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Results are presented from a programme of research aimed at establishing the mechanisms behind the effects of fabrication parameter variation on the performance of thick film strain gauges on steel substrates. The research is aimed at describing the effect on the repeatability of the device characteristics due to different choices of materials, thicknesses of printed layers, firing regimes and geometry of the gauges. In particular the effects of load and temperature on the offset and gain characteristics of a variety of different sensor constructions have been explored. The sensors described here are of a type where the applied strain is parallel to the measured resistance path but orthogonal to the substrate (k₃₃). It has been found that these devices exhibit different characteristics to conventional thick film strain gauges that can help explain the mechanisms affecting gain and offset changes caused by temperature fluctuations and mechanical deformation.

This paper presents results of work aimed at characterising the zero offset stability in novel thick film strain gauges. The devices studied are z‐axis (k₃₃) load sensors fabricated on insulated stainless steel substrates and include examples of novel commercially developed force sensors. Devices loaded with compressive strains using a purpose designed test jig were found to exhibit a significant zero offset shift, which is negative up to a certain level (typically 1,000 micro strains) and then increasingly positive when strained beyond this point. Repeated cycles of loading then produced a certain level of stability until the previous maximum value of applied strain was exceeded. Temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) measurements showed the devices to exhibit characteristics that depend significantly on the device geometry. The TCR was found to increase positively with increasing device thickness and surface area. The effect of overglazing the devices was found to decrease the TCR.

Novel thick film strain gauges have been constructed using a z‐axis orientation on insulated stainless steel for a variety of force sensing applications. These devices exhibit high gauge factor and good thermal stability compared with conventional x‐axis devices and offer other mechanical advantages due to their mode of operation. The work reported here investigates the characteristics of different types of stainless steel substrate and different types of insulating material used in the construction of the sensors. Both ferritic and austenitic steels have been investigated, together with different resistive and insulative compositions. The temperature coefficient of resistance of the devices has been shown to be a complex function of device thickness, surface area and the difference between the thermal coefficients of expansion of the various materials employed.

Stephen Hodgetts read the e-mail over and over again and still could hardly believe what he had read. He had just come back from his vacation, well rested and refreshed, and this e-mail had dampened his high enthusiasm. It took time to absorb such bad news and for Hodgetts to get over his incredulity.Yet in the end Hodgetts accepted the truth‐a deep, dark terrible truth that would not go away. Robert Davis, his business partner’s son, had confirmed in an e-mail his worst fears about their newest business partner, David Russ.Many thoughts were running through his mind simultaneously yet each screamed to be heard.“How could he and his partner Richard Davis have been so blind, so trusting?” “How could Russ not have heeded the advice of his business partner, Richard Davis, Russ’s former English professor?” And most important, “What was now going to happen to their new business?” Yet the one thought that continued to echo among them all was surprisingly a quote from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved character, Sherlock Holmes: “But there are always some lunatics about. It would be a dull world without them.”

Presents a special issue, enlisting the help of the author’s students and colleagues, focusing on age, sex, colour and disability discrimination in America. Breaks the evidence down into manageable chunks, covering: age discrimination in the workplace; discrimination against African‐Americans; sex discrimination in the workplace; same sex sexual harassment; how to investigate and prove disability discrimination; sexual harassment in the military; when the main US job‐discrimination law applies to small companies; how to investigate and prove racial discrimination; developments concerning race discrimination in the workplace; developments concerning the Equal Pay Act; developments concerning discrimination against workers with HIV or AIDS; developments concerning discrimination based on refusal of family care leave; developments concerning discrimination against gay or lesbian employees; developments concerning discrimination based on colour; how to investigate and prove discrimination concerning based on colour; developments concerning the Equal Pay Act; using statistics in employment discrimination cases; race discrimination in the workplace; developments concerning gender discrimination in the workplace; discrimination in Japanese organizations in America; discrimination in the entertainment industry; discrimination in the utility industry; understanding and effectively managing national origin discrimination; how to investigate and prove hiring discrimination based on colour; and, finally, how to investigate sexual harassment in the workplace.

The power of a distribution channel member represents “(his) ability to control decision variables in the marketing strategy of another member operating at another level”. Bucklin and Alderson stress that power relationships are essential for strong marketing channels. The five bases of power which have been identified and discussed in the marketing channel literature include rewards, coercion, expertness, legitimacy and identification. These power bases are useful in understanding the nature and use of customer service in channels of distribution. For example, reward power is based on the belief by one channel member that another member has the ability to mediate rewards for him. The customer services, fill rate and lead time can be viewed as bases for reward power. Expert power is based on one channel member's belief that another member has some special knowledge or expertise. The ability of a manufacturer to provide market information and/or assistance in inventory management is a potential basis for expert power. Thus, a supplier's strategy for achieving power bases is by providing customers with packages of customer service which they find particulary important.

Brodart Automation offers a wide range of services and products from microcomputer to online. In July 1985, Brodart introduced the first CD‐ROM‐based public access catalog, which was designed to compete with COM and online catalogs. Currently, Brodart is applying its creativity to adapting library services to global networks. Its vision and commitment are reflected in the team approach to product development and support.

Considers which interactive marketing behaviours will result in the broadest word‐of‐mouth or the largest volume of new client referrals. Suggests that the intensity and variety of client participation during the service delivery process is predictive of positive word‐of‐mouth and referrals. Reports on a study examining participation during service delivery which highlighted four key factors – tangibility, attendance, empathy and meaningful interaction. Maintains that these results support interactive marketing management in the field of complex services and can help the creation of a specific service delivery system.

In order to obtain desired film properties, alkyd resins are frequently modified by other resins and polymers either by physically blending them or chemically incorporating them. Some of the recent physical modifications of alkyd have already been described in the first part of the article. In this second part, the different types of resins and polymers used for the chemical modifications of alkyd resin are reviewed. A critical discussion on generally recognised advantages and disadvantages of the resultant coating from each modifier is described. Their use in surface coating industry are enumerated. Types of modifier to be used for improving a particular property in the coating are also suggested.

Looks at the practice of stipulating in international contracts which country’s law should govern any disputes that arise, using a governing‐law clause. Considers the regulations relating to contractual matters of conflict of laws laid down by the 1980 Convention on the Law Applicable to Contractual Obligations, which exclude bills of lading unless they are regarded as non‐negotiable instruments. Outlines the treatment of conflict of laws relating to bills of lading under Greek, US and English law, citing legal cases as examples, and reveals that in all three legal systems the choice of the applicable law, set out in the contract itself, is included in the bill of lading. Uncovers contradictions in the Greek and English approaches to the contractual role of bills of lading, and suggests that a uniform approach must be adopted, following the lead of US legislation, which clearly specifies that the bill of lading is the contract of carriage in which the choice of law is explicitly stated.