progressive upward movement in rental and capital values of residential RE investment in the study areas within the study period. Total and risk-adjusted returns on investment were equally positive within the study period. Only the inflation rate, unemployment rate and real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita were found to be the major determinants of residential RE investment returns in the study areas within the study period.

The secrecy associated with property transaction information/data by RE practitioners in the study areas posed a challenge. Property transaction data were not adequately kept in a way for easier access and retrieval in many of the estate firms and agent offices. Consequently, there was a lack of data that spanned the study period in some of the sampled estate firms or agent offices. This data collection challenge was, however, overcome by the excess time spent retrieving the required data for this study to ensure that the findings appropriately answer the research questions.

Inflation and GDP per capita have been found to be significant factors that influence residential RE investment performance in the study areas. Therefore, investors should pay attention to these identified macroeconomic factors for residential RE investment in the study areas whilst making investment decisions in order to mitigate a possible loss of income or return. The government should formulate and implement economic policies that would address the current high unemployment and inflation rates in Nigeria at large.

This study has extended and further enriched the existing body of knowledge in the field of RE investment analysis in Nigeria. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to adopt the Cornish Fisher value-at-risk and modified Sharpe ratio models to analyse risk and risk-adjusted returns on residential RE investment, respectively, in Nigeria. It has therefore redirected the focus of RE researchers and practitioners to a more objective approach to RE investment performance analysis in Nigeria.

The aim of this paper is to explore the existing linkages between Bolivian universities and the renewable energy (RE) sector as well as the current role and future potential of the higher education institutions to reduce the technology gap in the RE sector by technology and knowledge transfer.

The investigation is based on two surveys carried out in the frame of the JELARE project, financed by the EU ALFA III programme, with university stakeholders as well as market representatives from the RE sector.

The main findings were that Bolivian universities are far behind the market needs regarding RE technology transfer, the linkages between the higher education institutions and the market are weak and there is a lack of finance and expertise on both sides. On the other hand, potentials can be seen in the introduction of RE study programmes, the implementation of long‐term research strategies as well as internships and applied research programmes conducted jointly.

The research reveals significant deficits in university technology transfer towards the Bolivian RE market, but on the other hand it shows chances which can be taken as a starting‐point by policy makers and other stakeholders to boost local innovation and the development of the RE market.

University technology transfer regarding REs in poor developing countries has been scarcely investigated until the moment and the links between universities and RE labour market in Bolivia specifically have not been subject to research. The explorative surveys undertaken build a base for further research in this topic.

The “digital divide” between the “haves” and the “have nots” in the developed world is now less about access to the web than it is about understanding how to actively participate in the networked society. The paper shows how people with the skills, time and confidence to navigate and manage the online chaos will gain access to new career opportunities, find audiences for their work and enrich the lives of others. Those without such initiative risk being marginalized or left behind.

This work draws upon the results of an ongoing research project which is investigating the use of new technologies by entrepreneurs and small businesses in the South East of England.

The paper demonstrates how various online services such as blogging and social networking can be harnessed to develop and enhance a personal brand.

Finding a job and managing career progression increasingly involves understanding how today's networks work and how to deploy them effectively to build a personal brand, both online and offline.

The paper provides practical guidance on building a personal brand for business or career development, based on lessons learned from “early adopters” in the field.

This paper explores some misconceptions about children's advertising, in the context of food brands. It concludes that children are in essence ‘mini‐adults’, both in their approach to food, and to advertising generally. It illustrates children's sophistication about advertising, but concludes that it is essential to create a rounded ‘brand experience’ beyond any single communication channel.

In Scotland, the latest attempt to change our nation's chronic misuse of alcohol is doomed to failure, because it is being led by the police, who are not health workers, and the alcohol industry, who really have no interest in public health over private profit. The police are wasting their time and our taxes by leading this particular health campaign, which aims to restrict access to alcohol to adults, up to 21 or even 25. This approach cannot be sustained for more than a few weekend hours, for a few weeks at a time, without blowing their entire police budget.

A short review is given of recent, costly incidents, such as bacterial contamination, which involve product withdrawal, followed by the recommendation that companies should nominate an emergency co‐ordinator. The duties, authority level, and access to information of such a post are examined, and functions in the early stages of an emergency are discussed, emphasising the need to safeguard the consumers and maintain their goodwill. An exercise to simulate the financial implications of product recall and reimbursement is recommended.