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This paper seeks to identify various factors affecting knowledge culture in some of the large organizations and suggest realistic strategies for developing knowledge culture.

In‐depth case studies were conducted at six large distributed organizations to investigate and assess knowledge management (KM) practices and associated organizational culture. The core data collection is based on semi‐structured interviews with senior managers who play a significant role in KM programs at their respective organizations. A range of internal documents of these organizations has also provided some important inputs for the empirical analysis.

The study identified ten major factors affecting knowledge culture in organizations. These include leadership, organizational structure, and evangelization, communities of practice, reward systems, time allocation, business processes, recruitment, infrastructure and physical attributes.

Perhaps, the major limitation of this research study is associated with the sample selection. All of the companies participated in this research project, were large‐scale distributed organizations. Therefore, the findings may not be applicable for small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). Furthermore, the derived conclusions would be more assertive if they were tested as hypothetical propositions through a consecutive research survey.

This study provides illustrations and rationale for a diverse range of factors influencing the knowledge culture. Some of the findings deviated from established notions in contemporary KM literature, especially in the issues such as organizational structure, leadership and reward systems. The organizational dimensions explored in this study provide some original thoughts for building sustainable knowledge cultures.

The factors described in this paper are based on the existing KM practices at organizations with well‐established KM programs. These can serve as pragmatic guidelines for KM practitioners in developing knowledge culture.

Alongside the ubiquitous computer games apparently the marketing success of the 1992 toy season was a series of 25 year old puppets who had featured in a repeat showing of the orginal ITV series on BBC — Thunderbirds — more than 70 franchises have been sold to sell goods marked with the International Rescue logo and it is alleged that these products are even bigger than the previous smash marketing hit the Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles, saving thousands of jobs and making substantial profits for the British toy industry. The characters are licensed for right‐owners ITC (originally the international marketing arm of ATV, the ITV company which put out the programme, and now an independent company, ATV having long since lost its ITV franchise) by Copyright Promotions, Europe's largest licensing company (‘Thunderbirds are go to save the toy industry’ Sunday Telegraph 15/11/92).

Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context

What images does the term “big business” evoke? The 1929 Laurel and Hardy silent movie entitled “Big Business” depicts Stan and Ollie trying to sell Christmas trees out of the back of their car to a very reluctant customer. The film provides a comedic interpretation of business where salesmen and customers are engaged in a never‐ending battle, with both sides ending up as losers. Mayhem and much laughter is the outcome. The 1988 Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin film is another light comedy that nevertheless manages to make some serious points about business ethics. A big city corporation plans to sell off a small town firm with no consideration of how this will affect the townspeople and their way of life. While these fictional accounts are purely for entertainment, many people find it difficult to be amused by some of the business practices they have observed.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.

Provides insights and practical thinking about the role of ethical values and sustainability in today's business environments

The purpose of this paper is to explore the qualitative relationship between cannabis and the most commonly used antidepressant drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRIs) through the narratives of depressed individuals who have used both drugs at one point during their lifetime. Despite their prevalence, depression, cannabis use, and SSRI use have not been previously studied together through the perspective of those who have experienced them. Using a exploratory approach, this paper investigates and compares the user experiences of these drugs.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted involving participants who were between the ages of 16–59 in the UK and have used both SSRIs and cannabis either simultaneously or at any point in their lives. Five interviews were conducted either via telephone or in person, and the method of analysis was an inductive approach which was inspired by grounded-theory.

While the two drugs were used by participants in order to relieve symptoms of depression, they were used for very different reasons and typically at different stages of their lives. Though participants did not state that the drugs were interchangeable for improving mood, their responses indicated that these drugs were viewed as two alternatives to alleviate symptoms of depression. Participants’ relationships with their doctors also played a crucial role and affected interviewees’ decisions to use either SSRIs or cannabis, as well as perceptions of the medical industry.

This research shows the importance of doctor and patient interactions as they were crucial influences on patients’ decisions related to drugs. Participants’ experiences with SSRI and cannabis were subjective and varied, therefore, the value of personalised treatment (which may or may not include psychotropic drugs) is highlighted. These findings can help health practitioners gain a better understanding of the rationale of depressed patients in choosing treatments and thereby improve healthcare outcomes.

Given that depression is stigmatised, and cannabis use is both illegal and stigmatised, this paper examines the opinions of a difficult to reach population. Previous work involving cannabis, antidepressants and mood-elevating effects is primarily written with a biochemical or medical perspective which paid more focus on the efficacy of these drugs and had less emphasis on the beliefs of the users. This paper highlights the opinions of cannabis and SSRI users regarding these two drugs specifically, which had not been previously explored.

Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.

Extreme value theory (EVT) holds promise for advancing the assessment and management of extreme financial risks. Recent literature suggests that the application of EVT generally results in more precise estimates of extreme quantiles and tail probabilities of financial asset returns. This article assesses EVT from the perspective of financial risk management. The authors believe that the recent optimism regarding EVT may be appropriate but exaggerated, and that much of its potential remains latent. They support their claim by describing various pitfalls associated with the current use of EVT techniques, and illustrate how these can be avoided. In conclusion, the article defines several specific research directions that may further the practical and effective application of EVT to risk management.

The chapter presents a theoretical framework that deals with the basic question of how networks and industries coevolve. We draw upon the structural and relational perspectives of networks to theorize about changes occurring in interfirm networks over time and the coevolutionary linkage of these changes to the industry life cycle. We further extend the widely accepted industry life cycle model by claiming that industry-specific evolutionary patterns impact the structure of the network’s relations, which in turn lead to diversification in the sources of innovation and to variation in the patterns of industrial evolution.

This study investigated the viability of using a Pan‐European approach for professional service offerings in Europe by first establishing measurement equivalence and then exploring the influence of culture on service quality and customer satisfaction. Utilizing scenarios involving a dental office visit, respondents from Portugal, France, and Germany participated in a 2X2 factorial experiment in which the researchers manipulated both expectations (low/high) and service performance (low/high). Respondents from France and Portugal expressed similar levels of customer satisfaction and perceived service quality, which were significantly different from those of the German respondents except when both expectations and performance were low.