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The rise of e‐mail and other computer‐based communication technologies has enabled members of global organizations to collaborate and exchange information to an uprecedented degree. The term “on‐line community” (OLC), coined in the early days of computer networking, is now being applied to groups of employees with common professional goals and interests who seek to add value by extending themselves virtually. However, the performance of these corporate OLCs has not always kept pace with their lofty aspiration. To find out why, Arthur Andersen’s Next Generation Research Group, in cooperation with Anheuser‐Busch, The Mutual Group, and Shell US, studied 15 very different OLCs. Among the questions we sought to answer were: how successful are OLCs in achieving their state purpose? What distinguishes a truly successful OLC? What are some pitfalls that everyone is encountering? This article presents findings and lessons learned from our in‐depth interviews with the organizers of these virtual groups.

“If the study revealed any universal truths in leadership development today, it is that the process should be transparent. Only by sharing the ‘rules of the game’ can an organization unleash the leadership potential of its employees.”

This paper will explore the emerging trend of business methods patenting by posing the following question: “Is the growing emphasis on asserting ownership over some forms of intellectual capital inimical to the organization’s ability to realize value from innovation?”. The legal landscape for patenting in both the USA and Europe will be reviewed, focusing on how the law has expanded protection over time to include intangibles such as business methods and software. The authors will depict how awareness of these changes has made its way into the general business discussion, examining arguments for and against business methods patenting from both a public policy and a business perspective. They will then explore how the emerging requirements for fast‐paced innovation may impact an organization’s decision to pursue an aggressive patenting strategy. Finally, the authors will outline a set of considerations for organizations considering the plunge into business methods patenting.

Forests too thick with fuels that are too continuously spread to resist fire are common throughout the west. After a century or more of actively working to suppress fire across the landscape, we now recognize that fire is a part of our forests, shrublands, and range, and that it will come whether we wish it or not. At last, managers must realize forests cannot be fire-proofed (DellaSala, Williams, Williams, & Franklin, 2004). We must work with fire rather than against it.

Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Term. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are available through normal trade sources. Mrs. Cheney, being a member of the editorial board of Pierian Press, will not review Pierian Press reference books in this column. Descriptions of Pierian Press reference books will be included elsewhere in this publication.

THIS number will appear at the beginning of the Leeds Conference. Although there is no evidence that the attendance will surpass the record attendance registered at the Birmingham Conference, there is every reason to believe that the attendance at Leeds will be very large. The year is one of importance in the history of the city, for it has marked the 300th anniversary of its charter. We hope that some of the festival spirit will survive into the week of the Conference. As a contributor has suggested on another page, we hope that all librarians who attend will do so with the determination to make the Conference one of the friendliest possible character. It has occasionally been pointed out that as the Association grows older it is liable to become more stilted and formal; that institutions and people become standardized and less dynamic. This, if it were true, would be a great pity.

The purpose of this paper is to study the dynamic vibrations of the tethered satellite system (TSS).

The energy principle and the variational approach are used to establish the dynamic equations of the TSS. By introducing new generalized coordinates, the equations are transformed into the Hamiltonian system. Then, the symplectic Runge-Kutta (SRK) method is used to solve the canonical equations.

The influence of the tether length on the dynamic behavior of the TSS is very important.

The dynamic responses of the TSS are obtained by using the SRK method.

Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Tenn. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are available through normal trade sources. Mrs. Cheney, being a member of the editorial board of Pierian Press, will not review Pierian Press reference books in this column. Descriptions of Pierian Press reference books will be included elsewhere in this publication.

The use of celebrities, and particularly athletes, to influence consumers and sell products is not a new practice, but one that is gaining considerable steam in the sports marketplace. However, many academics and practitioners have long questioned the means by which celebrity endorsement is measured and evaluated. Through the use of validated surveys among US students and the inauguration of the Celebrity-Hero Matrix (CHM), some of their questions are answered. Being labelled a 'heroic' athlete does, it seems, have tremendous power for marketers, and provides endorsement clout for the athlete.